How fast is DSL (or slow) when compared to cable? Which is better?

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
DSL is usually slower, and the upload is usually not much better than 56k speeds.

I've never heard of a DSL connection with a Upload speed of less than around 200K, so what are you talking about?

Cable (Download) is OK (and most of the time faster than DSL) if you don't get stuck on a slow hub (you share the hub with your neighbors).

DSL you have your own dedicated connection which is not normally affected by any of your neighbors. I say normally because sometimes a regional Caching Web Server by the ISP providing the DSL can get saturated.

 

[viper118]

currently, i only have cable and adsl available in my area.. both are the same price and have the same monthly limit on them...

i choose to go with cable just for the convenience... i also have a tv card so i just need to split the cable coming in to the cable modem instead of running a special cable line just for my tv card.. looks much more neater this way...

in terms of stability, my cable company has been really good so far.. had it for about 2 years now and it's only been down twice... it haven't had any problems connecting with them for over a year, so i'm very happy with this..

i think that it would all depend on your area and what other people are using around your neighborhood.. usually, most companies have a 30 day free trial where you can test their connections out, so i suggest that you look into this and determine which is faster and more convenient for you.

 

[JackMDS]

DSL or Cable Internet, what should I get?

 

[EglsFly]

dmcowen674,

I've never heard of a DSL connection with a Upload speed of less than around 200K, so what are you talking about?

ok, well here is data on upload speed less than 200k:
"Sprint DSL - 512 Kbps downstream/128k upstream*"
http://csb.sprint.com/home/local/dsl/popup/popup_speed.html

 

[Doh!]

I suggest you check the dslreports.com for the services in your area.

Unless the person responding to your question happens to be your next door neighbor, you will never find the correct answer. I use cable at my new home in Palatine, IL because it's reasonably fast and not so expensive. When I lived in Edgewater, NJ, no broadband service was available so was stuck w/ a dial-up. When living in Manhattan, NY, I was one of the first RR customers, but the service was terrible because it was just too early and RR had lots of problems. But I'm sure things have changed quiet a bit. However, the $40/mo. VDSL at my in-laws in Korea will blow away any cable/dsl service in the U.S. (VDSL provides a theoretical bandwidth of up to about 52 Mbps)

 

[ynot167]

I had both Cable and DSL in the past. And I prefer cable because it was faster and cheaper (considering I had a discount for subscribing cable TV with the same company). But I think that DSL may be more secure and some DSL companies may allow you to generate your own website. As where cable don't.

 

[carolinaviking]

Originally posted by: ynot167
I had both Cable and DSL in the past. And I prefer cable because it was faster and cheaper (considering I had a discount for subscribing cable TV with the same company). But I think that DSL may be more secure and some DSL companies may allow you to generate your own website. As where cable don't.

not sure about DSL being more or less secure than cable. they both provide the same thing: access to the internet. security is the customer's responsibility. its like the onramp to the interstate: it will give you access but provides you no promises that you won't drive off a bridge and land upside down in the path of an 18-wheeler going 85 and hauling a load of cows.

also, any cable provider will give you options for running websites. they should all provide webspace for sites, but if you want to set up FTP/HTTP servers or the like, you will have to pay extra for the static ips/bandwidth usage.

 

[JackMDS]

There is nothing "not to be sure about".

It is a matter of the way the technology is implemented.

Both need to the secure. But, DSL is more secure than Cable.

 

[PTCvette]

I can tell you this much about cable vs DSL.... I had Bellsouth DSL and it was good. But I moved and got cable b/c I thought it would be a lot faster. It is, if you are on at "off peak" times.

From my experience, during the day on cable I got 500kbps down and about 250kbps up. At 3am during the week, I would SOMETIMES get near 1mbit down and 500kbps up.

With DSL I always get 1.25mbit down and 250kbps up, regardless of time. I can live with 25k/sec on my upload to get a decent download speed! Besides, the idea with DSL is that you download a LOT more than you upload, so you want more speed there anyway. I prefer the DSL for a number of reasons, but that is the main one!

Jeff

 

[bobcpg]

well we(me, and my 2 roomates) had DSL 640/256 and it sucked(really hight pings).

Now we have cable and all three of us can be on counter strike and be playing with low pings.

and i'v DL files before when they were on cs, and they didn't notice a thing.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

how you connect to the ISP doesn't matter much, at the end it's all depended on your ISP.

 

[BurnItDwn]

When i had my SDSL I used to Get 120KB/Sec upstream and 120KB/Sec downstream for $50 a month ... it was also down 50% of the time .. and the company went out of buisness.

With Cable I originally got about 16KB/Sec upstream and 600KB/Sec downstream (around $40 a month)
Then they trimmed it to 16KB/Sec up and 150KB/Sec down (about $40 a month during that period)
Then it was boosted to about 32KB/Sec up 250KB/Sec down (currently about $50 a month)


Just depends on who your provider is ... and what is available in your area ...

 

[Smilin]

I've had both.

DSL - typically faster upload speeds. I could get about 6 50-ping players on a quake server at once. Download at about 100KB/sec (This was on a 784/256 connection)

Cable - I can get about 4 50-ping players on a quake server at once. Download at about 350KB/sec

Other notes:
With DSL you have to deal with the local phone company - this may or may not be a problem for you. In my area (SBC/Ameritech) it's a nightmare. Anything SBC touches turns to sh1t. A six week plus installation with numerous problems is typical. With Cable in my area (Time Warner/Brighthouse/Roadrunner) it was two days to get an installation and I've had 100% uptime for two years now.

It all varies depending on your location, but for Indianapolis cable is the choice.