What is ISDN 64k?
Chris
I am wondering what ISDN 64k Internet access is?
I recently found an Internet Service Provider that is offering "ISDN
64k" access for cheap. However, I have no idea what ISDN 64k is.
- Is it for home Internet access on a Windows operating system?
- Does it NOT tie up the phone line (like DSL)?
- Where can I purchase an ISDN 64k modem, and how much are they?
- Does the line connect to a regular RJ-11 phone jack, or do I need to
call the telephone company to "upgrade" my jack?
- Are both the Download and Upload streams at or around 64K?
- Is ISDN 64k better than a V.90 56K modem connection? In other words,
is it worth it?
- What other essential information do I need to know about ISDN 64k?
Thank you for any help/info!
danny burstein
>Hello,
>I am wondering what ISDN 64k Internet access is?
I'm guessing you're in the US. ISDN is a digital dial-up phone line
service offered by (most) of the telcos. With proper equipment at your end
(what everyone calls an ISDN modem) you can grab a clean 64k, or often, a
two-channel/128k, connection.
The 64k is, in real terms, 1.5 to twice as fast as a so-called 56k modem.
And uploads are about 4 times as fast. (Double these figures if you use
both isdn channels.
I'd send lots more info but I don't encourage hotmail and other
freebie/throwaway servces since their business model facilitates spammers.
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dan...@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
Ari Wuolle
> - Is it for home Internet access on a Windows operating system?
ISDN connections can be used for the very same applications that
analogue modems are used for, provided that you have digital ISDN
lines at both ends. And since ISDN is faster, it can be used for more
demanding applications like videoconferencing, too.
> - Does it NOT tie up the phone line (like DSL)?
You will need a Basic Rate ISDN line (also known as BRI). It has
capacity for two simultanous calls. So you can have one voice call
going on while online at 64k or two simultanious voice calls when you
are not online. (You can also make two simultanious data calls in
order to get 128k, but only if your ISP supports it. While having 128
kbps, you cannot have another call going on until you have either gone
offline or dropped the other data call, effectively reducing your
connection speed to 64k)
> - Where can I purchase an ISDN 64k modem, and how much are they?
In Europe probably from the same shop that will sells you an analogue
modem. In the US ISDN stuff seems to be a bit harder to find.
> - Does the line connect to a regular RJ-11 phone jack, or do I need
> to call the telephone company to "upgrade" my jack?
You will have to upgrade your telephone line to ISDN. You will need a
box called NT (network termination). This can be a separate box or
integrated into a terminal adapter (TA), forming NT+TA.
Please note that analogue (POTS) phones are not compatible with ISDN,
you will have to unplug all your current phones from the line after it
has been changed to ISDN. For voice calls you will need either an ISDN
telephone set or a converter that turns ISDN back to analogue POTS.
There are NT+TA boxes that have everything you need in a one box -
connection for a computer, other ISDN devices (so called S-bus) and
one or two a/b (POTS) ports in order to connect old analogue phones,
answering machines and faxes.
Oh, and if you are in the US, please note it is a good idea to get UPS
if you don't want a power cut to silence your phones, too.
In Europe telcos usually provide emergency power feed that can be used
to power up to one device on ISDN line. That could be an ISDN
telephone set or an a/b (POTS) converter. Please make sure that if you
need the emergency feature that it is included - not all the ISDN
devices out there can work in emergency power mode.
> - Are both the Download and Upload streams at or around 64K
Both are exactly 64000 bps.
> - Is ISDN 64k better than a V.90 56K modem connection?
Far better. With ISDN you can get connected in a couple of seconds
while modems spend typically 15 to 30 seconds dialling and negotiating
the connection up.
> In other words, is it worth it?
Check your local telco ISDN pricing. Some telcos charge just a little
more for ISDN than POTS, some want an arm and a leg for ISDN.
Ari Wuolle
Andrew Kauffman
application question ....
> I am wondering what ISDN 64k Internet access is?
This is an applicatkion where you use ISDN for Internet access. To do so
you must order and install an ISDN line from your local Telco. In many
parts of the US this runs about $40 per month. You can replace your current
analog line or order a new ISDN line. If replace your existing line with
ISDN you will need to purchase an ISDN TA or Router. Many of these have
ananlog ports that can be used to support your exisiting analog telephones
and connect to your PC via an RS232 port (on the TA) or via Ethernet (router
version).
The ISP has an ISDN line that you call with your ISDN equipment. This
creates a 64 Kbps connection. With the TA, the connection will be
asyncnhronouse, and provide aproximately 51 Kbps thouput. With the router
you will get 64 Kbps thouput. If your ISP supports dual channel, you get
double these speeds.
ISDN service to your home will support two B channels. Each channel can be
used indepently, or they can be combined as mentioned before. You can use
one channel for voice and onc for data at the same time. It may sound like
DSL, but it is not. ISDN is end to end digial, using circuit switch
channels. DSL is an access technology only, and uses analog technique
called Frequency Division Multiplexing to support both voice and data on the
same physical copper wire.
Hope this helps. Basically, you cannot use the ISP 64 K access with your
own ISDN line.
--
---------------------------------------------
Andrew H. Kauffman
AHK & Associates, Inc.
Telecommunications Consulting
www.ahk.com
Phil McKerracher
"Andrew Kauffman" <no....@your.org> wrote in message
news:x%5m9.1740$aw.839@sccrnsc03...
> The other posts seem to explain the ISDN OK. However, you actually asked
an
> application question ....
>
> > I am wondering what ISDN 64k Internet access is?
[Correct and helpful stuff snipped]
> The ISP has an ISDN line that you call with your ISDN equipment. This
> creates a 64 Kbps connection. With the TA, the connection will be
> asyncnhronouse, and provide aproximately 51 Kbps thouput. With the router
> you will get 64 Kbps thouput...
This is not really correct - there is no reason why the net data transfer
rate should be different between the two. Extra start and stop bits are
transmitted on the asynchronous part of the link from TA to computer, but
provided your serial port is set to 115k the net transfer speed will be the
same (8,000 bytes/s, less TCP/IP overhead etc.).
> .... It may sound like
> DSL, but it is not. ISDN is end to end digial, using circuit switch
> channels. DSL is an access technology only, and uses analog technique
> called Frequency Division Multiplexing to support both voice and data on
the
> same physical copper wire.
ISDN *is* usually considered to be a DSL (digital subscriber loop)
technology. There are lots of ways of providing DSL connections, and not all
of them use FDM.
--
Phil McKerracher
www.mckerracher.org