Alright, cable vs. DSL internet providers. If you haven’t switched to wireless yet, or if you just plain don’t really need wireless, and are fine with a wired connection, you’re probably going to wind up choosing between cable and DSL… Or you could go with a 56k dialup connection, but please, for the love of all that is sacred, don’t do that, or you’ll be an old geezer before the last paragraph of this article has even loaded into your browser.
Okay, the easiest way to do this is just to list the basic pros and cons of cable and DSL. We can’t easily declare a landslide winner, so look at them both and decide for yourself…
CABLE INTERNET PROVIDER… PROS!
Downstream
The downstream, the info that goes towards the user, go up to about fifty megabits per second for business connections, and, depending on your country, anywhere from two to twenty megabits per second for consumer accounts. Twenty MB per second is more than enough to handle multimedia and online gaming, so the connection speed is perfectly suitable for most US users.
Price
It differs depending on your plan and provider, but cable internet connection tends to be just a bit cheaper than DSL, especially if you get a cable TV and internet package deal.
CABLE INTERNET PROVIDER… CONS!
Capping
In order to provide adequate connection speed for all of their users, many cable internet providers will actually use a “bandwith cap”, a sort of a throttle to cut back on the downstream speed for certain areas or users. This is usually aimed at peak times (for example, right around 3PM, when all the teens get out of school), crippling the user’s speed if they’ve downloaded a lot of data on that day.
DSL INTERNET PROVIDER… PROS!
Downstream
A Digital Subscriber Line can provide a downstream of anywhere from 256 kb per second, to around 24,000 kb per second. This depends on a few things: the DSL technology used by your provider, the condition of the lines being used, and the service level you’ve subscribed to. Upload speed is usually a bit lower than download speed if you’re connected with an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, and about the same if you use a Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line.
Coverage and Reliability
DSL and cable will both give you strong coverage and reliability, but DSL connections tend to be just a bit less prone to downtime. For one, DSL providers don’t usually put a cap on your downstream, so that could be what casts the deciding vote for a lot of users.
DSL INTERNET PROVIDER… CONS!
Price
As mentioned above, DSL can be a little pricier, averaging anywhere from five to ten dollars more per month, and usually a tad more for installation, as well. Again, that depends on your plan and your provider, but in general, you can save a few bucks with cable.
Wait… Who Won?
As you can see, there’s no clear cut winner here. Cable is a bit cheaper, but DSL won’t cap your downstream. You’ll probably get somewhere between ten and twenty MB per second with either provider. What it really comes down to is probably where you can get a better plan.
If you can get a great cable TV and internet package deal, go for it. If you can land a DSL connection with a great payment plan, great.
You’re not gonna go wrong with either choice. DSL and cable are both more than capable of handling online console and PC gaming, both can do multimedia like streaming video, MP3 downloads, flash movies and games, etc, just as fast as anything out there. Neither choice will disappoint you, and you could probably choose one at random and not regret the decision.
A lot of the time, what it comes down to is simply who’s providing what, and at what price, in your area. Cable and DSL never really seemed to reach rural areas, for example, so until wireless, most people in distant areas, like farmers and homesteaders for example, were left with dialup. If you’re out “in the sticks” as it were, you might have to choose between whatever’s available, so the decision may already have been made for you. In that case… you’re not missing out on anything. Cable and DSL will both get the job done just fine.
If you live in an area with a dense population, you may want to lean towards DSL, though, because of the aforementioned “cable capping”. For smaller cities, where you have a choice and don’t have to worry about clogging the line, cable is a bit cheaper and you probably won’t get capped.
See, it’s a tough comparison, it really is neck and neck. Look at your needs, talk to your local providers, and see who can get you the best deal on the best plan.
