DSL (scary) question

[Brad De Vries]

--- Michael Hipp <Michael at hipp.com> wrote:
> Brad De Vries wrote:
> 
>   > Call the ISP and asked if DSL really is
> available at
> > the address in question.  They said "yes it is". 
> I
> > asked "how it was possible that you can provide
> DSL
> > over Ameritech lines but Ameritech can't?"  The
> > salesman said, and I quote, "because we have more
> > powerful equipment."
> > 
> > My instinct is telling me to stay as far away from
> > them as possible but I'm REALLY curious.  Do you
> all
> > think I should follow my instincts or should I
> pursue
> > a relationship with them (until they realize they
> > can't provide what they promise)?
> 
> The phone companies tend to be very conservative
> with distances so it is 
> indeed possible that another ISP could reach the
> spot. That said, 
> however, speed and reliability is always a rapidly
> diminishing quantity 
> with distance and line quality. Some DSL equipment
> will reach 50k feet 
> with pristine wire - but you may be down to 128kbps
> long before getting 
> that far. And what most of us would think of as "DSL
> speeds" are rarely 
> attainable beyond, say, 20k feet.
> 
> Unfortunately, saying they have "more powerful
> equipment" is a dum-dum 
> explanation. They may be ok to do business with, but
> I'd get some 
> promises on speed (both up and down) and
> reliability. And finding other 
> "satisfied" (or not) customers is the best to learn
> anything concrete.
> 
> Michael

I hadn't heard that you could get DSL beyond the 15K
ft range (except with IDSL).  I appreciate your
recommendation to get customer references and further
guarantees (I have a guarantee of 128K but I don't
know if it's up, down or both.)  I guess I should at
least continue talking with them.

Thanks for the info.

Brad.

PS, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought it was
a 'dum-dum' answer.

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