What is ADSL?

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ADSL connections are becoming more and more widely available and can provide an Excellent internet connection. The connections work by splitting your phone line into two separate channels, one for data (internet) and one for voice (phone calls) which means you can talk on the phone and be connected to the internet at the same time. You will often see ADSL connection services advertised as having different speed specifications, below are some common configurations:

- 56Kbps/128Kbps

- 512Kbps/128Kbps

- 1Mbps/256Kbps Notice there are two values to each configuration, the first figure states the download speed and the second figure is the maximum upload speed. The acronym 'ADSL" stands for Asynchronus Digital Subscriber Line.

Asynchronous means that data rates for Upstream Throughput (transmission from your PC to the internet) and Downstream Throughput (Transmission from the internet to your PC) are not equal. Usually the downstream rate is 5-10 times faster than the upstream.

For most home users, this is preferred, as they will be receiving much more information than they will be sending.

Business users and Web designers may benefit more by SDSL (Synchronous DSL), where the upstream and downstream throughputs are the same, allowing for faster uploads, with a minor sacrifice in download speed.