Which should i get DSL vs Cable modem?

[TheNeck]

Im either going to get DSL or cable in the next week or 2. and i was wondering which one i should get. whats the advantages/disadvantages of having either one.
also which program is the best firewall program to get when i get my dsl/cable?

thanks for the help

 

[andalas]

In perfect world:
DSL is better since your connection to the central server is not share since it's using star topology. So if you experience a lag using DSL, it must be the connection between ISP and internet.

With Cable the connection to central server is share with all the computers in your node. If you're the only one that connect it's faster but with more and more people in the node, the speed also decrease.

I have been using cable modem since 1996 and I never have any problem or lag. I always get 1500kb/s for download and 35kb/s for upload just like what they advertise.

It really depends on which one have a better service and cheaper in your area.
You could ask around the people lives in your neighbourhood and see what are their experiences.

 

[Haribo]

It's all about the ISP baby!

Get a good ISP and either one will be great... get a bad ISP and both will suck ass!

IMHO

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

I've had both Cable and DSL, and I think cable is the better value. With DSL, my ping and download speed was fairly constant, around 70-120kbps. With cable my speed can vary, but the average is around 250-300 kpbs and my ping is still rediculously low (50ish).

 

[gsaldivar]

I always hear the same argument in favor of DSL: Cable modems are shared bandwidth, and DSL is somehow immune from this problem.

Isn't the internet, by definition, a shared network?

With a Cable modem, your connection becomes shared the at the point the cable hits the router that serves your block/neighborhood.

With DSL, your connection becomes shared at the point the cable hits the router that serves the Company Office.

Call me slow, but other than marketing hype, I fail to see how one method of distributing bandwidth is inherently better than the other.

I totally agree that you should research your ISP though - there are crappy ISPs of *both* DSL and Cable modem bandwidth!

 

[Anfield]

cable, never a problem

 

[m2super]

I live in CT and had snet dsl and wasnt very happy with it 1.5 down 128 up, switched to eastern@home 3.0 down and 256 up and I love it.
my pings on gamespy went from 70 and up with dsl to 12 and up with cable. I live on a street with cable dsl and the complex has a satellite connection so not everyone is on cable!
Its all in your isp however! Ive heard of horror stories from other @home users in other areas so its no guarantee!
Be thankful like me you have a choice, if one ends up sucking get the other!

 

[andalas]

You probably never in a situation where the cable modem line got so jammed with people that there are tons of packet collisions thus a lot of packets are missing/corrupted.

I try dialing in afterward with "56k" modem to the same ISP and it's way faster for both download and upload.

Both of them is sharing the same backbone, How do I know ?. I set them up. The reason why backbone don't have packet collision like cable modem is because it uses frame relay connection. That's is why DSL is better than cable if the cables is shared with so many people and the lines got really saturated.

 

[majewski9]

Cable is usually faster and is usually cheaper. Most varieties of DSL have crappy upload speeds.

 

[JackMDS]

As a rule of thumb Cable is faster then DSL, usually Cable will yield 3 to 4 times faster download then DSL.

The shared bandwidth issue is one of this half-truth myth. Yeah speed is reduced if hundreds of user joins at the same time, but the reduced speed is still faster then DSL. I have both (same price). Cable runs about 2500Kb/sec, goes down to about 1800Kb/sec. at peak hours. DSL all the time 600Kb/sec.

However, like any thing else in life this can be different in your part of the Planet.

So, unless you have evidence that DSL is better in your Neighborhood stick with Cable.

 

[yaethom]

I'd have to go with the more prevalent opinion:

It all depends on the ISP.... You would hear horror stories from both. You should tell us where you are located so people near you can give you much better suggestions.

Here in NYC, the last thing you would ever want is DSL. (well some parts of NYC)

Tom

 

[johneetrash]

if you're looking into pacbell dsl, turn around

 

[Furball]

You guys are damn lucky - my phone modem here in the uk gives me only 33600 bps (no - not Kbs, just bps !):|

 

[corkyg]

Most of the replies are consistent with experience. It boild down to where you live. If you are in a non-dense area, especially small town or rural, cable usually wins.

DSL is often better in very dense areas such as large cities with big apartmentr complexes.

But . . . it really gets down to the ISP . . . either one with a good ISP is better than either one with a not-so-good ISP.

As far as a router and hardware firewall go . . . it seems that cable is easier to set up.

As for software firewall, I use ZoneAlarm 2.65, and it does the job . . . free!

 

[LuciferHaze]

Cable is much faster than ADSL especially if no one in your area has it (like my area where no one even knows what a computer is!).

Remember, the faster you want your ADSL to be the higher the price to you.
Not with Cable.

Also, the farther you are from the the Baby Bell's central office the slower ADSL gets.