Is DSL worth it?

[GhandiInstinct]

Hey friends,

I am considering buying a DSL setup, DSL because I am unable to get cable, if I could, I would.

From anyones experience, where can I find the best deals or the best bang for my buck.

I am looking for a pretty fast hookup, but have heard it's quite pricey compared to cable.

If anyone has sources I can skim through that'd be great also. Thanks!

 

[JackMDS]

Since you can not get Cable, what are your options?

As far as I know recent rumors claim that DSL is better then DialUp.

:sun:

P.S. I know about this page: DSL or Cable Internet, what should I get?

I Could Not find a page that would resolve this: DSL or DialUp, what should I get?

 

[GhandiInstinct]

Aye Jack,

Thanks for the webpage. He states Cable is more cost effective, which I figured.

Although he didn't state anything about the best DSL companies to buy from so..

I'm kinda lost as to where I can search for one in my Chicago land area.

= )

 

[Aenslead]

anything is better than dial-up

 

[n0cmonkey]

I use verizon in Northern VA, and it's fine. Not increadibly fast, but it is stable.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: GhandiInstinct
Aye Jack,

Thanks for the webpage. He states Cable is more cost effective, which I figured.

Although he didn't state anything about the best DSL companies to buy from so..

I'm kinda lost as to where I can search for one in my Chicago land area.

= )

I think that the example their stated that Cable is more cost effective in one specific situation. It might be different elsewhere depending on the service.

I have both RR and Verizon, and while RR is 4 times faster then the DSL. I like the DSL better for regular use.

However the services vary between different geographical locals (even if it is the same provider). Verizon in NYC is not the same as the one in "Elsewhere".

The best thing to do is to check with friends and neighbors.

There also ?Stories? here: DSL Rpeorts - Find a Service.

:sun:

 

[jamesbond007]

I had DSL for 3 years before switching to cable. It was damn good...much better than dialup! Boy, when I was at home, watching my speeds max at 68KB/sec down and 28KB/sec up, I was AMAZED! I always had stayed after school for 2-3 hours a day just to use the Internet there before I hopped on broadband.

At any rate, I like my cable better, but as the guy above said, anything is better than dial-up! My cable just seems more snappy than DSL. Also, the speeds offered with cable are generally faster by 2-3x that of DSL.

I say go for it! :thumbsup:

 

[WiseOldDude]

Broadband is far superior to dialup, assuming you want/need something besides minimal and do something besides check your spam once a day.

DSL or Cable?

Which is best comes down to $$$ and what phone or cable package you want to go with it. I don't want/need all the telephone options that make DSL a better deal. We do subscribe to premium cable (digital, HDTV, etc.) and broadband comes at a decent price with that package. The economics of my wants/needs clearly makes cable come out on top. If you have a different life style, make a lot of long distance calls, then DSL might be the best.

And where you live, what your cable or phone company offers must also be considered. It's not which is best, but which is better in your area, and you phone or cable needs.

 

[GhandiInstinct]

Lifestyle is living in an apartment with a roommate, both play lots of MMORPGs, download alot of stuff ^^.

We don't have a phone line and our building has a contract with some sattelite company.

I infer we should get cable?

 

[WiseOldDude]

you just have to call the phone co and see what their deal is, probably basic phone + DSL

The call the cable co, see if they will install cable for internet only, or you might have to get basic cable plus the ISP service.

different phone co.'s and cable compaines have different plans/requirements so there is no rule which will be the best for the $$$ in your situation.

 

[halfadder]

It depends on the specs and their real world quality / performance. Ask around, see if the local telco is living up to their advertised DSL specs. Ask around, see if the cable company is living up to their advertised cable modem specs.

I've seen awesome fast cable packages, 7 mbit down, 1 mbit up. I've also seen horribly slow cable modem deals, 768 kbit down, 256 kbit up.

I've worked with some great SDSL setups, 2 mbit down, 2 mbit up! But I've also used very low end pathetic 512 kbit down, 256kbit up ADSL.

Do some research first.

 

[networkman]

Your mileage may vary, but in my experience DSL has been far superior to Cable. I used to have Comcast cable and the bandwidth was fine, but the ping times just out to the local router(at the Comcast trunk) were regularly over 300ms, making online gaming virtually impossible. Once I switched over to DSL(TDS Metrocom), my ping times are generally in the 40 to 70ms range depending on the site. True, the bandwidth is smaller, but I don't do near as much downloading of material as compared to gaming.

 

[jamesbond007]

Another thing worth mentioning...if pings are going to be important, I hear Speakeasy is the best service to go with. http://www.speakeasy.net

Kinda expensive, but I hear their pings are the best for gaming. They specifically have hubs setup near the backbone so your connections are always insane.

 

[EdfromCocoa]

I have had both DSL (Verizon and COVAD) and now have Cox Communiciations Cable in Northern VA. Cutting to the chase- Cable is more stable and faster (just got a new PC with a Gigabyte NIC) and downloads scream. I pay $40 per month and once Cox got all fiber optic, zero problems for over a year and a half: 99.99% up time. (Note: I work for the federal government and have no financial interests in any telecommunications companies).

Here is the reason for Cable: From the beginning, the cable comapnies have been orienting themselves to digital transmissions. Just recently with the profit of digital wireless have the Bell Operating Companies ( always on the old analog POTS for the past century and its switches ) realized there is money in digital- That's why both Verizon and Qwest went after MCI (which through its UUNET subsidiary carries over 50% of the Internet on its backbone I understand in the DC area-);yeah VOIP is where the Bells are headed as they are losing a fortune in disconnected land lines- which you don't have) and SBC went after AT&T's non wireless business.

So, do you go with the Bells that have just found the new world in digital or the cable companies that saw the future years ago and embraced it?

Note also: The Bells are scared about losing their voice phone calls- Cable companies are now offering voice which leads to VOIP-look out VONAGE.

Ed
Northern VA

 

[ShadowBlade]

Originally posted by: Aenslead
anything is better than dial-up

 

[GhandiInstinct]

Thanks for the help guys.

I think I've figured this out.

If I wanna game and download, I'm better off with Cable since it offers higher bandwith even at peak usage times. Whereas DSL is for the non-intense bandwith user that is looking for a specific consistant speed for gaming or just internet use.

Also, can anyone explain what are channels in relation to DSL and Cable? Basically how these two operate in sending information back and forth, and in the instance where 2 ips are used as in 2 roommates.

Thanks again = )

 

[imported_Beavis]

They're both good service but keep in mind
DSL=Dedicated,Uncapped, you can upload and or download as much as you can,
Cable=Slow Uploads, Capped, limited uploads and downloads, ~2gb a month bandwith consumption on some cable isp, shared with the rest of the neighborhood with downtime and slowdowns.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: Beavis
They're both good service but keep in mind
DSL=Dedicated,Uncapped, you can upload and or download as much as you can,
Cable=Slow Uploads, Capped, limited uploads and downloads, ~2gb a month bandwith consumption on some cable isp, shared with the rest of the neighborhood with downtime and slowdowns.

New York.

Verizon DSL is capped at 1.5Mb/sec. Download 200KB/sec. No limit on bandwitdh.

Road Runner Cable is capped at 5Mb/sec. Download 700KB/Sec. (600KB/sec at peak times). No limit on Bandwitdh.

Simple surfing "Feels" better with the DSL.

:sun:

 

[Tazanator]

Well I live in South Bend Indiana (the greater chicago area..) I had the comcast cable and they over sold /saturated it in my area. I switched to DSL and got a industrial router, my speeds are better (comcast was 3mb dl 256kb ul SBC DSL 6 mb dl 612kb ul for the same cost) for me it was my online shooter games my daughters mmorpg and wifes emailing pictures.

 

[GhandiInstinct]

Taz,

How much was that DSL setup a month?

 

[cmetz]

Verizon residential ADSL is 3M down / 768k up, if you're within distance, else 1.5/384 or 768/128. There's a 7M down flavor available through resellers or as a business service.

Cable/DSL reliability is very area specific. In my area, VZ ADSL is pretty good, but needs improvement. The cable company is Adelphia, and horror stories about them are common.

 

[imported_Mitchell]

Cable and DSL offer the same thing, in different formats. Dsl is based on the phone lines to the neighborhood and inside the house, old lines and distance from the CO lead to crappy DSL service. On the good side, DSL usually offers less latency then cable due to dedicated bandwidth to the CO.

Cable often gives better throughput with higher latency due to shared bandwidth (though it has gotten better over the years).

So basically if you got a newer house, close to a CO then DSL should be fine..

 

[Tazanator]

well with local phone $45