Broadband ISPs
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What's Asymmetrical About ADSL?

Description: There's no doubt that when it comes to broadband providers, there are plenty of confusing terms around which don't make your choices or decisions any easier to make. ADSL is just one acronym you will come across when considering what kind of broadband service provider to go with.

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. DSL lines provide you with a connection to the internet, so what difference does having an asymmetrical line have?

Basically an ADSL internet connection works via your existing phone line. Before you panic and think that you will never be able to make a phone call as long as you have your computer connected to the internet, you should realize that the line is split so that you can do both at once.

But ADSL gets better still. Asymmetrical basically means that you can download and upload at the same time, although the speeds for each will vary and downloading will always be quicker. The versatility and availability of ADSL has made it one of the most popular ways to get online throughout the world, regardless of where you live.

While there are still better services out there, ADSL connections are great for the average home since you will be far more likely to be downloading pages from the internet than anything else, and there is little need to have anything more dynamic than this.

While the two way feature of an Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line means that it is more attractive than a simple DSL line, it does have its downsides. If you live near to the source of your signal then you will find your upload and download speeds will be a lot better than if you were to live several miles away. Therefore location is one aspect that needs to be borne in mind when examining the possibility of getting ADSL for your internet connection.