Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

denim · 05-12-2003, 04:24 PM

Like anything else, it depends. On what?

Well, first it depends on what you've got available to you. If you've only got one or the other, you have only the decision of "am I gonna get it or not".

If you have both, the specs for your particular providers should help you make a decision:

cost
speed
technical specs

The first one, Cost, is self-explainatory. If you can't afford one but you can afford the other, again the decision is made for you.

Speed. Well, in general cable beats DSL at the same price in the speed contest. It has to do with the technology each method is using. DSL is handicapped by using old twisted pair cables which weren't designed for high speed data transfer. Cable is using new co-ax cables which were designed for high-bandwidth transfer, and were fairly recently installed too, w/in the last 25 years or so.

Technical specs. Different services offer different packages in which the following vary: PPPoE, PPPoA, static IP versus dynamic (DHCP) addresses, number of addresses available w/o a NAT box, ability to run a server... or not.

Generally, a system not using PPPo[x] is better as it's got less overhead meaning more speed for your data, with less to configure. My opinion is that PPP is not appropriate for anything other than dialup.

Static IP addresses are great if you want to run a server. However, if you have a static address, you have to take security precautions. DHCP addresses vary over time. While they still have security issues, they're not quite as blatent. I want a static IP address because I want to run my own server, but my cable provider doesn't (and my former DSL provider didn't) offer it, so I'm SOL.

A NAT box is my term for a router with NAT. NAT allows you to connect as many computers as you're likely to have in a home to the net with one external IP address. This box handles the PPP stuff and handles whatever address it's given by DHCP or assigned statically. It also handles at least some of the security issues involved with hooking your computer to the network, but it doesn't have any place to put log files, so there's no way to find out if anyone is trying to break in.

The service you select will or will not allow you to run a server. That'll be in the user agreement. Same with multiple computers on one line. Some of this stuff can be negotiable. Some of it can be changed for a higher price, too.

Sorry, no clear answers. I'm just trying to illuminate the issues.

05-12-2003, 04:24 PM	#21 (permalink)
denim Banned Location: Massachusetts, USA	Like anything else, it depends. On what? Well, first it depends on what you've got available to you. If you've only got one or the other, you have only the decision of "am I gonna get it or not". If you have both, the specs for your particular providers should help you make a decision: cost speed technical specs The first one, *Cost, is self-explainatory. If you can't afford one but you can afford the other, again the decision is made for you. Speed. Well, in general cable beats DSL at the same price in the speed contest. It has to do with the technology each method is using. DSL is handicapped by using old twisted pair cables which weren't designed for high speed data transfer. Cable is using new co-ax cables which were designed for high-bandwidth transfer, and were fairly recently installed too, w/in the last 25 years or so. Technical specs. Different services offer different packages in which the following vary: PPPoE, PPPoA, static IP versus dynamic (DHCP) addresses, number of addresses available w/o a NAT box, ability to run a server... or not. Generally, a system not using PPPo[x] is better as it's got less overhead meaning more speed for your data, with less to configure. My opinion is that PPP is not appropriate for anything other than dialup. Static IP addresses are great if you want to run a server. However, if you have a static address, you have to take security precautions. DHCP addresses vary over time. While they still have security issues, they're not quite as blatent. I want a static IP address because I want to run my own server, but my cable provider doesn't (and my former DSL provider didn't) offer it, so I'm SOL. A NAT box is my term for a router with NAT. NAT allows you to connect as many computers as you're likely to have in a home to the net with one external IP address. This box handles the PPP stuff and handles whatever address it's given by DHCP or assigned statically. It also handles at least some* of the security issues involved with hooking your computer to the network, but it doesn't have any place to put log files, so there's no way to find out if anyone is trying to break in. The service you select will or will not allow you to run a server. That'll be in the user agreement. Same with multiple computers on one line. Some of this stuff can be negotiable. Some of it can be changed for a higher price, too. Sorry, no clear answers. I'm just trying to illuminate the issues. Last edited by denim; 05-12-2003 at 04:34 PM..