What's a T1 line, and how do I connect to it?

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Summary: T1 lines are among the oldest of data technologies in use. They're fast, reliable and a tad expensive. We'll look at how they compare to alternatives.

We are going on vacation and the condo where we are staying says they have a T1 line. What, if anything is needed to connect my laptop to the T1 line?

A T1 line (also known as a DS1 line) is just a specific kind of communications technology. It differs from DSL and Cable in a few respects, which I'll go over.

A T1 is nice, but it's not nearly as impressive as it was in years past.

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A T1 is a data communications line that transfers data at a rate of 1.544 megabits per second, in both directions.

The T1 was originally designed to carry 24 digitized voice channels. You'll find T1s still in use for a lot of telephony in the United States today.

Naturally, with the internet boom, and since they were a) existing, well understood technology, and b) carriers of digital data anyway, T1s started getting used for data as well. Hence your condo.

T1s differ from DSL in a few respects:

• DSL travels on the same copper wires that delivers your telephone. It's an additional signal that you typically can't hear. The advantage: no extra wiring required.

• T1 is a dedicated circuit. That means that it requires a dedicated pair of wires. (It used to require four wires - a pair of pairs, one for up and one for down. Technically T1 is still a four-wire connection, but it is being delivered on a single pair these days as well.)

• T1 is a specific speed, 1.544mbs, and it's bi-directional. Both upload and download speeds are the same. DSL is more correctly referred to a ADSL or "Asymmetric", meaning that the download speed is typically much faster than the upload speed, which is a decision that reflects most common internet usage: we download more than we upload.

In my experience a T1 at a vacation spot is better than average connectivity these days. I typically test speeds when I travel, and quite frequently find basic DSL speeds: 768kbs down and 128kbs up - in other words half the download speed and less than a tenth of the upload speed of a T1.

Consumer cable internet speeds are often quoted as exceeding T1 speeds, and that's quite true. The difference is that a T1 is dedicated, whereas the cable speeds are shared with an unknown number of your neighbors or other cable internet subscribers in your area. (In your case the same will be true - I'm certain the T1 be shared with the other residents in your condo.)

As it turns out, I have a T1 into my home. I'm on the fringes of DSL availability, there's no cable, and satellite internet has too many problems for my usage.

Hooking up to a T1 should be no different to you than hooking up to any internet provided by a facility: you'll either plug into a hard wired ethernet port, or there'll be a wireless router provided by the facility.

Yes, the box which actually, physically connects to the T1 line will be different and unique - much like a cable modem or DSL modem, but that should already be there and in place. While it's connected to a T1 on one side, it should provide standard ethernet connectivity on the other, which your condo provider should then have either wired to your unit's ethernet port, or connected to a wireless access point for your use.

In other words, you shouldn't need anything special.

Related:

• Ask Leo! - Why do I need an ISP?

• Ask Leo! - Should I dump my wired ISP for cellular broadband?

• Ask Leo! - How can I connect to my DSL modem if I don't have a network card?

Article 12273 | Posted March 12, 2008