How much better is cable than DSL?

[southerngale]

I've had cable since it was available here, January 2003. I went from dial-up as DSL wasn't available either. Anyway, I'm very happy with the speed of cable...downloads, etc. but I got an offer from SBC Yahoo DSL for $14.95/mo. I've received this offer a few times and ignored it but since I pay $44.95/mo for Roadrunner, I'm wondering if DSL isn't just about as good. That's $30 a month! lol

For those of you have both or have used both (work vs. home, etc.), is there a big difference? I'm not particularly patient when it comes to opening sat. loops and doing downloads, so I wouldn't want to be noticeably slowed down. I love the speed of cable!

[Ed25]

Cable Rules
Much Better!!!!!!

[cycloneye]

I like cable speed a lot.Power Link I have and it's really rapid.My recomendation is to stay with cable.

[Brent]

I've heard mixed reviews about both... but I do hear that cable is in most cases, better than DSL(I know it's faster most of the time), so unless your just unhappy with your cable, I would keep it. I've never had DSL... went from dial-up to cable and I'm NEVER going back.

Also... "you get what you pay for" Just because it's much cheaper doesn't mean you get the same thing.

[Lindaloo]

Those of you against DSL, have you ever used DSL? I know I haven't and like Kelly, I am sick of paying the high prices. If I can get something just as good and pay less, I am all for it.

[Pebbles]

I use Yahoo DSL through SBC (yahoo and sbc dsl teamed up). I love it. I have never had cable but I can tell you what I've been able to do with the DSL. Me an my hubby both play EQ2 which is a very high demand on graphics, top of the line computer needed, online multiplayer roleplay game. We both play at the same time with no problems. I run teamspeak, tv stations with live feeds, sat loops and look up stuff on the net all at the same time. Music is downloaded usually in about 20 seconds per song. I have no problem with the speed of my DSL and when I went out of town and had to use dial up I went NUTS with dial ups forever and a day slow speed. Not to mention the just GOBS of stuff I've downloaded off the net with great speed. I think you'll like DSL. Also I had a problem once (which ended up being my computer not DSL) and tech support spent over 1.5 hours with me ruling out DSL issues at no extra cost. You get seperate email addy's with them and some free perks through Yahoo.

[Brent]

Those of you against DSL, have you ever used DSL? I know I haven't and like Kelly, I am sick of paying the high prices. If I can get something just as good and pay less, I am all for it.

I agree with that... I'm just weary that it would be as "good". Cable prices are getting insanely high though.

[Comanche]

well if enough of you jump over, maybe cable will get cheaper. i am sick of paying $70/month for basic cable tv so ted turner and the likes can get another ranch!

I have no issues with the speed of my DSL and unless cable were to drop to near parity, i will continue to keep it.

[Hurricaneman]

Cable is a better value

[Pebbles]

Cable is a better value

Not here ....cable loves ripping us off! And have you notice on cable tv there is getting to be more and more time devoted to commercials? *gah*

[wxmann_91]

I've had cable since it was available here, January 2003. I went from dial-up as DSL wasn't available either. Anyway, I'm very happy with the speed of cable...downloads, etc. but I got an offer from SBC Yahoo DSL for $14.95/mo. I've received this offer a few times and ignored it but since I pay $44.95/mo for Roadrunner, I'm wondering if DSL isn't just about as good. That's $30 a month! lol

For those of you have both or have used both (work vs. home, etc.), is there a big difference? I'm not particularly patient when it comes to opening sat. loops and doing downloads, so I wouldn't want to be noticeably slowed down. I love the speed of cable!

I went from Dial-up to Cable to DSL. Yeah I was wondering that too, we were having cable and all was going great, but then suddenly my dad saw the $14.95 DSL deal and now we're on DSL. IMO they have about the same speed, but ever since DSL was installed, the phones haven't been working too well and there are constant Internet outages, where Internet doesn't work, of half-hour or more. Could be the modem, or our signal isn't too good.

Of course, anything is better than Dial-up. If you want good Internet that's faster than Dial-up but you're on a budget, I'd recommend DSL. If you want blazing fast Internet that you can always depend on (or almost always) and you don't care about the price, I'd recommend Cable.

[Brent]

Cable is a better value

Not here ....cable loves ripping us off! And have you notice on cable tv there is getting to be more and more time devoted to commercials? *gah*

I'm about sick of my local cable's ads detailing how they are the best cable company in the world, better than satellite, better than anything, claim their customer service is the best(which is a flatout lie). They have a lot of outages for no reason and when you call them you rarely speak to a breathing alive human...

[Pebbles]

I went from Dial-up to Cable to DSL. Yeah I was wondering that too, we were having cable and all was going great, but then suddenly my dad saw the $14.95 DSL deal and now we're on DSL. IMO they have about the same speed, but ever since DSL was installed, the phones haven't been working too well and there are constant Internet outages, where Internet doesn't work, of half-hour or more. Could be the modem, or our signal isn't too good.

Of course, anything is better than Dial-up. If you want good Internet that's faster than Dial-up but you're on a budget, I'd recommend DSL. If you want blazing fast Internet that you can always depend on (or almost always) and you don't care about the price, I'd recommend Cable.

Wow are you using yahoo DSL too? In over 2 years of DSL almost never have had outage issues.. I do have a problem when it's rains but that is not the DSL company's fault but rather the fact that this house is 100 years old using an antique phone system hookup that needs replacing cause the phone lines get damp. I have NEVER had a problem with it messing up my phone. I'd call tech support and see if you can get those phone problems fixed.

[wxmann_91]

I went from Dial-up to Cable to DSL. Yeah I was wondering that too, we were having cable and all was going great, but then suddenly my dad saw the $14.95 DSL deal and now we're on DSL. IMO they have about the same speed, but ever since DSL was installed, the phones haven't been working too well and there are constant Internet outages, where Internet doesn't work, of half-hour or more. Could be the modem, or our signal isn't too good.

Of course, anything is better than Dial-up. If you want good Internet that's faster than Dial-up but you're on a budget, I'd recommend DSL. If you want blazing fast Internet that you can always depend on (or almost always) and you don't care about the price, I'd recommend Cable.

Wow are you using yahoo DSL too? In over 2 years of DSL almost never have had outage issues.. I do have a problem when it's rains but that is not the DSL company's fault but rather the fact that this house is 100 years old using an antique phone system hookup that needs replacing cause the phone lines get damp. I have NEVER had a problem with it messing up my phone. I'd call tech support and see if you can get those phone problems fixed.

To tell you the truth, that's what my dad says. I don't see much of a problem with the phones, just a bit of reduced noise, nothing that I need to call tech support with. The upstairs phone is working perfectly, but the downstairs phone is not that good, so it could be just a phone problem. The outages come about once a day, so if there isn't a landfalling major hurricane or historic tornado outbreak, it's still a nuisance, but it won't make me get a heart attack.

Interesting thing about the rains. Last rainy season in SoCal (as you know was a historic one) there was a period in February where my phone didn't work for a week. And at that time my family didn't have a cell phone (Yes I know, we live in the Dark Ages). The only way to communicate was through email. I sure hope that isn't repeated this rainy season, cause now, if my phone's gone, so is Internet.

But that was before I got DSL. In retrospect, phone problems have always been bugging me since the beginning of the year.

[tomboudreau]

I can tell you that I have had both. We started out with cable but went to DSL when we started noticing slowups with our cable connection to the internet. I did some research into our problems and found out that everyone on the line shared the same cable connection, so if there was alot of people on the internet at the same time as we were, our connection was slowed up because of this. One night, it got so bad, that we still had a backup dialup account, that dialup was actually quicker then the cable. With the DSL, you are the only one that is on that connection and you are not sharing it with anyone else. The connection with the DSL has never slowed up for us. Thats just my input into the two different services.

[pojo]

If you have Time Warner... cable will rip you off! My mom had to switch to satellite because cable became so much... I love that commercial


Reporter: "what will you do now that you've won the lottery"
Winners: (some poor farmers) "get cable"
Announcer: "You don't need to be rich to get cable"

Everyone in our house spit out the beverages we were drinking. Cable/Satellite are going up, up and up! People getting pay raises... a whopping 1% (congress on the other hand, well... they can kiss my behind!)

[wxmann_91]

I can tell you that I have had both. We started out with cable but went to DSL when we started noticing slowups with our cable connection to the internet. I did some research into our problems and found out that everyone on the line shared the same cable connection, so if there was alot of people on the internet at the same time as we were, our connection was slowed up because of this. One night, it got so bad, that we still had a backup dialup account, that dialup was actually quicker then the cable. With the DSL, you are the only one that is on that connection and you are not sharing it with anyone else. The connection with the DSL has never slowed up for us. Thats just my input into the two different services.

WOW I cannot believe that. I've never had such problems during the year I had cable Internet.

[The Big Dog]

I seriously doubt that they are giving you cable-comparable speeds for $14.95 a month. Without looking, I would bet they are probably giving you only 256 kbps downstream, which is about 5x phone modem speed -- far less than what you would get with either cable or regular DSL.

Normal DSL is 1.5 mbps downstream, although some phone companies still cap it at 768k for some reason. Bellsouth is now offering a 3 mbps downstream for an extra charge. Their basic 1.5 meg DSL is $42.95 a month. I think Adelphia, the local cable supplier (for now) is about the same, but their basic package is 3 meg down with an option for 4 meg for an extra charge. (I know you don't have either Bellsouth or Adelphia, so I'm just mentioning these things for comparison.)

While cable does have a speed advantage in most cases, it is also susceptible to high variances at peak times because it is a shared connection. In essence, you are signing onto a network, meaning that you're sharing the total available throughput with everyone else in your area, and if you're all online at the same time, the speeds will drop.

With DSL, you don't share the connection, so the speed is more consistent. Yes, it's slower, but it's a lot more reliable. Really, it depends on what you're doing online, but I doubt you would notice much difference for just casual websurfing.

I'll add that I haven't kept up on the technology a whole lot lately because I'm happy with my DSL, so some of this might be off a little. I have also heard that the cable isn't as secure, but I'm not sure to what degree.

For a very good resource for all things high speed, check out http://www.dslreports.com. They have reviews, forums... well let's just say they are the Storm2K of high speed internet, times 10. You can even find out about how the service is in your area, and whether or not you're eligible. Not all DSL is the same, and I would be skeptical that you're getting full speed for that price.

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Update: Ok, just checked... they are claiming it's 1.5 mbps downstream -- regular DSL speeds. But it's an introductory price, and it looks like they shoot you up to regular price, whatever that is, after 12 months.

This is a limited time offer. Offer not valid with any other SBC Yahoo! DSL promotion. SBC local service and one year term required. $200 early termination fee. At end of term, then-current monthly rate applies. If you drop a required component of the qualifying bundle, you will revert to the applicable term price for DSL. $150-$200 additional charge will apply if technician install is required or desired.

[drudd1]

After being slammed with the hurricanes last year, and not having cable for weeks, we added DSL. Cable did not have as high a priority as the phones and electric with regard to repairs, which led to a lot of down time. Due to this, I had to shut down my website since I had no regular way to access it. If I would have had DSL, my Internet access would have been restored much sooner. With that being said.............

While currently having both cable and DSL Extreme from Bell South, I can tell you that the cable blows the DSL away even with light use as far as speed goes. We have benchmarked the performance of both, and on average, the cable has double the throughput of the DSL. This of course will vary depending on where you are, and who your ISP is, but the only reason I am keeping the DSL is to be a backup in case of an outage. We have one computer in the network which is on the DSL full time, but I find myself avoiding it and using another on the cable because it's quite a bit faster. The difference is really noticeable when I am transferring very large files.

For those of you contemplating DSL, it does do a good job, but in my experience still lags far behind cable.

[wxcrazytwo]

I have had DSL and cable, and I don't see no difference. However, with DSL if there are too many on the line, it will slow down. If you get DSL I'd say get another phone line and hook it up to that. I did in Cali and it worked wonderfully.