Internet Connectivity - Upgrading and Repairing PCs - page 975

traditional copper wiring with fiber-optic lines to carry signals to the neighborhood,
curb, or directly to your home. To make the final leg of the connection, VDSL can be
implemented over copper wires, coaxial cable, or Ethernet cable. AT&T sells VDSL
as AT&T U-verse. Verizon FiOS provides a VDSL-like service that supports digital
cable TV, phone, and Internet via fiber-optic service to the home.
Note
Fibertothehome(FTTH),Fibertothepremises(FTTP),Fibertothecurb(FTTC),andFiber
to the neighborhood (FTTN) describes the replacement of conventional copper telephone or
coaxial cable TV connections with fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables carry many more
signals much faster than conventional wiring.
Rolling out fiber optic cables for at least part of the DSL or cable infrastructure is essential
toachievinghigherspeedsandgreaternumbersofservices.FTTxrolloutsaretakingplacein
larger cities and metropolitan areas first, and will take longer to happen in smaller cities and
towns.
Just as with a cable modem, you should connect a DSL modem to computers through a
router or gateway which is then connected to one or more computers. Where a DSL mo-
dem differs from a cable modem is how the Internet connection is made. DSL modems
are connected to the Internet via a standard telephone cable attached between the DSL
modem and the RJ-11 port that has been set up for DSL service. To prevent DSL signals
from interfering with standard voice telephone operation, splitters and microfilters must
be installed on a DSL line where any phones are connected.
Note
Many DSL modems now include wired and wireless routers or gateways.
Ifyouself-installDSL,youwillnormallyinstallsmalldevicescalledmicrofilterstoblock
theDSLsignalfromreachingtelephones,answeringmachines,andsimilardevices.These
devices might fit behind the faceplate of the wall outlet used for DSL service or the inline
between the phone, answering machine, or fax machine and the wall outlet (see Figure
16.3 ) .
Figure 16.3 Two types of DSL self-installations—one featuring a standalone splitter and separate microfil-
ter, the other with a splitter and microfilter integrated into a wall jack.