The heated debate
Sep 18 '00 (Updated Sep 23 '00)
It has been a long and heated debate. Which to choose? Cable: it’s been around longer, generally is known better, and may even hold faster speeds. DSL: new technology, dedicated line, and more.
They both have their advantages and disadvantages but before you make your decision you first must make sure there is a service available in your neighborhood. This information can easily be found at several websites. Just type in your address and it will show you the availability. I do not want to endorse any one website over the other so I will not elaborate. A simple search on a search engine should pop up many results.
Availability
Typically cable will be more readily available for the residential user being that many areas around the world have cable TV. Right now I can say this will not be the case for many commercial areas where there is no cable TV and therefore no cable connection. You are now limited to the choices of either DSL (if available) or T1 and other higher speed lines. DSL will probably be available in many major and secondary cities in the US and their suburbs but if you live in the country you are probably out of luck.
In order to be able to install DSL you must be within 18,000 ft. at maximum but for the highest speeds you would need to be at most 8,000 ft. away from the CO (central office). This may rule out several million people in the US for now, but every year DSL and cable modem’s coverage is increasing heavily. Those people would have to settle for dialup or if you can afford the steep prices you could go wireless or satellite as your only chance for broadband. Also, even if you are in range for DSL your wiring in your house may not be able to handle this relatively new technology. This usually applies for houses older than 30 years old.
Comparison
Now if you have past all the requirements, then continue reading for a guide on the major broadband technologies.
First let’s talk about speed. There are two major kinds of speed that you have to look for in a number. First is the Upload speed this is typically the lower number and units are given in kilobits (not kilobytes) per second. This speed applies when people download files off of your computer and especially are useful for video conferencing and hosting a server. This number usually is not very high for the residential user because you will not need high speeds in this category. The Download speed is usually the higher number and shows how fast you can download files. These are also shown in kilobits per seconds, which I will demonstrate now.
The typical DSL residential speed would be shown like this 128/768 this means that it will go at 128 kilobits per second upload and 768 kilobits download. 8 kilobits equals to 1 kilobyte. This turns into 16/96 KBps. This would be the maximum speed but only if you lived right next to the CO with a perfect line; and even then it wouldn’t be tops. It is though, very consistent and will maintain its speeds for the duration of you contract with your ISP (internet service provider).
With cable modem there will typically be higher speeds for the same price (you may also be able to get deals if you also use the ISPs cable TV) but you will lose consistency. If you are the only one on the block with a cable modem you will probably get super high speeds that DSL users would have to pay hundreds a month for. Though, as the population of your city increases its subscribers, it will get slower and slower. I have even heard reports of slowness under the speed of dialup. Also you probably will not be allowed to support servers with your cable modem; not only because of it’s unreliability but also because it’s usually prohibited in most contracts at the cheapest level cable speeds.
You must also consider the security risks. Since DSL and cable modems are a dedicated, always on line, some security risks may arise compared to dialup. The IP address, which is the number, your line takes when connecting to the internet will not always change when using always on and can increase venerability to hackers. Increased security features will depend on the service you sign up with. Terms like static IP address will mean your signal will be harder to hack into steal information but features such as this will cost more then the basic level amount. For the most part regular home users should not be to concerned about your computer’s security unless you have ultra confidential files. Since DSL is a dedicated line it will, for the most part, have more secure features while cable is connected to many of its subscribers, which makes it even more venerable.
Overall I would have to say if you were to choose between DSL and Cable you would have to base it on your needs. DSL is usually more directed towards business for its reliability and consistency though would serve well for the casual to hardcore internet home user and will continue to grow in speed and affordability in the future. Cable modem is for the hardcore gamer who is willing to risk downtime and reliability for high speeds but with little hope for significant improvement in the future.
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