ADSL at urisp.net
DSL technology brings high-bandwidth connectivity to you over ordinary copper telephone lines.
The type of DSL service that www.urisp.net offers is Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL). It's called "asymmetric" because the speed of the receiving data (the downstream rate to your computer) is different than the speed of sending data (the upstream rate from your computer to the Internet). And, while it uses a different technology than traditional analog modems, the ADSL modem plugs into your phone jack much like an analog modem.

DSL technology allows you to surf the Internet, connect to your corporate network, and download files to your computer with amazing speed. You'll be able to play networked computer games faster than before -- and streaming audio and video are becoming popular applications for use with DSL Internet service.

Unlike the dial-up connections required for analog modems, your DSL connection can be turned on almost instantly. Since DSL is always available, there's no more busy signals and no more waiting for the connection to happen - it's there at the click of your mouse. If you do turn your PC off (or terminate your DSL connection), it's quick and easy to log back on -- no more long waits as your analog modem establishes its connection.

How fast is DSL?
Digital Subscriber Lines deliver high-speed broadband Internet connectivity - capable of transmitting data as much as 15 times faster than standard 56k modems.

What does this mean to you? It means you can view streaming video and hear real audio in real-time. It means you can see more and do more without all the waiting - that you can get the best of the Internet in no time, all the time.

Connection speeds for DSL typically range from 256Kbps to 1.544Mbps downstream and 256Kbps upstream. In addition, a DSL line allows for one line to carry both voice and data signals, and for the data part of the line to be continuously connected, so you can talk on your phone line at the same time you're surfing the Internet.

Note: Service and speed options not available in some areas. Actual data transfer or throughput may be lower than the minimum connection speed or "sync-rate" due to Internet congestion, server or router speeds, protocol overheads, and other factors that cannot be controlled by www.urisp.net.

What is the difference between DSL and cable modems?
DSL provides always-available high-speed Internet access over a single dedicated telephone line. Cable modems offer high-speed Internet access over a shared cable television line.

While cable modems may have greater theoretical downstream (from the Internet to the home) bandwidth capabilities, that bandwidth is shared among all users in a neighborhood, and will therefore vary, perhaps dramatically, as more users in a neighborhood get online at the same time.

Upstream traffic (from the customer premise to the Internet) over cable modems will in many cases be slower than DSL, either because the particular cable modem is inherently slower, or because too many people in a neighborhood are trying to send or receive data at the same time - causing congestion in the local cable network.

DSL Advantages
Faster than cable modem service during peak usage periods*
* Based on a month-long benchmarking study by Keynote Systems, DSL was found to be 11% faster than cable modems
DSL service is flexible enough to grow with the skills and interests of our users
Customers can also use dial-up connections, and access services like email remotely
DSL is as reliable as your phone
DSL speed stays consistent, as opposed to the shared systems used by cable companies where speed may decrease as more users sign up.

Cable Modem Disadvantages

• Reliability and privacy issues, since bandwidth is shared over the local cable network
• Shared bandwidth can cause slowdowns due to local network congestion
• Cable modem services often do not support a wide variety of Internet applications

DSL Minimum System Requirements
Technician-Assisted Installations
Windows

• Pentium-class processor, 166 MHz or faster (including Celeron and AMD K6-2 or K7-x or faster)
• Windows 95/98/2000/ME or Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 3 or above
• Internet browser (for example, Netscape Navigator or MS Internet Explorer)
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• 65 MB of free disk space (if you install the customized browser) or 25 MB of free disk space (if you already have a browser)
• 32 MB of RAM
  
  • Notes
    You must have your computer manufacturer's Owner's Guide and your computer's Operating System on installation media (CD or diskettes)
    

Customer Self-Installations
Windows

• Pentium-class processor, 166 MHz or faster (including Celeron and AMD K6-2 or K7-x or faster)
• Windows 95/98/2000/ME or Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 3 or above
• Internet browser (for example, Netscape Navigator or MS Internet Explorer)
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• 65 MB of free disk space (if you install the customized browser) or 25 MB of free disk space (if you already have a browser)
• 32 MB of RAM
  • Notes
    You must have your computer manufacturer's Owner's Guide and your computer's Operating System on installation media (CD or diskettes)
    

Customer Self-Install DSL makes use of customer-installed low pass microfilters for each line analog device (typically telephones, fax machines, etc). The intent of the filters is to filter out any DSL signal noise from your voice service, allowing both voice and data to share common inside wiring. These filters are placed between the analog devices and the phone jack(s) and do not require any tools for installation.

Availability of customer self-install is dependent on your distance from the DSL gateway (length of the telephone line facility, not street miles or air miles).In addition, you must have a telephone line qualified to carry the DSL signal. Customer self-install is not available if you have:

• an alarm or medical monitoring service on the line where you want DSL service
• rotary dial service on the line where you want DSL service
• a Centrex, PBX or Hunting service
• Windows 3.1 or UNIX / Linux operating system at this time. Linux operating systems are compatible, but not yet supported.

Glossary of Terms