Albany Mutual Telephone

What is High Speed Internet?

High Speed Internet is a technology that provides high-bandwidth (high-speed) network connections to individual homes and businesses.

High Speed Internet uses the same line as your regular telephone service, but it can provide the higher data speeds because it uses digital modems.

Over the last few years, High Speed Internet has become more widely available across the country, even in rural areas. While early High Speed Internet applications were plagued by installation and/or service problems, advances in technology, increased deployment, and higher demand have eliminated some of the “growing pains” and led to improved service quality. As a consequence, High Speed Internet has become a valuable network service for those who demand high-speed Internet access.

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Can I get High Speed Internet where I live or work?

Albany Mutual Telephone is able to offer High Speed Internet to nearly all of our customers today.

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Can this service run on my Macintosh as well?

Yes it can. The same equipment is required also.

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Do I need special equipment for this service?

Yes, High Speed Internet is a totally digital service so your analog modem will not work.

You can lease a modem for $5 per month or purchase the modem for $69.95. If you purchase the modem, it is your responsibility for repairs if the modem is struck by lightning or other failure occurs. You will be required to have a an Ethernet Network interface card (NIC) in your PC.

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What do the lights mean?

Model DSL500EU

LAN 10: Lights when modem is connected to computer at 10 Mbps, flashes when data transfer.

100: Lights when modem is connected to computer at 100 Mbps, flashes when data transfer.

High Speed Internet Link: Flashes as modem synchronizes to the High Speed Internet signal. Light is steady when connected.

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What service benefits and advantages does High Speed Internet offer?

High Speed Internet technology offers three major advantages over conventional, dial-up Internet access: much higher speeds, a constant “always-on” connection, and talk-and surf capability.

• Speed – High Speed Internet can deliver more than 100 times the network performance of an analog (dial-up) modem. While the exact speed depends on a customer’s location, most High Speed Internet connections easily outperform standard modems by a factor of 20 or more. Because High Speed Internet uses the same telephone wiring as analog modems, it may not be immediately obvious how it achieves such high speeds. In essence, High Speed Internet works on the unused (high) frequencies of your line. High Speed Internet modems contain an internal signal splitter that directs voice signals to the voice (low) frequencies and data signals to the higher frequencies.
• Access – a High Speed Internet connection is "on" all the time. High Speed Internet users do not have to dial their Internet service provider each time they want to "access” the Internet. You should be aware, however, that an always-on connection, such as High Speed Internet, does have security issues. It’s a good idea for High Speed Internet users to install personal firewall products on their home networks to guard against external attacks.
• Talk and surf – with High Speed Internet, you don’t need a second line to keep your line “open.” With the splitter sending the voice and data signals to “different parts” of the line, High Speed Internet users enjoy simultaneous access to both the telephone (voice) and the computer (data). Thus, customers who might otherwise have needed a second line for Internet access don't need one with High Speed Internet service.

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How does High Speed Internet work over regular telephone lines?

The key to Digital Subscriber Line technology is the modem; the line itself is actually the same telephone wire you’ve always had.

From the user's point of view, the High Speed Internet modem that you purchase as part of the service talks to another High Speed Internet modem located at the service provider's location; in essence, the modems send data back and forth, without affecting voice communication over the telephone line. The digital technology “converts” your line to use the additional, data capacity. As a result, High Speed Internet users can “share” the line at the same time both for their digital (data) and analog (voice) calls. Thus, you can surf the Web even as you talk on the phone.

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Are there any service-related problems with High Speed Internet? Is it available everywhere?

Some companies initially experienced difficulties in deploying High Speed Internet. For the most part, the problems have been concentrated among the large, urban-based companies with vast networks they did not upgrade regularly. Nationwide, some customers report difficulties in transitioning to High Speed Internet, and for some of the larger companies, it can take a surprisingly long time to install High Speed Internet. But most community based telecom providers have not experienced similar delays.

High Speed Internet service is now available across much of the U.S., but it’s still not offered everywhere. While the technology has improved significantly since High Speed Internet was introduced, its availability is still tied to the physical location of the customer; i.e., how close a customer is to the equipment that connects the homes and business in that area to the provider’s central office. As a rule of thumb, High Speed Internet runs about 18,000 feet (3.5 miles) from the central office or remote switch that serves an area. In addition, some High Speed Internet technologies restrict these physical distances even further, to limits as low as 1,000 feet (0.2 miles), depending on the actual transmission speeds.

In addition to the distance restrictions, phone lines must be “qualified” for High Speed Internet. Even if the connection point is less than 18,000 feet from the equipment, the line must possess sufficient electrical-quality characteristics. Many technical details, outside the customer's control, determine whether a telephone line is of sufficient “quality” to support High Speed Internet. One particularly technical problem for High Speed Internet is the use of “load coils, which are small electrical devices that improve the telephone line’s ability to transmit voice calls. Many companies, especially larger ones, have relied on load coils over the years to improve service quality. But, while load coils work effectively on the low (voice) frequencies, they adversely affect the high (data) frequencies. Basically, High Speed Internet service will not run over load coils.

Once the service is installed, some customers complain that the technology is sometimes unreliable – for example, dropping connections unexpectedly. This has not been a major problem for us, but customers may experience slower-than-expected speeds on occasion. In fact, the issue of speed (available bandwidth) comes up frequently. We provide all customers up to the requested amount of bandwidth within our network, but we remind you that actual transmission speeds vary.

True to our tradition of quality service, community based telecom companies intend to offer High Speed Internet that’s as reliable and dependable as our voice service. We’re confident that, compared with standard dial-up Internet access, High Speed Internet connection will prove a valuable addition for home and small-business networks for years to come.

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I understand there are many kinds of High Speed Internet. What are they, and what do they mean to me?

The term, Digital Subscriber Line, actually refers to a group of related network technologies, rather than just one. While it is probably not necessary to describe each to most users, it is important to note several “technical” High Speed Internet aspects.

First, High Speed Internet’s high speed goes in two directions: Downstream refers to web pages or content you view or download on your computer; upstream refers to files or content you send from your computer to someone else.

In addition, in denoting direction, High Speed Internet is divided into: symmetric and asymmetric; symmetric High Speed Internet service provides identical data rates upstream and downstream; asymmetric High Speed Internet generally has faster rates downstream than it does upstream. Thus, “asymmetric” High Speed Internet service provides higher downstream data rates, but at the expense of upstream speed.

Many typical uses of the web – such as file downloads and general browsing – benefit from greater downstream bandwidth but require relatively little in the opposite direction. On the other hand, symmetric High Speed Internet services provide the same bandwidth (speed) both upstream and downstream, but some require two or more phone lines to deliver that rate in both directions.

Finally, a more advanced variation of the technology Very High Data-Rate High Speed Internet (VDSL), works over a more limited physical distance than other forms of High Speed Internet. While the maximum length for VDSL is only about 4,500 feet, it achieves the highest data rate (roughly 51,840 Kbps), and the bandwidth levels supported by VDSL makes possible certain high-end video applications.

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What is the difference between High Speed Internet and cable modems?

With a cable modem, you share your connection and speed with everyone on your "feeder line". If that "feeder line" is small and/or multiple users are logged on, your speeds will reflect that.

With High Speed Internet, there is no shared pipe. You have dedicated bandwidth from your home or business all the way back to the Internet.

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