Help? Which do you prefer? Advice Please!

[RaceChic]

I am thinking of switching from DSL to Cable internet service.

Which do you prefer? And Why do you prefer one over the other or dislike one over the other?

Any advice or suggestions needed, please..... :D

[Lizzerd]

Hmmm... Can't answer. I've only had dialup and cable, which seems to have an occasional hiccup. Don't know anything about DSL. Sorry.

[IlliniRacer]

DSL is not available in my area but Cable is. I like the speed but I despise Charter Cable. The worst customer service and tech support I have ever encountered. About 6 months ago they mistakenly disconnected my cable for lack of payment instead of the guy living behind me. It took them 5 days to come back out and reconnect!

[Cam]

DSL at work SUCKS Cable at home rocks!

[Mr. Vengeance]

I've had both DSL and cable, (DSL through Telus, cable through Shaw. Both Canadian).

Telus always goes on about how cable slows down when it's busy but I've never experienced it here. I've done heaps of speed tests and my cable is generally around twice as fast as my DSL was. I've never seen it slow down to DSL speeds.

Go to
DSL Reports (http://www.dslreports.com) and poke around... you should be able to compare providers in your area. (Try "Reviews" --> "your Town")

[Turn7]

I have thought about going to DSL from cable because I am a cheapass.

My cable ISP is 40 bucks + taxes a month. They are offering DSL for 26 bucks a month. I know DSL is a bit slower but, 14 bucks is 14 bucks. I don't use the internet for tons of streaming services so, I may not miss the speed. Sort of like I don't need a 2ghz machine at work to read email. A coworker was amazed that I was still using my trusty PII 333mhz and asked why I hadn't asked for an upgrade. I responded with why do I need an upgrade? Then I just waste a day and a half trying to get things set up like I have them now.

[Foxman]

I prefer DSL for security reasons. The Cable network is a shared system, if your neighbor has a packet sniffer they can see what you are doing online, it's much like the office, all of the traffic is available to everyone else. With DSL your individual line goes into a DSLAM - Digital Subsriber Line Access Multiplexer, from the DSLAM on the traffic is pooled through the telco's high speed line (OC3 usually) and your traffic cannot be seen by your neighbor. Cable is offering higher speeds these days but if you are security conscious, DSL is the way to go.

[Hardpoint]

Roadrunner rocks.

[Sean O'Gorman]

I had MSN DSL and now have COX cable internet, I prefer the cable much more.

[nz_climber]

Dial up all the way :D :thumbup:


;)

[Jag_Warrior]

Has anyone tried satellite based internet? Specifically DirecWay/DirecPC?

[Turn7]

Originally posted by Jag_Warrior
Has anyone tried satellite based internet? Specifically DirecWay/DirecPC?

I looked into it but, You still have to have a dail up connection to do the upload. So, you still tie up a land line while you are using it. The download stream is really quick.

[KLang]

I'm stuck with a 28.8 dial up at home :(

I'd take either if it was available.

[JoeBob]

For what most of us do, the speed doesn't make much difference. my 640K DSL (256 up) is more than enough for everyday use.

I went with DSL because FCC regulations require the telephone company to let you choose your own ISP. That meant I could keep the same local ISP that I had for many years. So, my wife and I both got to keep the email addresses we had for years, and I still got the stuff I really liked with my ISP. (Its hard to find an ISP that gives you access to a UNIX Shell Account these days!) (Not to mention that I had enough bad experiences with the cable company for cable, that I didn't want to be dealing with them for my Internet access as well.)

AT&T Broadband (now Comcast) is completely gone from my home. DirecTV provides the TV, and my Internet is provided by a local ISP (although the phone company still provides the connection to my ISP.)

[Jag_Warrior]

Originally posted by Turn7
I looked into it but, You still have to have a dail up connection to do the upload. So, you still tie up a land line while you are using it. The download stream is really quick.

I think the new one has two-way high speed. A friend of mine had the old one and I know what you mean. But the one that's branded DirecWay, I think it's two-way... no dial-up necessary? :confused:

[Grunschev]

I prefer DSL. Upstream and downstream the same speed. But it depends on what you do. When I'm downloading large files (bit torrent, ftp, whatever) I find that I'm restricted by the upload speed at the other end and almost never pull at my max. When I upload, I upload faster with DSL than cable. But if all you're doing is web surfing, either will be plenty fast.

Igor

[Turn7]

Originally posted by Jag_Warrior
I think the new one has two-way high speed. A friend of mine had the old one and I know what you mean. But the one that's branded DirecWay, I think it's two-way... no dial-up necessary? :confused:

Direcway is WAY expensive. Usually around 500-700 for set-up and 100bucks a month. That gets you 500 K both ways. Not practical or competitavly priced for my area. Maybe if I were in Alaska or some other remote area that didn't have sufficient infustructure to accomodate cable or ADSL it would be worth the money?