DSL or Cable?

[Chris_F]

I'm here stuck with this POS 56k modem. On a good day, I can get 3.1Kbs. :cry:

Anyway, I was hoping to get a high-speed Internet connection.

That brings me to my question. DSL or Cable. I don't have cable so I would have to get it in order to get a cable connection. I'm not sure if I'm close enough to get DSL.

Lets say I have cable and I'm close enough for DSL. Which would be better? Better would most likely be faster.

[glock19owner]

Cable is faster and better the DSL...plus you don't have to worry about the extras most DSL companys stick you with...

[NookieN]

Cable _can_ be better, although that doesn't always mean it _will_ be better. I've had cable that was twice as fast as DSL and cable that was less than half as fast.

My suggestion would be to poke around on dslreports.com for a few minutes to see what's available in your area. If you can get good cable at a price equal to or less than DSL, then that's probably a pretty good bet. But sometimes DSL is a better option.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

I'll take my cable any day over DSL. It definitely rocks.

[Numbstruck]

cable is usually faster, but it depends on how many people have it in your area...the more people...the slower it gets.

As far as value goes...since your going to have to get cable tv in order to get cable internet then check the pricing and see if its gonna be worth it....DSL might be slower but its not THAT much slower, and its still way better than dial up.

just my 2

[Chris_F]

Well I'm hoping for DSL. LIke I said I don't have cable tv.

I took a look and COVAD is the only provider near me. Their CO is about 2.7 miles away. Is this good? Are they any good?

[Chris_F]

This is a package from COVAD,

TeleSurfer Plus ADSL 1.5mb/128k (Home Only)
4 email, 10MB of disk space (email, FTP), 1 static IP address

its $59 Month

[Numbstruck]

How much would it cost for cable?




*edit

If you can get a deal like that then go for cable

\/ \/ \/

[ptwearnhardtfan]

Where I live, you don't have to subcribe to cable tv to get cable internet. It costs 44 bucks a month.

[Chris_F]

Where do you live? What provider do you use?

[ptwearnhardtfan]

I live in the Milwaukee area. Around here, we have Roadrunner. Great service and tech support.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

Chris, what area do you live in?

[Chris_F]

I live in the Columbus area.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

I'm pretty sure you can get Roadrunner there. If your gonna get cable, I highly recommend that one. Check out www.dslreports.com to see whats good in your neck of the woods.

[AdvanS13]

get anything that is cheap and you will be happy over your dialup :)...i only have 768/128 or whatever it is from verizon and they do a pretty good job. you dont have to install thier software like it says. which is a bunch of crap anyways.

the only thing good about the verizon software, it has ie6 on a disk lol :)

other then that im happy with it. im actually getting around 800/140 after awhile for some reason. its good for everyday use, and games.

39/month by the way.

[CompuDrew]

I had PacBell DSL for about 2 years and I was very happy with it. I eventually switched over to cable when it came to my area because for about $30 more a month than I was paying for DSL I get full digital cable TV and cable internet.

The cable is definitly faster.-Both uploads and downloads. I don't regret switching to cable although both have worked great for me.

Like others have said, whatever you can get will be far better than dial up!

[Chris_F]

Originally posted by ptwearnhardtfan
Where I live, you don't have to subcribe to cable tv to get cable internet. It costs 44 bucks a month.

Is it like that way in all places?

I was under the impression you had to have cable TV in order to have road runner.

[phoenix111384]

i'll take dsl over cable any day. NO downtime whatsoever! every once in a while, my friends who have cable would get kicked off the net, b/c of comcast. verizon dsl has never stopped/disconnected me in over a year. verizon is 1.5 mb/128k for $35/mo.

Chris_F: in your case, i would get cable if possible. you're a bit far from the CO, they probably can't guarantee full speeds at that distance. i work in a dsl chip company, and i've tested data rates on distance tests. i'm only a mile from the CO and i get advertised speeds if not a little more.

[Zomu]

i love my cable line. Wont use anythign else. And if you can get it for 44 a month i say its worth it. You will be very happy which ever you get over the modem though

[IFMU]

Here in kansas its cox, although it used to be roadrunner, some folks really.
Here we dont have to get TV to get cable either, I thought that was a standard?! lol

[craigiz1]

I am very happy with DSL. I had cable and didn't like it.
If you have DSL in your area, I would try it. Your phone company may offer the first month free, so you won't have to pay. You will most likely get a discount if you use thier phone service too.
I have mine set up without using thier proprietory software. It really simple.

[Chris_F]

I think I'll go with roadrunner if I don't need cable TV to use it. I don't find anything on cable worth watching, so it would be a waist of money.

If I asked, do you think they would tell me?

[phoenix111384]

i don't see why they wouldn't. either way, cable tv/internet uses the same line so if you ever want to add tv, it can be easily done.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

I'm pretty sure you don't have to subscribe to cable tv to get Roadrunner. The big thing I don't like about DSL are the 1 to 3 year contract you have to sign, that's BS. That's why I would try cable first, if you don't like it, just cancel. No penalty.

[druidelder]

If you go with cable, you might check on price with a tv package. Most companies I have run across offer cable internet without a tv subscription. However, in my case (charter) you get a discount on the internet service if you have tv service. For us (even though we get more than basic cable), it costs the same to have basic cable+ internet as it does to have just internet (hey, if you're paying the same anyway...). That may not be true in your area.

Another factor, check to see if anyone you know in your neighborhood has either. While I agree with phoenix that you would see reduced speeds at that range with DSL, it is "possible" that you could see even lower speeds during certain times of the day on cable if you live in a high traffic neighborhood. When I moved across town, my cable speeds jumped about 300K during the day (fewer people on where I am now, or coincidental timing of a hardware upgrade at charter? I can't rightly say). So see if anybody near you (very near) has any experience with them, if you can.

[jajmon]

My 2 cents worth and my situation. I too was tired of the dial-up. Cable internet was being put into my neighborhood. It consisted of laying new fiber backbone thru the community to support cable internet and digital cable tv. This upgrade to the cable infrastructure lasted about 6 months and disrupted cable tv on various occasions. I was leaning more towards DSL vs cable because of what I heard about cable oversell - more people = slower speeds. I inquired about dsl with my telco and they said my line/s didn't qualify. I have 2 lines, one for home, one for biz. I asked the rep why I didn't qualify, when a neighbor 2 houses further from the telco CO (central office) has dsl service. He couldn't answer, and said maybe bringing in another line would qualify - 'maybe'. Now why would I want a 3rd line just for dsl and incure that cost when the whole deal with dsl is that you don't need another line? Qwest is my telco and for those out there with Qwest you might know what I am talking about. My thoughts on dsl are this - I have 2 pair (4wires) coming into my house, all pairs are used for my 2 phone lines. My understanding of dsl is that the digital signal is multiplexed on the phone pairs (maybe using an unused pair of wires) thus not needing another pair or line brought in. So talk and be online at the same time. Seeing as how all my pairs were used, is that why I didn't qualify?I posed that theory to the Qwest person and they were clueless. I have cable now and very happy with it. I get 1440k/76k and it doesn't vary much at all as far as the d/l speed during anytime of the day. Even if the d/l did drop to oh 700k at peak times, that is WAY better than dial-up. I have had cable internet now for just over 1yr and have had hardly any issues, except for a recent 24+ hour outage (internet/cable tv) as a result of a major fiber cut.
good luck in your 'qwest' for high speed

[Beast Of Blight]

Originally posted by ptwearnhardtfan
I live in the Milwaukee area. Around here, we have Roadrunner. Great service and tech support.

Have Roadrunner down in Florida, to.

God I love my 2.5Mbs roadrunner connection :cool::D:D:cool:


But back to the point.. Chris_F


Poke around your neighborhood, talk to friends and such that live around you and see if alot of people have Cable Broadband. if ALOT of people do, then your speeds will drop misserably.


DSL is slower than cable, But your given an alloted ammount of speed and it dosn't matter if your the only one or 1 of 100,000, your speed won't change.


On the other hand, if your hte only one on the cable connection around you, it will BLAZE like nobodies business, however... if theres alot of people on your neighborhood grid using cable broadband, then your speeds will be horrible, depending on how many people.

[scoobiedoo]

So what's this talk about dsl being slower than cable...right now, i have ordered 1.5/1.5 sdsl. It will be installed next month. This i believe is faster than most cable connections?

Right now i have a DSL connection that gives me above the 'capped' rate at all times. :D

I think it's just personal preferance as to what is best and where it is.

btw, i had cable at the same place and i got lower than my cap speeds with that.

Just my 2 cents.

scoobie

[jajmon]

Some cable d/l speeds 'are' faster than DSL, it just depends on the provider and at what speed they want to 'cap' at. Some cap at 1.5 and others like Beast of Blight cap their's at 2.5. Most of the time the d/l speeds on cable are far greater the the upload on cable, and that has to do with the cable technology vs dsl/adsl technology. Other cable providers provision their service like dsl. 1.5 / 760 / 256 etc. From what I see in my area for DSL 1.5/1.5 is at the high end, typically for business use, but a single person can buy that rate if they want to shell out the $.

[Chris_F]

Well, I took a look at the Road Runner web page, and guess what, there is no service in my area. They said the only provider is Insight Communications.

So its Insight Communications, COVAD DSL, or Dial-up. :(

Why can't I get something I've heard of? It isn't like I live out in the boonies.

They should get themselves out here.

[OcLinNoob]

I use comcast cable. Pretty fast in my area since my area is poor :)

[druidelder]

I'm just adding this as information, it may or may not reflect anything in anybody else's area. Everybody that I know around here has a second dedicated line for their dsl connection. There was no extra charge for the installation of the line, it was part of the standard installation cost (which many got for free as a signup deal) It doesn't use the standard phone jack either. Here in Cali, SBC offers dsl at speeds up to 6Mb.

[scoobiedoo]

Originally posted by jajmon
Some cable d/l speeds 'are' faster than DSL, it just depends on the provider and at what speed they want to 'cap' at. Some cap at 1.5 and others like Beast of Blight cap their's at 2.5. Most of the time the d/l speeds on cable are far greater the the upload on cable, and that has to do with the cable technology vs dsl/adsl technology. Other cable providers provision their service like dsl. 1.5 / 760 / 256 etc. From what I see in my area for DSL 1.5/1.5 is at the high end, typically for business use, but a single person can buy that rate if they want to shell out the $.


What i was trying to point out is that it really doesn't matter what service you go with, they are all good and will give you faster than dialup speeds.

And actually i found that my dsl connection now is priced lessed than any equal cable connection line. :D

that's from what i can tell, there may be cheaper cable but i still say i get a good deal

can't beat 34.95/mo for 1.5/128 service hehehehe.

scoobie

[Beast Of Blight]

Originally posted by jajmon
Some cable d/l speeds 'are' faster than DSL, it just depends on the provider and at what speed they want to 'cap' at. Some cap at 1.5 and others like Beast of Blight cap their's at 2.5. Most of the time the d/l speeds on cable are far greater the the upload on cable, and that has to do with the cable technology vs dsl/adsl technology. Other cable providers provision their service like dsl. 1.5 / 760 / 256 etc. From what I see in my area for DSL 1.5/1.5 is at the high end, typically for business use, but a single person can buy that rate if they want to shell out the $.


Actually the cap is 1.5Mbs:o

I just get an upgraded package. :cool: :D

[xtrmeocr]

stay the hell away from insite communications. go with covad DSL(or a reseller of covad DSL) you shoul also check of worldcom is in your CO.

[Chris_F]

Originally posted by xtrmeocr
stay the hell away from insite communications. go with covad DSL(or a reseller of covad DSL) you shoul also check of worldcom is in your CO.

What's wrong with Insight Comm? j/w

How would I check if worldcom is my CO? What difference would it make if it is/isn't?

Also, I'm about 2.7 miles away from my CO, so I'm not sure what speeds I'll get with DSL.

[xtrmeocr]

from what i'v seen with my online friends is they suck.

worldcom is much cheaper and faster then covad.

http://www.digizip.com/availability.html

check there to see if worldcom is in your CO, digizip is a reseller of worldcom DSL.

[Chris_F]

AT&T Service Availability:
Single-user 144 / 144 Kbps
Multi-user 144 / 144 Kbps
Multi-user 192 / 192 Kbps
Multi-user 384 / 384 Kbps

NewEdge Service Availability:
No results available:
Your address or phone may be incorrect
NewEdge server may be unavailable (try again later)
No NewEdge service is available at your address

WorldCom Service Availability:
No results available:
Your address or phone may be incorrect
WorldCom server may be unavailable (try again later)
No WorldCom service is available at your address

:( nope

[Chris_F]

COVAD has a 30-day money back trial. I guess I can try that out and see how it works. If I don't get more then 1MBs, its going to be a waist of money. I guess if that happens I can look for something else. Or I can just move to a area that has Roadrunner or SBC Yahoo. :p

[whiteemcee]

hmm.. there is both cable and dsl available in my area and my 1.3 dsl is pretty fast.. haven't actually compared it with any users cable.. but 1.3 meg a second d/l is PLENTY fast enough for me :)

[Chris_F]

COVAD offers a 1.5MBps service. That dose mean 1.5 megabytes and not 1.5 megabits, right?

[xtrmeocr]

1.5megabits

[ptwearnhardtfan]

Did ya check on dslreports about customer satifaction of broadband providers in your area? This should be the first step.

[NookieN]

Originally posted by Chris_F
COVAD offers a 1.5MBps service. That dose mean 1.5 megabytes and not 1.5 megabits, right?

'fraid you'll have to move to Japan if you want 1.5Mbyte DSL.

[Chris_F]

This is getting frustrated now.

This is what is available in my area:

Covad 144K/144K IDSL IDSL 144/144 8 20 $299.00 $225.00 $108.00
Covad 192K/192K SDSL SDSL 192/192 8 20 $299.00 $225.00 $108.00
Covad 384K/384K SDSL SDSL 384/384 8 20 $299.00 $225.00 $161.00
Worldcom IDSL IDSL 128/128 5 20 FREE $199.00 $99.00
Worldcom SDSL SDSL 160/160 5 20 FREE $199.00 $99.00

Those prices are insane, and for what? A crappy 144 - 384MBs

Am I doomed to never have broadband?

[ptwearnhardtfan]

You did have a cable option didn't you?

[Chris_F]

I have a question. I went to the Roadrunner web site. It told me there wasn't Roadrunner in my area. The thing is, I have Time Warner cable in my area. So dose that mean that I can get Roadrunner? I don't really trust their web page.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

What's your zip code. Maybe we can do a little better research knowing exactly where we're looking.

[xtrmeocr]

you need to be able to get time warner TV at your house to get roadrunner.

[Chris_F]

Originally posted by xtrmeocr
you need to be able to get time warner TV at your house to get roadrunner.

Thats what I said.

Oh, and my zip code is 43229

[ptwearnhardtfan]

http://www.dslreports.com/reviews/1938

Check this out.

[Chris_F]

Is this in my area? Is it better then roadrunner? (same price)

Also, what dose it mean by "Up to 2mbs?" I live in an area with very few cable Internet subscribers. If I'm limited to 2mbs, I might be loosing out on bandwidth.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

2mbs is smokin fast. You should be able to download at over 200k.

[Chris_F]

I've read bad things about Earthlink. :( If it turns out that It's all I can get, I'll have to use it. I think I'll try our roadrunner first.

[xtrmeocr]

earthlink is roadrunner if your talking about cable. earthlink merely resells the time warner lines.

[ptwearnhardtfan]

Originally posted by xtrmeocr
earthlink is roadrunner if your talking about cable. earthlink merely resells the time warner lines.

This is true, but the service is much different I hear.