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DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line, is a different type of connection to the Internet, and is more than ten times faster than a modem. SNET claims speeds of up to 1.5Mbps for downloading, and 128k for uploading. The greatest thing about DSL is no more waiting to dial up your Internet provider and connect -- it’s always on. You can also use the same phone line to your house, so you won’t tie up your phone line when you’re on the Internet. I called SNET in 1996 and wanted to hook up a fast connection to my apartment. At that time, it cost about $1,200 per month for ISDN, and that was my only choice. I suffered with a 56k modem until very recently. Cable modems have been available in surrounding towns, such as Newtown, for several years. But I happened to live more than 17,000 feet from the SNET central office, so it wasn’t available to me until very recently. From the time I called SNET to installation, it took about three weeks. I was pleasantly surprised when it was available on time, but disappointed to find out that no one had ordered the DSL modem to be shipped to me. I finally got the DSL modem and starter kit about a week later. Installation is simple, but you can have SNET do it for $200. Needless to say, I decided to do it myself. Since DSL uses the same phone line you use to talk on, you have to install filters between all of your phones and the wall. The kit includes several, but I decided to cheat and use one as it enters the house. Plug the DSL modem into a phone connector without a filter and then plug the DSL modem into your computer’s network card (if your computer doesn’t have one, SNET includes one as part of the kit).
If you decide to use the Enternet software, please download a software firewall such as ZoneAlarm. It’s a bit more dangerous using DSL than a modem, since you’re connected to the Internet around the clock and typically have the same address for a long period of time. I wish SNET would include a firewall as part of their starter kit. I have added an additional layer of security and run personal firewalls on each computer in addition to the hardware firewall. The cost? At the time, they offered a free modem if you signed up for a year. I have heard horror stories about DSL, so I decided to pay the $99 for the DSL modem and starter kit and go month to month. If you order it online at www.snet.com/DSL/ you’ll save the $50 order charge. The monthly fee for DSL service is $49.95, which at first seems high. But factor in the cost of a second phone line ($20), Internet access (another $20), and the time you save--priceless. I had some trouble during the first couple of months, including a week of no service. SNET traced the problem to a 'remote terminal' in our neighborhood, but it took almost a week for service to be restored. We were not without service, as the $49.95 monthly fee also includes the old standard SNET dialup service. With all of the horror stories of DSL configuration issues, I think this was a wise move. DSL appears to work great now, and I haven’t had a problem in about two weeks. Being one of the first people to try DSL in our area, I expected problems. Some of my friends that have DSL have had no trouble, and others have had no luck and hate DSL. Be aware that DSL can be very unreliable, a problem I haven’t heard from my friends with Cable modems. To learn more about DSL, visit a site called www.dslreports.com. They have all kinds of DSL information, including user reviews of SNET’s DSL service. Am I happy with SNET DSL? So far, after a few really rough spots, I’m happy. If it works 95 - 99% of the time I will be very happy. |
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I have waited more than 5 years to get DSL,
so when it came with troubles, I was willing to wait just a little
bit longer for it to work right.
I didn’t use the software included
with the SNET kit, but it works great for turning the connection
on and off (I helped a friend with his DSL software). I decided
to add a layer of security between me and the Internet and install
a hardware firewall and router. I purchased the