ADSL Connections
@
ronb
This emphasis on so-called "1:1 dedicated" link makes me smile. It's basically meaningless, and I don't know what the 1:1 stands for...The bottom line is that in my case the speed of the dedicated link into the ISP is fast but is rarely supported by the rest of the network.
I understand what you're saying, but IMHO it's not quite as "simple", (straightforward), as you think.
I hope that the following is of
some interest, and doesn't give people a headache.
One of the biggest factors affecting your connection speed to the internet is a thing called "contention ratio", the total (maximum) number of other people you have to share your connection with. Most ISPs, in my experience, rarely tell you what it is.
For example, if it's 100:1, you share with 99 others, 50:1 share with 49 others, 1:1 share with nobody else. Of course, it gets a lot more complicated than that.
"Sharing" is one way of putting it, but more accurately, you're
competing with other customers to get onto the service you're paying for, and there are different "flavours" (home user, business user, etc).
The different prices
should reflect what contention ratio (and "speed") you're paying for.
On an ADSL connection, there are several steps involved before you actually reach the internet:
1) Telephone line
2) Connecting via that to the phone exchange
3) The exchange assigns you a "Point of Presence" (POP)
4) Your "presence" gets notified to your ISP
5) ISPs usually have another (larger) network that they pay for to get you on the actual internet.
6) Finally, you're connected to the internet proper.
Apart from the phone line, every other step in the process can, (and is), impacted by the contention ratios along the way. (The phone line needs to be in good condition and not too far away physically from the exchange.)
When your initial phone data goes to the exchange in the first place, it gets transferred to the exchange's network using "backhaul links". The size and type of connection you're shunted to depends on the size of the actual exchange, the number of other customers trying to reach it, how many others are already on it, etc. How much you're paying your ADSL telkom matters, too.
ISPs often provide a certain size of "backhaul", eg, 4 Mb.
4Mb/s = 4 * 1024 Kb = 4096 Kb/s
An ADSL line running at 512 Kb/s can supply 8 users at a contention ratio of 1:1 (meaning all 8 people are getting the same speed).
(4096 divided by 512 = 8)
There's lots more, but I think this is more than enough for the moment. Just keep in mind that what I've said so far refers to
before you're on the internet.
I suggest those interested in more details search google for "contention ratio".
:indecisiveness:
