DSL v. Cable

[007]

My cable company is screwing me around, so I am thinking of switching to DirecTV & DSL as opposed to Cable & Cable Internet. Both are about the same price.

What is the difference? Is either better? Anything I should know? Will my cable modem work for DSL? Help!

[larryhead]

I use cable modem and have had no problems (6 Mbps). I think Talking Sandwhich uses DSL and is in love with it because he gets a bit faster connection at 10Mbps (which is handy if you download lots of large files/movies/etc.). Really, they are so similar it comes down to how much bandwidth you can get for your buck. :)

Pros/Cons of DSL: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm
Pros/Cons of Cable: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cable-modem10.htm


If you switch to DSL, your provider should lease to you a DSL modem (I'm pretty sure your cable modem won't work with it). Also, if you're getting the dish for television, watch out for bad weather.

[slam]

yeah, they're really on equal footing mostly. it's more a locale thing than anything. some places get shitty dsl and great cable, while others get the reverse. talk to your neighbors, see what they use and ask if they have any problems. it's usually a matter of how far your apt is from the CO (central office) for the telephone or cable company.

one caveat is that with cable, your'e basically sharing bandwidth with your neighbors. not usually a big deal, but if you happen to live next to 4 or 5 people who abuse their bandwidth, you might not get great speeds. dsl guarantees you a set amount of bandwidth.

but for your purposes, i'd say give the dsl a try. they're pretty much equal in most cases. i can't speak of dish, though, as i've never used one.

[Hans Brix]

Talking Sandwich uses RCN, which is a cable service in Chicago. The nice thing about them is that they offer VOIP, Cable, and Internet all in one package. And the internet speeds are around 10Mbps. If you're thinking about fast DSL, then it's probably Speakeasy. They offer faster speeds then your standard SBC/Verizon deal.

[slam]

yeah, but speakeasy probably won't be around next year. see the thread.