Trying to decide on either DSL or Cable Modem at my house. Figured you guys have opinions for everything so I'd ask here. First of all...both are available at my house. I THINK my computer already has an NIC card...but don't know if it does or not. It's pretty new and it has an ethernet connection in the back so I assume it does. Anyway, what are the advantages/disadvantages of each? Which is better. DSL is a little cheaper in my area, but it's also slower (I think). What do y'all think?

 

Cable is the fastest of the two. But it is a "shared" connection, meaning the more people on your loop the "slower" it techanically is. But in general that is still way faster then DSL.

DSL is a same speed dedicated connection, but it is slower then cable for the most part.

Also bare in mind just because you have a fast connection on your end, whatever you are downloading from has to have their end upto speed, meaning sometimes things will still be "slow".

Regardless of which route you go it will ALWAYS be faster then 56k..........

 

I have DSL.
Never tried Cable.

DSL is way faster than most folks will ever need, unless you do alot of graphics, or music down/up loads.

Geeeeze,...... ANYTHING beats dial-up.

I have 4 computers in my house sharing one DSL connection on a hub.
Unless my daughter is listening to streaming audio, I'd never know they were sharing the line.

 

I have a DieSeL dial-up connection,,,,,,,, all I get is this website! :

 

[quote author=RATTLINRAM link=board=10;threadid=18806;start=0#msg176425 date=1061826244]
I have a DieSeL dial-up connection,,,,,,,, all I get is this website! :
[/quote]



I have cable. If there are only a few on your trunk line that are using cable modems, then cable is faster.
Most cable companies limit how many users are on each trunk line.
They do this because a cable connection to the internet is like a garden hose. The more holes in the garden hose, the lower the water pressure is at the end.
The cable companies know this and usually only let so many folks on each "garden hose" so the connection speed is still good for everyone.
In terms of speed, from what Ive seen, both DSL and cable are the same speed.

Rich.

 

Interesting. It's start to look like DSL may be the way to go. It's about $8 a month cheaper for one. But, it appears that it would take less to get it started. The phone jack is already there. For cable I'd have to install a cable outlet. Hmmmm..... :-

 

I've downloaded a couple of hundred GB worth of data over the past couple of months. It all depends on what your gonna do with it. If all you do is surf the net and what not then DSL will suit you just fine. What speed DSL is available for you (price range). With cable my speed is advertised at always greater then 2Mbps, and typically when I am on some of the higher end parts of the net I have seen upto 9 to 10Mbps. Typically its 3 to 4Mbps on a constant basis.

 

DSL runs a lot faster than it used to, I often download around 1mps, Like already mentioned. the other end has to be running well to see the really fast speeds.

Regardless of the actual speed, my IP is at least 10 times faster than the old dial up modem, just no comparison between the two.

Go broadband, you won't be sorry

 

Well, I'd try to find out whether some of your neighbours has one or the other. And if so ask him about the reliability. I do have cable and have been rather happy with it because DSL failed more frequently. Now the cable company has been taken over and the competent techs have been fired and I have a whole lot of downtime.

As long as you just use it for normal surfing and mailing both are fast enough. I don't know whether you have fair use or any other kind of trafic restriction on either one, but this should also be a point to be considered

AlpineRAM

 

Find out what the local speeds are. If both are available in your area, it shouldn't be hard to find someone with each and see if they will time a download for you. Also, as AlpineRam said, ask about reliability. Cable has been extremely reliable for me. Only one significant outage in 2+ years.

I have found that DSL and cable speeds vary greatly from region to region. I cannot buy a DSL connection where I live, but they are available in a couple cities nearby. To get a DSL line with speed above 368Kbps is very expensive in those markets. I set up one for a client and he is paying $99 a month for a 900Kbps connection. Residential connections above 1Mbps are rarely available at all in those areas.

As others have said, a 368Kbps DSL line will seem very fast if you're just browsing, so DSL may be all you need. I do a lot of remote system management and those connections are bandwidth intensive. My cable connection is very consistent at 1.8Mbps, and that works very well for my needs.

Keep in mind that bandwidth and transmission speed are a lot like HP and TQ - the more you have, the more you need! ;D

 

Hoss,
Which ever way you go, you might want to consider an access point/router. This gives you a hardware firewall between your machine and the "baddies" out there (although I think I remeber you mentioning you just got a software firewall (zonelabs?)).
I have DSL and run the DSL modem output to my wireless access point/router. From the router I have a hardwire to my desktop, while my wife connects wirelessly with her laptop. Occasionally I run a wire from the router to the Sony PS2 for on-line stuff as well. I've been very happy with the speed (as was said before, anything beats dial-up).

 

[quote author=KatDiesel link=board=10;threadid=18806;start=0#msg176453 date=1061829957]What speed DSL is available for you (price range). With cable my speed is advertised at always greater then 2Mbps, and typically when I am on some of the higher end parts of the net I have seen upto 9 to 10Mbps. Typically its 3 to 4Mbps on a constant basis.
[/quote]

The DSL is advertised as 768 Kbps DSL. The cable is advertised as 1.5Mbps (according to the fine print). That doesn't mean much to me....except that it's faster than my 56Kbps dial up modem.

 

DSL is about $25 more than what I am paying for my cable so guess what I have? It sounds like you will mostly be browsing... go with the DSL and save yourself $8 -- put it towards your kids college fund. ;D


Tony

 

[quote author=hotdram link=board=10;threadid=18806;start=0#msg176483 date=1061835008]
Hoss,
Which ever way you go, you might want to consider an access point/router. This gives you a hardware firewall between your machine and the "baddies" out there (although I think I remeber you mentioning you just got a software firewall (zonelabs?)).
I have DSL and run the DSL modem output to my wireless access point/router. From the router I have a hardwire to my desktop, while my wife connects wirelessly with her laptop. Occasionally I run a wire from the router to the Sony PS2 for on-line stuff as well. I've been very happy with the speed (as was said before, anything beats dial-up).
[/quote]

I did recently install a sofware firewall. I think I'll leave it at that for now at least.

 

[quote author=TPilaske link=board=10;threadid=18806;start=0#msg176512 date=1061839241]
DSL is about $25 more than what I am paying for my cable so guess what I have? It sounds like you will mostly be browsing... go with the DSL and save yourself $8 -- put it towards your kids college fund. ;D


Tony

[/quote]

I thought it was usually the other way around?? I'm not TOO concerned with the money aspect of it....but cheaper is definitely a consideration. Most of what we'll be doing with it is browsing and possibly some web page maintenance, but all things considered it sounds like DSL may be the way to go.