Difference Between DSL and ADSL

Difference Between DSL and ADSL

DSL is the acronym for a service called Digital Subscriber Line. It’s a general term given to services that are carried out with a copper wire system.

DSL is what offers high-speed internet and various other services in its package. When a service provider offers something like ADSL, which stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, the subscriber may not get as many benefits from ADSL as DSL provides. ADSL does not have the same speeds going both ways in a connection.

Internet service providers (ISP) will advertise download and upload speeds within their service package. Each provider may be different. These speeds will vary and are not always the same in both directions. With ADSL, the upload and download speeds are different and that’s what the subscribers are told.  DSL is a more generic term used to describe services. It could involve the different speeds of ADSL, or the identical speeds of the symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL).

ISP’s are always coming up with new methods for ADSL technology. One example is tiered pricing. This lets ISP’s to charge their subscribers more money for larger amounts of bandwidth. Bandwidth can be used for downloading and uploading. ADSL is a specific type of service that gives people their connection to high-speed data networks. Most of the DSL services that are sold are ADSL.

DSL has many benefits and is much more efficient than the dial-up phone lines that were once used. The biggest benefit is being able to use a landline in anyway while being connected to the internet simultaneously. This never used to be possible with dial-up unless a home had a secondary phone line. DSL can help us multitask with the use of filters in the phone jacks. Any signals on the wires below 4Khz are voice signals and everything above that are data signals. DSL ensures that these signals don’t interfere with each other.

As with all pieces of technology, DSL has its downfalls. There is a proximity issue with this service line. The closer that someone lives to their phone company’s main office, the faster their internet connection will be. If someone is still within the DSL’s range, but lives far away from the main office their connection will be slower. Unfortunately, the people living outside of the range will not be able to use DSL. These people will have to find another way to get high-speed access.

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