What is a T1?
Recently I was at a medical office in Stuart. The office was sending huge x-ray images to various places. The issue was sending the files was taking forever.
They couldn't understand why it was taking so long because they had a DSL. I asked it they ever considered a T1? They said they didn't understand what a T1 was compared to their DSL line.
Great question.
Internet connections are measured in two ways; download speed (or receiving speed) and upload speed (or sending speed).
Download speed is the speed by which we surf the internet. Your laptop is getting information from somewhere else. Complaints asking why the internet is so slow is always download speed.
Upload speed is the speed by which we send emails. Your laptop is sending information to somewhere else. This is why their complaint about slow in sending prompted me to inquire about a T1 consideration.
Furthermore, we measure speeds in megabits, Mbp, (not megabytes, MB, like we normally do). Here's how the connections stack up.
Their DSL was a 6Mbps. This is a 6Mbps maximum download speed. Upload speed probably around 0.250 Mbps.
Their T1 is going a to be 1.5Mbps. Upload speed is going to be 1.5Mbps. This is a 500% increase over a DSL line in upload speed. Giving the best chance at sending the xray images.
The most important factor of T1 is that it is guaranteed. This means it is guaranteed to be running all the time. Worries about their internet going down like it did in the past won't be an issue anymore.
After explaining the differences, we'll be installing a T1 at their office this week.