Is 256kb/sec DSL good or is cable better?

[tony...@my-deja.com]

Is 256kb/sec DSL good or is cable better?

I ask because during a period of system upgrade there have been several
weekends lately where my cable service was terrible if any. A national
DSL provider took advantage of the situation and offered a free DSL
modem and free installation/hookup last week, and I accepted. The modem
is not suppose to arrive for 2-3 weeks, so I guess I have time to
change my mind.

The DSL provider said they guarantee a minimum download speed of 256k/s
and I am wondering what the maximum d/l speed would be? I am also
wondering how this compares to cable. Today my cable d/l speed is in
the neighborhood of 320 k/s and I think that is pretty good. I am
wondering if I made a mistake ordering DSL and whether I should cancel
it before it starts?

Tonyxave

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[Albert Hennesy]

<tony...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> Is 256kb/sec DSL good or is cable better?

It depends on how far you are from your central office.
If you are less than 12,000 ft. away, 256kbps is slow.
The usual max for ADSL (if you are at, say 5,000 ft.)
is 1.5Mbps. Distance, quality of the lines, bridge taps,
nearby RF sources play a big role.

Al_Hennesy

[Gautam Amin]

It seems that your cable modem is much better than the DSL.
If that 256ks/sec is KILOBITS a second, then that is roughly 32k/sec or
Kilobytes a second.
The cable modem is download at over 300k/sec and probably uploads at around
15k/sec like mine. if you need to upload a lot, then the DSL may be better,
but if your cable is downloading quickly liek that, I would keep that.

Here in North Dakota, cable modem is great, the downloads are usually
300-500k/sec and the upload is capped at 15k/sec. The DSL is a rip off,
becuase to get a decent speed, you have to pay over $70 bucks a month.
<tony...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:92aaqu$djj$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...

[Richard Steiner]

Here in comp.dcom.modems.cable, tony...@my-deja.com spake unto us, saying:

>Is 256kb/sec DSL good or is cable better?

I've used both (US/Qwest 256k DSL for two years at my old Bloomington
apartment, and now Time Warner RR here in Eden Prairie), and I'd say it
depends on a number of factors.

The fact that many DSL users have the ability to choose their ISP is a
huge plus in my book, and it was nice to be able to choose a smaller
(more responsive) ISP instead of a huge national one.

On the other hand, not as many people seem to have the option to use
DSL available to them due to line distance and quality requirements.

Since you're lucky enough to have the option, I'd suggest trying them
both and making your own decision. :-)

>The DSL provider said they guarantee a minimum download speed of 256k/s
>and I am wondering what the maximum d/l speed would be?

If it's really 256k down, you'll see something around 25KBytes/second.

--
-Rich Steiner >>>---> rste...@visi.com >>>---> Eden Prairie, MN
OS/2 + BeOS + Linux + Solaris + Win95 + WinNT4 + FreeBSD + DOS
+ PC/GEOS + Fusion + vMac + Executor = PC Hobbyist Heaven! :-)
Docs? Why look at Docs? Nurses are better! :-)

[Ron Hunter]

Usually, the speed guaranteed is the minimum you can expect to get, with about
1.5mbps as the top. Your service may vary.
Cable service speeds vary WIDELY, from highs near 8mbps to real 'dogs' like
256kbps. Mine usually runs about 3.2mbps down and 480kbps up.
This is a new fiber cable system maintained by Charter.

--
Ron Hunter rphu...@home.com

[cold...@my-deja.com]

My DSL connection is about 962kb/sec it use to be
at 262kb/sec. The trick is to have your phone
company install a new phone line. Usually your
existing line is old and has mositure or humidity
in it, which is a big no no.

In article <3A49433D...@home.com>,

[jdw]

There are a lot of unhappy DSL subscribers out there. I suggest
checking out the newsgroup comp.dcom.xdsl and see how many bad things
are being said about your new provider. Here on the east coast, most
of us have Verizon and there are not many happy campers. I'm changing
from them to RoadRunner next week if that tells you anything.

Good luck.

[tony...@my-deja.com]

In article <92bo40$fq9$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,

cold...@my-deja.com wrote:
> My DSL connection is about 962kb/sec it use to be
> at 262kb/sec. The trick is to have your phone
> company install a new phone line. Usually your
> existing line is old and has mositure or humidity
> in it, which is a big no no.

How much will the phone company charge to install a new line? Will the
charge more if you're getting the dsk fro a different company? Will
they charge less if you're getting your dsl right from them?

Tonyxave

PS. They also say there is no charge until you hook up their service.
If they send me a dsl modem and I cancel before I hook up the service
does that mean I don't have to even pay them for the trouble they took
to send me a modem?