If you use the Internet, you already know faster is better. And, if you haven’t experienced it yourself, you’ve probably heard DSL is an extremely fast way to surf the net.
Even the most basic DSL service is more than 5 times faster than a 56k dial-up modem. Speeds many times faster than a 56k dial-up modem may be available for users who want them.
But speed is only part of the story. DSL changes the way people use the Internet because it’s always on. You’re always connected to the Internet so you don’t have to go through the typical “dial-up” process to get online. With DSL you simply click on an icon and you are instantly connected to the Internet. Additionally, with DSL you can talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time on a single telephone line.
What is DSL? How does it work? DSL is an acronym for Digital Subscriber Line. DSL uses special modems to add a high-speed data signal to the electric current flowing through the copper wires in your existing phone line. When you talk on the phone, your voice travels over one frequency range and the data going to and from your computer travel over another. That’s why you can talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. The fact that it uses the copper wires already connected to your phone is one of the advantages of DSL. Except for a DSL modem and an Ethernet network card or a USB connection for your computer, you don’t need any special wiring or equipment.
When you talk on the phone, the signal carrying your voice travels a voice network – the same network that is connected one phone to another for more than 100 years.
Your connection to the Internet travels over a separate data-only network engineered specifically to handle high-speed data. And, because DSL users have dedicated, always –on connections, their access to the Internet isn’t affected by what other users in the neighborhood do.
With cable modems, all the data flowing over the system shares a single path. That means the speed of your Internet connection can slow considerably during times of peak usage – the times you’re most likely to want to use it.
Because of the way electricity movers through copper wire, there are some limits to how far DSL signals can travel before they have to be amplified or enhanced. Until recently, that meant DSL service was limited to users who lived close to the office that provides their phone service. That is changing because new equipment can be installed in many neighborhoods like yours.
Your Foxfield Community Leadership Team is working to bring high-speed internet access to your home. In order to help us do so, we are offering you the chance to let us know your interest level, as well as some specific needs you may have. Please send your response to canacon@attbi.com, or call Alan Magnuson at 303-400-8076 by February 6th if possible.
Please reply with as much of the following information as possible and we will keep you up to date on high-speed internet availability in our community:
- Name
- Address, Phone number, e-mail address (if you have one, work is OK)
- How you preferred to be contacted for updates, and the best time to do so
- Would you attend a high-speed internet Q&A meeting in our community?
- Would you need help with any of the following:
* Hooking up multiple computers in one home
* Virtual Private Networks
* Security/Firewalls
* IP Address Information
* Internet Service Provider (ISP) Options
* Self-installation
* Set-up service options
* Other?
Please keep your eyes and ears open for further communication from us regarding high-speed internet access in the Foxfield community!