[G4] DSL and Cable modems: Which is better?

[Jones Earle]

My answer is Cable modem.

Perhaps it is peculiar to my locality, but I have fantastically fast  
modem service through Comcast.  When downloading from a fast server  
(for example getting updated software from Apple), the peak DL rates  
are something like 700 kBytes/sec, or 5.6 mbits/sec.  That is  
equivalent to about four T-1 lines.

The average DL speed is of course less, but almost always 200kBytes  
(1.6 Mbits) per second.  That's about a T-1 line.  The cost is about  
$55 per month, once you get past the introductory offers (first month  
$20, etc.)

The people I know who are on DSL get a 'guaranteed' 396 kbit/sec rate  
or about 50kBytes/sec.

I don't know the price of DSL.

DSL uses the same phone lines that your voice phone uses.  (The local  
telephone techs call this "flashlight wiring".) That is why you must  
be within a certain distance (about three miles) from the nearest  
telephone central station or repeater.

The problems that Comcast had a few years ago have been solved.  The  
worst situation I face today is when, for some unknown reason, I find  
my internet connection dead when I start up.  I unplug the modem for  
a half-minute or so, plug it back in, and things are fine.  This  
might happen about once a month.

I live in the San Francisco Bay area on the peninsula about 30 miles  
south of San Francisco?

What is your experience?  I would be especially interested in DSL  
performance and price.

Thanks!

earle
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