Tech: High speed internet- cable or dsl?

Subject: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 12:06 PM

Hello, everyone. I've been too busy to be around much, and I'm finally moving house next week! I'm downsizing, selling my house in the country and moving to an apartment back in town. It's mostly a good move, especially because I'm moving forward in my life.

Here's my question. I'm finally going to be in the 21st century, the land of high speed internet! Do I go with cable (such as Comcast) or DSL? The only DSL choice in the area is Verizon, and they're selling out to another company in our area within about a year, which would mean changing my email address all over again. Which is why I'm leaning towards cable, but just want to find out what you good folks think or do.

I'd love to hear your experiences with both or either. I'm even thinking of putting off getting a land line at all- that would be a switch for me!

Thanks, everyone!

Allison

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 12:44 PM

Get yourself a free email program like Google's Gmail, that you can download into your computer like other email, then don't worry if your company sells or not.

I have philosophical objections to most of the cable tv companies, so I'd go with the phone company one. They are in fact probably six of one, a half-dozen of the other.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: gnu
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:03 PM

Cable. I get my TV and Internet from the same company and get a "bundled" saviings of 15% on the total (I could also get my cell phone with them and get 15% off that too).

I find the cable very reliable. My Bro has had DSL since Xmas with Aliant Telephone (NBTel) and he has had nothing but headaches. I am serious... one after another.. and his son is the head high tech whiz for a very large company. Still can't get things sorted.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:04 PM

One problem(?) with cable for your internet is that in some places they require you to subscribe to at least basic cable TV in order to get the internet hookup. They also can be quite coy about actually telling you what all the "required extras" are.

In my area, I've gotten conflicting reports from people who have the cable internet hookup, but all of them that have discussed it already had the TV service before getting the cable internet, and most of them don't know whether it's required. I've asked, directly and specifically, to the operators at the phone numbers they've advertised, and they will not tell me before I sign up.

John

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Bee
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:28 PM

I'm too far out of civilization (in NS) to get either. We could get cable TV, and did, but ditched 'em for sat.TV, since it was a bit cheaper and better. Our dialup, landline and cell are all Aliant. The cable co. serves landlines nearer town, but it was discovered after Hurricane Juan that Aliant's landlines were sturdy and available thoughout, regardless of the power situation, while the cable based phones were out for the duration, sometimes weeks. We will stick with the safer alternative.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: gnu
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:32 PM

I thought satellite TV was subject to poor performance during bad weather? My bro and uncle experience periods of outage during HEAVY rain, snow, ice.... any experience with that, Bee?

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: artbrooks
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:38 PM

I have DSL from Earthlink, and am very happy with it. They use whatever phone company serves your area, and "give" you the DSL modem (one-year contract required). Check with them here to see if they are available in your area. I pay $55 per month for the connection and the internet service, which is more than some other providers charge, but they have local dial-up numbers all over, which is convenient when I'm traveling and there is no fast connection available. They have an introductory offer for the first few months, but that shouldn't drive your choice.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Bill D
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:40 PM

I have Comcast...and although there are a number of 'issues' with attitude, I will say that in my area it is fast, 99% reliable and has all 'most' folks would need. Verizon is nipping at their heels here, offering Fiber Optic connections, a slightly lower price and a bit wider range of TV channels, but they have other issues which bother me....

I would take Comcast...for now. (The TV control for the 'box' that gives you channels above 99 is VERY handy....you get digital menus and brief synopses of each program on screen.)

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Bee
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 01:50 PM

Gnu, we have virtually no weather problems with the satellite. I think placement is crucial, trees or branches blowing in the wind can interfere. Snow, rain, ice, haven't been an issue at all. Have your bro. check the line of sight.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 02:01 PM

I use the same broadband cable company for internet, phone and TV. Very satisfactory here. Their virus and Secure system, included, is excellent with almost daily upgrades (I also have Spyware Doctor, but probably not necessary). In the city, cable is best.
For my daughter, in the boondocks, satellite services are a must, and she is happy with that (separate satellite receptors for internet and business use, and TV). Very heavy cloud or heavy snow cuts her service for a time (Her phone is down more often than the satellite reception, high wind can down the line and it takes time for the repairs).

The phone company here was playing catch-up for a while, but I haven't heard any complaints lately, so I would guess all services are satisfactory.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 02:23 PM

Install your own satellite uplink and bypass 'em all! In fact, you can launch your own geosynchronous satellite and...oh, wait. You're not Bill Gates, are you?

I'd say either. I'm on cable simply because I got a bundled deal. No, I'm not going to have them handle my telephone as well!

BUT! Whatever you do, be sure that you can purchase off-the-shelf routers and stuff and that you're not locked into whatever the company sells. Our interface is an RCA, but we have to rent it from the cable company -- still, it comes out cheapest. We're running the equivalent of a T-3 line, by the way.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Amos
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 02:59 PM

If you can get cable from a reliable company such as TIme Warner's Roadrunner, you'll get slightly more bandwidth I believe and their service has stood us in good stead for ten years. Cox is a different story -- we've seen a lot of customer wrangles from clients on cox.net.

DSL has matured and it is a lot faster than dial up so if you can't get cable it's a good substitute. If you can afford it you can actually install satellite dish up- and down-links that will give decent speeds, especially in you're in a remote area.


A

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: IvanB
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 04:21 PM

I had cable for a while when AT&T had our local cable franchise, then Comcast bought them out and raised the rates, so I went to DSL. Although the DSL is slower, it's always been fast enough for me and has the added benefit of local dialup numbers when I'm traveling (which is about 6 months of the year) and rates about 60% lower than cable. Since AT&T is now our local phone company, after gobbling up the Ameritechs, I can also, for an extra $1.99 a month, connect to AT&T wi-fi "hotspots" (generally at MacDonalds, Barnes & noble and UPS stores throughout the country as well as other miscellaneous locations).

Hehe, guess I'm with the "Slowski's" on this one - cable is much too fast.

BTW, as far as service outages, I had them at about the same rate (low) with both cable and DSL.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Amos
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 04:40 PM

Guess it depends on your area, Ivan. When DSL first started being installed it was a complete configuration nightmare, but that has been settled out pretty much. I never saw any major glitches from cable; once in a while something would pop up and be fixed inside of four hours. As to "too fast" I can't imagine what that might mean in this day of video transfers and megabyte files.

A

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 04:55 PM

Hi Double LL!!! Just a sidenote first........I miss you ol' buddy. I know there isn't as much time for tomfoolery anymore. I'm not around myself as much but gee I could go for a hokey pokey.........Cletus sends his love too as do Paw and the Reg Boys.

I have had Roadrunner through Time-Warner for about 5 years and cable is the way to go. I have had no problems and everybody around here is on it as well. See, in this little town we have piss poor phone lines even though they are Verizon and several people have tried to go with them on DSL. Didn't work out.....BAD service and speed. All of the "Coffee Clatch Bunch" down at the local morning hangout are back to RoadRunner too. I'd listen to Bill since he has Comcast......just my opinion(;<))

And when you get that faster service and save all that time messing about getting online, come on around more and we can make like Druids.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Desdemona
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 05:10 PM

Hi Alison,

I have a cable connection, my sister loves her DSL, it seems to depend on a number of factors. Whatever you do, you *must* have a wireless internet connection; it's like the difference between an abacus and a calculator. As a person who spends a lot of time working on my computer, the ability to take my laptop wherever I bloody well please in the house is a luxury I would be loathe to part with, whether I want a recipe in the kitchen or to write a paper in my comfy chair!

Glad to hear you sounding so well; PM me, why doncha?

~D

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 05:27 PM

Thank you so much, everyone! Oh, yes, fear not Desdemona (how you doing??? Cutting any capers lately?) we are SO going wi-fi! Both of my nearly-grown kids will be living with me for awhile, and I'm not waiting in line any more!

I was leaning towards cable, and now I'm leaning even farther. I only remembered Comcast- thanx, dear 'Spaw, for reminding me of Roadrunner.

(drift- This week at school I was teaching a circle dance that begins by stepping to the left on left foot. I said to the 3d graders, "OK, everyone, put your left foot into the circle so we all know which one is the left foot!" You guessed it! A spontaneous Hokey Pokey ensued! No Druids to be seen, tho' (I really am going to get my very favorite bumper sticker: "What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?")). I miss you too, Spaw!

It's true- when it doesn't take half an hour for my email to download, I may have more time for Mudcatting!

Someday I'll tell the saga of my move back to town. But not now!

LLs

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 12:10 PM

Spaw, which mysterious fluids?

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: IvanB
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 12:53 PM

My remark about cable being too fast was completely tongue in cheek. I, too, agree that nothing can be too fast nowadays, but my DSL service has been fast enough for everything I do. As a retiree, I can manage the wait for long downloads and, besides, I can always be doing something else - on the computer or off - while files are downloading. I'm lucky to have a great DSL connection at home. I've heard that it's a crapshoot in many places.

Cable's probably the way to go in most areas but, for the $30/mo. I save by having DSL, I can live with the slower feeds. At our winter rental property I have only dial-up for five months of the year so getting back home to DSL is like heaven to me. Luckily we use our cell phones for both incoming and outgoing calls when traveling, so I can tie up the land line at our rental for hours if necessary.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Amergin
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 01:29 PM

DSL has too many variables....your connection has to be within 18,000 feet, or lower depending on the service provider, from the central office or node. The farther the signal has to travel down the line, the more it degrades and the more likely you are to experience packet loss. The signal strength also depends on the quality of the telephone lines and the wiring in your apartment/house. If you the wiring is old, or just crappy, you are less likely to maintain a connection.
Also, with DSL they have to properly configure the phone line to enable you to receive the signal. If it is configured incorrectly, or the configuration was corrupted some how...it could be a matter of weeks before it is sorted out.

With cable you experience none of it....I have found cable (especially, since AT&T and Comcast took over in my area) to be very reliable. The only times I have experienced an outage, was due to a network outage, and this has happened only 3 times since I signed up for the cable service in 2003 and then it was fixed in a matter of hours.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:40 PM

*IF*...I say, *IF* you can get Verizon 'FIOS', it might be a really good deal...doesn't suffer from the same distance problems DSL does, and is the wave of the future. Not available a lot of places yet....but...

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:53 PM

I suspect that with cable you are more geared up for future developments, and that phonelines probably have a lower maximum capacity if the speed keeps rising, what with telly on the Internet and all that stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 07:47 AM

"with cable you are more geared up for future developments"

Cable is already running near its theoretical limit - you can only carry so much info for each frequency and the cables are currently manufactured to be optimal for the current carrier frequency - while it can carry much more in total than what each consumer gets, the economics rely on it having that total bandwidth sliced up for all the users. You will only get more speed/throughput if each user gets a bigger chunk than currently, thus having fewer users, thus needing more cables.

Phone lines have nearly reached their limit - indeed although the recent ADSL/ADSL2 advances have increased the capacity, there are distance limits that cause the capacity to drop off with increasing distance - over a certain limit, ADSL2 does not work any better than ADSL can.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 06:05 PM

Well, whatever the pros/cons, I have a date with a Roadrunner on Sunday! Technician's gonna come set me up, install me, and give me speed and wifi! I need to do this the easy way. They were offering free installation, full rebate on the wifi equipment, reduced rates, all kindza incentives, and by the end of the phone conversation the rep and I were telling each other our life stories. So thanks to all for your great advice- look out, Scottie, warp factor 5! To hell with the dilithium crystals!

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 06:50 PM

It will be awesome! That first few hours of having almost instant loading of things makes you gasp. And then there are the YouTube videos!

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 04:03 PM

Animaterra, you have a CHOICE? I envy you, I tell ya.

My only choices here are dialup and satellite. If I could get satellite TV and Internet for $50 a month, I'd do it. So far, I haven't found that - Dish Network offered TV and Internet for that price, but it turned out the Internet was dialup in my area and broadband only in certain places. There are wireless ISP's all around her, but there's nobody who seems to want to cover the hill where I live.

I've had a hard time finding out what the "bottom line" is, and determining who covers my area. I'm inclined not to trust any of them, and to revert to carrier pigeons for my Internet service. Can't be any slower than the MSN dialup I have now.

Can anybody recommend a satellite ISP?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: GUEST,Wordless Woman
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 04:22 PM

I have Verizon's DSL, the thrifty, not-too-speedy $15 version but it's no quicker than my Verizon dial-up was. Installation and billing were nightmares and it doesn't work all that well - and I work for the company - despite being well within the distance limitations. We're supposed to have FiOS by the end of the year and I'll switch then. Meantime, I'll do my shopping on the office T1 connection. Verizon, Comcast, they're all going to have some irritating problems but that's life.

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 04:23 PM

You're gonna have to move to town, Joe.

(What's the nearest town of any size?)

Subject: RE: BS: High speed internet- cable or dsl?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 09:33 AM

Mudville?