# "DSL" over a phone line: any good? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108 "2004-07-01T20:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/21 "2004-07-02T03:26:25Z")
We have Verizon DSL, both in my girlfriend’s apt and in my own. Verizon’s tech support may not be the best in the world but it’s better than it used to be, in sort of the same way that Stolichnaya is better to drink than Rexall rubbing alcohol. The last two times I had to call them about something I got coherent people who actually knew protocols and services and stuff and weren’t just reading from a procedure list. After a rocky first 6 months, they seemed to have gotten the bugs out of the DSL service itself and it is fast and reliable. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/22 "2004-07-02T03:41:38Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > What’s the point of this? Is it to provide higher bandwidth? Why not use the existing twisted pair? In the past, you could only get DSL if you had a working telephone number at the location. Now, many people are abandoning their landline phones and going 100% cellular for phone service, but they still want broadband internet. This is why some providers are now offering “naked DSL.” It still uses the same phone lines that are installed at virtually every residence, but they don’t require you to have telephone service. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/23 "2004-07-02T04:27:04Z")
Have they gotten rid of PPPoE yet? Not that I’d _ever_ go back to DSL - [i[I love you Road Runner!\* - PPPoE would be a big sticking point with me. Plus, I condemned BellSloth to hell a couple of years back when it took 7 service appointments and 54 phone calls for them to figure out that I couldn’t get DSL for another 10 months. I had cable Internet service up and running in three days. Sad thing is, I’m only exaggerating slightly. I even called the “super secret” BellSloth service number - the ones Earthlink techs call when there’s a problem - and even _they_ couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Huuumph! And yes, “naked DSL” is just DSL without landline phone service - which used to be a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/24 "2004-07-02T04:38:53Z")
> [@beagledave](#): > > Welllll… not exactly. > > You have an independent connection to the DSLAM at the central office of your local phone company. From there, you **share** bandwidth to whoever your internet service provider is. > > [How DSL Works | HowStuffWorks](http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dsl9.htm) > > Generally though…it’s easier to upgrade that one shared line at the DSLAM > > “At that point, an upgrade by the service provider can provide additional performance for all the users connected to the DSLAM.” Well, that’s another advantage then, since this implies that your line does not go through a SLC (Subscriber Loop Concentrator - the telco boxes you see on people’s lawns.) These share lines to the central office for seveal subscribers. Not that it is very likely for someone to run into a busy signal because of SLC congestion, but it could happen. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/25 "2004-07-02T06:30:39Z")
> [@Rex Fenestrarum](#): > > Have they gotten rid of PPPoE yet? The silly people that run the DSL straight into their PC without a firewall/router do need a PPPoE client. WinXP has one built in. Other versions need extra software such as EnterNet. (One of the buggiest crapplications I’ve ever seen) The XP PPPoE client works seamlessly - a few months ago, I needed to bypass my firewall to do some troubleshooting, so I plugged the DSL into the PC, and it just worked. Not even a dialog box or nuthin’ Normally, the firewall handles the PPPoE in hardware. Or, as in my case, there’s a setup menu for the router that has, among other, the options PPPoE and static IP. I’ve got a static IP, so maybe PPPoE just isn’t involved in any way on my line? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/26 "2004-07-02T12:08:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Trouble is, splitters are not the easiest things to get your hands on. Radio Shack doesn’t have them, and a quick Google shows that they sell for about $50, so your best bet might be to talk your phone installer into giving you one. You can do the same thing w/ single a microfilter at the point of entry, and is easy if the phone company has installed a NW1 jack. You plug the microfilter into the NW1 and that 2nd part of the NW1 (where you attach the wires for your internal phone wires) you plug into the microfilter. Now your entire phone wiring is DSL free. Now you have to open up the NW1 jack and run a dedicated DSL line from the jack to a jack near your computer DSL modem. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/27 "2004-07-02T13:26:43Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > What’s the point of this? Is it to provide higher bandwidth? Why not use the existing twisted pair? Sort of. ADSL (Asynchronous DSL), which is what Bell South sells, uses the normally unsued higher bandwidths availible on a standard copper pair. The advantage is that you may have your DSL and your dial tone on the same line. The disadvantage is your upstream bandwidth is usually less than a third of your downstream bandwidth. This is not a problem for most home users SDSL (Synchronous DSL) uses pretty much the whole bandwidth, but your upstream and downstream bandwidths are the same. Most businesses choose this option. Line sharing (DSL and Dialtone over the same pair) is only possible with special equipment on both ends of the line. In regards to the OP, before you get the DSL from your provider, check your dial-up bandwidth. If you have a hard time getting much better than 28-30 bps, your lines may be unsuited for DSL. DSL is a good product, but there are a lot of variables. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108/28 "2004-07-02T14:48:06Z")
I have DSL at home and I have no problems. I am a block away from the phone company building. The techie I spoke to when I ordered got giddy when I told him my address. Really? You are only a block away! Oh man! OH and yes you can use your phone while online. Actually you can just leave the computer online all the time but get some sort of fire wall protection like Zone Alarm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-over-a-phone-line-any-good/253108.md?page=1)