Cable or DSL?

[Greg Stone]

I have the chance to pick between a cable modem with bandwidth bursting up to 1.5 Mbps, or DSL at 512 Kbps for the same monthly price. Which is better/faster?

Thanks,
Greg

[Chip]

Cable is faster. I had nothing but trouble with Verizon DSL service when i tried it. So, cable is better (for me). I've had Comcast high speed internet service for the last 3 1/2 years and love it.




Chip Engle


"Concrete ain't a spectator sport"


<a href="http://www.htguide.com/bilder/index.cfm?fuseaction=arkivbilder&userid=0&selected userid=336" target="_blank">My HT

[Bing Fung]

Greg, it can vary depending on the service providers but the general rule of hand is Cable can be faster and has a higher theoretical band width over DSL, however that high bandwith is never consistent.

With cable you have to compete with all the other users in your area (hub) for the bandwidth so depending on how many users are on line, cable can slow down significantly. Then you must compete at the server as well.

With DSL the bandwdth is lower but you don't compete with other users at the hub, rather you only compete at the server. This provides DSL with a higher averaged bandwidth for it does not depend on how many users are on line or what time of the day it is. The qualifier is you must be with in 7km (4.3 miles) of your ISP's DSL routers.

It's hard to say which is faster or better for it mostly will depend on the ISP, I suspect you may not go wrong with either service, but you may want to ask around your area.

In my area ADSL is faster than cable most times on average. It's nice to have consistent network speed.




Bing

[Andrew Pratt]

I agree with bing. Reliability is something that is lacking with Cable broadband connections in Winnipeg but it all depends on who the providers are in your city. Either way both are light years ahead of dial up :LOL:

[SiliGoose]

I've had both.
The best advice I can add is to visit a next-door neighbor who has cable and ask to see it working. Once on his/her PC go to www.dslreports.com and test the speed (compared to the play the owner is paying for). It's best to do this around 7:PM when the whole neighborhood who shares your connection is online.

If the performance is acceptable under those circumstances go with cable. It's easier to set-up and potentially faster. I loved my DSL connection because it was amazingly consistent. I'm lucky to live in an area where few of my fellow cable subscribers use the cable internet option.




-Sili