Today, having a reliable Internet connection at home has become absolutely necessary. This is because it enables you to manage your work operations and stay entertained. But finding an affordable internet service is quite difficult as well.
If you want to stay on budget, you can opt for an ADSL or VDSL at home. This guide will discuss all of their features in detail. This will help you in determining which one you might have at your home. Read on to explore all of their aspects in detail.
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What Is ADSL?
The full form of ADSL is ‘asymmetric digital subscriber line.’ If you choose this kind of Internet service, a phone wire will deliver the signals at your home. The line is commonly made of copper wire. And it is used to deliver a telephone connection to your home.
But the same telephone line can be used to deliver Internet signals as well. This becomes possible because the signals travel on different frequencies. But this doesn’t mean that disturbances in the wires won’t affect the signals. Even a slight disturbance can interrupt both the phone and the Internet connection.
If you live in a remote area, ADSL might be the only choice for you. This is because reliable cable packages like Cox Gigablast might be only available in populated states. So, you can subscribe to an ADSL Internet package. But an important point to note is that the distance can affect the connection strength. If you live quite far away from the source, then you won’t get the advertised speeds.
What Is VDSL?
The full form of VDSL is ‘Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line.’ This is a slightly modern version of DSL. It utilizes copper wire to deliver the Internet signals to your home. But it is slightly different from ADSL. The providers set up an optical node near the customer’s home. It then connects the node to the ISP via fiber-optic technology.
VDSL can deliver download speeds of 52 Mbps to your home. So, you can enjoy a range of activities like video-calling and streaming at this speed. But an important point to note with this kind of connection is that VDSL Internet speeds also get affected by distance. So, make sure that the node gets installed near you. In this way, you will be able to enjoy better speeds. ‘
How to Determine Which One Do You Have?
There are several reasons why you might fail to figure out what connection you have. One of the most recurring ones is that many users don’t know about the source. You can find out about the type of connection by checking your speeds.
Just run a speed test and check what speeds are you getting. If your overall speeds are greater than 20 Mbps, then you have a VDSL connection at your home. But if your speeds are lower than 20 Mbps, then you might have an ADSL connection at your home. To upgrade your ADSL to VDSL, you can contact your ISP.
Differences Between the Two Technologies
Both of these technologies use copper wires to connect you to the Internet. But both of them have significant differences too. Some of them are:
Bandwidth
As discussed above as well, ADSL speeds are much slower than VDSL. This is because VDSL utilizes fiber optic technology as well. With VDSL, you can enjoy speeds that are as high as 100 Mbps. Compared with that, ADSL delivers speeds of only 15 Mbps. But both of the technologies’ actual speeds depend upon the distance from the source.
Availability
ADSL is a widely available technology. You can find this type of connection in big cities as well as in remote areas. So, if you want to stay on budget in a big state, you can easily subscribe to ADSL packages. However, the VDSL connection is not widely available. If you live in a remote area, you will face trouble in subscribing to this sort of connection. In such a scenario, ADSL might be the only choice for you.
Affordability
ADSL is an expensive option. This is because you don’t have to invest in an expensive and compatible modem. ADSL modems are widely available and cheap. Compared to ADSL, VDSL service can be quite expensive. Also, the modems that might be compatible with VDSL might be hard to find. So, if you want to reduce your Internet costs, ADSL might be the right choice for you.
Interruptions and Stuttering
Both of these technologies are not very reliable. As the distance from the source increases, the signals might become weak. Also, in extreme weather conditions or any other disruptions, the signals might get easily lost.
If you draw a comparison between the two technologies, then the VDSL is more vulnerable to disruption. Its signals can get really weak during unfavorable weather conditions.
So, if you want to enjoy reliable speeds, then it might be a good idea to opt for VDSL. But if you want to get a reliable connection, then ADSL might be the right choice for you.
