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Difference between Wireless and DSL in speed?

BlueWeasel

BlueWeasel

Lifer
I am considering moving to another apartment complex here in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, the new area doesn't have DSL service yet and its killing me to think I have to leave my broadband connection behind. *pouts*

I do believe that wireless internet service is available at the new complex though. I looked at the specs at saw the wireless offers 1.5mbps up and roughly 300k download. My current DSL connection is around the same speed (1.5 up/256k down).

So that leads me to ask a few questions for those who have used wireless:

(1) What kind of speeds are you actually getting as compared to the specifications?
(2) Are there frequent disconnects or bottlenecks?
(2) How does wireless compare to DSL/Cable? (for those of you that have used both)

 
Are you talking about Wireless LANs (802.11b)...? anyways, we have wireless LAN on campus so I'm just gonna talk about that.

1) your speed will decrease the further away you are from the base station. we have complete wireless coverage on my campus, but signal strength and signal quality fluctuates quite a bit depending on if you have any solid walls that're between you and the base station. We start out at 11Mbps and could drop down to < 256Kbps.

2) disconnects only happen when I go between different access points. there would be a slight blip while the network card releases the old IP and gets a new one. bottlenecks happen often in library just cuz there are a lot of people using it since it's pretty popular at my school.

3) well... my cable back home is just cable.. and at school it's 802.11b... so it's like comparing LAN and WAN.
 
I guess I really don't know what I am talking about. 🙂

I was asking about wireless internet, not wireless LAN's. I guess they are both similar in nature, right?

It basically comes down to the fact that where I may be moving does not have DSL service. But wireless internet service is provided, and the posted speeds are nearly identical to my current DSL connection.

Simply put, what kind of speed can I expect from a wireless internet connection that claims speeds of 1.5mbps down and 300k up? I know I won't get those speeds EVER, but I don't want to get only 300k download speeds either.

Any thoughts?

 
Depends on what service the complex has. If they have a T-3 all the way up to their wireless LAN than the answer is completely different than if they have dial-up(which I doubt, but they might only have cable/dsl). So you need to ask that first.
 
I lived in an apartment that had the same type of service you are describing. It's not as fast as DSL, which I now have, but it is still pretty fast. However, weather such as rain storms and high winds made the performamce spotty at times.
 
Petey, can you give me a ballpark estimate of the speeds you were getting as compared to your new DSL?

IE, the wireless was 25, 50, 75% as fast as my DSL...or if you know the actual speeds you were getting in Mbps or Kbps would be great.
 
BlueWeasel, you should call your local wireless ISP and ask them the "average guaranteed download/upload" speed. You will get more accurate feedback that way. 1.5 down is roughly 165 KB/sec when you factor in overhead. Although my wireless connection might yield 150 KB/sec downstream, you are not guaranteed to get anywhere near that. One drawback is when the weather gets bad it usually wreaks havoc on the wireless. Not to mention the setup and equipment costs can get expensive.

I do believe that wireless internet service is available at the new complex though. I looked at the specs at saw the wireless offers 1.5mbps up and roughly 300k download. My current DSL connection is around the same speed (1.5 up/256k down).
Click to expand...

I think you mean 1.5 down / 256 up.
 
Hey Blue Weasel:

I just got these results from Prince Edward Island, Canada

This server is in Cali so its a good 4000+ miles away.

2002-08-05 00:46:42 EST: 2564 / 485
Your download speed : 2564739 bps, or 2564 kbps.
A 313 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 485436 bps, or 485 kbps.
Seems like broadband .. above the 1mbit barrier!
 
that was with dsl, but with wireless you'll end up in the same kind of senario. It all depends on distance from station and how much bandwidth the provider is willing to give you in the first place.

Dean
 
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