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

[Aaron Willems]

I too have been using Comcast for 5 years. I pay extra fot an 8 MB
download. I sometimes get a little more. You are also correct that the
Comcast Modem crashes about once a month. I usually have to reboot my
modem (unplug it). Not a big deal. I'm happy with this service. Yes, I
know sometimes during peak hours my connection drops to half to about 4
MB. I can deal with that. I will not however go back to DSL. Yes, DSL
provides a guaranteed bandwidth, but from my experience it's still too
slow. I won't consider moving back to DSL until they provide a guaranteed
6 to 8 MB download speed.

Just my 2 cents.

-- 
Aaron Willems
aaron at macmanifest.com
http://www.MacManifest.com
Spreading the Good Word about Today's Macintosh.


> 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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