AT&T: DSL vs U-Verse?

[Quattro Pete]

Help me grasp this...

I am at a location where AT&T provides traditional phone (POTS) service as well as internet access. However, the only plugs in the walls are RJ-11, standard phone jacks. Yet, when I speak with AT&T, they tell me DSL is not available at my location. Instead, U-Verse is available.

I thought U-Verse meant FTTH (fiber to the home), and the use of RJ-45/Ethernet to plug into it inside the house. Apparently not according to AT&T. They're telling me that they deliver U-Verse over the same phone cable, yet it is not DSL.

Can I buy my own modem/router? They say, no. The hardware is proprietary, so that I have to get a modem/router/gateway from AT&T which will be U-Verse compatible.

Are the speeds any higher with U-Verse. No, not at my location. About 6 Mbps download is max.

So, from a technical perspective, what is the difference between DSL and U-Verse if both are delivered over a standard phone line in my case?

 

[Nick R]

that doesn't sound right. Can you get the U-verse TV? I don't know the details about how u-verse works other than it's similar to how a hybrid Fiber-Cable system works, but it's Hybrid Fiber-Copper Phone Lines, and you need a gateway for the whole house.

In other words, Fiber is delivered to a local network hub which serves a number of homes. This is where cable and U-verse differ, to the house with Cable is RG6 coax. With U-verse, it's over the copper phone lines.

Primary difference is that with cable, you just need a Cable modem, and cable box. With U-verse you need a gateway for the whole house, and in many cases, custom wiring since most rooms won't be wired with phone jacks. At least, that's my understanding. Doesn't make as much sense to me as a Fiber-Cable hybrid system.

What you were thinking of is Verizon FiOS which is fiber to the house, and then coax inside the house.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Can you get the U-verse TV?

I haven't asked. If it can also come over this same phone line (doubt it), then I suppose so.

I think AT&T is just playing a marketing name game. I am pretty sure the underlying service is still DSL-based (in my building), but they're just calling it U-Verse here so they can charge more for it and force you into buying their proprietary equipment.


BTW, the place has RG6 coax outlets, too, but that's strictly for DirecTV service which the apartment complex provides.

 

[jdeare]

U-Verse DSL uses a different protocol than the standard DSL. Assuming you didn't have DSL before, AT&T will only sell you u-verse DSL now.

I can't really explain the differences, but u-verse DSL is ADSL2+.

U-verse TV requires fiber, but the DSL doesn't.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jdeare
I can't really explain the differences, but u-verse DSL is ADSL2+.

Thanks.

So theoretically I should be able to buy any ADSL2+ modem on my own and it would work? I guess it's a mute point since they will charge me for their equipment whether I want it or not, if I were to sign up for their service.

 

[javacontour]

It must depend on the location. My uVerse is FTTP. But I know we had to wait and those with copper pairs to their homes got uVerse before we could get it. So the first two years in my home we had phone and internet over fiber and TV via satellite. All the while others who had traditional copper pairs to their homes could get uVerse.

 

[jdeare]

I would think so, but don't quote me on it. Oh yeah, one other difference: DSL has a data cap of 150gb/month, while u-verse DSL is 250gb/month.

As a long time AT&T DSL user (8+ years), I'd recommend that you get something (anything) else if possible.

 

[DutchBrad]

I just upgraded from 3Mbps to 6Mbps. Had AT&T DSL before, but the only option to speed it up was Uverse. It is over the same old phone line, had a few issues early on, the tech was here a couple of times, but now it is fine. I don't think anything is different, but I needed a new modem. $100 for that, but they had a promo going for the modem to be free. So I just got that $100 gift card ordered. My monthly cost had been around $37, it is down to $25 for the first year, then back up to $43 going forward....

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: jdeare
U-Verse DSL uses a different protocol than the standard DSL. Assuming you didn't have DSL before, AT&T will only sell you u-verse DSL now.

I can't really explain the differences, but u-verse DSL is ADSL2+.

U-verse TV requires fiber, but the DSL doesn't.


No, IIRC, U-Verse is like Bell's "fibe" service, which is VDSL2. They are able to provide TV over the same service and they do here.

Fibe/Uverse leverage FTTN or FTTR IIRC, which is one step below FTTH/FTTP. Essentially, you are connected to a remote, which is close to your house via VDSL2 (which has a theoretical speed of 250Mbit but a practical/realizable speed of 50+Mbit) which is then connected to fiber. Your Internet, television and phone service are then all delivered over fiber from this point.

Since a single remote can serve hundreds, sometimes even thousands of clients, this is a much more cost effective solution than FTTH/FIOS but of course the downside is that FTTH/FIOS offers much greater speeds.

 

[jdeare]

Right, but U-Verse DSL is not necessarily the same as U-Verse (confusing, isn't it?)

For example, I'm in a multi-unit dwelling (condo building) and AT&T has said they will never provide the U-Verse video service here. I assume because they don't want to run the fiber. But at the same time, I can get U-Verse DSL (internet only).

Honestly, the marketing geniuses over at AT&T should have come up with a different name for it than "U-Verse DSL".

Here are some AT&T links:

U-Verse High Speed Internet: https://www.att.com/shop/internet.html#fbid=B9OQqUBTxmT

U-Verse: https://www.att.com/shop/u-verse.html#fbid=B9OQqUBTxmT

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jdeare

U-Verse High Speed Internet: https://www.att.com/shop/internet.html#fbid=B9OQqUBTxmT

Yup. That is what's available to me.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: jdeare
Right, but U-Verse DSL is not necessarily the same as U-Verse (confusing, isn't it?)

For example, I'm in a multi-unit dwelling (condo building) and AT&T has said they will never provide the U-Verse video service here. I assume because they don't want to run the fiber. But at the same time, I can get U-Verse DSL (internet only).

Honestly, the marketing geniuses over at AT&T should have come up with a different name for it than "U-Verse DSL".

Here are some AT&T links:

U-Verse High Speed Internet: https://www.att.com/shop/internet.html#fbid=B9OQqUBTxmT

U-Verse: https://www.att.com/shop/u-verse.html#fbid=B9OQqUBTxmT


The caveat here is that you can run all of these services over VDSL2, you can't over ADSL2+. So even between DSL iterations, there are significant differences.

 

[OVERKILL]

There's a nice WIKI on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Verse

Which somewhat supports what I said earlier:

Originally Posted By: Wikipedia
U-verse uses a fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) or fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) communications network, which uses fiber-optic connections to boxes either within a neighborhood or at each home's network interface device. High-speed digital subscriber lines with ADSL2+ or VDSL technology connect from FTTN nodes to the customers' premises. In order to qualify for the VDSL service the premises needs to be within about 3000–3500 feet of the VRAD. This distance can be extended to about 4500–5500 feet with the use of two-pair bonding and a 2Wire iNID system (model 3812 outside terminal, inside unit, and battery backup).


So it looks like it is either fibre to the home, fibre to the node (with VDSL2) or fibre to the node (ADSL2+) depending on where you are or what services you subscribe to. For the voice and TV features, I believe you'd need at least VDSL2 as the 1Mbit upstream limit on ADSL2+ Annex A would pose an issue.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I was told that my max possible upload would be 1 Mbps, if I'm lucky, so I'm guessing ADSL2+ is what's available here.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I was told that my max possible upload would be 1 Mbps, if I'm lucky, so I'm guessing ADSL2+ is what's available here.


That blows, VDSL2 is awesome. If you are close to the CO or remote, you can have some very nice bandwidth, for example, we have 58/58 at one of our sites.