PROLiNK HURRICANE 8000 ADSL MODEM - Manual (Page 22)

Section 5 FAQ and Troubleshooting
What is xDSL ?
xDSL is a generic abbreviation for the many flavors of DSL or Digital Subscriber Line technology. DSL refers to
the technology used between a customer’s premises and the telephone company, enabling more bandwidth
over the already installed copper cabling than users have traditionally had. The xDSL modem is a technology
that transforms ordinary phone lines into high-speed digital lines for ultra fast Internet access. DSL modem
also enables access to corporate networks for telecommuters, multiplayer gamming, video on demand, video-
conferencing and video catalogs.
What is Asymmetric?
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the most popular form of xDSL technology. The key to ADSL is that
the upstream and downstream bandwidth is asymmetric, or uneven. In practice, the bandwidth from the provider
to the user (downstream) will be the higher speed path. This is in part due to the limitation of the telephone
cabling system and the desire to accommodate the typical Internet usage pattern where the majority of data is
being sent to the user (programs, graphics, sounds and video) with minimal upload capacity required (keystrokes
and mouse clicks).
How does ADSL work?
AD SL modems use digital coding techniques to squeeze up to 99% more capacity out of a phone line without
interfering with your regular phone services. That means you can simultaneously talking over the phone or sending
a fax-while surfing the World Wide Web.
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