Cable versus DSL

[Nighthand]

OK. If this message has been posted before, I apologize. I am trying to determine the exact cost/performance between cable and DSL. Both of these services are going to be available pretty soon in my area, and I am thinking about getting one of them (this is for home). I have used DSL, but never used cable. I did not see a bill, nor did I see final startup costs. What were your startup costs and what is your monthly bill? Also, what kind of transfer rates do you get with each?

[LORE]

I have a cable modem. I pay $28 dollars a month, total for a 500k connection. It was $50, but do to competition with Phone ISP's they realy dropped the price. I use it for my gameing. On Napster I regularly get between 10 kbps-35kbps, with the ocasional 45 or 50 kbps. As for DSL service, i have no clue. It is not offered here, (in central Wisconsin) so i don't know anyone who has it. My brother lives near LA, and he had mentioned to me that his friend had DSL and it was about 40 bucks a month. I have been EXTREMELY SATISFIED with my cable modem. The only draw back is i have to have basic cable tv. I would rather have a satelite, but this is a consetion worth making for me. Well thats my two cents, hope it helps you in your desition.

P.S. please forgive my poor spelling, i spell phaneticly(sp)??!!?

------------------
We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us.

[This message has been edited by LORE (edited October 17, 2000).]

[Nighthand]

Did you buy or do you rent the cable modem? We are given the choice here. I will probably hook up the modem to my NT server at home so i can share the connection with the wife (it is an extra $10 per month if I buy a second IP). Here it is $30.00 per month if you have extended cable, plus cost of modem or $15.00 more a month to rent it. I keep hearing all these nightmare stories about how costly DSL is and how slow cable gets because bandwidth gets shared. If you get pretty consistent 10kbs transfer rates, it is about 3 times faster than my 56k modem.

[Larommi]

Cable is new to the area and I pay $40 a month for it. All set up was free. I am not sure but I think I can keep the modem after a year. If not I don't care, the thing is homely. I am currently running over T-1 speeds with downloads hitting 144 kbs. I know realistically this will slow down when more subscribers sign on. I am enjoying the ride while I can. DSL will be offered soon but I will stick to cable until it gets slow or if the DSL guys give me a heck of a deal.

Just remember DSL is dedicated bandwith and cable is not. Both are extremely nice to have no matter which route you go.

------------------
You spend your whole life believing that you're on the right track,
only to discover that you're on the wrong train.

[gotbyk]

First, unless you are certain your cable provider will not be upgrading it is not feasible to buy your modem. When they upgrade if you are renting you get a new modem, while if you purchased yours then you are stuck with a useless modem.
I have ADSL through Bellsouth now, I have had MindSpring cable service.[list][*]Cable

1. MindSpring does not require paying for Cable TV in order to have a cable modem.
2. I was paying $40 a month for the service and $13 for modem rental. I believe the install was free due to a special.
3. Speeds were awesome compared to the dialup I was used to. I usually got about 60 KB/s download. Since cable was new in my area I did not have to worry about competing with the neighborhood much.

[/list=a][list][*]ADSL

1. Then came ADSL. I moved into an area where I could get ADSL so I immediately called.
2. Cost was $60/month + $8 internet provider fee. No modem rental. They have since dropped to $50 + $8. You have to have basic phone service in order to get ADSL, however Bellsouth does offer discounts if you pay for better service. I pay just below $100/month for ADSL + Phone with a whole slew of options(caller ID plus, call waiting, forwarding, etc...)
3. Speed was again a nice jump from cable. I consistantly download at speeds of about 157 KB/s.

[/list=a]

Overall service was great for both and tech support was helpful when I had problems. However with the speed differences I'm for ADSL hands down reguardless of the price difference.

You can find a lot more info at DSL Reports.

Edited due to formating problems.

[This message has been edited by gotbyk (edited October 17, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by gotbyk (edited October 17, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by gotbyk (edited October 17, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by gotbyk (edited October 17, 2000).]