Point-to-Point Leased Line: What is it and How Does it Affect Your Business? If you have been looking into business connectivity, you may have come across the term point-to-point (P2P) & be wondering what it is a point-to-point leased line is. Essentially, A point to point leased line (also known as a private circuit) provides direct secure connectivity between two sites . But why is this important for you as a business owner? Point-to-point leased lines are perfect for companies that use VoIP phone services and businesses that need to send or receive large files regularly.
So if you need a secure and reliable internet connection for your business , you may want to consider a point-to-point internet lease line . We have done the research below, so you don’t have to, so read on to learn all you need to know!
For further information and pricing on leased lines, click here .
Point-to-Point Leased Line: What is it? A point to point leased line is one of the main ways you can connect two sites privately & securely via a dedicated line. It can also be referred to as a private circuit
You can use the standard internet to share data between the two sites. However, many businesses will opt for a point-to-point because of the added security compared to using a shared internet connection. They are often delivered in a similar way to your standard broadband, the difference being is with a point to point leased lines, there is never any copper involved -they are always complete fibre circuits.
This is why you can get symmetrical speeds at both sites rather than less at once because it’s further away from the exchange.
Point-to-point leased Line Advantages: There are a few advantages to having a point to point leased line, which include:
Increased Security – A point-to-point leased line (also called private lines for that reason) is private, you can even set them up so they don’t touch the provider’s network. However, doing this requires much more work with monitoring your network, so it’s essential to have the right infrastructure & IT/Networking experts in place. The connection would be solely for your company’s use & there would never be any public traffic on the line. This reduces your risk of malicious attacks. Symmetrical bandwidth – Standard broadband connections often give you very different upload & download speeds. A point to point leased line connection guarantees you the same upload speeds as your download speeds which are perfect for business applications like VoIP phones, data transfers, document uploads etc.Faster Data Transfers – A point to point leased line will give you faster data transfers because it’s delivered over fibre optic cables which are symmetrical, so no more seeing the dreaded buffering symbol. This makes them perfect for things like video conferencing and VoIP.Ultra Low Latency – Because they are entirely uncontended, there are minimal delays when communicating via the line. This allows you real-time access to any rapidly changing data your business may have.Reliable data backup – Due to all the benefits listed above, they create the perfect network for fast & reliable data backup, which you can do across multiple sites simultaneously.
So it can be great for the speed and reliability connecting two sites & it is certainly worth considering, but it’s essential to keep a balanced approach.
Point-to-Point Leased Line Disadvantages There are also a few disadvantages of point to point leased lines that are important to consider when deciding.
Scalability – Because point to-points leased lines are designed for two sites, if you want to add more sites, it can be costly & a pretty long process – most providers would guide you to consider a WAN solution if you had more than one site.Limited Visibility from your Network Provider – Most point-to-points will use a topology that effectively means the point-to-point wouldn’t touch your provider’s network. This means they would have no visibility & it would be your responsibility to monitor the line & fix it if it goes down for any reason.Adding other services – If the point-to-point doesn’t touch your ISP’s network, you can struggle to add popular services, like SIP phones & the Internet.Not always Point to Point – The idea of point a connecting to point B is great, but in reality, it’s often that point A connects to point C & D & maybe more before it gets to your point B It’s just the other sites are invisible & you are invisible to them too.
The privacy of a point to point leased line means they are famous for some companies, including WAN network providers, Investment banks & data centre providers. Still, they would typically have a whole team of network experts & monitoring tools in place to oversee the circuit & spot any potential issues or threats.
The reality of point to point leased lines is if you don’t know what they are, the chances are your business doesn’t need one. They do require extra resources & the skill level required are not employees you can hire for the lower end of the wage bracket.
Below we’ve made a reference table of proper terminology relating to WAN and point-to-point leased lines:
Name
Meaning/Reference
Leased circuit,
The words line and circuit are often used as synonyms in telco terminology, circuit refers to the electrical circuit between the two endpoints.
Serial link,
The words link and line are also often used as synonyms. Serial , in this case, refers to the fact that the bits flow serially and that routers use serial interfaces.
Point-to-point link,
Refers to the fact the topology stretches between two points and two points only. (some older leased lines allowed more than two devices).
T1
A specific type of leased line that transmits data at 1.544 megabits per second (1.544 Mbps)
WAN link,
Both these terms are very general, with no reference to any specific technology.
Private line
Refers to the fact that other telco customers cannot copy data sent over the line, so the data is private.
We would love to help you get a quote for a point to point leased line if that is the right solution. If not & you want to look at WAN options, head over to our sister company, which is an expert in Wide Area Network Solutions .
An example of a closed circuit
Other useful links about leased lines: Ethernet First Mile Costs
EFM Business Broadband
Leased Lines – The Best Networks
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