Cable Internet Service

[Dark Ranger 0]

I'm seriously considering switching from DSL to COX Cable, mainly due to the fact that I can get much better service for the same price. DSL upgrades are out of the question - too expensive.

I am not a current cable subscriber, and my house does not have a lead-in line. So, they will have to install one from my residential hub. I have a couple neighbors with cable internet/digital cable that I am going to ask. They will provide me with real-time assessments.

Thanks for your vote/comments.

[Crimson 0]

Its true, cablecan be faster than DSL. It does have faster upload speeds, but Ill still take DSL any day over Cable. The stableness is what sells it for me.

Edit - The poll is kind of useless, considering you can fill in all those options.

Edited June 16, 2003 by Crimson

[Rocky 1,224]

You don't say what aspects of the service are better, for the same price - is a better speed or extras?

My experience of UK Cable won't be of much use to you I wouldn't have thought - but I love it anyway

[Dark Ranger 0]

Ah, my apoligies.

I'm paying $50 a month for a local ISP, and 768KB/s DL and 128KB/s UL for the DSL line

Here are my upgrade choices:

- 1.0MB/s DL and 256KB/s UL for $100

- 1.5MB/s DL and 256KB/s UL for $150

- 1.5MB/s DL and 384KB/s UL for $444

I'm wishing to upgrade speed. Gaming is one aspect that is difficult. While it is decent, I start lagging out because of restricted DL/UL speeds. My average DL is 80KB/s, and average UL is 39KB/s.

I realize there are many other factors involved - latency, backbone bottlenecks, etc etc - but I believe upgrading to cable, primarily for speed, will assist with gaming and surfing.

What one person says about their service does not dictate how my service will be - I understand that. I am merely trying to create a general consensus; attempting generalities.

[NurFACE 0]

I believe the service of any ISP may be only as good as your location. DSL is good if your close to hub. Cable is good if not many people in surrounding area are chewing up bandwidth. Cable isn't capped at 1.5MB like DSL but DSL is good if you want to host. *DSl location *Cable how many users share connection. I prefer Cable due to bandwidth can be more aggressive than 1.5MB. My two cents

[ReconSnake 0]

I pay about $40 for my cable. I pay for .75 mbps d/l speed but average about .8 -.9 mbps. My upload is capped at 128 kbps. The next package jumps to 256 upload, then 512 - but I don't see a point in paying the hike for what I use the internet for. I need the d/l speed way more than I need the u/l speed.

I will say I have had about 5 weeks of flakey or non-existent service already in the 8 months or so I have been using this company (Charter). When it works, it's great. When it is down, Charter has run the full gamet from on top of it to incompetent.

RS

[snakebite1967 0]

I had cable for years and had plenty of slow downs and connection issues once i switched to dsl it seemed to end , i get much faster speeds than cable for not much more cost .

my cable was a 1 mb download speed and less than 200mb upload my dsl is an ultra service 4.5 down 1.5 up even tho in reality it never exceeds 2.9 mb down i can still game on 2 pcs while my kids listen to broadband music sites, id never switch back

[Dark Ranger 0]

Thanks for all of the replys. I definately have to do something, cause I can't host more than 3 peeps - even though they all have broadband.(Perfect example tonight: Crashed the server during Willow Bow in GR)

It will take about a week for the cable company to check prerequisites for laying the cable. Until then, I do more research.

Again, thanks for the comments.

[Crimson 0]

Thanks for all of the replys. I definately have to do something, cause I can't host more than 3 peeps - even though they all have broadband.(Perfect example tonight: Crashed the server during Willow Bow in GR)

LOL, that was weak. If I were you, id switch to anything but ISDN or 56k.

[Ruin 17]

Mainly because of my area, DSL only got 30KBS here... cable goes a WHOLE lot faster (close to 150KBS on avg).

Great stuff IMO.

[Specter 0]

Id take DSL over cable for a couple reasons. One, DSL is your line and is pretty much secure, and the bandwidth on that line is yours. With cable, you are sharing the available bandwidth with everyone on the hub or node, and that can be up to 120 people. Peak times, your throughput can go to hell in a hand basket. And 2, everyone on that node can conceivable be in your network neighborhood. When I worked for Comcast, that was a very common issue. People would crank up Winblows, check network neighborhood, and guess what? 60 or 70 neighbors show up.

If you have a router, that is very unlikely to happen, unless your machine is DMZ'd. But still, the risk is there.

No, DSL has my vote for :

Dedicated bandwidth

Security

Reliability. At least its reliable for me moreso than cable ever was. Steady BW and security. And better service than most cable companies offer. Most cable companies customer support sucks. I worked for Comcast and ATTBI and quit because of it.

I have also worked installing and supporting DSL for companies like Sprint and Qwest, and MSN, and with the exception of the latter, found them extremely reliable and customer service oriented.

These are just my opinions about the service and such. The security and BW issues are pretty much fact.

[Ruin 17]

and the bandwidth on that line is yours.

Yes, but it depends on how far away you are from the central office correct?

@DR, I think you should do some local searches. Talk with companies and know these tech things, like how distance effects your conenction. How oftent he server goes down (twice since I've had cable).

That's what I would do if I were you.

[Specter 0]

Yeah, it does. But mostly it depends on the equipment your local phone company has in that office. For instance, I'm 19,000 feet, almost 4 miles away, and I gt average speeds of 1.6Mb down, and 640Kbps up, and I have a 1.5/512 plan.

Qwest and Pac Bell can provide good speeds out to about 21K feet, Verizon, about the same. Southern Bell will only go 3 miles max, and wont even give it to you if its farther than that, the same with Ameritech.

IF the telcos(Telophone Co.) have enough demand in an area, they usually install top of the line equipment. Alot also depends on the telephone wiring in your house, and how old it is.

There are alot of determing factors. Cable is usually a good service, but given a choice, I would take DSL. Just make sure you get some facts first before making a choice to avoid headaches, such as your loop length, take into consideration the age of the wiring in your residence, and who the telco is that your provider uses.

[Specter 0]

For instance, Both Verizon and Qwest here in Oregon provide 640/256 for 49.00 a month, and the speeds are guaranteed at least 80% of advertised plan.

Verizon Avenue here provides a 1.5/256 for 59.00, and their speeds are also guaranteed 80% or higher, but generally run higher than advertised.

Alot also depends on if you use the telco as a provider, or someone else such as earthlink or MSN or AOL, who all now have Broadband offerings.

I find that the telcos themselves are a better more reliable provider without all the unnecessary fru fru. And service is quicker because you arent going through a third party.

Maybe you should check into some alternate DSL providers in your area before making a decision.

Edited June 18, 2003 by phantom110565

[Specter 0]

Also, Dark Ranger, a good place for info on cable internet and DSL as well as comparisons is :

http://www.dslreports.com.

They also have great tools which will bench your download and upload speeds.

Edited June 18, 2003 by phantom110565

[Dannik 43]

I'm on ADSL, with 3 megs down/640k up. It's a residential line, but a special package for bandwidth hogs just like me.

I've used cable in the past, and it's fine, but slow uploads, and (local provider's) poor track records for uptime and service quality signed the deal for me.

The only thing about cable that I miss is semi-fixed IP addresses, as DSL is virtually always dynamic, which is fine for a client, but with the speed I have available, I also tend to host games, or comms, or files/etc... but the dynamic IP makes that awkward, without using an IP redirect service, akin to dyndns.org

Still, it's important to test all available services, or, as just mentioned, DSL Reports, and try to find your local providers, specifically your locality, not just the company (in case of large ISP's).

[ReconSnake 0]

What do you pay a month for that?

RS

[Dannik 43]

About $60CAD. Roughly $45 US a month. There's a few other perks included, like subscription to some online game "rental" services, that sort of thing.

[Dark Ranger 0]

Thank you for the additional comments. I view this thread frequently, so all your suggestions are considered.

My current DSL provider is local, and is the same telco for our phone service. IIRC, we are around 11,000 feet from the Central Computers. At $50 per month for 768KB/128KB, though I NEVER get that. I think I can do better, though the plan was decent back when I purchased it.

I've been using BroadBandReports.com for alot of my research. Here are the local options I have for cable, satellite, and DSL:

COX HSI (Cable)

DirectWay(Satellite)

Tulsa Connect(DSL line to Valor, very similar to existing setup)

Vigoris (DSL)

SBC SouthWestern Bell (Cable)

Dannik's package is something I'd definitely consider, though I find it hard to believe he pays that price for that service. Damn.

I do know that COX has excellent reports in our area, so that was one reason I'd considered them. Around $50 per month is my goal for either service.

I'm reading an awful lot about caps on cable lines though. What use is that? They give me generous bandwidth, but tell me "oh yea, gotta keep it under 1GB or so a day."

[Dannik 43]

Dannik's package is something I'd definitely consider, though I find it hard to believe he pays that price for that service. Damn.

That's one of the benefits of living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

We've got one hell of a backbone for internet access, and as such, competition makes it very viable to be inexpensive.

Still, I've got an unusual deal, thanks to good customer service reps at my (National) ISP. I fluked out, and love it.

[Dark Ranger 0]

Well, I am nearing a decision here. The result is based off real-time analysis, and daily reviews/reports. COX Cable might just be my way to go. Here's why:

- My current DSL provider sucks. I can't upgrade to a higher service level, and keep the same price(checked with my ISP on that this week). I read a couple reviews from people 600FT or so from the CO, with crap d/l rates, even with higher service plans.

- The other local DSL providers here are either crap, or don't have service in my area(CO location).

- ComCast Cable doesn't service my area, and I don't have a cable line installed yet.

- I spent an hour and a half going door-to-door tonight, asking neighbors if they had COX HSI service. Out of 28 people I talked to, only 5 had the service.

The ones that did were pleased with transfer rates, had no down-times they could remember, and said service stayed steady during peak hours.

- Spent 20min on the phone with a friend who has COX, not to far away from me. He lives in an apartment with 12 units. 6 units have Cable, and he still gets great service. Had him do a couple ping tests, and most were sub-50. Speed tests from PC-Pitstop and BroadBandReports cited around 3.2MB Down, by 300KB Up.

So, it all hinges upon what the technician says when he calls me back, regarding the cable installation. If you recall, I do not have an existing line. They will have to install the line, then do a "wall fish" for $20. I could have 'em install the line on the adjacent outside wall, and run an extension the 12 feet or so to the modem.

Supposedly, the first outlet is free. I will "sign up" for Basic Cable, then purchase my own modem, and purchase the Self-Install Kit. This will save me around $140.

After that, I call COX up and give 'em my MAC address and serial number for the modem, and get my DHCP address.

This isn't set in stone yet, but with what I have to work with, it seems like the right action. Many thanks to everybody who contributed advice. It is much appriciated.

I'll update when I know more...

[Specter 0]

It sounds like you have found the right choice for yourself bro. I think you did the right thing checking all your options as thoroughly as you did.

Right now, I live in an Apt complex, and cable isnt an option for me, even if that would be my choice.

I have had both cable and DSL service, and as I said in an earlier post, have worked for the big guys in a support/NOC position.

When I had ATT@home, later to become ATTBI, I had no technical issues, and at the time I had it, they didnt have the DL and UL capped at certain speeds, so I was at that time getting 4.5Mb down, and 2,5Mb up on average. I was part of a pilot program then in Denver, in the first neighborhoods that ATT ran FO at the poles, and the only coax was to your house. The only issue I had at that time, was if you dont have a router or firewall, your entire neighborhood was part of your Winblows Network neighborhood.

Now the cable companies cap there bandwidth, because at the speeds we were getting when it first became popular, if someone in the neighborhood was running a web server, the rest of us were SOL.

With DSL, its dedicated and secure. That's the main reason I chose DSL. The bandwidth I get is all mine all the time.

Good luck with your service man. You will enjoy it.