dsl vs. cable - preferences?

[nicco]

hey everyone,
once again i turn to the forum with a question to help me make a quicker, more information decision.
DSL vs CABLE internet connections.

obviously cable is MUCH faster.. but I wanted to know, is there any disadvantages related to home networking? easy to renew IP's?

also, i heard someone say that the cable company requires a land line at the house, which is what i want eliminate. Is this true? I can understand why for DSL since it comes over the twisted pair, but i imagine that cable shouldnt require a landline if up/down connection comes in over cable.

i figure it comes thru da modem and to my router and that is it. handle my router as normal, justing changing the connection type.

any possible disadvantages? stability, etc?
any pertinent info would be appreciated.

nicco

[areidmtm]

I've had both. Cable from that I have observed, is much faster. My DSL is rated at 1.5 MBPS and my cable is at 6 MBPS.

So just there cable is faster, but that all depends on where you are going. Some sites wont allow you us that much bandwidth in speed. Microsoft caps their downloads somewhere around 300-400 KBPS.

In either care, they are both fine. 1.5 MBPS is just fine and most sites wont let you go any faster than that anyway. But it is nice to be able to use the whole 6 MBPS when you can! :rolleyes:

[aceofspades]

In my area they offer 6.0 DSL. I currently have 3.0. I might upgrade.

[nicco]

thanks for the replies..

any considerations / drawbacks from the home networking standpoint?

i'm thinking of cutting off my DSL and getting cable for internet and to watch movies/tv.. but wanted to know if there are any drawbacks from the home networking point of view.

thanks

nicco

[areidmtm]

any considerations / drawbacks from the home networking standpoint?


No. They both go to a modem and then out to a hub or a wireless access point. Usually the modem that they give you is a wireless router as well. So in either case it's about the same. At lease that's been my experience with them.

[thenewguy]

consider total cost after one year or two; security; average download AND UPLOAD speeds
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/dslvscablemodem/
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6536_7-726601-1.html

[jdmcar]

cable rules

[nicco]

consider total cost after one year or two; security; average download AND UPLOAD speeds
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/dslvscablemodem/
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6536_7-726601-1.html

newguy, thanks for the links

and thanks for your comments, areidmtm


nicco

[bboysteele]

The other thing to keep in mind is services that are offered. I am on Adelphia cable and it works great but they stop services that other carriers allow you to have. On Adelphia, you cannot host a domain with email. They don't allow it, at least on a consumer account. DSL allows you to do this though. I would check to see what kind of services they offer if that is a concern. If you are using it just to surf the net then you should just get the one that has the most up/down speed. The other thing to consider is that DSL speed is somewhat guaranteed were as cable can fluctuate depending how many people are on at the same time. The more people that are on the slower your connection is. With DSL you don't have to worry about this. It's not a shared environment.

[Basil]

Cable can be much faster than DSL, but it isn't always the same speed. That's the only important difference for me.

[nicco]

not really sure what you meant by this..
On Adelphia, you cannot host a domain with email. They don't allow it, at least on a consumer account.

but as you and Basil both stated is the fluctuation of speed dependant on # of users online in my area. kinda a turnoff, but i would imagine that it wouldnt dip below my current DSL speed..

thanks for the feedback
nicco

[techgy]

And still another opinion -

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/dslvscablemodem/a/dslcablecompare.htm?rd=1

[Maggilove]

My DSL is a lot faster and more reliable than my partner's Cable.