T1 vs. DSL (Making internet go as fast as possible)

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remember

New Member
I've been trying to read and understand as much as I can but Im getting impassed.

Im reading that the T1 is a super special and super sophisticated type of internet connection, but the speed is limited to 1.544Mbps. Together with the fact that it costs over $400 per month, I dont understand what is so special about it.

At my work we currently have AT and T dsl and we only get 1.6Mbps download speed (tested with the AT&T speed tester) and within the 1.5 to 3.0Mbps contract plan.

Im asking because I wanted to find out if we upgrade to the 3.0-6.0Mbps plan, will our internet go twice as fast? Going from one page to another and performing very frequent 7 step internet processes to access certain information or make appointments etc. takes time and I want to get the fastest, minimum lag internet speed we can get.

I dont know if there is some sort of lag issue with our current internet connection or how, if any, there is a way to make our business internet go as fast as possible.

I was just told that the T1 connection only gets 1.5Mbps, so why would anyone use that versus other less expensive internet connection speed plans that guarantee a minimum of 3.0Mbps and up to 6.0?

I dont know what else to consider? How can I make the internet go as fast as possible? I want instantaneous opening of pages, instead of the 2 or 3 second delay to go from one page to the next. Is the T1 a logical option with only 1.5 Mbps vs DSL plans that guarantee a minimum of 3.0Mbps? Im very confused about this. What can I consider in finding out what is the best and fastest internet connection service we can get?
 
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TFT

TFT

VIP Member
T1 is a point to point dedicated service, ideal for the linking of offices/buildings where information needs to be shared.
Upload speed is the same as download, something DSL can't match.
T1 is supposedly 100% reliable.
T1 not prone to the slowdown of the net like DSL.
If something goes wrong with T1, the price you pay includes a quick response.

If cost is a factor then DSL, if reliability is a factor then T1
 
R

remember

New Member
Still confused

As far as the faster upload speed of the T1, I know that DSL cant compete with that. But I think we do mostly downloading at our business, so we might not notice much of a difference with the faster upload T1 speed.

And since AT and T guarantees a minimum speed in their contract plans, I know I can at least complain and demand that we are paying for a minimum of 3.0Mbps download speed which T1 would never be able to provide. (I write like I know what Im talking about, but Im just reciting what Ive read, so if anyone knows any reasons why this may not be true or reasons that make T1 better, please let me know.)

Another point is, when I asked the T1 salesman if the 1.54Mbps speed is guaranteed, he did not give me a direct answer. He also told me that we could have up to 24 computers each running at the 1.54 speed(regardless if 5 other computers were downloading at the same time). This seems very hard for me to believe after all that I have read but I would love for it to be true if it were, so does anybody know the answer to this? If each computer gets 1.54Mbps regardless if 5 other computers are on the internet, then a T1 would definitely be a serious and probably a better option, but again I dont know if that is true.

I know that with the DSL, when one person is downloading a report, then the other computers slowdown a lot and I imagine its because they can only download at whatever bandwidth is not being used by the first computer and thus, at times some computers seem to download much more slower. And again, is the T1 speed of 1.54 guaranteed? or is that just a max, like somebody in the world has been known to get that speed before?

As far as the reliability of the T1, its great that they have a 4 hour repair time, but both T1 and DSL seem to claim that they have 99.9% uptime. But really what are the reliability performance records of T1 vs. DSL?

As far as the "proneness of the slowdown of DSL" what is that about? Occasionally someone says that the internet is going very slow and the first thing I do is a internet speed test and its always the same, about 1.65Mbps. So what kind of slowdown are you talking about? Is that something to do with what the T1 salesman told me about "Priority routing"? of a T1 line or some term about always going to the front of the internet line versus DSL users? Can anyone explain that? Also I heard something about "lagging". Can anybody give me any more info about this?

At the moment it seems that the DSL minimum guaranteed download speed of 3.0Mbps is at least twice as fast as T1 and thus the better option for us, but can anyone answer the questions above so I can better understand if T1 might be better for some of the unclarified reasons above?
 
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madtownidiot

New Member
The problem with ISPs is that regardless of whether you have dsl, T1, WiFi, or whatever, is that most of them end up sharing a common T3, which is a 45Mbps line. What most people aren't aware of is that AT&T is the company that provides internet service for nearly every ISP in America. Charter, Yahoo, MSN, Comcast, and SBC are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. Every neighborhood where AT&T has phone service has a common T3 line which carries voice and data. The exception is cable internet, but even cable internet, in smaller towns, will end up sharing a T3 or an OC line to AT&T's nearest POP. So no matter what you choose, There are times when internet is just going to be slow, even with a so-called "dedicated" T1 line.
 
R

remember

New Member
Well, Im glad to hear that there is not much of a difference between the $420 a month T1 line and $60 a month DSL. But, then again I wish that there was something faster than 512KB upload speed of the DSL and what I think could and should be faster download speed of the DSL, of course this all for my work with a minimum of 4 people using the internet during the day-dont want you to think its just for me as a single user.

But what really makes me curious is why people would spend so much for a T1 line when the download speed is half of what a DSL line could be. I know it has a 1.5Mbps upload speed, but I would think that most business, especially ones like ours, are doing mostly downloading.

It would be ideal if we could choose our up and download speeds at say 1.0Mbps up and 5Mbps down. And if that was too fast or wasn't fast enough than we could easily change the speed, but I guess for whatever reasons, that is not possible yet.
 
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madtownidiot

New Member
If you get a T1 directly from AT&T you can get symmetrical upload and download speeds. They offer service up to 2.6 Gbps on what's called an OC192, but that will cost about a half million a month. There are T3 lines at 45Mbps, OC12 @ 122 Mbps and so on, but you have to be rich. ISPs always have asymmetrical upload and download speed unless you opt for a more expensive business service
 
Trizoy

Trizoy

VIP Member
IF you have more than 5 computers in your business, and you are all using the net at the same time... The internet is going to be slow. NOT to mention if you are uploading something from some of the computers. When someone is uploading ANYTHING it DRASTICALLY affects the speed at which you can download. You are looking at DSL with hopes and dreams and clawing for some justification that DSL is better.. IT is not. There is a reason the T1 is used by large business even if it costs 6 times the cost... T1 is the way for a business to go... DSL is made for a SMALL amount of connections.

The way I would pick would be the finding the HIGHEST amount of users using their PC at once, and then dividing that "guaranteed" (minimum) speed of 3.0mb amonst them. Anyone that can do simple math will see DSL is for a SMALL amount of computers. T1 is for a large amount.

Understand?
 
M

madtownidiot

New Member
You can also get a multiple T1 connection and a per usage payment option or a fractional T3. The typical 10Mbps fractional T3 contract would be about $300 a month after installation.
 
ADE

ADE

banned
Dude, T3 gets a Max od 1000MBPS for about $1000+ a month. T1 I thought gets 10MBPS. T2 100MBPS...
 
dragon2309

dragon2309

P.I Dragon
ADE... T3 is 43Mbps... T1 is 1.54Mbps and T2 is 6.3Mbps..... all of them are synchronus lines...

You can only get into Gbps speeds with OC lines... at least an OC48 line (2.5Gbps synchronus in case you're wondering)

Get yer facts straight before posting

dragon
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
ADE said:
Dude, T3 gets a Max od 1000MBPS for about $1000+ a month. T1 I thought gets 10MBPS. T2 100MBPS...
Click to expand...
As dragon said, thats completely untrue. Sounds like you're referring to LAN speeds, such as the earlier 10Mb/s, followed by 100Mb/s, and now by 1000Mb/s.

T1 gets 1.544Mb/s.
 
Trizoy

Trizoy

VIP Member
[-0MEGA-];636002 said:
As dragon said, thats completely untrue. Sounds like you're referring to LAN speeds, such as the earlier 10Mb/s, followed by 100Mb/s, and now by 1000Mb/s.

T1 gets 1.544Mb/s.
Click to expand...

You would think the military would teach that.. Especially their computers guys...
 
dragon2309

dragon2309

P.I Dragon
ADE said:
Hay, I just followed what I remembered seeing on Cnet. don't blame me, blame them.
Click to expand...
Got a link to that then? Because i highly doubt one of the leading informational and technology related sites on the web would quote something like that...
 
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