I am looking to switch my internet service from cable to DSL. Can anyone help me decide if I should do it?

Question

I am mad at the cable company for increasing their prices. If I decide to go with a local phone service and DirectTV then I would have to switch from cable internet to DSL. I have had a bad experience in the past with DSL, but haven't tried it in over 6 years. I just want to get some input from DSL users to see if the speeds are comparable to cable. DSL offers me speeds up to 1.5 Mb.

Answer 1

Normal DSL speeds are quoted as 768Kbps, so that at 1.5Mbps they have encoded the two-wire to double that, creating, so-called high-speed DSL. You'll never see such speeds no matter what they promise you.

Then, consider the cable can run at 10-100Mbps, so I can't see where being mad at your cable company justifies sacrificing that kind of speed advantage.

Where you put DirectTV into the equation on top of DSL you introduced another level of complexity that will cost you more speed.

As for satellite hook-ups in general, pray is doesn't rain where you live.

Answer 2

While all carriers promise high transfer rates, the truth is they only have so much bandwidth to give out. Speed is actually a function of what time of day it is and how much traffic is on the particular Internet segment you are using.

When comparing (DSL or Cable), the first thing to ask is what do you want to do with it. If the only thing you do is simple e-mail and cruising the Internet then DSL is great. There will be very little notice in your speed difference.

Get used to the bad service, all carriers share this feature at one time or another. As for reliability the only way to find out in your area is to ask your neighbors.

If you do large downloads or uploads then standard DSL will be much slower than standard cable. But it is still bearable.

The next is cost. DSL is cheaper than cable and both are way lower then satellite.

Now for the switch. The hardest part about the switch is notifying people of your new e-mail address

Answer 3

I hate our local cable company, because they give such awful prices and don't include channels in their basic digital package that come in so many others states. So I use DSL and absolutely love it. I'm paying for 5mb and get 12 mb. Currently I'm connected at a speed of 100.00 mbps. It's fast uploading and dl'ing with minimal delay. I used to have cable internet in another state, which was fine, but the prices where I live now just aren't worth it. The price for DSL stays the same, while cable changes as you know. I would never switch back to cable where I currently live. If I lived in another state, then I might. It helps if you're close to the hub, which is where it comes from, that will make it faster or slower if you live further away from it.

Answer 4

It really depends on what DSL and Cable companies you are dealing with. I've had cable (Comcast) that provides 3Mbps download 385k upload and Cable (COX) that provides 10Mbps download, 2Mbps upload -- same with DSL one ISP gave me 750k/750k and another 8Mbps/3Mbps. Check the rates. Also if you have Verizon Fios available in your area, get that -- its fiber optics and you can get 30Mbps/2Mbps for $35.00 a month -- kicks cable and dsl's butt!

Answer 5

Check the speed on your existing cable Internet access before you switch.

http://www.speedtest.net

DSL hasn't changed much in the last 6 years other than the price has come down some.