Cable vs. DSL

[CraigRT]

Around here cable owns DSL too.. I can get upto 50mbit in town here and I think DSL is like 6.

 

[CallMeJoe]

My choice is between AT&T DSL or Charter Communications cable, at similar price for comparable speeds.

Since Charter Communications has the lowest customer satisfaction ratings of any company in any industry in the United States, this decision barely requires thought.
There's also the hassle of updating my bellsouth.net email address contacts if I change ISPs...

 

[shortylickens]

Cable has the potential to be faster but in reality you rarely get those speeds.
Our cable here was supposed to be 30 megabit but was normally closer to 5 megabit. Only time we got 30 was on bandwidth testing sites and those times of the day when NO ONE is online, like 3 AM.

By contrast, the 15 megabit DSL usually gets and maintains those speeds throughout the day. And is cheaper.

 

[Nebor]

My 15 megabit cable runs around 18 megabit. This is in the middle of nowhere Louisiana. At home in Dallas my 10 megabit cable is pretty consistent around 22 megabit. I don't understand why people get DSL. Some of it is so slow that you can notice it's DSL just from web browsing. Also a lot of DSL connections don't support netflix HD.

 

[Capt Caveman]

For the money, DSL is less expensive for what you're getting compared to cable here. Comcrap Economy Internet here is like $25/month if you also get cable or phone but jumps up to like $45/month alone. Dry loop DSL is half the cost.

 

[Bryf50]

This

 

[Fritzo]

My 15 megabit cable runs around 18 megabit. This is in the middle of nowhere Louisiana. At home in Dallas my 10 megabit cable is pretty consistent around 22 megabit. I don't understand why people get DSL. Some of it is so slow that you can notice it's DSL just from web browsing. Also a lot of DSL connections don't support netflix HD.

Lot of misinformation here. If you're getting 22mb out of a 10mb connection, that means that your cable company is undersubscribed, so they took the caps off the connection. When they start running specials, they'll be sure to cap it.

Web servers typically cap output to around 500K or so, so a 1Mb connection is going to be pretty much the same as a 10Mb connection on most sites when browsing (larger sites will have a much higher cap, plus use Akamai to push down cached content)

Finally, Netflix's latest encoder allowd for HD with a 3.0Mb connection (well, 2200K-3800K).

 

[Bryf50]

Web servers typically cap output to around 500K or so

Since when? I've had shared hosting plans with 4-5 different providers and none of them were capped anywhere near that.

 

[Lifted]

I'm on TWC in NYC, and starting at 5PM or so, my 15Mb "Turbo" plan starts slowing down to 1mb - 3mb. Try watching Netflix on that.

I'm looking into DSL from Verizon since Fios isn't in this area yet. I may just dump Time Warner and get an antenna for the HDTV and DSL for internet. TWC can kiss my $120/month for their 1mb internet service and crap choice of channels goodbye.

 

[Fritzo]

Since when? I've had shared hosting plans with 4-5 different providers and none of them were capped anywhere near that.

Nearly all hosting providers cap HTTP traffic. Not something they admit to readily, but they do. Hostopia, Yahoo, Liquidweb, Servint...they all cap (we resell a lot of their hosting services).

 

[SKORPI0]

Here my speed test, since I have both Cable & DSL. ^_^

Comcast Business HSI - $59.99/month

AT&T DSL - $14.99/month

 

[Lifted]

Time Warner 15mb TURBO!!!!!!!!!!111!!1

u jelly? :awe:

 

[Nebor]

Lot of misinformation here. If you're getting 22mb out of a 10mb connection, that means that your cable company is undersubscribed, so they took the caps off the connection. When they start running specials, they'll be sure to cap it.

Web servers typically cap output to around 500K or so, so a 1Mb connection is going to be pretty much the same as a 10Mb connection on most sites when browsing (larger sites will have a much higher cap, plus use Akamai to push down cached content)

Finally, Netflix's latest encoder allowd for HD with a 3.0Mb connection (well, 2200K-3800K).

Lots of people around here with DSL too slow for Netflix by your definition. The cable company will never be "oversubscribed" here, or where I live in Dallas. The population density is too low for a scenario like Lifted describes in NYC.

And it was DISinformation, not misinformation.

 

[Modelworks]

DSL could easily run cable service out of business if the telco were not so greedy. DSL has a limit of 24Mbit asynchronous per pair currently, it has increased about every 2-3 years. Most homes are wired with 2 pairs allowing it to be 48Mbit up and down per home .The problem is telco likes to put out as few DSLAM as possible , often putting them too far apart and that is a problem as DSL is effected greatly by the distance the user is from the DSLAM. DSLAM can be deployed and cover a larger area at lower cost than the same speeds of cable and without each user effecting other users . It goes back to the telco mindset of don't invest if customers will pay , the service provided doesn't figure into it. Cable is the same way . It is just that the cable technology allows them to be more lax in there responses to customer complaints.

Here I am about 2000ft from the DSLAM and get 15Mbit up and down and it has never fluctuated in the years I have had it or with time of day like many cable services. That is using one pair and I can switch to 2 pairs by just making a phone call to increase that to 30Mbit. It all depends on the company providing the service not the technology.

 

[Modelworks]

The cable company will never be "oversubscribed" here, or where I live in Dallas.

Never say never. It doesn't matter if the cable company where you live is oversold if their backbone provider decides not to upgrade or stay current. Since your area isn't utilizing what they have now why would they bother installing newer equipment, just leave the old stuff working, it is good enough for that low demand area. Even if it does start to fail all the time.

 

[MotionMan]

I went with cable. I picked up the modem on the way home.

Holy crap:

DSL:

Cable:

That should help the performance of the AppleTV.

MotionMan

 

[guyver01]

Since we're posting Speed Tests..

 

[BassBomb]

Cable is the fatest thing out there, but if you live in a monopoly like here in Canada where the only 2 cable internet providers cap your downloads to 90 GB a month it's better to go with DSL, it gives 2.5mbds/down and no download caps.

I have 130gb cap @ 30 megabit/s

 

[BoomerD]

 

[Lifted]

hmmm...

11:00PM

11:45PM

12:45AM

4:45AM

FUUUUUUU Time Warner

 

[sdifox]

my connection is 6016/512

no cap, but Bell traffic shape like hell. No, I am not buying service from Bell, but since they own all the DSL, I am basically buying from Bell without paying Bell price nor cap.

 

[Fenixgoon]

I went with cable. I picked up the modem on the way home.

Holy crap:

DSL:

Cable:

That should help the performance of the AppleTV.

MotionMan

download speed tests can be a little misleading because many times providers will bump up downloads for small data files (comcast does, or at least used to do this)

i'd try and see what kind of speeds you can get on a large file from a reliable, uncapped server (steam, fileplanet, etc.)

either way, enjoy the new interwebs

 

[TridenT]

Here my speed test, since I have both Cable & DSL. ^_^

Comcast Business HSI - $59.99/month

AT&T DSL - $14.99/month

Only $60/month for 80mbit? Shit!

I'll probably get that after I am done with my $25/month plan for the next 12 months. (Performance plan for home) That is assuming I can get it.

 

[BeauJangles]

Comcast Business class is far and away the best internet I've ever had. There are no throttles, no caps, no nothing, AND 100 mbps IS 100 mbps. We download probably 100 gigs worth of data daily over two shotgunned CBC connections. It's awesome.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Does it bug anyone else that the guy puts his username below every single post??