| FACTORS |
CABLE |
DSL |
WINNER |
| Speed |
773.5
kbps download
64 kbps upload
These
speeds differ depending on your ISP. |
128-256
kbps download
128-256 kbps upload
These
speeds differ depending on your ISP. |
Depends |
| Cost |
773.5
kbps costs me $39.95 a month, plus I get cable TV for an extra
$30!
My Cable
modem was free if I got HBO for a month. |
I
had 128 Kbps for $39 per month. Pretty fast up and down.
A DSL router set me back $50. |
Cable |
| Reliability |
As
of writing this, my cable has never gone down. Although I am keeping
my fingers crossed. |
My
DSL connection went down on average of once a month. I then had
to call tech support and leave my number on a beeper. Sucked big
time. |
Cable |
| Security |
Your
Cable connection is on a network with the rest of your neighborhood.
This is less secure than DSL. You should probably get firewall software
or a hardware
router. You will need a router anyway to share
your internet connection with multiple computers |
Your
DSL connection is a direct line to the central office. This is
a little safer than Cable, but not hack proof. A hardware router
and firewall software are a good idea. If you are really concerned
with security, you might want to invest in a Macintosh. They
have excellent security built in the OS. |
Tie |
| Set Up |
I
had to buy an additional hardware
router for $70 from Amazon.com
and plug the Cable modem into it so I could share my connection
with multiple computers. The Cable company doesn't want you to
do this. They like to charge for each additional computer. But here's
how to
share an Internet connection with multiple computers! |
DSL
was really easy to set up. The installer set up my router for DHCP
so I didn't need to enter in any IP addresses. Then I just set all
my computers to DHCP. Done. |
DSL |
| Installation |
The
local cable company showed up a few days later and I was instantly
online. I did have to wait two days for the Cable modem to arrive
from UPS though. |
This
was a major pain in the ass. There were four different companies
involved in my installation. Verizon had to run a wire from the
street to my house. Northpoint had to wire my house and install
a jack in the wall. Then Covad had to turn on some switch somewhere
and Ultracom provided the actual connection. |
Cable |
| Gaming |
Cable
is fast, but sometimes "laggy." If you are playing an
online game like Unreal Tournament, the time it takes to pull the
trigger on a rocket launcher to the time an actual rocket fires
might be a little delayed. Also, many Cable companies don't allow
you to ping other computers making online gaming almost impossible.
Also bear in mind that consumer broadband is commonly sold on the
basis of speed, not latency, so your provider may not be terribly
concerned unless the latency numbers are pretty bad. |
ADSL
can be configured to work in either Interleaved or Fast (or FastPath)
modes. Fast mode is more sensitive to errors but has lower latency
or lag. If your latency to the closest node is above 25 ms, you're
probably in Interleaved mode. You may be able to persuade your provider
to switch you to Fast mode if such a switch is possible. It may
not be. |
DRAW |
