FAQ: DSL   What is DSL?   How much does it cost?   What are the benefits of DSL?   How fast will my connection be?   What types of DSL do you provide?   How does DSL stack up against cable?   How can my office use the technology?   What is DSL? DSL is an acronym for Digital Subscriber Line. DSL technology allows for high-speed data transmission over ordinary copper phone lines that the telephone companies have connected to homes and businesses. return to top   How much does it cost? Cost is directly related to the speed that you subscribe to. See our pricing chart for specifics. return to top   What are the benefits of DSL? Very Fast Speeds - up to 125 times faster than 56kbps dialup modems Significantly cheaper than ISDN or T1 service No Dial-Up Required DSL is Always On; 7 days X 24 hour availability Flat Rate Billing return to top   How fast will my connection be? Since the speed of DSL service is distance dependent. The speed that is available to your location is directly related to the distance of your location to the telephone company's central office serving your area. return to top   What types of DSL do you provide? There are a number of different DSL technologies; we support many of them. But you know what...don't worry about it. We'll spec in the technology to meet your business objectives. If you're a techie and want to talk the nuts and bolts, we can do that too. return to top   How does DSL stack up against cable? Cable Internet systems operate in a shared network environment where all users in a particular area are connected to the same segment. This poses 2 distinct problems: The total bandwidth available within that node is shared between all of the users. When multiple people connect to the Internet through a cable there is less bandwidth available to each user. DSL offers you a dedicated connection, and therefore dedicated bandwidth. So if you're an early adopter you'll be happy. But what happens as cable companies continue to saturate your area with subscribers? More importantly, because of cable's shared design, there our inherent security risks. Your neighbors are connected on the same network you are and can possibly "hack" into your computer and/or data transmissions. return to top   How can my office use the technology? 1)Connect your office LAN to a single DSL connection for a robust and secure "always on" connection to the Internet. 2) Re-invent the way your business conducts business. A dedicated Internet connection will allow your company to communicate on the Internet in real-time 24 hours per day. 3) Work remotely from home or on the road. Your DSL connection is "always on", so your office network is always available from the Internet using a VPN or other secure remote access technology. 4) Make secure virtual private network (VPN) connections between business locations for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wide area network (WAN) infrastructure. 5) Work more efficiently by downloading software and documents from the Internet at warp speed. 6) Zip through online research more productively than ever. 7) Conduct stock trades, Internet banking, and other financial transactions in real time - efficiently and reliably. 8) Schedule and track parcel shipping real time, on line return to top