Using the Phone Line for Datathe DSL Way
Modems have a great purpose in the world of networking. Almost
everywhere that you might put a PC, there's probably already a phone line
nearby. Using a PC with a modem allows almost every computer the capability to
connect to the Internet.
Modems do have some drawbacks, with one of the biggest having
to do with talkative teenagers, roommates, or other family members. Modems use
the phone line to make what the telco thinks is a voice call, so you can't make
another call while you're surfing the Internetor, in other words, you can't use
the Internet with your modem while your teenager is using the phone! Another big
negative is the speed. Although 56 Kbps for a single user might seem fairly
fast, it's not fast enough for some people. Today, e-mails often have attached
files with them; those e-mails might take a fairly long time to pull down onto a
computer. Also, websites often have tons of graphics and animation today, all of
which require a lot of bandwidth.
What the world needs now is a faster way to send and receive
data using that same old ubiquitous phone linewhile being able to make a
simultaneous phone call. What the world got was exactly that, and it's called
digital subscriber line (DSL). DSL
is an alternative technology for sending and receiving data to and from an ISP,
using the same old phone line, but running at much faster speeds. Also, you can
make phones calls and surf (send IP packets) at the same time. But, of course,
it's a little more expensive.
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