What type of phone line will I require?
To use ADSL, you must have a working BT PSTN (analogue) phone line and a valid BT contract. If you are currently contracted to another telecommunications company, you will need to transfer to BT or have an additional BT line installed.
Can I keep my existing phone number?
If you have an existing BT analogue line, you will keep your existing number. If you do not currently use BT for your telecommunications provision, you should consult your current provider.
Can I get ADSL in my area?
The latest information available to Powernet indicates that 80% of the UK already have ADSL available. ADSL customers need to be located no more than 3.5 kilometres from their local telephone exchange. The further away from your local exchange you are, the lower the connection speed you are likely to experience. To check whether the line to your premises is capable of supporting ADSL technology click here.
Is ADSL preferable to ISDN?
Many small/medium sized businesses use ISDN to connect to the Internet; this can, however, incur large call charge bills as these are calculated separately for ISDN users.
In many cases, ADSL would therefore prove a more economical option and we would strongly advise users to consider upgrading.
(Bear in mind, however, that ADSL is not available over an ISDN line and you may therefore need to get a new BT phone line installed.)
Is ADSL suitable for all Internet operations?
The asymmetric nature of your ADSL connection means it is not really suitable for hosting a web server, or for other uses where you would be uploading significant sizes or numbers of files or other data - or others would be downloading significant data quantities from you - over an Internet connection.
Are there any compatibility problems?
ADSL may pose compatibility problems with: subscriber private meeting; 30k loop; private circuits; ISDN; Home and Business Highway; Red ABC; Redcare; FeatureNet 5000; Meterpulse, and PBX lines.
Fax users should note that fax devices for use with ADSL must be rated as Group4: while lower groups may function, BT will not install ADSL at premises where they are intended for use as frequency crossover may cause problems.
What about security?
ADSL connections are no less secure than any other form of connection: the key difference is that ADSL is online 24hrs a day and networks connected to the Internet in this way can therefore be probed and attacked at any time. This does not, however, make ADSL inherently insecure: indeed, your network computer is at significantly less risk with NAT ADSL than with a standard dial-up account from an ISP.
Powernet strongly recommend that security is reviewed as a "whole" rather than focusing purely on ADSL. While most organisations understand the importance of security, many remain inadequately protected. The level of security you require obviously varies depending on your circumstances and Internet use, and you should refer to our security product details for further information regarding our security services.
How fast is it?
Powernet offer bandwidths of up to 2Mbs maximum download speed for business users, depending on the package purchased, with a standard upload speed of up to 256K.
The type of line purchased, how busy your local exchange is, and the degree of contention that you encounter determines the actual download speed that you will enjoy. Nevertheless, these speeds far exceed previous maximum rates that could be achieved using a modem connection and compare very favourably in terms of both speed and cost with ISDN for business use.
What about office networks?
If your office has an existing Ethernet network, your network can be switched to ADSL by linking your 10 base-T network hub to the router that BT will install.
Will my hardware be compatible?
The business connectivity requirement for ADSL, regardless of hardware, is an available 10baseT compatible Ethernet interface with an RJ45 connector.