DSL conenction speed, Is it really dedicated?

[Shockwave]

Ok, this isnt really hardware related, but here it is anyways. DSL connection is dedicated, but as I've been told, the connection is only dedicated to the router. After you hit the router, you get dumped onto a shared bandwidth connection out to the world. My question is does the router typically have the bandwidth on the network side to ensure that you get all of your bandwidth on the customer side? Ex: if the router has 10 meg tx/rx on the network side, and 10 people on the customer side with 1.5 meg connections, your not getting your full bandwidth past the router. Does anybody have any info on this?

 

[Gunbuster]

It all depends on how cheap your ISP wants to get

 

[Ben88]

The majority of isp's do not guarantee speeds, which means you can be on a 1500/384 line and be receiving 500/100. These isp's (including pacbell, earthlink, verizon etc.) only guarantee speeds to the Central Office (CO). And even then, it's not a true guarantee, just a "best effort policy." Certain DSL providers have a true guarantee which ensures you'll get at least the advertised speed as long as you are on their network. They take it beyond the CO, which is really what you want to look for in a provider. When looking for a dsl provider you want to make sure they can GUARANTEE speeds on their network. SDSL lines are typically the best for speed and stability. In my opinion, the best service for a home user is 784/784k SDSL. Unfortunately, most isp's use ADSL, and some even use PPPoE, which is a step backwards. So let me go over this once more:

1.) You have your own line from your workstation to the CO. After that, it is routed through a DSLAM (DSL access multiplexer) which is installed by your CLEC (Northpoint, Covad etc.) in your local phone company's CO.

2.) "My question is does the router typically have the bandwidth on the network side to ensure that you get all of your bandwidth on the customer side?"
It depends. If you have a good provider then the answer is yes, if you have a bad provider then the answer is no.

If you have any other questions let me know.

 

[LiekOMG]

Hmm..very interesting responce. My only question... do you know of any SDSL providor in the NYC area? Or, perhaps some website that will allow me to do a search in my area? I love DSL, but i'm really starting to get pissed off by Verizons terrible speeds/quality/service.

 

[pm]

DSLReports is one of the best ways to do an area search.

 

[ERJ]

I agree SDSL is better but I would not say that the

<< best service for a home user is 784/784k SDSL >>

. It is simply not cost effective for the home. For buisness SDSL is the way to go, especially if they plan on hosting any internet based applications. However, for most home users ADSL is fine.

ERJ

 

[Leo V]

I, for one, am using home SDSL at 768/768. How? I struck a terrific deal with Speakeasy.net, one of the best customer-friendly ISP's. Under the deal, I'm signed up for a year with 4 free months of service. This averages out the monthly price (including installation) to $110/month for the year, which is tolerable. From any other ISP (AFAIK), you're required to get a business plan where you only get 192/192 for this kind of price! (and you can't run servers--I certainly can)

 

[Leo V]

Additionally, Speakeasy guarantees 80% of advertised SDSL speed; I'm measuring at 85% in DSLreports' speed test (650/650). The connection feels great after Verizon ADSL (640/90 official, 510/70 actual); you no longer need to download a huge file to get full speed, and the ping is way better (~20ms to my gateway, and Speakeasy is beefing it up now).

 

[MasterMind]

I priced SDSL vs. ADSL when DSL became available in my area about one year ago. The SDSL rate was about $380/month for 384/384 and ADSL was $30 for 256/256.

They upgraded my ASDL line to 640/256 a couple of months ago for free! And I always get my peak rate (5xx/2xx) as far as I can tell. But ISP's do oversell ADSL so some might not be so lucky. Stay away from reseller's because they are obviously overselling to offer the same service at a cheaper price.

 

[Shockwave]

What about Sprint Ion? Is it a viable alternative to DSl or Cable modem? Does anyone else have access to this yet? Last I knew it was only available in Kansas City and.......Denver? I think.......But I know they are trying to roll it out elsewhere. From what I can see it looks to be the $hit!