Internet providers offer customers a variety of ways to get online, two of which are dial-up and digital subscriber lines, commonly known as DSL. Both connections use phone lines to connect to the Internet, but both operate at very different speeds. Along with the variation in speed, dial-up and DSL connections have other differences. Before subscribing to either of the two, compare them both and decide whether dial-up or DSL is best for you.
Speed
To understand the speed of an Internet connection, you must understand computer files. Computer files are composed of pieces of information called "bytes." Internet connection speeds are based on the number of bytes the connection can transfer in one second. A kilobyte is 1,000 bytes; a megabyte is 1,000 kilobytes. Dial-up connections operate at up to 56KB per second, while DSL connections operate at speeds between 256KB per second and 20MB per second. When comparing top speeds, DSL operates up to 350 times faster than dial-up.
Download Time
To download 3MB of information, a dial-up connection will take between 30 and 35 minutes. A DSL connection can download 3MB of information between 10 and 15 seconds. For example, an MP3 file is roughly 3MB. The quick download speed makes DSL a good choice if you want to download music, movies and games.
Phone Line
Both forms of connection require the use of a phone line. To connect to the Internet, a dial-up connection dials an access number to connect to the host server; a DSL is always connected. A dial-up line can work with any existing phone line, while a DSL connection may not be able to. A DSL connection requires a phone line designed for use with DSL Internet connection. Dial-up connections can be installed on your own, while DSL connections often require the assistance of a service technician.
Modem
Dial-up service utilizes the modem of a computer to connect to the Internet. At the time of this article's publication, some newer computers do not have an internal modem and are not compatible with dial-up service. DSL service requires the use of an external DSL modem. DSL modems are often provided by the service provider; a monthly rental fee may be charged to your account.
Price
The monthly subscription fee for each company varies, but dial-up costs between $9.95 and $25 per month. A monthly subscription for DSL may cost between $20 and $50. An installation fee is not charged for dial-up, as set up is not required. A fee may be required to have a service technician install a DSL line and a modem.
References
- DSL-ISP-Guide: Comparison -- DSL vs Dial Up
- Internet Guide and More: Cable DSL Dialup Comparison
- ISP Reviews: Dialup vs. DSL
- Whatsabyte.com: Megabytes, Gigabytes, Terabytes -- What Are They?