OnThursday, March 23, 2000 3:20 PM, "RiverRouge" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Hello: I have had cable modem service for about one month. Most of the
> time it is fast, however it does tend to bog down frequently. DSL is now
> available in my area. Can someone tell me the pro's and con's of DSL i
> comparison to Cable or direct me to an internet site with such
information.
DSL is a faster Internet connection over standard telephone wires. In
concept, it's like ISDN, but a lot faster. You can get DSL service from a
number of ISP's. The main competition for faster surfing is cable modem
service. You can now connect to the Internet using exactly the same cable
that you probably have hooked up to the TV. Some cable providers (companies)
point to speeds of 30 Mbps - 500 times faster than the fastest analog
modem - when they talk about their technology. Many claim that each standard
TV channel offers 6 Mbps of capacity and they can put 60 to 80 channels
on their cable. DSL vendors reply that you can download at 7 Mbps over
standard twisted pair (telephone) wire - plenty for full motion video -
and even higher speeds are possible.
In the not so distant future, both will probably run at about 1.5 Mbps for
practical purposes. And even then, you will probably be server bound and
won't be able to approach the top speed. Some DSL vendors offer DSL in three
standard speeds: 256 Kbps, 512 Kbps, and 768 Kbps (depending on your
supplier - you can buy DSL service ISP's other than US West and things
change fast). Cable already runs at a download speed of 1.5 Mbps but
only 128 kbps upload. Cable modem digital service is about twelve months
ahead in most markets and many forecasters predict that DSL will catch up
fast. Also, cable modems have a few technical problems of their own.
One critical difference is when you sign up with the cable company, you get
a package deal including both the faster broadband connection and an ISP
service. Many ISP's are now lobbying hard in Washington to force the cable
companies to open up their market, but don't expect it to happen very soon.)
With DSL, you can sign up with any ISP that supports DSL. Cable modems
require "a cable" and has an easily overlooked side effect about accessing
your Internet account away from the cable. Normally, you can't. If you use
the Internet on the road in any way, TCI@Home offers you the exciting option
of paying for an extra Internet account that you can dial up at $15.00 a
month. On the other hand, some ISPs offering DSL service do the same thing.
It's a good thing to ask about when you're shopping around. Technically,
cable modems make your PC a node in an Ethernet network that includes you
and your neighbors. You connect through a standard Ethernet network card in
your PC - just like a business might use. This makes cable modems simply
less secure because you share this network and every byte sent to you is
also routed through your neighbor's PC. It's even possible for your neighbor
to "see" your PC's hard disk if it's set up that way. The cable modem itself
can solve most of the problem by encrypting your data back to the cable
company's computer. TCI@Home isn't rolling out that feature in certain
areas, so you have to make sure your own connection is secure. If the
security of your PC files is important, make sure you understand how to
configure your network settings on your PC with cable modem service.
DSL, on the other hand, provides a unique connection from you to the DSL
provider. At some point, bandwidth is always shared. But DSL technology
gives you much better assurance that if you pay for a megabit of bandwidth,
you get a megabit of bandwidth. One of the biggest problems of DSL is that
they're pushing the technology to the limit when they put that kind of
bandwidth on standard telephone wires. IMHO, in a lot of cases, the quality
of the telephone wires themselves just isn't good enough. Depending on how
the telephone wires are installed in your home - not to mention your
neighborhood - you have a very good chance of simply not being able to use
DSL until it's replaced. By one estimate, only 30% of the wire in US West's
operating area is capable of DSL. Depending on where you live, you might be
able to get both cable modem and DSL Internet service for your PC but
coverage is spotty. The first thing to do is find out whether your house
is covered. To check on cable modem/DSL service, call as many local
providers as necessary to comparison shop. Don't be surprised if you can
only get one type of service where you live right now. In both cases, the
companies have to install a lot of very expensive equipment before the
service is available for you. HTH. :-)
Walter R. Worth
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