Cable connection or DSL connection

[mill4023]

From what I understand, DSL is your home's dedicated line and the speed should not vary depending upon other DSL users in your area being on-line. Cable is more like dial-up - the more people that are on at the same time as you, the slower the speed.

Somewhat true, but I wouldn't say cable is more like dial-up. Cable speeds can often be much much faster than DSL and can be just as reliable. With cable, it's true that you will be sharing a segment with your neighborhood, so it can get bogged down if there are too many people on it. But this is only a problem if your cable provider plans poorly and doesn't have enough capacity to support the number of subscribers.
And with DSL, the farther you are from the phone company's central office, the slower the connection will be. And if you are too far away(usually more than 19,000 feet), you won't be able to get DSL.

There is no way to really say that one is better than the other. It really just depends on the providers and the area. Even the same provider can have really good service in one area and worse service in another.

A good site to get opinions on the options in your specific area is http://www.broadbandreports.com

 

[DisneyAunt]

I'm a dinasour......I still have dial-up. DOnt ask me why?

Just this past week I was thinking about getting DSL. I have to figure out how to do it since I have 4 networked systems in my office and a desktop and laptop at home.

 

[bdcp]

Verizon DSL which runs us $29.95/month and Earthlink ISP which is another $9.95/month. We have had no problem with Verizon, but Earthlink has gone down a couple of times for an hour or two for busy servers. We also have a wireless router which means several people can be on at the same time and it doesn't slow us down. Our bandwidth is fine. I don't have the patience for dialup anymore. On DSL everything loads really fast, especially photos. We used to have Directway (satellite) that was really fast at first since we were one of the first in our area to get it, but it slowed down dramatically as more people were added and anytime it rained hard or there was ice buildup, we'd lose the signal. And we currently have Direct TV, not cable tv so cable internet access doesn't make sense for us.

 

[Goofy22]

Well were not far apart I'm down near wildwood! I had Comcast for apprx 2 years! At first I loved it! Then it just seemed to keep getting slower and slower and problems getting online! I had called verizon to inquire about the Direct Tv they offer and found out with Three services there is a discount! So I have the Phone , Direct TV and Dsl and it works out to be cheaper than comcast! And impressed I was because it seems to be just as fast and at times even faster! Cable is overrated and overpriced! I am happier with the dsl I say if dsl is available in you're area go for DSL you'll be happier in the end and you will be saving dollars!!!!!

 

[mudnuri]

DSL is more constant than cable. It may have slower speeds. however the more people in your neighborhood are on cable, the slower your cable will be. With DSL it does not matter if your neighbor is on.

i use to have cable, until the rest of the neighborhood got it. I now have DSL, which is faster than my cable was.

32.00 a month, bundled with phone for a total of 65.44 a month, cable cheapest, even with a bundle is 44.95 plus minimum of 40 for cable

Brandy

 

[MikeL1515]

Just downgraded my DSL, I was paying $29.99 and only getting about 1M, so now I'm getting 768k for $14.95. Not much difference in speed that I can see.

P.S. The $14.95 is NOT a promotion that is going to go up after a year. The only requirements are 1.) annual commitment 2.) Qualifying phone package.

I had a bundled phone bill of $115.00 (cell, landline,dsl) Cancelled cell (now w/trac phone) downgraded dsl, now my phone bill $55.00! Saving $60.00 a month

 

[CheapMom]

I pay $29.99/month for Verizon DSL- It is very fast (only a tad slower than Comcast cable- which I sometimes use elsewhere.) It has never gone out on me. I am very happy with it. (Regular price might be $34.99- I think we get a $5 discount because we have a special phone package with unlimited Long Distance and features)

 

[~Kathie]

We had Cox Cable and switched to Verizon DSL.

Cable was faster, but not reliable. The first year we had it was great, but once more people in the area signed on, we would lose service daily. Not just slow, no service for hours. Customer service stunk for Cox. Everytime service went out and we called, we got someone in Oregon. They kept telling us it was our computer, not a line problem. I asked to talk to someone in RI....not possible.

Cox is the only cable company in our area so we are forced to deal with them for TV cable. We're hoping another company comes into the area and will give them a run for their money.

The same time we switched our internet service, we switched our phone lines back to Verizon. We have 2 lines and received better rates and customer service. Most companies offer package deals as many people mentioned, so be sure to check into that.

We have had very few problems with Verizon DSL which we have had for a couple of years. And if we do have to call, we get to talk to someone local.

 

[MikeL1515]

We had Cox Cable and switched to Verizon DSL.

Cable was faster, but not reliable. The first year we had it was great, but once more people in the area signed on, we would lose service daily. Not just slow, no service for hours. Customer service stunk for Cox. Everytime service went out and we called, we got someone in Oregon. They kept telling us it was our computer, not a line problem. I asked to talk to someone in RI....not possible.

Cox is the only cable company in our area so we are forced to deal with them for TV cable. We're hoping another company comes into the area and will give them a run for their money.

The same time we switched our internet service, we switched our phone lines back to Verizon. We have 2 lines and received better rates and customer service. Most companies offer package deals as many people mentioned, so be sure to check into that.

We have had very few problems with Verizon DSL which we have had for a couple of years. And if we do have to call, we get to talk to someone local.

I see you are upset with your cable, I was too, then I switched to Directv two years ago and never looked back.

I see you have Verizon, Did you know that Verizon offers Directv and if you bundle your Verizon and Directv bill together you get a discount on Directv!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

We had DSL up until the hurricanes hit last year. DSL became too flaky--it would stop working for anywhere from a few minutes to about an hour,several times a week, and Bellsouth could not give us an explanation. We are very happy with Cox cable now--we've had cable for about a year and it's been very consistent and reliable (sounds like others have had varied experiences with Cox Cable, though).

 

[CheapMom]

P.S. The $14.95 is NOT a promotion that is going to go up after a year. The only requirements are 1.) annual commitment 2.) Qualifying phone package.

Thanks for this info! I assumed the 14.95 was an intro rate/promo deal so I never bothered calling about it- I may have to try this!

 

[mom2jamie]

I do have cable modem. What they do not tell you is that they have lower internet rates. They did not tell me this so you all might inquire with your cable provider. My plan costs $21.95 + taxes.My service is like having a phone line but does not tie up the phone line. I really have not noticed a lot of issues thought I do not download alot of things either.

I also have a service that verizon offers called measured phone service ( you can research it on their website) and I only pay $14 per month for phone service. It gives you a certain amount of 5 minute blocks of calls. This works great because I use cells for most of my calls.

 

[Hygiene99]

We have Cable Modem, with Rcn We have a bundled package (phone cable & internet.) we love our cable modem service have had no troubles,
We also have AOL the BYOA plan for 8 Bucks a month, Just got that reduced from the normal rate of 15 bucks.. this requires a one year contract.. And you have to call to cancel to get this offer. I think, that is what we did.and was offered the low rate.

Recently was thinking of changing phone service to one of the voip services called rcn to discuss dropping the phone service without the bundle package I would save only $15.00 the amount the new service was going to cost so I left it alone, but they did drop my bundled price for 6 months by $20.00..
this was offered to me I did not ask.

We have skype and we love it..