While you may not even know what it is, while you may think that it stands for nothing else than a typographical error, while you may not even be interested, you should be. Because whether you know it or not, if you’ve got home DSL service it most likely is of the ADSL variety. But what is ADSL? How does it affect web hosting? Processing speeds? These are all important questions to consider when selecting your DSL service and important issues to understand in your quest for online stasis.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) travels across telephone lines and is actually faster than conventional modem speed. The ADSL signal travels over higher frequencies than those used for telephone conversation; at frequencies higher than those allowed by human hearing.

ADSL signals can’t travel very far so the lines must be within a few miles of a telephone office, where they are stripped and routed to a conventional network. Similarly, voice signals, traveling along the same line are then switched to a conventional phone network allowing voice and data to travel on the same line.

As people cluster more and more in higher traffic areas such as cities and such, though, the fact of the ADSL’s limited traveling becomes less and less an issue and despite the dwindling use of home phone services in lieu of cellular, the limited cost of DSL vs. cable internet keeps people hooked to their DSL providers.

ADSL’s data flow is greater in one direction than from another. Providers allow customers online connection to be passive; that is, information transmitted from the customer to the internet is not great at all. While still being able to download larger files; music, video, pictures, larger size text; on a more prominent connection, the amount of information they can upload onto the internet is compromised by the smaller connection on the customers end.

So, for web hosting, internet creation, or any other active activity to the internet from the customer, ADSL signals are not practical. This is the difference, in large part, between “home” and “business” DSL signals. If you need to always be sending lots of information from your CPU to a place online, it’s better to get the business connection.

ADSL modems test available channels to assure acceptable signal strength; more often than not DSL “self-install” splitters are sent out to your house upon signing up for DSL service with a provider. This enables the user to split the channels between phone and internet at the point of entry into the phone lines.

As the technology grows and people are vexed by issues of speed and such, things become more homogenous. If you’re looking for ADSL broadband deals, you should check with your ISP and be certain of what you’re signing up for. A lot can change over the course of a one year or longer service agreement; you want to be sure your service is able to change with your needs.