Cable Vs. DSL

[gimpbzkt400ex]

Which is better.... I have DSL right now... but was thinking of switching to Cable... has anyone had both? Which do you like better? Which is faster?

[SGA]

I think it really depends of the speed of both in your area. Some are faster in certain cities. Cable seems to be a bit better around here, so I went with that.

[SGA]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3078635/

[MOFO]

I'm using cable right now and its extremely fast....I usually get around 2.5-3mbits for my download speed. There is no way any normal DSL line is going to approach these speeds.

Here are two test I just ran... run them with your DSL line and then you can compare them.

Keep in mind cable is not the same for all areas... in some areas it could be much slower due to the company and other people using it. I live in Pittsburgh and have noticed no slow down during peak times and I'm using comcast (they provide a very good service around here)

[MOFO]

Here is a test from dslreports.com

[gimpbzkt400ex]

hmmm... right now I have DSL through Verizon... but my cable company ... Time Warner offers Roadrunner Cable... trying to figure out which one is better... lol

[MOFO]

Originally posted by gimpbzkt400ex
hmmm... right now I have DSL through Verizon... but my cable company ... Time Warner offers Roadrunner Cable... trying to figure out which one is better... lol


they should have a trial period... give 'em a call, ask what their min specs are and see if you can try it for a month.

[gimpbzkt400ex]

http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/gimpbzkt400ex/speed%20test.JPG

[SGA]

Heres a report on Cable VS DSL.
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/129
Heres my cable speed, I just tested it.

[SGA]

My speed on another test

[gimpbzkt400ex]

http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/gimpbzkt400ex/speed%20test%202.JPG

[MOFO]

just ran it again for chits and grins and found a test server thats in Pittsburgh.

as you can see, between myself and SGA, cable is MUCH MUCH faster than your DSL connection... but it all depends on your area.

[gimpbzkt400ex]

damn... SGA... your cable smoked my DSL!!!!!!


lol

[gimpbzkt400ex]

mofo... yours did too... might be switching to cable... lol anyone heard anything about Roadrunner??? is it as fast as what your running?

[SGA]

Originally posted by gimpbzkt400ex
damn... SGA... your cable smoked my DSL!!!!!!


lol
Thats why I got cable. Cable is usually faster in most areas. Like MOFO, I have not had any real slowdown at peak times. Once in awhile it will drop to 1.5 Mbps during heavy peak usage. Thats still humming along though.

[gimpbzkt400ex]

I am going through a router... would that slow it down? are you all going through a router?

[MOFO]

Here is a forum talking about RoadRunner... I saw one review of a guy that did switch from Verizon DSL to RoadRunner and seems to be very happy. Keep in mind these reviews are from all over the country....the only true test will be when you have yours hooked up.

http://www.dslreports.com/comments/1573

[MOFO]

Originally posted by gimpbzkt400ex
I am going through a router... would that slow it down? are you all going through a router?


Yep, I'm going through a linksys router. This should not slow you down, unless you have another PC or device that is using the internet connection at the same time.

[seatec]

i just tested at 2.9 mbits. I have comcast cable in maryland.

[gimpbzkt400ex]

well, I have 3 pc's on my network that are all connected online and I am using a Belkin 4 port router

[brandonpeake]

okay it depends, i live in an aparement and had cable and went to dsl when i moved, same apartments different building b/c the cable ran thru so many splitters it was so sllooow anyways but my friend lives in a different building than me and has cable that is like .6 megabits faster download than my dsl, same cable company i was using that was slow at my apartment
if this doesnt make since ill elaborate more, so it depends on how close you are to the main connection

[CBRSLIDER]

WOW! I did the test for our shared T1 at work and man we must be sharing it with the entire state. My download speed was 222K and my upload was 1346K. Strange. I expected much better than that.

Anyone know much about T1?

Ray

[wilkin250r]

Anybody have any experience with satellite connection? I'm kinda out of the beaten path, I don't think cable is available in my area.

[lil400exman]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
Anybody have any experience with satellite connection? I'm kinda out of the beaten path, I don't think cable is available in my area. itsn ot near as fast as DSL or cable but still much faster than a 56K connection;)

[MOFO]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
Anybody have any experience with satellite connection? I'm kinda out of the beaten path, I don't think cable is available in my area.


Yep, I had a client use a satellite connection because it was their only "broadband" option. It was faster than dial up, but not much faster. For the cost, I'm not sure if its worth it IMO.

[86atc250r]

Anyone know much about T1?

A clear channel T1 runs at 1.544Mbps. Many things can affect your actual speeds though.

Cable vs DSL.

One is not inherently faster than the other.

It mostly depends on what the service provider limits your bandwidth to.

I have run at over 3Mbps on DSL, currently I am limited to 1Mbps and I can get that anytime.

One big factor is how well your provider tends to his network. If they allow it to become overloaded by their backhaul circuits not having enough capacity, you will experience bottlenecks and slowdowns.

Another thing to consider is the network topology. On DSL my latency is much less than on Cable - because our DSL providers network topology is better. It takes me over 10 hops to get anywhere off the Cox cable network.

Keep in mind latency is also a HUGE problem for Satellite connections.

Latency won't affect you too much if you are just downloading large files, but it will have a HUGE effect if you are gaming and will be noticible for browsing webpages, especially if bad.

[pbarr86]

I was think of switching to cable but the price is right for DSL

$29.95 for Verizon DSL (if you combine DSL bill w/ the Verizon phone bill, which I do) and $34.95 if you don't combine the bills

$42.95 for Comcast if you are a current Comcast cable customer and $57.95 if your not

I decided to stick w/ the DSL :D

[zephead400ex]

As stated previously, cable is faster than dsl. A router can slow down the connection, rebooting can usually fix the latancy, obviously it depends on what the problem is. Mofo stated earlier that he found a site local to him to run a speed test from. A lot of speed test pages are not located anywhere near you which will give you false speed readings.

Wireless broadband is very flaky. If there is any type of weather outside, your connection will suffer. For most of us, weather is always an issue:D

Dialup will always be the most trusted connection. I am not saying I recommend dialup over any other type of connection but it is the most reliable.

hope this helps.

later

[Tommy 17]

me my cuz and my friend did a test...

u had to down load a picture...

my dsl took 3.4 seconds...
my cousins cable took 2.7 seconds...
my friends 56k took 107 seconds...

my cousins cable is 20$ more a month for .7 of a second... i'll pass and stick with DSL!!!

[86atc250r]

cable is faster than dsl.

Not necessarily true at all. Baseline speeds offered by various carriers vary greatly.

It's entirely possible that a DSL carrier can offer higher speeds than a cable carrier - it's all in how they price their packages and how aggressive their marketing dept & the competition is.

A router can slow down the connection, rebooting can usually fix the latancy, obviously it depends on what the problem is.

True, if a router is struggling it can cause a plethora of problems. However, rebooting routers is not an option end users have, nor is it a fix all.

Rebooting your PC will have absolutely no effect on latency unless you have serious PC issues that require attention.

Latency can be caused by a number of things. One is how many hops you go thru before getting off your ISP's network. Another is the quality of the network your ISP connects to on the backhaul side, another is the technology itself - Satellite will always have higher latency than a quality cable or DSL provider. Dial-up will generally have much higher latency than cable or DSL & much of it depends on the modem you use.

Dialup will always be the most trusted connection.

I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that either.

Dialup has many issues. Phone line quality, the type of DLC/SLC/remote system or CO you run thru, modem compatability with ISP, etc.

Generally a connection can be established, but I think anyone that's been on dialup for any period of time will attest to the frustration of getting "booted" while performing a large download - whether line quality related or ISP related.

Dialup does not even qualify for the term "Reliable" in my book.

Personally, I run on Cable at home & have a DSL connection at the office. Both run at the same download rates, my DSL at the office has much greater upload bandwidth and less overall latency.

[hondarider2006]

here you can upgrade your dsl to be about as fast as cable. And with cable here its WAY expensive and you have a download limit a month. My friend who lived here had cable, and had a 10gig download limit a month. That isn't that much if you are into downloading just about everything you come across on Kazaa, including windows xp....movies...and a whole bunch more computer programs. DSL is the way to go here!

[310Rduner]

My Dsl is going to whoop on you cable users on Thursday. Thursday my upgraded line goes active. 3.0 mb download, 400k upload, and I'm only paying $45 a month:eek2: Originally I was on the 1.5mb/160 upload plan.

I asked them how far away i was from the coporate office, and they said I was originally 23,000 feet away, too far for service. So they set up a remote office 5,000 feet from my house, and from there it goes by Fiber optice line to them. The guy said with the fiber optics It is basically like I am across the street from them.:devil:

[hondarider2006]

my friend who had cable here had eaither the 512k connection or the 1mb and his dad was paying close to $100 a month....that included cable tv, a rip off if you ask me:o

[MOFO]

Originally posted by 310Rduner
My Dsl is going to whoop on you cable users on Thursday. Thursday my upgraded line goes active. 3.0 mb download, 400k upload, and I'm only paying $45 a month:eek2: Originally I was on the 1.5mb/160 upload plan.

I asked them how far away i was from the coporate office, and they said I was originally 23,000 feet away, too far for service. So they set up a remote office 5,000 feet from my house, and from there it goes by Fiber optice line to them. The guy said with the fiber optics It is basically like I am across the street from them.:devil:


not me...I get 3mbit downloads 99.9% of the time... My upload speed is a tad slow, but I never upload anything large...

[Syrus]

You get what you pay for, basicly if u pay for Rogers highspeed cable, your gonna get about 2.5-3 mb download and around 300-500kb upload, any faster you will need to pay for server speeds, witch is useless if u dont have anything to host, like ftp or any kind of game server to play on.

Im on Rogers high speed and its fast enough for games, downloads and anything you want, ofc everyone wants to be the fastest, but 2-3 mb download speed is more then enough for everyday users.

Hope that helps

[DRT]

Dont forget the connection is fast but is your PC. I have DSL with a new PC my brother has cable with an old PC .On dslreports.com he is faster but I think due to the older PC I smoke him.

[montyjcm]

Okay, I have no clue about what is wrong with my dsl. I have sbc, and I have never received more than 180kbs. That sucks. When I download, I only get 20kb/sec. Does anyone else have this problem, or know how to fix it? Thanks.

[Ralph]

optimum online...

[Greg Z]

I have optimum online as well to so far I beleive this is the best cabel company out there.


http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/newjacksm/speed.jpg

[hondarider2006]

I think my 56k beats all of you guys:eek2:

[SGA]

Originally posted by 310Rduner
The guy said with the fiber optics It is basically like I am across the street from them.:devil:
Fiber optics are the way to go. As companys upgrade thier main lines, speeds will be better and more reliable.

[gimpbzkt400ex]

Originally posted by montyjcm
Okay, I have no clue about what is wrong with my dsl. I have sbc, and I have never received more than 180kbs. That sucks. When I download, I only get 20kb/sec. Does anyone else have this problem, or know how to fix it? Thanks.


my dsl does that sometimes.... do you have an external dsl modem??? if so unplug the power cord from it .... and wait about 10 - 15 seconds.. and plug it back in.. kinda do a reboot on the modem... usually that helps mine

[86atc250r]

Originally posted by SGA
Fiber optics are the way to go. As companys upgrade thier main lines, speeds will be better and more reliable. Analog copper cable pair is the problem when it comes to distance.

Analog signals can only be amplified, not regenerated. Amplification adds gain to the good signal, but also adds gain to the noise.... The more amplification processes the signal is sent thru - the more real signal is lost & the more noise is amplified.

By bringing fiber out of the Central Office to a remote system, you move the point of analog to digital conversion closer to the end users home - which is good. Digital signals can be regenerated (instead of amplified) on their way back to the CO --- which means they can be sent over long distances with essentially no data loss.

The same can be done with copper span line from the CO to remote systems, but with fiber's bandwidth capabilities and reliability (compared to digital copper span line), fiber is much more attractive to Telco's for installing new systems.

FWIW, right now DSL reaches out about 20,000 cable feet (about 4 miles) with reasonable reliability and high speeds - from the analog/digital conversion point (either CO or remote system). I know there are DSL repeaters that are starting to become available which will increase range and coverage areas for telcos.

Anyone up for a discussion of PCM, Quantization, or the Nyquist Theorem?

[gimpbzkt400ex]

well, my cable will be installed friday :D

[MOFO]

Originally posted by 86atc250r

Anyone up for a discussion of PCM, Quantization, or the Nyquist Theorem?


Are you wanting to talk about ways to convert [A/D - D/A] or the downsides of these converters? I have some knowledge of this kind of stuff, more dealing with audio than data though. Its been awhile.... :D

[MOFO]

Originally posted by gimpbzkt400ex
well, my cable will be installed friday :D


Keep us updated on your results...

[nateftbl]

cable is better, depends in your area though. just whatever you do dont get any service with earthlink!!!

[zephead400ex]

Not flaming at all, just restating what has already been posted.

cable is faster than dsl.
Not necessarily true at all. Baseline speeds offered by various carriers vary greatly. It's entirely possible that a DSL carrier can offer higher speeds than a cable carrier - it's all in how they price their packages and how aggressive their marketing dept & the competition is.

Obviously. If an ISP offers cable at 128k compared to dsl offered at 256k, of course dsl will be faster.

A router can slow down the connection, rebooting can usually fix the latancy, obviously it depends on what the problem is.
True, if a router is struggling it can cause a plethora of problems. However, rebooting routers is not an option end users have, nor is it a fix all.

I am not talking about the router interface. I am speaking of an end user's router, hub, switch, etc. These can and will cause some latency in the connection. I am not saying by rebooting the user's router that the problem will be cured but this is the first step in trying to troubleshoot a speed/latency issue.

Rebooting your PC will have absolutely no effect on latency unless you have serious PC issues that require attention.

Again, obviously.

Latency can be caused by a number of things. One is how many hops you go thru before getting off your ISP's network. Another is the quality of the network your ISP connects to on the backhaul side, another is the technology itself - Satellite will always have higher latency than a quality cable or DSL provider. Dial-up will generally have much higher latency than cable or DSL & much of it depends on the modem you use.

You are exactly correct. Hops matter. This is why I initially said that when running a speed test it does absolutley no good to run a test on a site that is located a good distance away from your pc.

Dialup will always be the most trusted connection.
I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that either.
Dialup has many issues. Phone line quality, the type of DLC/SLC/remote system or CO you run thru, modem compatability with ISP, etc.

I know all about dialup issues and how to fix them. I am not saying that dialup is easy or even feasible to use in most cases, however, dialup is the backup connection behind dsl, cable, etc.

Generally a connection can be established, but I think anyone that's been on dialup for any period of time will attest to the frustration of getting "booted" while performing a large download - whether line quality related or ISP related.

Definatly frustrating but is exactly why dialup is not used for downloading/transferring large amounts of data.

Dialup does not even qualify for the term "Reliable" in my book.

Thats cool. If the pc/modem/phonelines are working correctly, a dialup connection can be very reliable. It is understandable that most end user's do not know what steps to take to make the connection "reliable," but some of us do

I do work for an ISP who offers dialup, dsl, and wireless connectivity. Wireless sucks. DSL can work very well but other times it can suck. Dialup...is dialup; slow, more issues than a high speed connection. But with the right setup and know how, dialup can be very reliable.

later

[gimpbzkt400ex]

cable is better, depends in your area though. just whatever you do dont get any service with earthlink!!!


no... I'm not getting earthlink... I am switching from Verizon DSL to Roadrunner Cable...

[Ralph]

A router can slow down the connection, rebooting can usually fix the latancy, obviously it depends on what the problem is.
True, if a router is struggling it can cause a plethora of problems. However, rebooting routers is not an option end users have, nor is it a fix all.

when i did my test and got 4000 i was going through a router with 2 computers on it and a playstation when i was in an online game.

[MOFO]

Originally posted by Ralph
A router can slow down the connection, rebooting can usually fix the latancy, obviously it depends on what the problem is.
True, if a router is struggling it can cause a plethora of problems. However, rebooting routers is not an option end users have, nor is it a fix all.

when i did my test and got 4000 i was going through a router with 2 computers on it and a playstation when i was in an online game.


and whats your point, what they are stating is correct. Also, if multiple devices are using the same connection at the same time, this will SLOW down your overall speed.

[Ralph]

Originally posted by MOFO
and whats your point, what they are stating is correct. Also, if multiple devices are using the same connection at the same time, this will SLOW down your overall speed.

MY point is that CABLE is very FAST even WHEN i have ALOT of thing hooked up to ONE CABLE MODEM through a ROUTER all runnning at the SAME time.

[MOFO]

Originally posted by Ralph
MY point is that CABLE is very FAST even WHEN i have ALOT of thing hooked up to ONE CABLE MODEM through a ROUTER all runnning at the SAME time.


is your caps locks key not working properly?

of course it can be fast, but it does slow down when multiple devices use the same internet connection. This was one of the point being made about routers... no one said you cant get fast speeds through a router...

[Ralph]

Originally posted by MOFO
is your caps locks key not working properly?

of course it can be fast, but it does slow down when multiple devices use the same internet connection. This was one of the point being made about routers... no one said you cant get fast speeds through a router...

but my point was that they are incredibly fast and that my results were with all that stuff hooked up, leaning towards the fact that it would prob do way better without all that stuff...

[ATC Crazy]

Check this out...I've got everyone beat

38.9 kilobits per second

Communications: 38.9 kilobits per second
Storage: 4.7 kilobytes per second
1MB file download: 3.6 minutes
Subjective rating: Slow

Haha...I rate my "56K" at below UGH!

My parents are thinking about switching to Satalite through Dish Network. I'm gunna try to talk them into getting Cable though. I think my 8 year old computer might have something to do with it too...LOL

[ShiftFMX]

My comcast cable hit 3 magabits. I just recently just switched from dial-up. It is a night and day difference! I'm extremly satisfied by comcast's service!

[TheRedRebel17]

Speed
2.8 megabits per second

Communications 2.8 megabits per second
Storage 337.4 kilobytes per second
1MB file download 3 seconds

From comcast :cool:

[Big400EX]

I run off of a Wireless Router, If I didn't I would be getting between 2.7 and 3.4 megabits. For now I get around 1.9 :(

[Greg Z]

wireless routers suck, i hate them if some one calls u you lose cabel..

I think its worth the extra money to get another cable modem to hook up on ur computer

. Im running pretty fast for cabel modem 7.3 megabits is britty nice:devil:

[86atc250r]

:confused: Wireless routers kick butt.

Lose the 2.4Ghz cordless phone and you won't get knocked off anymore. 900mhz and 5.8ghz phones will not interfere.

Get with the program and go Wireless G and you won't get a bottleneck anymore.

[SGA]

Speaking of speeding things up....
SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- In an advance that could inexpensively speed up corporate data centers and eventually personal computers, researchers used everyday silicon to build a device that converts data into light beams.
In the study, published in Thursday's journal Nature, the Intel researchers reported encoding 1 billion bits of data per second, 50 times faster than previous silicon experiments. They said they could achieve rates of up to 10 billion bits per second within months.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/02/11/intel.optics.ap/index.html

[ATC Crazy]

DAMN :eek2:

I just tested the schools computer that Im on now. Check it out...this is on DSL

Speed- 6.7 megabits per second

Communications- 6.7 megabits per second
Storage- 816.5 kilobytes per second
1MB file download- 1.3 seconds
Subjective rating- Awesome

[zephead400ex]

Originally posted by 86atc250r
:confused: Wireless routers kick butt.

Lose the 2.4Ghz cordless phone and you won't get knocked off anymore. 900mhz and 5.8ghz phones will not interfere.

Get with the program and go Wireless G and you won't get a bottleneck anymore.

Dude, anything on the phoneline can cause interference: surge absorber, splitter, faulty phonecord, answering device, call waiting in a box, etc, etc, etc, etc.

[MOFO]

Originally posted by zephead400ex
Dude, anything on the phoneline can cause interference: surge absorber, splitter, faulty phonecord, answering device, call waiting in a box, etc, etc, etc, etc.


He was talking about the wireless routers...they operate around the 2.4ghz spectrum.... if you use one and have a wireless phone that is near this spectrum, which 2.4ghz phones are, it interferes with your connection.... not talking about dial up or land lines.

[zephead400ex]

Originally posted by MOFO
He was talking about the wireless routers...they operate around the 2.4ghz spectrum.... if you use one and have a wireless phone that is near this spectrum, which 2.4ghz phones are, it interferes with your connection.... not talking about dial up or land lines.

Aww, sorry about that:D

[JForestZ34]

I just tested mine and I have cablevision and I got a 8.1. My internet connection was always fast. Hopefully you can see my page. This is what the page said.


8.7 megabits per second
communication 8.7
storage 1mb per second
1mb per second.


James

[montyjcm]

Anyone else have slow sbc yahoo dsl?

[310Rduner]

Originally posted by montyjcm
Anyone else have slow sbc yahoo dsl?

Hehe... I do, but Mine isn't slow:D

http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/chester90210/clipboard2.jpg

[BIGRED400]

Speed
2.5 megabits per second

Communications 2.5 megabits per second
Storage 302.5 kilobytes per second
1MB file download 3.4 seconds
Subjective rating Great

[hondafox440]

Actually MOFO, all electronic devices affect both wired and wireless LANs. Computers, flourescent lights, phones, power outlets, etc.

[MOFO]

Originally posted by hondafox440
Actually MOFO, all electronic devices affect both wired and wireless LANs. Computers, flourescent lights, phones, power outlets, etc.



sigh...

Trust me, I understand this...I have a pretty strong background with electronics, computers and have run more Cat5e cable than what I care to mention, so I understand how device's and wiring can be effected by outside interference....but what Gabe was referring to was direct interference of the wireless router and 2.4ghz phones. All I did was point this out...

[nateftbl]

no reason to argue guys! we are all quad ridding budies!:D

[MOFO]

Originally posted by nateftbl
no reason to argue guys! we are all quad ridding budies!:D


Yep I agree, but it does get a tad frustrating when people dont read the entire post, then make a point that's not related. But hey, its all in good fun!



:D

[gimpbzkt400ex]

well... got my cable installed today... here are the results..

http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/gimpbzkt400ex/cable+speed+test.jpg

http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/gimpbzkt400ex/cable+speed+test+2.jpg :D

much faster than my DSL was