[thelist] DSL

Bob Davis bobd at members.evolt.org
Fri Aug 18 10:12:42 CDT 2000


> I am in the process of negotiating for a DSL
> connection.  Probably 
> going to go with PSI Net.  Any experiences
> (good/ bad) with this 
> company?
>

PSI is huge - I'm sure they are no worse than anyone else.  They might suck a little less.  
 
> Their brochure-ware talks about 'download'
> speeds of 'up to 2.2 mbps' 
> (subject to telco issues).  Is this a two-way
> speed (that is, are 
> uploads as fast as downloads?) and what would I
> need to do to find 
> out what the specific telco issues might be at
> my location?
>

First, you need to know if this is ADSL or SDSL. ADSL is Asychronous - faster down to you than up from you - and the more common type of xDSL for the consumer market.  SDSL is Synchronous - same speed up and down - and is more common for business providers.  

As far as speed goes, you need to know how many feet of copper (how long is the actual line) there are between you and the Telco's CO.  Attenuation across the copper is what kills xDSL speed.  If you are within a mile or so of the CO, you should be able to get good speed.  It depends on the hardware they are using though - advances every day, just like all technology.

Be advised that if you have load coils, mod-taps, a SLIC, etc. between you and the CO, it won't work at all.  xDSL is pretty picky.  Your Telco and provider should be able to tell you if your location "qualifies" for service.
 
> I am considering putting up a web-server... Mac
> OS (X?)
> 

That could be a problem.  A lot of these companies prohibit that, and use packet filtering (or something else) to block the use of a web server at the client end.  It might not work.


--
bob davis
bobd at members.evolt.org






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