...and worried!

Also DSL is often asymmetric speeds which can also be a real pain when sending large files.

I've been on cable for over 4 years. It's all I reccommend to my clients. (Home and Small Business networks.)

Once you go cable, you'll never go back! ;)

Randy

Re: Cable modems rock...
 

Where have you been?

The biggest lie that DSL uses is that the cable connection is shared bandwidth and so you actually get better speed on a DSL line. If DSL were so great, why would the phone company make you sign a contract for it? Cox and Timewarner, you can turn it on and off anytime you turn the equipment in...

Welcome to the 21st century.
:)

How does cable compare to fiber connections?

I'm also suffering with DSL, and SBC support is a joke.

DSL speeds suck compared to cable.

IMO I would go with cable Thom.

...and people who are not in the know still tell me it's the same. They swallow the crap from carefully worded commercials for DSL providers.


Here's what we have to look forward to: "Broadband Internet access via TV cables can reach 100 Megabits per second as early as next year, 50 times faster than the average broadband speeds now offered to cable TV homes, a Finnish firm says"

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_25-7-2005_pg6_4

Of course some cable companies are better that others.

Thanks to Wayne for posting this, and to all the other respondants. How timely, as was going to ask the group about cable v. DSL today!

We haven't had broadband available at the new house since we moved in a couple months back; stuck w/dial-up. Bellsouth just informed us that DSL is available here now, Mediacom is a few months away with the cable internet service. Based what I just read here, I'm going to wait for the cable.

Thanks again!

Only problem with cable is that your local bandwidth is shared by everyone in your area, whereas with dsl its just you back to the CO. Not a real issue, unless you are in a neighborhood full of kids,etc.

No kidding! It seems that whereneve rtheir is a problem SBC DSL points their finger at SBC telephone and SCB telephone points back at SBC DSL. The only service that's worse is MSN.

I have 3 more months on a SBC DSL contract then I'll be switching over to cable! No love will be lost.

Umm.....
Not a real issue if you are in a neighborhood full of kids either....

Here's some hope:

FCC Chief Pushes for DSL Deregulation — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday pushed his colleagues to move quickly to ease regulations on high-speed Internet service offered by U.S. telephone companies. Martin's proposal would treat DSL broadband as an information service. Telephone companies have complained that applying legacy telephone rules to new broadband services put them at a competitive disadvantage against other companies, like cable operators, who do not have the same regulations. "The lack of regulatory parity between telecoms and cable is inhibiting broadband growth," said Martin. Reuters News Service.

Unfortunately I love my DirecTV too much and the local comcast doesn't offer naked cable internet. My roommate's work pays for the DSL though, so I really can't complain about what I get for free. :D

Most computers today can't process near the speed at which the communication can travel. 100 mbps at work on cable, home is DSL and a lot faster. YAMV.

What kind of speeds do you guys get in the US now? In the UK the DSL market is really taking off, with some providers offering 8Mbps with ADSL2+ coming soon offering 24Mbps. Upload speeds still suck though - I want my own home webserver!

Standard DSL - 1.5Mbps
Enhanced DSL - 3 Mbps

Cable - 5 Mbps (how close to this do you guys get?)

YMMV for speed results depending on the distance from the CO (DSL), older PC hardware etc.

The not too distant future for DSL is 25 Mbps.

All the Bells have projects in place installing Fiber and will enter the entertainment sector as well. I have basic DSL which consistently runs at 1.2Mpbs - 1.3Mbps and has been extremely reliable! I have basic cable with Comcast - personally, I can't wait to switch to SBC for video and dump Comcast altogether.

I got that same argument from my DSL company (who charged $40 more per month). "If someone in your neighborhood is watching a PPV, your service will go to practically modem speeds."

Baloney! (Either that or no one around here watches PPV... :) )

Since changes/upgrades are happening all the time, I try to stay away from that argument too.

At $40 for DSL, I assume that your experience was a couple years back.

Three years ago, my neighbor had cable and he swore that everyday around 3:00pm - 3:30pm, his speeds would drop to the unbearable range and he assumed it was from the kids getting home from school and jumping on-line. He just made a point to avoid using his PC during that time of day. He has sinced moved so I have no way of finding out if that is still true in our area.

Another friend that has DSL was at the edge, as far as distance goes, to the CO. Any farther out and SBC would not have been able to provide DSL (regulations again). However, it appears that a Remote Terminal was recently installed as their speeds have increased from the 300K range to the 1.2Mbps range for standard DSL.

I used to use DirecPC, which is DirectTV's high speed satellite internet. Moved to an area where they had cable and dropped it but it worked fine, especially in places where there is no cable.

Like the HS cable, just wish that it was cheaper...

JoeA

my whole house is cable now. internet, TV, and phone. One price. I love it.