If you're looking for the best broadband internet experience,
you may have heard about 'shared' and 'dedicated' networks. These
refer to the two technologies available for broadband accesscable
(eg MaxOnline) which is 'shared' and asymmetrical digital
subscriber line (ADSL), so called 'dedicated' access. Trouble is,
'dedicated' access isn't as dedicated as you might think. Nor is it
as consistent as claimed.
Let's look at a few reasons why.
Everything is shared on the Internet
You see, 'dedicated' Internet access such as ADSL is only true for
the short stretch from your home to the telephone exchange. For
most of the time, you're actually sharing with the users in your
area, and the millions of users around the world. As the websites,
music, video and other downloads are in this space, your speed
really depends on the traffic on the Internet and the site you're
visiting.
The myth of dedicated access and consistent speed
In fact, 'dedicated' access cannot guarantee perfectly consistent
speeds. Otherwise, ADSL users would enjoy the same speed throughout
the day, every day of the week, peak or off-peak. Instead, they
experience the same peak period slowdowns as everyone else.
Partly dedicated is hardly dedicated
'Dedicated' access is only a small part of a shared network, and
cannot guarantee consistent speed, as speed depends a lot on
traffic on the Internet.
Other factors can limit ADSL speeds. For instance, the further you
are from the telephone exchange, the slower it gets. Speed also
drops depending on the quality of the phone line. This can mean
additional cost, as ADSL users may need to buy a microfilter to
improve transmission quality.
