ADSL2+: How does it differ from ADSL broadband?

The internet has become a way of life for many of us and most people have a connection that allows them access. Basically all you need to connect via ADSL is your telephone, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and a modem to tie it all together.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) broadband

In some areas people still access the internet via a dial-up service as broadband is not yet available,  but continuing upgrades to broadband exchanges mean that more people are able to connect via broadband. Given DSL’s speed and convenience, broadband is more popular today.

An ADSL broadband connection means:

• Faster broadband access in most areas
• Using existing telephone lines to access the Internet
• You can still make and receive telephone calls while on the Internet
• ADSL modems are available in wireless, as well as wired

For those who can access ADSL broadband, it is a fast and easy way to get connected as you are “always on” (the Internet). You will be able to connect to ADSL provided that you are within a 4km radius of the telephone exchange, which is the distance range of the service at present (as ADSL requires your service to be connected at the telephone exchange as well).

ADSL2+ broadband

With continual advances in technology, ADSL2+, the follow up to ADSL, should come as no surprise. ADSL2+ is offers even greater download speeds and does so at even greater distances from your local telephone exchange.

Here in Australia, ADSL currently allows for download speeds ranging from 256 kilobits per second (Kbps) to anything up to 8 megabits per second (Mbps), but ADSL2+ rockets speed to 24Mbps (megabits per second) and over - very fast, whether downloading or uploading.

Again, these figures can vary depending on your distance from the exchange, interference, the quality of your line and equipment but the bottom line is that ADSL2+ is tops for broadband. As a result the new ADSL2+ is gaining in popularity and improving in affordability, as people (understandably) opt for speed and convenience.