DSL vs. Cable

[AND1]

I know you guys probably heard this a million times and I actually wanted to really see which one is faster becuase Comcast says thats cable is 2x as fast as DSL. So I went to a this website that tests how fast your internet speed is. Mine turned out to be 693 kbps download/ 92kbps upload. I went to comcast.com and got this:

Comcast High-Speed Internet is up to twice as fast as DSL*.

* Speed comparison is for downloads only and is compared to 640Kbps DSL. Maximum upstream speed: 128Kbps. Actual speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. Many factors affect download speed.

I want to know how much faster is comcast then my current DSL since I dont have a way to test it. If anyone here would kindly test their speed and post it up I would greatly appreciate it. I do a lot of downloading and speed is important to me. Also I went to Verizon.com, my current ISP, and they have 2 packages available:

1st package - Up to 768 Kbps/128 Kbps - $49.95 (the one i have but i pay $40 bucks because i ordered it when it first came out and the price was $39.95 so they just kept billing me $40)

2nd package - Up to 1.5 Mbps/128 Kbps - $59.95

I want to know if cable is faster then the second package or not and if that price is worth it. Please post what speed you have and test how fast it is at the webiste i listed. Thanks

[buzzrock]

First off all these speed tests on the web vary, the very best info you can gather is in real life downloads..
When I download stuff I usually average around 225kbs/sec, and its pretty constant, not using P2P.
As far as the test results on the link ya gave, I got this:
<620 "Your download" and <118 uploads
and can tell ya those are not accurate though, I done alot of these tests and most of em tell me im above T1, just says infinite on my downloads..
I know this is bullshit though..
I use download accelarator and it does help some, but no where near the speeds the test give..

[jesse]

I've tried the cable provider and the DSL provider and my area and in this area the cable provider (RoadRunner) is better then the DSL at least where I am at. DSL I find to be a bit pickier because sometimes the line quality can be worse.

[buzzrock]

BTW my connection is a cable modem, although I have the same line running my digital cable, so there is some signal loss, the reason I have these 2 on the same line is I also have 3 analog signals for my bedrooms on a second line..

[AND1]

is there anywhere i can go or a place to download something to test my true speed. For example, when i download things off kazza the highest I ever saw was 80 kb/sec. I know that it varys a lot on kazza but the highest i saw was 80 kb's. Whats the highest you saw with cable? And whats the average. Mine is around 30-40 kb's

[zodiac]

i just did that test three times and i got an avg. 2800kbps down and 116kbps up.(on cable)4pm
i already knew my upload sucks
i realy dont trust tests either but,
kazaa,the fastest on one file is 250kbps and my newserver (not my isp ) i download close to 3000kbps 8)
i would say cable is alot better then dsl,but it differs from place to place.
some places the dsl could better then cable.

[zodiac]

I want to know how much faster is comcast then my current DSL since I dont have a way to test it.

wont the cable company let you test it at the HQ.mine will,i just have to walk in.

[EaBa]

i just did that test three times and i got an avg. 2800kbps down and 116kbps up.(on cable)4pm
i already knew my upload sucks
i realy dont trust tests either but,
kazaa,the fastest on one file is 250kbps and my newserver (not my isp ) i download close to 3000kbps 8)
i would say cable is alot better then dsl,but it differs from place to place.
some places the dsl could better then cable.

3000 kbps????

Is that bits or bytes. I'm assuming bits, but still.

The fastest I ever got was around 500 kbytes/sec

[Jester700]

Where I am, cable WAS better than DSL. Now, with more cable users sharing bandwidth and the DSL company upping their top speed from 640k to 960k, DSL is usually a little better. BUT - should the cable company invest some more $$$, it's likely they could smoke the DSL.

As said above, check everything available to you in your own area.

[Kennyshin]

VDSL usually allows up to 10Mbps or more upload bandwidth.

[mrtristan]

The biggest variables are the service providers in your area. The cable and DSL connections in Hawaii run at the same speed.

I remember reading an article that described the pros and cons of cable and DSL. One system was better suited for small files, while the other was better suited for large files, due to the way that the data is packed. I can't remember which was which, though.

[Kennyshin]

http://www.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/vdsl.htm

For now, I have no interest in coaxiable cable.

[Kennyshin]

http://www.howstuffworks.com/vdsl3.htm

These are ALL DSL.

Asymmetric DSL (ADSL) - It is called "asymmetric" because the download speed is greater than the upload speed. ADSL works this way because most Internet users look at, or download, much more information than they send, or upload.

High bit-rate DSL (HDSL) - Providing transfer rates comparable to a T1 line (about 1.5 Mbps), HDSL receives and sends data at the same speed, but it requires two lines that are separate from your normal phone line.

ISDN DSL (ISDL) - Geared primarily toward existing users of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), ISDL is slower than most other forms of DSL, operating at fixed rate of 144 Kbps in both directions. The advantage for ISDN customers is that they can use their existing equipment, but the actual speed gain is typically only 16 Kbps (ISDN runs at 128 Kbps).

Multirate Symmetric DSL (MSDSL) - This is Symmetric DSL that is capable of more than one transfer rate. The transfer rate is set by the service provider, typically based on the service (price) level.

Rate Adaptive DSL (RADSL) - This is a popular variation of ADSL that allows the modem to adjust the speed of the connection depending on the length and quality of the line.

Symmetric DSL (SDSL) - Like HDSL, this version receives and sends data at the same speed. While SDSL also requires a separate line from your phone, it uses only a single line instead of the two used by HDSL.

Very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL) - An extremely fast connection, VDSL is asymmetric, but only works over a short distance using standard copper phone wiring.

Voice-over DSL (VoDSL) - A type of IP telephony, VoDSL allows multiple phone lines to be combined into a single phone line that also includes data-transmission capabilities.

[rhegedus]

is there anywhere i can go or a place to download something to test my true speed. For example, when i download things off kazza the highest I ever saw was 80 kb/sec. I know that it varys a lot on kazza but the highest i saw was 80 kb's. Whats the highest you saw with cable? And whats the average. Mine is around 30-40 kb's

http://www.adslguide.org.uk/tools/speedtest.asp

Rob

[SteveDVD]

My download speeds range from .5KB to 5.00KB

56k!! w0t!

[DJ-KeTTLe]

Let Me Just Say that in my country (australia) we Have 2 main providers of broadband both are aout the same price (between $AUD60 to $AUD80)
and both have a 3 gig download limit. which in my case i get capped 2 weks into the month so if anybody from australia and tell an aussie isp who has broadband unlimited downloads and uploads let me know

DJ-KeTTLe
__________________________________________________ ___
http://www.geocities.com/dj-kettle/

[SteveDVD]

hmm well while this topic has been alive...

I got DSL! Yippee! no more 56k!

and I havent found a limit yet but they may be hiding it from me

[AND1]

no more

.5KB to 5.00KB

[lineber]

I am really happy with my DSL connection. Speeds vary by your distance to the location of the connection. I must be extremly near, because I have done many of the "test" sites and I get amazing speeds. I use SBC Southwestern Bell DSL.

-lineber 8)

[AND1]

Hi I actually got cable to test it out since it was on special for 2 months free. Its actually faster than DSL. Real download time for DSL is around 70-90 kb's. For Cable it's 160-180 kb's a sec.

[Ducatti20]

One of the biggest differences between cable and DSL is the ping times and steady speeds. This is only truely important to you gamers out there. DSL has better (consistant) ping times and a steady speed as it is a single user connection, where cable tends to fluctuate depending on the number of users on your node (varies per provider, up to 255 in some areas). If you're on cable and are noticing a speed drop, give your provider a call and complain. They can increase your gateway over the phone!!

[WishMaker]

I'm in Florida, USA.

I haven't used cable, but if you decide to get dsl, ask how far away your house is BEFORE you sign on.

I signed up with bellsouth and not knowing anything about dsl, I figured if they said I was able to get it, then that's all there was to it.

Get it all hooked up with an external modem (with four computer's networked around the house) and find out my house is just within the outside limits to receive dsl. The cut off is supposed to be 18,000 feet from the CO and my house is 21,000 feet from the CO.

The tech guy said if I should see Rod Serling, I shouldn't be surprised because I am out in the twighlight zone as far as limits go. He had to lower the speed to keep me from getting lost connections.

SOOOO, be sure to ask. The closer you are to the CO the better you are. (Faster and Stable) Don't don't take the word of sly seller's about being close enough. Get it in writing. They will send someone to your house to find out exactly. That's what the tech guy said could have been done. (Said a lot of his orders were because bellsouth sold dsl to people that really were too far away from the Central Office.)

[legionpc]

Let Me Just Say that in my country (australia) we Have 2 main providers of broadband both are aout the same price (between $AUD60 to $AUD80)
and both have a 3 gig download limit. which in my case i get capped 2 weks into the month so if anybody from australia and tell an aussie isp who has broadband unlimited downloads and uploads let me know

DJ-KeTTLe
__________________________________________________ ___
http://www.geocities.com/dj-kettle/

Don't use Optus or Telstra broadband. If you go to a smaller ADSL provider, you'll get a much bigger download cap, for a similar price. I think iinet (www.iinet.com.au) gives 13 GB of downloads, and unlimited uploads. Really you should just shop around though. www.netspace.com.au also has some reasonable ADSL plans.