DSL vs Cable
- Thread starter wam79
- Start date
Backslide
RASCClicious
gawntrail
New Member
Quit yer complainin'. I'm still a 28.8 dial-up connection. No cable in the area, DSL nowhere in sight, and Dish Network is still 6-12 months out 
M. Gipson
M. Gipson
Just go with whatever's cheaper, you won't see a difference, especially if you're upgrading from dailup. Anything will seem blazingly faster than dialup.
you're both right and you're both wrong..BrownDevil said:I wish I could spell the noise I just made when I saw that statement.Fast4Dr said:Well in REAL cities like NYC residential DSL is not dedicated :0 :sign:BrownDevil said:beg to differ my fine feathered friend, I've lived in San Jose, CA and now Mesa, AZ and here and there residential dsl was dedicated
I hope me disagreeing with you doesnt get me kicked from the "To receive a monte EL" list :0
San Jose not a real city???
That's where technology comes fromSilicon Valley ?
:thumbs:
Shared Line
Shared DSL lines (usually ADSL) allow a DSL carrier to run DSL over your telephone line enabling voice and data (Internet) access. How can the same line support DSL? A telephone line consists of two frequencies - high and low. The high frequency is used for voice service and the low frequency is used for the DSL service.
Most non-dedicated or shared DSL lines are "Rate Adaptive", which means that the speed will fluctuate depending on the number of users on the line, the actual physical line conditions, and the distance from your location to the DSL carriers aggregation point. Additionally, with a non-dedicated or shared line, a specific and/or consistent download and upload speed may not be available.
Dedicated Line
A dedicated DSL line (usually SDSL) is a dedicated pair of copper wires that runs from your location to the DSL carrier's Central Office or aggregation point. A dedicated DSL line is essentially a telephone line, but is utilized exclusively for DSL data transmissions and does not support voice services.
Typically a dedicated DSL line will have a minimum level of speed committed. If the speed is less than the minimum committed speed your service can be downgraded to the next attainable speed and related price.
and oh by the way;
Q: The DSL providers say that cable modems are "shared" and will slow down when too many people in my neighborhood come online. Is that true?
A: Thank you for asking. Truth is, ALL Internet technologies, including DSL, are shared and no one can guarantee or control speed, due to variables inherent to the Internet. What the DSL companies want you to believe is that cable modems will slow down when more users come online and that DSL does not slow down because it is "dedicated", not shared. There are two other things you should know about DSL and speed.
DSL slows down the further you live from their facilities.
DSL's "dedicated" connection is only for the short distance between your home and their facilities. From that point on, it is pooled with all other traffic.
One DSL provider even built a series of marketing campaigns around this message. However, the DSL provider was instructed by a court of law to stop running the campaign because the message was not true. It is not true because a properly designed and managed cable modem system (such as Road Runner's) accommodates the popularity of the service.
Q: The DSL providers say that cable modems are "shared" and will slow down when too many people in my neighborhood come online. Is that true?
A: Thank you for asking. Truth is, ALL Internet technologies, including DSL, are shared and no one can guarantee or control speed, due to variables inherent to the Internet. What the DSL companies want you to believe is that cable modems will slow down when more users come online and that DSL does not slow down because it is "dedicated", not shared. There are two other things you should know about DSL and speed.
DSL slows down the further you live from their facilities.
DSL's "dedicated" connection is only for the short distance between your home and their facilities. From that point on, it is pooled with all other traffic.
One DSL provider even built a series of marketing campaigns around this message. However, the DSL provider was instructed by a court of law to stop running the campaign because the message was not true. It is not true because a properly designed and managed cable modem system (such as Road Runner's) accommodates the popularity of the service.
txmatt
El Cheapo smoker
My 2 cents, the others have covered the topic well. I have had both.
I would get whatever is cheaper. With the deals providers in my area are offering, that would currently be DSL. Unfortunately I am too far from the nearest digital CO. I have an analog CO very close. If they upgrade hardware in there it would be an excellent connection. I am stuck with cable. As soon as DSL is available in my neigborhood I am certain I will be able to do better than the $50 monthly I am paying now.
I would switch to DSL to save $5 a month - to me there is no appreciable difference.
If you want to read a bunch of geeks discussing/debating this topic checkout DSLReports.com. The site also has nice maps of the nearest COs, so not only will you know if you are servicable, you can see all the COs nearby.
Matt
I would get whatever is cheaper. With the deals providers in my area are offering, that would currently be DSL. Unfortunately I am too far from the nearest digital CO. I have an analog CO very close. If they upgrade hardware in there it would be an excellent connection. I am stuck with cable. As soon as DSL is available in my neigborhood I am certain I will be able to do better than the $50 monthly I am paying now.
I would switch to DSL to save $5 a month - to me there is no appreciable difference.
If you want to read a bunch of geeks discussing/debating this topic checkout DSLReports.com. The site also has nice maps of the nearest COs, so not only will you know if you are servicable, you can see all the COs nearby.
Matt
I have sbc/yahoo dsl and for $26.95 it is more than fast enough for me. RR here in Milwaukke is $29.95 for six months but then goes up to $44, so unless you really need super speed, DSL is fine.
Just a tip, I have only one jack in my studio apt, but I had 2 phones hooked up and when I eliminated one of the phones (and the splitter and one line filter), my speed seemed to increase a bit.
Just a tip, I have only one jack in my studio apt, but I had 2 phones hooked up and when I eliminated one of the phones (and the splitter and one line filter), my speed seemed to increase a bit.
BrownDevil
BOTL
Ummmmm yeah....all I know is San Jose is a REAL city :sign:
jaxstraww
New Member
Verizon DSL - what I have
$30.00/month
1.5mb down
384 up
Comcast Cable
$52.00/month
3.0mb down
384 up
The extra meg and a half isn't worth $22.00 to me. 1.5down is extremely fast and can play any MP game out right now. Upload is very important to me. I'm glad Verizon wised up and offered the increased upload. Updating webpages or SENDING email is much faster now. I have even been able to host multiplayer games like Doom from my home connection. By bundling Verizon DSL with my cell phone and local long distance I even save more. Hard to answer the question about DSL vs. Cable. If the gentleman in the first post lives in an apartment building then I would go DSL because cable in the Philadelphia area is shared. Meaning everyone on your block using cable internet is stealing bandwith from the same pipe. Heard horror stories from guys that live in apartments. DSL is in relevence to the CO or central office. The tower. The closer the better but even if you get in the grey area they can force the same speed to you. One last note on Cable. They can cap you. And they will. You start DL gigs and gigs of information they will notice. I have heard no stories yet of Verizon doing this (yet). Can't speak for any other DSL companies if they monitor BW or not. Also, DSL and phone companies, especially Verizon have been doing their best in defending giving up IP info for RIAA issues. That is a big plus in my book. Comcast in my area would fold like a pop tent if the government came knocking.
In short:
Its up to the specific person to decide. Each method has pro's and con's. So if price is an issue it would normally be DSL that wins. If a great DL is needed than cable would win but then you have the issues of sharing a pipe with the neighborhood which could cannabilize BW to your home.
$30.00/month
1.5mb down
384 up
Comcast Cable
$52.00/month
3.0mb down
384 up
The extra meg and a half isn't worth $22.00 to me. 1.5down is extremely fast and can play any MP game out right now. Upload is very important to me. I'm glad Verizon wised up and offered the increased upload. Updating webpages or SENDING email is much faster now. I have even been able to host multiplayer games like Doom from my home connection. By bundling Verizon DSL with my cell phone and local long distance I even save more. Hard to answer the question about DSL vs. Cable. If the gentleman in the first post lives in an apartment building then I would go DSL because cable in the Philadelphia area is shared. Meaning everyone on your block using cable internet is stealing bandwith from the same pipe. Heard horror stories from guys that live in apartments. DSL is in relevence to the CO or central office. The tower. The closer the better but even if you get in the grey area they can force the same speed to you. One last note on Cable. They can cap you. And they will. You start DL gigs and gigs of information they will notice. I have heard no stories yet of Verizon doing this (yet). Can't speak for any other DSL companies if they monitor BW or not. Also, DSL and phone companies, especially Verizon have been doing their best in defending giving up IP info for RIAA issues. That is a big plus in my book. Comcast in my area would fold like a pop tent if the government came knocking.
In short:
Its up to the specific person to decide. Each method has pro's and con's. So if price is an issue it would normally be DSL that wins. If a great DL is needed than cable would win but then you have the issues of sharing a pipe with the neighborhood which could cannabilize BW to your home.