Cable/DSL

[jes]

Here (http://www.westmancom.com/Myths.asp?D1=tblBrandon) is what my local cable company has to say about their cable internet. I have always been told that DSL is faster? These figures say otherwise. Have I always been wrong?
In the first table (the bottom) entitled "Share/Dedicated Lines:" they talk about cable Internet sharing the lines to the ISP. Doesn't that allow easy access to your computer from other computers in your "virtual neiborhood"?

[Budfred]

The FAQs they present are accurate, but selective. Cable is up to 5 times faster than some DSL, but it depends on the cable, the DSL and the time of day. If you are close to a DSL distribution point and pay for the fastest service, it can be as fast as cable or even faster some of the time. Cable will vary depending on the level of traffic, so it you are on at 3 AM it may be blazing while at 6 PM it may drag a bit. As for security, cable does put you at some more security risk, but this is fairly easy to manage with your security settings and software. I would go with whoever offers the best price and service.

[ZURKE]

Nothing like a good router and virus protection to keep your privacy.

I have cable myself, and it has always been great.

My average download is around 170kbs.

[Mark Miller]

I have had both and cable for the most part has been better. Remember you cannot surf at anywhere near the speeds that they say is their download speed [1500/128]. So pure speed is not the real choice. My up time with cable has been much better and also because of my tv package much cheaper. Check out
www.dslreports.com for all the different isps and how they rate. Canada included also.
Mark

[jes]

Heh, heh. I find it kind of funny that none of the "horror storyies" are from Canada, but all Canadian ISPs are not listed. I know a few that are "horror storyies".

As for security, cable does put you at some more security risk, but this is fairly easy to manage with your security settings and software.

How does the cable put you at more security risk? Isn't it something to do with workgroups?

How would your security settings and software help?

What does a router do? I never have really understood that. That's kind of strang. I even have my A+. I guess that goes to show that A+ isn't all that it's cracked up to be!:)

[Budfred]

The security risk with cable is that you can end up opening your computer for anyone on the cable network to browse. There were a number of people who did that when cable first became available, but most people set their network settings to limit access now, so it hasn't been as much of a problem. It is still important to make sure you have it set properly when you install it. I don't remember the exact setting, but it had to do with file sharing. If you have a firewall, you will be reasonably safe from most intrusions.

I am not sure you would use a router if you have only one computer hooked up to cable...

[Mark Miller]

Bud your right, but things have changed alittle. Now for the most part the cable companies close certain ports to prevent that also my guys have closed port 139 to prevent file sharing, and keep the upload speed low to make it even harder.
Mark

[classicsoftware]

The answer is clear:

Cable is faster than DSL.

There is no longer a security risk with cable. When @HOME was the major provider of cable internet access, you had to set the workgroup name to @home the same as all other @home users. In some cases, if you clicked on network neighborhood you could browse all of your neighbors computers. This is no longer true.

Cable is only slightly less secure than DSL as it is truely always on while DSL is usually PPPoE (Point to Point to Point over Ethernet), which is fake dial-up. DSL has to pretend to dial up. If you do get DSL you will have to get a router or you will have to deal with their buggy software.

With a good firewall hardware or software you will be protected.


My vote says:

GET CABLE

[Budfred]

I use DSL without a router and I don't seem to have any trouble with the modem software.

[classicsoftware]

I don't know who your provider is, around here it's version and they use aprogram called Winpoet. Which is a POS. I have had to fix many systems brought to their knees by winpoet.

Also, with Cable you DO NOT NEED ANY SOFTWARE, becuase it's always on. DSL is fake dial up. You need the software to pretend to dial in and get an IP address.... Just wasting more precious resources....

[ZURKE]

Jes,
as I understand it having a router is the aquivelent of a firewall.
The router itself has its own IP address (different from your PC) which is shown to the internet world.

If someone is trying to access your system they will meet a "dead end".
There is no response from a router.

[Budfred]

I have Qwest and I believe the only software I use is for the modem. I have a slower DSL service, but it is still often faster than the network at work which has a high speed line, but heavy demand. I was on my sister's cable connection over the weekend and it is faster, but it is on a faster computer and is the full speed service.

The thing about DSL is that there are several different flavors of it and they work somewhat differently from each other. I think I just have one of the versions that works most easily.

[Mark Miller]

Hey guys,
Unless you have a real slow broadband connection[256] the whole speed thing for surfing has almost nothing to do with your service. It really is all the internet and if you can surf at between 500-700kbs you doing fine. Somewhere in the past posts is a site that actually shows your speed on the net. Anyway whatever your using, as long as your happy, then your good to go.
Mark:)

[ZURKE]

It really is all the internet and if you can surf at between 500-700kbs you doing fine

And I thought I was doing great at between 150-230kbs:)

[Ghost_Hacker]

hmmmmmmm....

Cable is only slightly less secure than DSL as it is truely always on while DSL is usually PPPoE (Point to Point to Point over Ethernet), which is fake dial-up. DSL has to pretend to dial up. If you do get DSL you will have to get a router or you will have to deal with their buggy software.




Not to get off on a rant or anything ( isn't that what Denise Miller says???) :D :D


But DSL is not fake dial up ,PPPoE is. Not all DSL lines use PPPoE and some DSL lines are indeed always on. ( but most home users use PPPoE) ISPs will use PPPoE as a way to smooth over the ISP's transition to DSL.
EDIT I think it has something to do with billing and access control which plain old DSL doesn't have without PPPoE.

I have found that speed really depends on the ISP and not on the media being used, so your results may vary (it's the old theory vs reality story :) ). It's best to ask folks in your area what they think of the broadband service they have. In your area cable may rule, in someone else's area DSL may be king. :D

[Mark Miller]

Hi Zurke,
Yeah it's funny how it goes with speed. My line [cable] is supposed to be 1500/128,which is what it usually test at [or real close] but when I go to a site that tests what the real world internet does as far as surfing it usually comes in at the 500-700 range. This is not download speed which has to do with the server but how long it takes to get to sites like yahoo or cnn.
I wish I could remember the name of that site it was pretty cool.
Mark:)

[classicsoftware]

Ghost hacker:

I defer to your wisdom as usaul, but I did say:

DSL is Usually PPPoE (Point to Point to Point over Ethernet which is Fake Dial Up.

So I'll stand by my original opinion. I still think cable is better. That may only apply in the Philadelphia area where Comcast cable is Better than Verizon DSL. But that is where I sit.

[Ghost_Hacker]

True, the only time I have seen non-PPPoE DSL is with ISPs that service business customers and those ISPs never had any dial-ups to upgrade.

In my area DSL (earthlink) equals cable (Cox) as long as your the right distance from a CO. In my case I checked the distance to the CO before upgrading to DSL and the speeds I'm getting are only a little slower than the COX business line I have at work (the business line isn't shared with anyone and is the fastest cable line I've worked with so far. If your willing to pay the bucks you can get LAN type speeds from one of Cox's business cable links).

[yolagp]

What about ADSL? Where I live, it's very common, but browsing your posts, I never read anything about ADSL, which is what I've got. It is always on, as cable is, and I don't complain about its speed, though I have the lowest- and cheapest- of its kind. Can anybody give me four words about ADSL?

[Budfred]

ADSL and DSL are basically the same thing. We drop the A, but the things said here about DSL basically still apply. It translates to Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line... Go HERE (http://www.dslforum.org/about_dsl.htm) for lots more info about it.

[jes]

I think that I am sold on the idea of cable. No aditional software to skrew up my system is a big deal to me.