DSL Modem Basics
Dial-up service for accessing the Internet is still available, but it's losing ground to the faster, more efficient DSL service. DSL modems work with existing telephone lines, but the technology eliminates the need to devote a line exclusively to the action of accessing information on the Internet. The most attractive feature of the DSL modem, however, is its speed.
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Modem
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The modem is a translator. It gathers analog data and translates it into digital information so you can see it on your computer. In turn, it also translates digital information so it can be transferred along an analog device, such as a telephone line. Your computer speaks digital--that is, its language is composed of ones and zeros, or binary. Analog is made up of sine wave, a frequency range.
DSL
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DSL stands for digital subscriber line. Because your analog voice doesn't take up much space when traveling along the telephone line, there's room for the digital language of the computer to travel the same lines. If you have phone lines connected to your home, you most likely can subscribe to a digital service, a provider that will allow your modem to move information to your computer via the digital subscriber line services.
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DSL Modem
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How the modem works with the digital subscriber line is through the telephone lines. Telephone lines are made of copper, and because your analog voice doesn't fill the space of the copper phone lines, there's additional bandwidth available. By matching frequencies, be they digital or analog, to specific tasks or routes, you are able to talk on the telephone and use your computer at the same time. Such is the miracle of DSL modems.
Advantages
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The most notable advantage of DSL modems over the old-fashioned dial-up method of transferring digital information is that DSL is faster. Your computer, through the DSL modem, is able to download information faster because the modem can translate the analog to the digital more efficiently. Another advantage is that you do not need additional wiring added to your home; the telephone wire is already in place. Some DSL providers will also provide the modem to you when you subscribe to their service.
Disadvantages
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Though the modem is able to get the digital information to your computer more efficiently than with a dial-up service, geography does play a role. The closer you are to the operating offices of your provider, the faster your signal will be. Signal strength does degrade over distance, so if you are geographically disadvantaged in terms of proximity to your provider, your downloads and uploads may not be as fast others who live closer to the provider.
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