d_p_w_k

Cable or DSL...and why?

Bill O'Rights

Modem...because I'm a cheap S.O.B.

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d_p_w_k

and why??
cost?
speed?

Mad_Gecko

DSL,

I have a need for speed, I am an impatient sum'bitch.

Also no cable provider where I live, which would normally lead me onto a rant, but I think I may have found a 2Mb ADSL provider.

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Lasereth

All I can tell about is my experiences; most people have different experiences with each type of Internet.

I currently have DSL, and there is mainly one huge advantage of DSL over Cable: it's ease of networking. I simply plug the DSL Modem/Router into my hub, and three PCs into the hub; there ya go, 3 computers instantly on the internet. DSL is usually capped at a certain speed in most areas; it's capped at around 150 kilobytes per second where I live. Well, for browser downloads anyway. P2P is a different story. I've downloaded at over 1 megabye per second on KaZaA with DSL, and even had a few "freak" browser downloads that have went up to 17 megabytes per second. I pay $50.00 per month for unlimited bandwidth and unlimited IPs (allowing as many computers as you need on a network, all sharing DSL).

My mother has Cable. The main advantage of Cable over DSL is that its usually capped higher than DSL. The Cable service at my mother's allows 500 kilobytes per second browser downloads. Networking is another issue with Cable, however. DSL was basically plug and play with networking; it took a TON of money and a LOT of time to get Cable shared simply over a 2-port network. I had to buy a router for it, and even after getting it installed correctly, the Cable provider was being bitchy about IP sharing and said it would not work. Well, after tweaking the router a lot, I finally got both computers on the network at my mother's on Cable Internet. MUCH more complicated and harder than DSL to configure. Cable also rarely has freak downloads and rarely goes over the allotted bandwidth on KaZaA and other P2P programs. My mother pays $50.00 per month for her Cable Internet.

If I had to choose between the two, it would be a very hard decision. If you're not into networking, then definitely go Cable. If you have any idea that you may set up a home network, I'd go DSL. If you are a big time P2P user, I'd also choose DSL. They both load webpages instantly; no differences there.

Either way, you gotta get one of them! Dial-Up is a thing of the past, and anyone who can afford DSL or Cable and happens to be in the range of a server should subscribe immediately.

-Lasereth

d_p_w_k

Thank you...
Does the DSL provider typically charge you based on number of systems on the network (i.e. more per month per machine) or is it an installation issue?

Currently, the cost is not close. DSL for 29.95, including ISP and installation vs. cable at 44.95 per month plus 100 for installation

Lasereth

The DSL and Cable providers both gave the modems for free as long as you signed the 1-year contract. My DSL provider charges $50.00 a month regardless of how many computers you have on a network, so no extra IP costs.

The Cable provider charges $50.00 per month for 1 IP address, and any more IP addresses after that is $10.00 extra per month. In other words, for a non-shared Cable connection, you have to pay extra. For a shared Cable connection, it's a pain in the ass to set up, but it is possible.

I know that DSL did not charge anything for installation, but I do believe Cable charged $20.00.

-Lasereth

JStrider

school ethernet connection... i think its T1... i dunno for sure...

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hrdwareguy

You can't make a blanket statement for this. Some areas have a better DSL service than cable, others have better cable service than DSL. Check with local people in your area to see which they prefer. Price can also be a factor.

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Narcissus

Cable, only thing available atm :\

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Halx

from the title, I thought this was going to be an insightful post about dating online... instead it was 5 words long... faith.. in.. humanity... slipping

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Sty

hehehehe

stm-16, the only way

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sierra2774

Modem, but I hope to have DSL soon....Just haven't found the right one yet.....Any Suggestions??

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ARTelevision

me and mimi made an Internet hookup - oh, almost seven years ago...that was a good one!

dsl at home because I like the phone company better than the cable company.

DSL, T1s at work for redundancy or because that's what's there, depending on what I'm working on.

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Mango

I'm with Halx. Such a disapointment.

Big Julie

Had DSL until we moved. SBC fucked us around trying to get reconnected at new place, so "Hello cable!" Faster, for the same money.

uncle phil

cable...no brainer...

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jujueye

i like cable up here in seattle. Not sure if you have to pay extra for second and third machines or not. I suppose it doesnt matter if youre not in Seattle anyway.
Many DSL subscriptions charge for the ISP only. You'll have to supply your telephone connection, etc from a third party. Cable is once charge, and youre done...well, you'll need to have cable to your house...!
Modems are part of your bill with cable, and are somewhere around $9 per month. I get up to 1.5 MB in Seattle. While it needs to be late at night with no neighbors online at the time, its screamin good fun. I can sometimes get up to 1M downloads even when its a busy time of night. To get DSL up here for that speed is welll over $100. I pay $45.
One more item regarding the "leased" modem. A friend started with the leased modem, then bought his own. It took him nearly a year to get AT&T to stop including that on his bill. Scary, but a reality with such a huge stupid company!

DrCold

I have 10mb fiber here at work. And no one really uses it but me. And i have a T1 at home. I must have a fast and stable connection. The internet owns me.

-DrCold

billege

This is a brilliant thread. Such depth, such imagination, such panache.

DSL or Cable, and why?

My god, how does one even begin to answer such a deep and thought provoking question?

On the Computer Forum for one.
With simple english for two.

In honor of such a, oh shit, s/he's got 19 posts. Now I feel like a jerk. No wait, d_p_w_k was born in 1968 so I know by know s/he's learned some conversational skills.

Okay, you asked the question, in a minimum word count. I guess that's okay for now. As your post count goes up I'm seriously going to expect more.

Cable, but I ain't saying more until we're in the computer forum.

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denim

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.

denim

There's no inherent difference between DSL and Cable wrt networking. When I changed from DSL to cable, I just plugged a different box into my NAT router.

Lasereth

Notice I said that most people have different experiences with each type of Internet. With my experience, DSL was easy to network and Cable was hard as hell.

-Lasereth

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denim

Understood. That'll have to do with the individual situation y'all were in.

I simply put a NAT cable/DSL router between me and the world, and didn't worry about it. They're really cheap (US$50 or so) these days, so that should be a useful option for just about anyone.

OTOH, you could always use a dedicated server of some sort to do the NAT and router filtering, but that requires active management.

MSD

I have Cable. Although my house is only 2 miles from the nearest SNET switching station, tracing the wires, they say that I'm more than 5 miles away. Cable is reliable, cheap, and fast. Optimum Online offers the best price to bandwidth ratio in my area, and I'm glad to have it.

Craven Morehead

cable, because I can

WhoaitsZ

cable. after considering my dial-up fees and my own phone line fees i figured, yeah, downloading a few hundred times quicker for the same price would be a good idea

hotzot

I have DSL but want cable

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MacGnG

where i live its the same price but since i dont already have cable a cable modem is much more. it really depends because its pretty much the same... they both suck! now once the technology is in place etc... they will both be cheap and accessable in urban and rural areas.

i'm using verizon.... verizon suck but its the only dsl in the area so that what we use.

shop around see what u can get for the best deals in your area because some services aren't available

soccerstudpc20

t3 at school, its beautiful

GakFace

alright all good points brought up... But a bit more on this

SPEED:
DSL has a fix rate. So you order basically the package of the UL and DL speed you wish to have. It will NEVER drop below that, won't really rise above either.

Cable does NOT have a fixed rate. The bonus to this is that you can potentially have a T1 (if no one else is using your node, not likely to happen). This won't really happen unless you're the only one on cable in your area, but none-the-less you'll generally get faster Downloads with a cable line. The Catch? The more people that are using the node.. the slower it goes for everyone. If its heavily populated, DSL may be faster.


This was the case where I live, we started with cable internet, but then we tested out DSL, and we were able to surf faster and have streaming download faster than what cable provided with us. So what do to huh? Well do you know anyone that has Cable? and anyone that has DSL?
Figure out the time when you KNOW you'll be online... As cable is better when its not on peak hours, but you might have reasons to be on during those peaks when cable will suck. When you have this time span figured out, have friends in your area run a speed test. Compare the results, and probably try have them do it on at least 2 seperate days. If cable wins by a decent amount, go with them. I say decent amount, because i notice the large different in costs.

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neoinoakleys

Cable...without a doubt...

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warrrreagl

Dial-up 56K at home and T-1 at work.

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denim

I didn't find that to be the case. No matter what, there's still a bottleneck at the CO, where you share a comm channel with others. Also, the remote site may not be able to keep up with you.

I judge on peak speeds and how often I see them and on how often things slow down over-all.

d_p_w_k

My sincere apologies to Billege for my lack of linguistic aptitude. He/She is correct...this inquiry was best directed elsewhere.

What would you like to discuss?? Give me a second chance!
; )

snowace56

I have Road Runner cable service, its 40 bucks a month and has built-in networking right in the modem. and plus its faster than my friends DSL. CABLE ALL THE WAY!!!

merkerguitars

Around my area Cable is better in speeds wise....they offer a way faster download speed. For my hometown cable company that I do some work for I found one major disadvantage. The problem I found is with cable you share the bandwidth with other people. So during peak hours or if lots of people have it in the area the cable speeds are severely compromised. And DSL you get your own pipeline that no one touches your bandwidth.

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terit

It really depends most on the dsl or cable provider in each area. I have had both and found the cable to have a much higher maximum speed, however, my provider was Adelphia and it was absolute crap -- always down, tech support pretended like it was my fault even though everyone in my area was down, the techs came out to my house and readily admitted that the system was crap...

So I went with dsl. I have found it to have a slower maximum speed, which is noticable when downloading multiple binaries off of newsgroups and such. Uploading is even worse because it basically ties up the pipe, slowing down everything. On the whole I found it to be about 1/3 of the maximum speed of my cable modem... but then again, it didn't go down for hours on end. So, I picked the lesser of two evils.

I would talk to people in your immediate area -- literally on your block. Ask your neighbor what they have and what the quality is. Everything varies by area. For example, while I had lots of problems with Adelphia in my area, other areas are just fine.

chaosedge23

If you are in NYC, suggest cable over DSL. Much faster

wondash

Cable is faster. But I hates the cable. So, DSL it is.