DSL vs. cable?

[Cheyenne]

DSL vs. Cable (Road runner in particular)- pros and cons? Anyone have access to both and like one better than the other?

 

[Spinaroonie]

Cable can slow down if a lot of people in your area/neighborhood are using it. However, if nobody else is using it, it can be faster. Cable also gives you a static IP.

DSL has a constant speed and is all yours, so nobody can slow you down. It also has a dynamic IP.

You are lucky. I can't get either one and I want them BAD!

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Wait a minute! DSL sounds a lot like DCL...Holy shit! I'm a fast Internet access pipeline! It finally all makes sense! Someone call AJ!

 

[teresafannin]

My fiancee has DSL & it is wonderful. I can't get either. A friend has a cable modem & likes it. Her biggest problem is when the cable goes out, so does her internet.

 

[miles]

I have DSL through BellSouth, and when it was first installed 18 months ago it totally sucked. Frequent outages, slow speed, clueless tech support. Typical "We're the phone company, we don't have to care" attitude. But to their credit they have drastically improved everything. I usually get about 1.2 MBS, which is 30 times faster than 56K dialup. I can't complain.

It's true that with cable your speed deteriorates in direct proportion to the number of users online through your ISP. My big concern is their customer service - if your cable TV franchise is run by Jim Carrey like mine is, fugeddaboutit.

If you go to www.dslreports.com there are reviews of all the broadband ISP's. It's a great website.

Whichever one you choose, you absolutely must have some kind of firewall protection. If you don't, you are inviting hackers into your system the same as leaving the front door to your house wide open.

 

[Cheyenne]

I have DSL through BellSouth, and when it was first installed 18 months ago it totally sucked. Frequent outages, slow speed, clueless tech support. Typical "We're the phone company, we don't have to care" attitude. But to their credit they have drastically improved everything. I usually get about 1.2 MBS, which is 30 times faster than 56K dialup. I can't complain.

It's true that with cable your speed deteriorates in direct proportion to the number of users online through your ISP. My big concern is their customer service - if your cable TV franchise is run by Jim Carrey like mine is, fugeddaboutit.

If you go to www.dslreports.com there are reviews of all the broadband ISP's. It's a great website.

Whichever one you choose, you absolutely must have some kind of firewall protection. If you don't, you are inviting hackers into your system the same as leaving the front door to your house wide open.

Thanks for the site! Road Runner is so new in my area that I don't know if I'll be able to get any kind of an idea of how fast it works without actually getting it. There isn't a long term contract, so I could try it and see I guess.

I saved an article awhile back about free "ZoneAlarm" firewall. Maybe I need to start another thread on the topic of firewalls!

 

[sexy-girl]

cheyenne it all depends on whats in your area ... ignore any articles that say DSL or cable is better ... either can be good or bad depending on the company running them ... if you can find out someone in your area that has it from same company go with them


or a good test is to phone customer help desk and see if you can get through if they dont have a customer help desk thats easy to get through too dont bother with them

 

[SoftPeaches]

I had an absolutely HORRIBLE experience with Ameritech DSL. I tried to cancel, and they still charged me for it. I ended up having $200 in charges added to my phone bill that shouldn't have been.

It took me two months of tireless complaining to the corporate office to get everything back to normal.

 

[Dillinger]

Other people here have said this but its worth repeating. I have read a lot on this subject. Its not a question of Cable vs DSL in terms of which is better. They both have their pluses and minuses and both balance out to about the same in terms of speed and quality.

What matters is what is readily availble in your area (find out how long it will take them to come and install it for one thing). Then find the best deal - where I am Cable was originally the only choice and is still the best deal - however I have friends in other parts of the country who are paying very low rates for DSL.

And yes - the provider makes a difference - just like with any survice or product - go with a company you trust (or at least, the lesser of two evils.)

And - as was said here already as well - once you have a high speed persistent connection you MUST have a firewall. If you only have one computer connected to the net then a software firewall is sufficient. If you plan on connecting multiple computers you might want to look into a hardware firewall/router (which can also serve as your ethernet hub).

Good luck!

Oh... one last thing...

Dixon Carter Lee: Wait a minute! DSL sounds a lot like DCL...Holy shit! I'm a fast Internet access pipeline! It finally all makes sense!

If DCL is an option in your area - I highly recommend it. However you will need extra strong protection.

 

[GuyJD]

I curently have cable but I'm totally considering going to DSL. It appears that my cable modem has something in common with the Literotica website. When I get home from work after 2 AM, I can't get online because it is constantly going down.

 

[Cheyenne]

If DCL is an option in your area - I highly recommend it. However you will need extra strong protection.

Protection from DCL? What, is he going to get me with bad jokes?

 

[Dillinger]

Its just that these days... you just never know - better safe then sorry. Besides, you have no idea where DCL has been.

 

[on_the_verge]

The only drawback of DSL is that if it goes down, so does your phone line and your connectivity to the outside world, save walking out the door or someone at the door. Yet, I could be wrong, but maybe DSL technology has reached a point where they have resolved those issues?

Yes, you may need a stronger "FIREWALL" to handle those attacks into your "system" and you may need to take extra steps to make sure you are not penetrated by outside forces.

 

[miles]

No Way!!!

That's not true.

If someone cuts your telephone line, then yes, you lose both. But that's a little far fetched.

My Internet connection, digital TV, and telephone all come in through one wire. My phones have never gone down. My digital cable has gone down a few times but had no effect on the other services. My Internet connection will occaisionally have 1 or 2 minute long interruptions and don't effect TV or phones.

 

[on_the_verge]

Re: No Way!!!

That's not true.

If someone cuts your telephone line, then yes, you lose both. But that's a little far fetched.

My Internet connection, digital TV, and telephone all come in through one wire. My phones have never gone down. My digital cable has gone down a few times but had no effect on the other services. My Internet connection will occaisionally have 1 or 2 minute long interruptions and don't effect TV or phones.

No, oh no! I was trying to say if your DSL line went down and how it would effect your copper lines that DSL and Ma Bell rely on.