La Ward Communications

IS PROUD TO RELEASE....

 

With  DSL technology, La Ward Communications and La Ward Telephone turns your existing phone line into a constant high-speed data connection, while allowing you to continue to use your phone or fax lines as usual.  Because you have automatic access to the Internet, you will never have to dial up, which means you won't have to deal with the hassles of busy signals and conneciton errors.  Simply click your web browser and your're ready to go.  As you will see, this dedicated connection serves as a powerful tool for accessing data from your home.  The type furnished to our customers is called ADSL.

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This technology provides high speed data access over a single pair of ordinary telephone wires utilizing the unused portion of the frequency spectrum in POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service)  The service termed asymmetric because the downstream speeds from the telco central office to the home are much greater than the upstream speeds, from the home to the telco central office.

 

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Q.  What is DSL?

A.   It is a service provided by the Telephone Company or an Internet  Service Provider that allows the customer to connect to the Internet at speeds greater than 56 kbps.                                           

Q.  Do I need a second line for DSL?

A.  In most cases, you will only need one telephone line for DSL.   Your DSL connection will allow you to talk and surf the web at the same time  without the need for a second line.   [SDSL most likely will require a second line, ADSL in most cases will not.]

Q.  Do I need special equipment to use DSL? 

A.  Yes, there are two different ways that ADSL may be                   provisioned--with and without a splitter.  In both cases you will need to have a DSL  modem and an Ethernet Network Interface Card ( or USB port) in  your computer.  If you have a splitter-less connection, then you will  need filters for every telephone that you have in your home.  If you have a spitter connection, then you will need to have the telephone company install a splitter in your home.

Q.  Which connection is better: splitter or splitter-less?

A.  Each has its own advantages.  The splitter is less flexible if you want to move your computer around, but then filters are not needed for each telephone.   If a splitter-less configurationis used, then all the customer must do is to place a filter between the wall jack and each telephone in use. 

Q.  Am I guaranteed that my speeds will be faster?

A.  Internet speed to a web site is determined by several factors: Loop speed, Internet backbone speeds and the actual website.  With DSL the telphone company is increasing the loop speed to the customer.  However, the ISP, Internet backbone or web site may not be able to operate at the highest speed allowed all the time.   Therefore, depending upon the number of users on the Internet, your connection speeds will vary; however, you will find that your connection speeds will be significantly faster than dial-up speeds.

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COMPUTER  SETUP/INSTALLATION, MODEMS, MULTIPLE COMPUTERS, WIRING

Q.  How do I configure my computer for ADSL?

A.  The purchase and installation of the 10-Base T Ethernet card (NIC) and any other related hardware, plus setup of the Operating System, or USB port accessability  in additon to an external modem is the customers  responsibility as an ADSL subscriber. La Ward Communications offers in home or office installation for a nominal fee.

Q.  Where can I buy a modem?

A.  La Ward Communication has an external modem, type :         ADSL G. Lite for sale; used to access the ADSL service. 

Q.  How will the ADSL service terminate? Can I connect multiple computers?

A.The ADSL remote unit (modem) provides an RJ45, 10-Base T Ethernet interface designed to connect to an Ethernet interface in a PC via across cable (provided with the ADSL modem) or to an Ethernet hub via a straight Ethernet cable ( not provided).   To connect multiple computers, the Ethernet hub arrangement will be required.

Q.  If I have two computers at home, will they both be able to use the ADSL network connection concurrently if I connect them to the ADSL modem via a standard 10-Base T Ethernet network hub?

A.  Yes.  There are no special hardware or software requirements      (such as configuring IP masquerading, Network Address Translation, IP routing or forwarding, installing additional Ethernet interfaces, ects.) for either computer or for the ADSL modem, and each computer will be assigned a unique IP address; however, the connection between the ADSL modem and the Ethernet hub has special requirements.  Specifically, the Ethernet cable that comes with the ADSL modem will not work when connecting the ADSL modem to an Ethernet hub.  This is a special type of Ethernet cable referred to as a "crossover cable" and is intended for a direct connection between the ADSL modem and a computer.  Use a standard "straight-through" 10-BaseT Ethernet cable to connect the ADSL modem to an Ethernet hub, as well as to connect your computer(s) to an Ethernet hub.

ADSL Line Intrastructure  -  What qualifies you and other related technical detail

Q.  What is required for me to "qualify" for ADSL?

A.  There are basically 2 things that determine whether you qualify for ADSL service:

   1.  Whether the La Ward Telephone Central Office and Remote Office (which provide your home with telecommunications services) are equipped with the appropriate ADSL equipment to provide you with service.

   2.  Whether the wiring that goes into your house meets the distance and quality requirements for reliable data transmission.  Just as with a cordless phone, if you walk too far away from the "base station: you may get static (distance limitations) or you may pick up interference from the vacuum cleaner or microwave ( quality limitations).  ADSL is susceptible to interferes such as IDSN and other high speed data services.

Other information:  ADSL utilizes the same wiring (copper wire pairs) that provide your home or business with telephone service.  ADSL is what the telecommunications industry calls an "overlay".  This means that your local phone company needs to provide additional equipment at their Central Office in order to provide ADSL service.  These Central Offices also provide the voice switching capability to your telephone, and therefore are often categorized by area-code (NPA) and prefix (NXX).

For example, if your telephone number is 361-872-2000, your NPA NXX code would be 361872.  This six digit code tells La Ward Telephone which Central Office provides your phone number.  In order to maximize the level of service La Ward Telephone provides your locaton, remote wire centers are often engineered into the network--extending the reach of the dialtone and enhancing the quality of service provided.  The main Central Office feeds these Remote offices via digital facilities, close to you-- the customer.  ADSL, however, must be provided at the edge of the network.  Hence, La Ward Telephone must "overlay" ADSL in these remote offices as well.  To determine which "serving wire center" or remote central office services your telphone number, the last four digits (2000 above) is required.  This office must be equipped with ADSL for the first stage of qualification to be completed.

Secondly, the copper facility that La Ward Telephone employs to provide voice service to your location must meet length and interference requirements for ADSL technology.  Similar to the way you hear " static" on cordless phones when you walk too far away from the "base station", ADSL has distance limitations for how far the data signas can be received reliably.  Also, as your cordless phone picks up interference from the vacuum cleaner or microwave, ADSL is susceptible to interference like other high speed data services.  Hence, La Ward Telephone looks at the copper wire pair currently providing dialtone to your home or business (as detailed by your phone number) to verify that it meets the loop lenght requirements and will not be subject to service-affecting interference.  Because two phone lines to the same location may not be subject to the same conditions (similar to how our cordless phone has multiple channels to minimize cross-talk.