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Victoria in AZ
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| Posted: Aug 26 2006 at 6:18pm | IP Logged
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Hi, Tim,
We are moving and it's time for us to choose between high speed cable (which we've had for years) or the phone company's DSL. The DSL people tell me they are quicker and I know for sure they are less expensive.
May I take a minute (more) of your time for your opinion/experience with these two?
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Victoria in AZ
dh Mike 24 yrs; ds Kyle 18; dd Katie 12; and one funny pug
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theNetSmith
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| Posted: Aug 26 2006 at 6:56pm | IP Logged
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Victoria-
The phone company wasn't just blowing smoke...there is a very good reason that DSL is faster (unless the technology has changed since we had our cable modem -- which is entirely possible)...
Cable modems operate over the same coax cable that the cable TV signal is carried on. Those coax cables are basically a long series of Y-connectors, splitting the originating signal again and again to reach all those different houses in your neighborhood. As such, everyone in your neighborhood who uses a cable modem is sharing the bandwidth provided by the nearest source. Even when only a handful of people are using it simultaneously, your up/download times will noticeably suffer.
DSL, on the other hand, operates over the phone lines, which are not shared by anyone outside your household. For those who are curious -- yes, it is possible to talk on the phone and surf the internet using DSL at the same time without either being affected.
I'm sure I am sounding very pro-DSL here. I have definitely been very pleased with our DSL service (read reliability) since we got it about a year and a half ago. Our provider is Verizon, btw. Note, tho, that I had a cable modem for several years before that and thought the service was pretty good...and I know that it is possible to get more bandwidth over the cable modem now (the 'premium' service at the 'premium' cost -- ha) than was possible when I made the switch (and I had 'high speed' cable back then, too!)...
I am not surprised that the DSL is cheaper in your area -- I believe that is going to be the case in most places to the tune of 10 or 20 bucks a month. Our local cable company had to start offering a 'standard' service in order to stay competitive when DSL started growing in popularity and affordability. But it was SLOOOW.
Bottom line: I think you should give the DSL a try. I believe that if you notice a difference in speed...it will be faster.
Glad you asked...and I hope this is helpful for others.
-Tim
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Aug 26 2006 at 7:51pm | IP Logged
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Um...Tim...our cable is way faster. Don has both in his office, and cable blows DSL away. Maybe it depends on where you are?
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theNetSmith
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| Posted: Aug 26 2006 at 10:31pm | IP Logged
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see? now, as soon as I wrote that, I knew someone was going to come along and refute it...
and that is exactly why I threw in those caveats! let me recap...
I wrote:
I had a cable modem for several years before that and thought the service was pretty good...and I know that it is possible to get more bandwidth over the cable modem now ... than was possible when I made the switch...
Our local cable company had to start offering a 'standard' service ... But it was SLOOOW |
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-T
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 9:23am | IP Logged
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theNetSmith wrote:
see? now, as soon as I wrote that, I knew someone was going to come along and refute it...
-T |
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Oh, Tim...it's just me.  I think I'm still in the dark as to why one is faster than the other. If many users can slow cable, can many users slow DSL? So you think we just have a great modem? Is there a modem brand you recommend for best performance?
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theNetSmith
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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my understanding is that the up/down speeds you are quoted for your DSL package are not affected by the number of other users in your area.
as for your cable modem, it could be that there aren't very many subscribers in your area...and it could also be that you utilize your connection at times of day that see less activity...more people are online between dinner and bedtime than, say, from 8am - noon...
i can't recommend any particular brand of cable modem...ours was whatever we were handed by the cable company when we signed up.
-T
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 1:02pm | IP Logged
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So, if we decide to get DSL instead of cable when we move into our house, what do you need for the DSL (we needed a modem for the cable)?
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 4:16pm | IP Logged
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Here's another monkey wrench...we just switched to Verizon's FIOS and it's super-fast. Very few problems so far, too.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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theNetSmith
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 6:52pm | IP Logged
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KC, the phone company will likely send you the DSL modem required, as well as the filters that must go on every phone jack that is to be used by a phone.
Nan, this is the first i have heard of FIOS...i will have to look into it...
-T
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-Mother Theresa
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 6:57pm | IP Logged
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Funny. Verizon has been busily installing FIOS in the 'hood here. They are offering cable TV, including EWTN (regular cable does not offer it, except as an overnight addition to our local "Catholic" programing), at a better price. Maybe if the DSL via Optical is fast enough, we'll switch.
Gotta love competition.
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Aug 27 2006 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
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We don't have FIOS TV...they were slow getting county approval, and we waited almost 60 days and then went with satellite. Now, of course, we could get fiber TV...sigh. It's OK; DirecTV has EWTN.
FIOS doesn't use your cable or phone lines. They run a fiber package to the house (with a box in the garage and one on the outside of the house). So far we've been really happy with it. We opted for the "medium speed" version, not the $100 per month super-high-speed version. I use the computer a lot for research and writing (when I'm not here! ), but we don't watch video via the internet. Medium speed is great.
BTW, we had satellite internet in WV (Hughesnet). It was much better than the local dialup (26K!!!), but it was fairly slow compared to FIOS.
You've just exhausted my tech knowledge base. More info would have to come from my dh...
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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4Real Forums : Technical Help!
Topic: high speed cable vs. dsl
