DSL vs broadband?

[Deja Q]

DSL is $40 a month but requires AT&T. I don't like AT&T but I'll change if I have to.

Broadband is cable, is as low as $42 per month (after 6 month $19.99 trial period) via Comcast which is nice, and doesn't require me to change my phone company. No setup fee for the basic service either and up to 1.5mb/s download speed. I already have comcast basic cable service, which when all added together costs as much as getting the cable package if I didn't have their cable tv service. :eyes: But I'd have to spend $200 for a cable modem. Pity a normal NIC won't work...

I'm safe with a firewall and all that

Which should I use?

Thanks!

[Wonk]

1. DSL and cable are both broadband internet, btw.

I'm happy with my cable. No experience with DSL.

[Chuckup]

3. Your wrong, Broadband is

like the Dixie Chicks...etc..

[Rick Myers]

2. Comcast broadband is what I use

I've lived in a couple cities with a couple different providers, and Comcast is pretty good. I just wish their basic cable package was cheaper or had more channels (like Tech TV)...

on edit: EVERYONE I've known with DSL had hated it and had numerous problems!!!

[Red_Viking]

4. I've had both

And both are good. When I lived alone (well, with my daugther and various pets), I had cable because of my hatred and loathing for AT&T. Then, we moved in with my SO. He needs fixed IP addresses because he runs servers, which is only available with DSL. So I'm back to feeding the AT&T monster. But, as far as performance goes, both work equally well, and far freaking better than dial-up!

Rock on--

RV

[Bake]

5. DSL and cable are both broadband

I've had both. I had DSL through Cincinnati Bell up in N. Ky., and now I have a cable modem with Time Warner here in Mississippi. Both are equally fast, I think, or at least not noticeably different. One thing to watch out for, I get a lot more spam now that I'm on cable modem; not sure why that is. You may want to check and see if your local phone company provides DSL, and what the price is. If your local phone company doesn't have it, and you don't want to switch, go with the cable company. I've had no problems with it at all, and it is fast. If you're using a dial-up at 56K, you won't believe the difference, and you'll wonder how you did without it up to now.

Bake

[kutastha]

6. $40?

Verizon just lowered their DSL to $35. Not too bad. I think its $30 if you pay a full year up front.

[markbark]

7. Well... the pedant in me points out that DSL _IS_ broadband....

but I won't pick that particular nit :evilgrin:


That being said, I'd go w/ the cable modem, no question.

I'm in the middle of the 'burbs (Falls Church, VA) and I'm "too far" from a CO to get "residential" DSL. The money grubbing monopolis.... er FINE customer service reps @ Verizon told me I could get "Business" DSL (128k down, 128k up) for the low, low price of $99 a month with $150 install.

Cox Communications on the other hand was offering free install, $15/mo cable modem rental and $40/mo connection. upstream's limited to "only" 192k/sec and I've pulled files from the larger Akamized sites (Apple and Sun) at speeds approaching 500k/sec.


Folks said the major draw back was dynamic IP (I've had the same IP for a year now.... even stayed the same after the recent weather related blackouts :) ) and that they block port 80 (What? you've never run Apache on port 8888?)

All in all I've had no complaints w/ Cable



Hope this helps! :hi:


--MAB

[donco6]

8. I have DSL

Same prices as you quoted.

DSL has an advantage in that it's not so dependent upon the "pipe" going down your alley. If you have a lot of subscribers in your area, you may have traffic problems and reduced speeds.

On the other hand, DSL speeds are dependent upon the distance from the hub. I happen to be very close so my speeds are regularly high.

With DSL you have to place filters on all the other phones in your house to enable you to use them for voice calls. We've had problems occasionally with these filters. May may a difference for you.

[VermontDem2004]

9. I have broadband and enjoy it very much.

My broadband is very similar to what you listed but it is 19.99 per month.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

10. One point to consider

The farther (further?) you are from the telephone switching station, the slower your DSL connection will be. The effective range is really kinda limited-- beyond about 2 or 2.5 miles from the station, the DSL can fade to 56K modem speed. So don't let 'em con you into a connection that may not give you the speed you need and want. Be certain of where you are in relation to where THEY are!

I've stayed with cable since it was first introduced, and I've had few complaints wherever I've been living. I'm willing to pay extra for the speed and always-on convenience it provides.

[markbark]

16. Yup

Quoth the poster:
The farther (further?) you are from the telephone switching station, the slower your DSL connection will be.


Verizon told me that one needs to be within 16,000 "wire feet" of a CO to get decent DSL.

They explained "wire feet" as the actual distance along the wire from the central office to the DSL router.


--MAB

[Systematic Chaos]

11. Cable modem, unquestionably!

I've been a Cox broadband subscriber for almost 3 years. The only time I ever had a problem was when my drug-dealing trash neighbors in my old neighborhood insisted on helping themselves to free cable via my connection. This dropped the line levels enough for my service to become very erratic. But, Cox was always there within a day or two to cut their line and after the third attempt they pretty much gave up. They were nice enough to reimburse me for the downtime on each occasion so I didn't lose any money, just a little EverQuest time.

With their fastest connection speed I was able to download a 400+ MEGABYTE software file in just over a half hour! Try doing THAT with DSL.

[DisgustedTX]

12. ARRRGH!! AT&T NO LONGER OFFERS broadband cable!!

That division was sold to Comcast a while ago.

Other than that, cable is my preference.

[BlueJazz]

13. If you act now, you can get a...

cable modem for 59.99 at Compusa

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=286295&pfp=BROWSE

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Do you have to go with AT&T?

Earthlink offers DSL in many areas. Even here where it's in direct competition with Verizon. There may be some other local ones, too.

Anyway, I somehow got stuck with Verizon DSL, and they're very pissy about taking it off the line. The download speed does go up to 690K, though, which is fair enough. And it's a little cheaper than Earthink since they dropped the price. Quite satisfied with them, although I don't use their mail or news servers. Earthlink's are among the best. Actually, as a connection they are very good, but as an ISP they kind of suck. Very few services offered.

I kept the Earthlink dialup account, btw-- always handy to have a backup. And they have nationwide numbers if I'm on the road.

[angka]

15. modern cable network supply multiple users reliably.

the trouble with ring network saturation experienced by early cable IP systems appears to have been resolved by the recent bandwidth glut. in most cases the problems experienced with high usage latency were the result of inadequate routers and IP transport connections out from the cable plants, not the last mile cable network itself.

that said, although i like my cable modem very much, if you qualify for DSL service (i don't) it's preferable. your cable modem packets eventually wind up in the same ILEC data centers and COs that your DSL connection is hardwired to. i'd trust the phone company with this sort of thing before the cable TV guys any day.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. For Internet browsing they seem about the same

but do a search for my RANT of a couple of days ago to see why you shouldn't sign up with MSN if you go for DSL.