- Digital Subscriber Line technology is much different from dial-up, even though both use the phone line. However, instead of using the telephone line the way that a regular phone would, DSL uses a much higher frequency, which transmits far above what regular wires do. The signal originates from a DSL modem that you have in your home, but before you can view content, it must make a journey.
- The central office is where all DSL lines meet and are received. Once the request is processed here, they are sent back to the user. This is why the speed of your DSL varies largely depending on your location. If you are using a DSL modem right next to a central office, then you can expect very fast speeds. But if you live in a rural area, DSL speeds can slow to almost dial-up levels.
- Although proximity to the central office is the biggest influence on speed, DSL speeds also vary according to type of DSL offered. There are three main types: ADSL, SDSL and IDSL. ADSL is most common and supports a single network or connection and provides regular browsing speed. SDSL is much faster and can support multiple DSL networks instead of just one. However, instead of using just one phone line (like ADSL), SDSL has a much bigger signal and needs its own phone line. IDSL is a low-performance form of DSL that is available to people who are out of range of a DSL connection office and does not connect through the normal voice lines, and instead uses a data line to carry the signal.
