What’s the difference between DSL, cable, satellite, wireless, and dial-up? What’s “broadband”? And which of these types of Internet should you install in your home?
There are different ways of connecting to the Internet: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable, satellite, wireless, and the granddaddy of them all, the dial-up. If you’re trying to decide which Internet connection to install in your home, it helps to know: “What’s the difference between DSL, cable, satellite, wireless and dial-up?”
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
Like dial-up, Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) use pre-existing phone lines to connect to the Internet. The difference is that when you use DSL, you can still use your phone to make and receive calls.
For people who use the Internet mostly to download data and hardly uses it to upload anything, the best kind of DSL service is ADSL, or Assymetric Digital Subscriber Line. It’s assymetric because it enables faster sending of data in one direction than the other, unlike regular DSL wherein the speed is divided equally to make it the same both ways.
There is also ‘naked DSL’, which provides only Internet and no phone service for people who prefer to use mobile phones. Naked DSL uses the same phone lines as that used by regular DSL.
Cable Internet
Cable Internet uses the same lines that provide you with cable TV. Therefore, your cable Internet provider is probably your cable TV provider too.
Cable Internet, like DSL, provides broadband Internet access. The term ‘broadband’ refers to high-speed Internet that is at least 50 times faster than dial-up.
There is also high-speed dial-up, which is 5 times faster than regular dial-up, but it is only faster for browsing web pages, not for uploading and downloading files.
Cable and DSL are the most common methods for Internet access in Europe and North America.
Wireless Internet
This is for places that cannot be reached by either DSL or cable wires. Instead, an antenna is installed on your roof and Internet signals are sent to it.
To use wireless, there must be no buildings, trees or any other blockages between your antenna and the provider’s antenna. Heavy rain can sometimes slow down or even cancel your connection. The antenna also needs electricity, so a power interruption will disconnect your Internet.
In normal conditions, the speed of wireless is comparable to DSL or cable. Wireless Internet is also classified as broadband.
Satellite Internet
If none of the above options are available, you can get satellite Internet, but be ready to pay more.
To access satellite Internet, a satellite dish needs to be installed in your backyard.
Service-wise, satellite Internet speeds are faster than all dial-ups but slower than DSL or cable. There is also a lag time because your connection has to go to outer space and back to earth to reach you. However, the lag does not bother most people, unless they are playing speedy online games.
3 Responses
This was interesting. I knew the names of different types of connections but you have made it much clearer and answered a few questions I wondered about.
Thank you.
“Wireless Internet :This is for places that cannot be reached by either DSL or cable wires”
incorrect and a bad description
Frankly, I don’t see why it is incorrect, but if you would explain it to me, I would gladly make the correction and appreciate the improvement.