1.1 General Questions AOL Plus Cable Modem and ADSL Internet

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1.1 General Questions

What are the advertised speeds for AOL Plus DSL?

AOL High Speed DSL speeds are advertised up to 1500kbps downstream.

TELCOs set "caps" on their lines to bring you their advertised rates and no more. AOL does not set caps. Different TELCOs have different caps:

CLEC, ILEC/Bell:	Speeds in kbps (Download/Upload):	Other Information:
BellSouth	1500k/256k
SBC (SW Bell, Pacific Bell, SNET, Ameritech, Nevada Bell)	384k - 1500k/128k-256k	160kbps upload on Project Pronto RT.
Verizon	768k/128k	New Jersey users are 768-1500/128-384.
QWest	640k/256k
Covad	608k/256k

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by redxii edited by Meteor Dive
last modified: 2003-10-23 00:40:23

Can I Qualify for AOL DSL or DSL?

You can check the distance from your home to the Central Office (CO) using this tool from DSLReports at Distance Finder. This will tell you the approximate distance from your home to the CO. Also note that it will give you some information about local companies in your area that supply DSL as well.

If you do not wish to check the distance with the Distance Finder, you may also find out if you qualify for DSL by going to keyword: DSL in AOL to check if you qualify or by going to another DSL provider and checking with their systems.

DSL requires a landline w/ a dial-tone, meaning physical lines and not airways like on a cell phone.

If you don't want to get phone service on your line just to get ADSL, consider SDSL because SDSL is only used on a "dry line".

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How much is it for DSL in Morton Illinois???

2007-10-25 19:03:02

I am inquiring for my sister-in-law who lives at 25 Sheila Court, Morton, Il 61550. What does she have to do to get DSL. Presently she has dial up and and using another ISP other than AOL?? Does she e mail a particular address and someone will tell her what to do?? Or does she call someone? She lives approximately 4 miles from the telephone company.

2007-10-25 18:55:57

Pressing the distance finder doesn't work. Why do you keep it on this page?

2008-08-22 13:14:53

by thebombs12 edited by redxii
last modified: 2002-07-31 18:53:13

What are the features/benefits of AOL Plus DSL?

AOL Plus DSL offers the same features and benefits as any other DSL service. They are:

* Load Web pages and download files much faster,
* You're instantly on - no need to dial an access #*,
* Talk on the phone and be online at the same time,
* Works with your existing phone line & screen name,
* Improved gameplay, and
* Watch streaming Music and Videos better.

*AOL DSL Customers - Signing on through the AOL client is optional. You may use a PPPoE client as another means of connecting online on AOL services.

* AOL Cable Customers - You need the AOL client to connect to the internet. It should take at most 5-10 seconds to establish a connection to the CO.

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by redxii edited by Meteor Dive
last modified: 2003-03-26 02:05:17

How do I get my cap lifted?

If you feel the need for speed and you are an AOL DSL member, you HAVE to call AOL and have your download cap lifted to a full 1500kbps. Verizon and Ameritech won't do this at all, but other PacBell Offices will do this but you have to go through AOL to get a service order. You cannot directly call the office because you are not their customer.

Note that your ISP/TELCO operator may not lift your cap if your line is unstable because:
•You will keep getting dropped•Synch errors•Line noise is too low•You are far from your CO•You live in a large city (bandwidth issues).

Keep this in mind when calling (3 P's):

Patience
Politeness
Perseverance

Thanks to:
crane
Mike

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by thebombs12 edited by redxii
last modified: 2002-07-10 22:34:35

What is a filter? Why do I need them?

A distributed filter, or micro-filter, is a small electronic component that fits between your phone line and a regular voice device, such as a phone, a fax, or any device with a regular modem such as a cable box, alarm system or digital TV. When DSL (ADSL) is provided over voice lines, all devices in the house except the DSL modem must be connected through filters. The filter protects the devices from high frequency noise. They are low-pass filters.

The filters supplied with your DSL kit are used to channel the DSL signal directly towards the DSL modem. Without the filters in place, your DSL signal would travel and interact with every telephone device in your house before getting to the DSL modem. This would result in either a loss of synchronization with the DSL signal or very poor performance. Make sure you have all phone lines with devices attached filtered, EXCEPT for the line connected to the DSL modem from the wall jack.

You can plug your modem into micro-filters (ADSL side because otherwise you won't get sync), not in-line filters. On a wall mount filter, the DSL goes in "Line" if it has two. Examples of the two:


Micro-filter	In-line filter

Wall mount filter

If you need to purchase micro-filters, I recommend Excelsus Technologies or 2Wire.

A splitter at your NID recommended if you have 4+ phones in your house.

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This comment: "The filters supplied with your DSL kit are used to channel the DSL signal directly towards the DSL modem. Without the filters in place, your DSL signal would travel and interact with every telephone device in your house before getting to the DSL modem" Can you provide a little more explanation? Particularly, can you answer what effect an unfiltered phone might have on the DSL signal?

2008-11-19 07:55:19

If you don't use filters on your phone devices, you may experience static when you use your phone. You may also experience some degradation on your DSL service. Slows speeds and loss of synch on the DSL modem are common examples of this.

2008-11-27 18:34:55 (Meteor Dive )

I just found out that I've been installing the in line filters backwards for years! Does this really matter or is a passive device that works either way despite the markings on the filter? In NYC, it's rare to find the place where the cable comes from the wall because it's always behind furniture that cant be moved from some reason. I've been connecting them inline at the phone. Same thing with wall phones, hard enough to squeeze the filter in there without having to have reversing cables in there. I've never heard anybody complain about noise on phone or bad dsl service, so I wonder if it really matters or not.

2011-10-25 21:30:38 (mikemercury )

by speedaemon91 edited by redxii
last modified: 2003-03-27 08:43:45

How do I fight spam?

Spam is tasty but in this case it's not. It is another name for unsolicited email in your inbox. These emails are not requested by you nor were they given permission to do so. To fight this, keep in mind the following things.

When making a new screen name:
- Never use a profile. (It's easy to search for and is spammable)
- Always use a disposable email address eg. hotmail.com if you sign up for offers.
- Never enter chat rooms with your master account.
- Use your email address for personal friends and family only.
- Never give out your AOL screen name to anyone you don't know.
- Change your passwords often and use a combination of letters, numbers, and uppercase eg. Up234gaSPed.
- If you ever get unsolicited emails that "claim to remove you", simple ignore them and delete it. This is their new way of spamming.

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by thebombs12 edited by redxii
last modified: 2002-12-15 15:24:57

Will VPN work with AOL DSL?

Yes. The service supports VPN connections. You must connect online via PPPoE in order to use VPN.

Thanks to RoyBob for confirmation.

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by thebombs12 edited by Meteor Dive
last modified: 2003-03-29 18:08:42

What is the PPPoE Method?

AOL decided to make their service like most ISPs have it, the use of PPPoE to establish a connection to the internet. This allows anything that is PPPoE compliant to connect to AOL, thus bypassing the AOL Client. This was originally done to allow VoIP connections using the DSL service from AOL.

To use PPPoE, when prompted for login information

Under user name --Type your screen name followed by @aol.com
For example: johndoe123 is your screen name, type johndoe123@aol.com

Under password -- type in your your aol password.

For information about PPPoE, refer to Carrick Solutions

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by thebombs12 edited by Meteor Dive
last modified: 2003-04-13 00:54:52

All FAQs » AOL Plus Cable Modem and ADSL Internet » 1.1 General Questions

1.1 General Questions