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

[Jones Earle]

Note to Amir:

Greetings!  Can you tell us what the costs are for your DSL 6Mbps and  
3Mbps connections?

Thanks,

earle
*

On Mar 6, 2006, at 4:56 PM, Amir 'CG' Caspi wrote:

> I'm on SBC DSL on their 3Mbps plan.  I routinely max it out.  I  
> used to be
> on their 6Mbps plan and would consistently get 5.2Mbps downloads,  
> any time
> of day.  (I lost that plan when I moved, as they didn't offer it for a
> couple of years.  They now offer a 6Mbps plan once again, and I will
> likely sign up for it sometime soon.)
>
> Note that Comcast does *NOT* guarantee their download rates.  While  
> the
> rates may be consistent, they are by no means guaranteed... they don't
> even guarantee a minimum.  SBC at least guarantees you a minimum  
> 1.5Mbps
> if you are on the 3Mbps plan.  Granted, the guarantee on the 6Mbps  
> plan is
> also 1.5Mbps...
>
> I am considering switching to Comcast as well, haven't really made the
> decision yet.  I've been happy with SBC so far, although I would  
> like a
> faster connection, hence the quandary about switching up to the 6Mbps
> connection vs. switching to Comcast.
>
> 						--- Amir
>
> On Mon, 6 Mar 2006, Aaron Willems wrote:
>
>> 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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