Customer Reviews

DSL for Dummies

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Angell's "DSL for Dummies" is an informative book on what DSL is, what one can do with DSL, and how does one purchase DSL. There are lists of service and equipment providers, applications of DSL, a section on IP networking and security, and advice on the benefits of different providers. As an added bonus, there is a convenient crib-sheet containing information on provider URLs, DSL flavors, a DSL shopping checklist, and a list of questions to ask when inquiring about DSL service. If you are looking to purchase DSL service or are just interested in learning more about the technology and uses of DSL, then "DSL for Dummies" by David Angell is for you. This book is thorough and informative without being overbearing. The information is organized in a way that allows for easy reference while purchasing or using DSL service. This book will allow the reader to sort out and choose providers and services, and help make the most of DSL. This book is a necessary companion in one's quest for DSL services, an inexpensive high-speed data access solution.

This book has all the basics needed for the average consumer. I am a sales rep for DSL services for a major ISP and bought this to have on hand for some of the harder questions that we get! I highly recommend it for anyone considering purchasing any type of DSL service! It is very straight forward and easy to understand! It helps to explain the different types of technologies, the difference between the phone companies and third party vendors, etc. Definitely worth the investment!

With the number of "dummies" books on the market you never know how they are going to be. This one explains DSL, and how it works in excellent detail, but at a level that the beginner should understand. This dummies book is for everyone, not just dummies.

This book provides good information if you are shopping for DSL service. Part I talks about the DSL service itself. I finally understood the different types of companies that are involved: you'll have a phone line provided by the telephone company, a DSL provider supplies DSL service over the phone line, and the DSL service connects you to an Internet service provider. This part also talks about things to consider when comparing DSL offerings. Part II talks about connecting your DSL service to your computer or network. It covers TCP/IP, DSL customer equipment (DSL modems and routers), security (make sure you get a firewall of some kind), and sharing your DSL connection among several computers. Part III provides detailed instructions on setting up your computer or network. There are chapters on connecting Windows 95/98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Macintosh. Hopefully you won't need this information-your DSL provider should supply specific instructions. Part IV describes how you can take advantage of your new high-speed, always-on connection. This is the weakest part of the book. It gives an overview of applications you can now take advantage of, but without the detail that makes the earlier parts of the book so valuable. It does provide a nice discussion of virtual private networks. The two chapters in the "Part of Tens" (the traditional ending for a Dummies book) seemed redundant. In summary, this is an excellent book for prospective DSL customers that clearly explains how DSL works and how to set it up.

I purchased the prior edition since I am actively considering installing DSL now for my home business. This book is a must read for anyone who is thinking installing DSL in their home/office. Well written and easily understood, the author makes this difficult subject easy to understand and makes the subject totally comprehensible. It is a tremendous help to me in researching who, what, when, why, and how I will install DSL.

I think most of the reviewers who gave this book a low rating were annoyed because they already knew material covered in the book. Which is the absolute wrong reason to pan a book.

I wanted a backgrounder on DSL and info on the variety of ways one could hookup one or more PCs to DSL, and this book does a great job. It also offers good advice on what to look for when shopping around for DSL.

The only warning is that it PC-oriented, so if you're a Mac user it might not be as useful to you.

This book has restored my faith in the Dummies brand.

Although "DSL for Dummies" contains some useful information, one can't help but feel cheated by its extremely poor organization and inflated size.

The information in this book could have been presented clearly and concisely in about 40 well-written pages, but to make it a book the author and editors have resorted to simply repeating the same information over and over (not in an edifying way, but in a copy-and-paste kind of way). In fact, much of the book has nothing to do with DSL but instead constitutes a list of all the great things one can do with the Internet.

The most annoying part is that all of this has less to do with incompetence than a calculated desire to inflate the size (and price) of the book.

I am not shopping for a DSL connection, I bought this book for a completely different reason. I work for a supplier of DSL equipment (both network side and CPE) and I recently had to argue for our solutions to an ILEC (not in the U.S./Canada) with whom we were trying to do business. What we in the business calls "access networks" were new to me, so in addition to a quick technical overview I needed to know how ILECs/CLECs/ISPs position themselves with their services; I needed to know how they planned to make their money. (Also we ex-techies need to become bean-counters of sorts...) DSL for Dummies actually provided that. It also gave me an explanation of the most common buzzwords and abbreviations so I could hold my own when talking to the real DSL nerds. I would have liked to see more what's going on on the other side of the DSLAM (the datanetwork to the ISP), that would have added the fifth star.

Of course this is the 4dummies philosophy: being nice and friendly with absolute beginners; but this book can be read also by experts (especially from Europe) due to the large "american view" of the technology inside it. Good, really good ...

The author was struggling to fill an entire book with information. The pertinent stuff could have been condensed into an article. Besides information about high speed Internet access changes daily.

Even though some of the information is interesting and presented in the "amusing Dummies format," if you are considering increasing your bandwidth your time will be better spent in magazines or on the web itself.