Is an Internal Dial-up Modem Needed for DSL?

DSL uses only the digital portion of your existing phone line. This means it may not be available in areas with extremely outdated phone lines that are not prepared for digital service, but most phone lines across the U.S. can accept DSL signal. An adaptor for your modem's phone jack connection and each phone in your house ensures a clean voice signal for your phone and a clean digital signal for your Internet. The two portions of the phone line can carry information simultaneously, so phone use does not affect DSL service.

Your computer's dial-up modem and standard phone cord port are not used for DSL. Instead, your computer needs an internal network interface card and an Ethernet port. Your DSL service provider will either provide you with an external modem or tell you where to purchase one, and you will need an Ethernet cable to connect your computer to this modem. You will also need adapters for all phone jacks used in your home, which your DSL service provider should provide.

Some DSL companies will provide you with wireless service options, while others offer only wired modems. You can still convert your DSL signal to a wireless signal on your own in most cases, but the wireless signal will not be as fast as a wired connection. For wireless DSL, you will need an internal or external wireless networking card for your computer and a wireless router connected to your modem to convert the signal into wireless format. Check with your DSL service provider to see if the company provides combination modem/router units to make your wireless setup easier.

Most newer computers have all of the internal equipment you need to connect to DSL, so you will simply need the external equipment such as the modem, cords and adapters. If your computer has an Ethernet port, which looks like the phone cord connector but is slightly wider, then you most likely already have an NIC. Older computers may require an upgrade to install the NIC and appropriate port.