How Is DSL Faster Than Dial-Up?

A dial-up Internet connection is limited to the voice audio spectrum of a telephone cable to transmit information. The voice audio spectrum is the same spectrum used to transmit your voice over a phone line. This reduces the rate at which a dial-up connection can transmit information to 56 kilobytes per seconds, or kbps. If you visit websites with a lot of graphics, include large attachments to your emails or download music or videos, you will find dial-up slow and cumbersome.

Digital subscriber line, or DSL, also uses an existing telephone line but expands the usable spectrum of the line by adding special hardware to the ends of the line. This means DSL transmits information faster, as well as allows you to speak over the phone without losing your Internet connection. The theoretical maximum rate of data transfer over DSL is 8 megabits per second, or mbps. This speed allows you to browse the Internet faster and more easily transmit video, audio and other large files to your computer.

Dial-up does not require any special hardware and is available to anyone who has a phone line. It also provides you with a unique IP address, a string of numbers that identifies your computer on Ihe internet, for each connection. Monthly fees for dial-up are generally lower and include no setup fee or special installation procedure. On the flip side, dial-up requires you dial an access number every time you wish to connect to the Internet and provides a comparatively low connection speed.

With DSL you can simultaneously browse the Internet, send a fax and talk over the phone using the same phone line. Internet connection speeds are typically 50 times faster than dial-up speeds. The DSL connection is simple to hook up and does not require an installation fee, unless you hire a technician to install it. However, not all telephone lines support DSL connections and it may not be available in remote or rural areas.