Compare Cable vs. DSL

By Bradley James

Okay, so you are finally tired of those slow dial-up internet connections, and you want to go broadband. Good deal. But first, you may be wondering which type of broadband connection is best- DSL or Cable? Or, at least, which of the two gives you more speed for the price? Here we take a look at these two popular broadband connections and try to determine which one is better: DSL vs. Cable.

Cable Speed vs. DSL

The most common question that comes up is which type of connection is faster, DSL or Cable? To answer this, it is important to compare both upload and download speeds. Now, so you have something to compare these speeds to, your average dial-up connection is about 28 - 56 Kbps. Most often, however, you won't be able to get 56k through dial up, as most services can not handle this speed.

The average speed of a DSL download is 1.0 - 1.5Mbps. That's megabytes per second - about 20 times as fast as the fastest dial-up connection. This is fast, but consider Cable, which can give you up to 2 - 3Mbps. Thus, at least for downloading, cable can give you almost twice the speed of DSL - that's impressive. On the upload side, however, cable and DSL are pretty evenly matched. They both provide about 100Kbps - 400Kbps. It seems that cable has won this battle.

What about Price and Quality of Service?

There is more to discuss here besides the speed of the connections. Take price for one. Cable and DSL connections are both going to be more expensive than dial-up. But, DSL seems to be the cheaper of the two at the moment. You can get a good DSL internet connection for about $35 - $45 per month. Cable modem will cost you about $45 or $50 (this price may be included in a cable TV package). These prices, however, are really close and they change almost from month to month.

DSL is nice because you can talk on the phone and be online at the same time. In addition, business-level DSL service provides guaranteed data rates, so your connection speed is never a surprise. On the other hand, DSL speed tends to decrease the further you are away from the data center, and it is typically not as widely available as Cable. Cable speeds are not dependent on distance from the data center, and is occasionally cheaper than DSL when included in a cable TV rate. A cable modem, however, may require costly professional installation, and there may exists some limitations on downloads and uploads. All of these factors should be taken into consideration when choosing either broadband service.

Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on DSL and Cable technology, please visit our DSL vs Cable webpage.

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Introduction to ADSL Broadband

By James Dyson

Does ADSL mean for all of broadband and how does it actually work? If this is the thing you are looking for then you shall need to be more acquainted with ADSL.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), a type of DSL, uses the existing copper-wired telephone networks for high-speed broadband internet. Using ADSL technology it is generally 10 - 140 times faster internet surfing than of standard 56k dial-up internet.

Difference between ADSL and SDSL SDSL is another kind of DSL, where the uploading speed is much faster than download speed. This technology of internet is widely preferred only by large business houses whereas ADSL is the choice of home users.

ADSL Speed This technology can run at up to 8Mbps speed and the most popular services in the UK are of 512Kbps speed. People also favor 2Mbps speed ADSL broadband and it mainly depends on their need of higher speed.

ADSL in UK A broad number of Internet Service Provides offer ADSL services in UK who actually resell the services obtained from network operators such as British Telecommunications (BT) and Kingston Communications. So if you need ADSL service you need these network operators in your place and around 90% of the UK is covered to have ADSL.

Availability of ADSL broadband This mostly depends on the telephone exchange near to you and your distance from it. Old exchanges are not suitable for ADSL and exchanges that are upgraded are only capable of transmitting ADSL signals, and so your local exchange should be an upgraded one.

Another important aspect for having an ADSL is the distance between your house and the exchange, which have significant effect on the ADSL speed. The distance away you are from the telephone exchange is the lesser in quality of the ADSL broadband. So, if you are long away from your exchange living in a rural area, it is better to favor 512 kbps broadband that does not have much impact of distance.

Billing in ADSL Broadband You can pay for your broadband service either monthly or yearly. You can choose the either that depends on your need and further plans. Most providers offer you the modem for free with the package if not you will need to rent it.

ADSL Installation In general, ADSL installations are so easy that you can install it by yourself and these services are available as self-install or plug and play. You need to connect your modem to your PC and to the sockets on the micro filter.

Installing the drivers and software provided with the modem are next and entering your username / password to login to broadband will be next final. Being a broadband user you will then sure have an extraordinary surfing experience over the internet.

You can find a cheap broadband ADSL provider in your area who provide fast broadband internet access by shopping around on the internet for best broadband deals. Most ADSL providers provide discounts to buy online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Dyson

A Review of Cable High Speed Internet Service

By Morgan Hamilton

The computer certainly has seen its fair share of changes. Well, I guess I should actually say the PC and Mac. Regardless of what you prefer in computer finery, you are no doubt finding value now. Since the mid-nineties, many of us have gotten used to the idea of having a computer in our homes. We may have started with those dinosaur-looking desktop computers that came with space consuming towers and television size monitors, but they surely don't look like that anymore. The same case can be made for modern day Internet service. It's even hard to remember those dinosaur dial-ups. There is a new king and it is cable high speed Internet.

Which Internet service provider are you using? Are you a fan of DSL or cable high speed Internet? These choices are a recent phenomonom. There is a fierce battle for customers. For the consumer it is quite simple: who has the best deal? Cable high speed Internet is certainly the choice of most because it is the fastes and most reliable to date, but it can also be expensive. Being a subscriber of cable high speed Internet myself, I can tell you that I have pretty much tried them all. I began with Time-Warner, but hoped for something faster.

Then came Comcast after I relocated to a different state. I was satisfied with their service overall. More recently I relocated again. This is when I decided to give the local cable high speed Internet service a shot. To put it mildly, I was disappointed. I think it was the high prices that soured me. Paying more is no fun. Shortly after acquiring this new service, I decided to switch back to Time-Warner, which was cheaper and offered the same service.

For anyone still using dial-up, well, I feel your pain. Dial-up has certainly outlasted its usefulness. Why even bother with that horrific sound and turtle-like speed when you could be enjoying cable high speed Internet at a decent price? But then again, it is better than nothing. If you have the means then I suggest you try switching to cable high speed Internet. It isn't really all that expensive. I really can't put my stamp of approval on DSL Internet service either. Once again, it's rather slow. Do yourself a favor and check out cable high speed Internet. You'll be glad you did.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning the Internet. Get the information you are seeking by visiting Cable High Speed Internet Service

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Evaluating Bandwidth Choices-OC3 vs OC12 vs OC48

By Michael Lemm

Looking for bandwidth? That can be a daunting and frustrating task even in the best of situations. There's lots to consider in order to make the right decision for your needs. Below you'll find some help when evaluating OC3 vs OC12 vs OC48. Factors covered include Technology, Speed, Description, Application, Pros, Cons, and Cost.

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Technology: OC3

Speed: 155.52 Mbps

Description: Optical carrier (fiber) connected by equipment capable of speeds up to 155.52 Mbps.

Application: Large enterprise or ISP backbone.

Pros: Extremely high speed and throughput.

Cons: Extremely high cost.

Costs: Expect cost of an OC3 to start at around a $10-30,000 for a stable, reliable system (e.g. from a Tier 1 provider).....not including local loop or extensive setup. However....the pricing for these connections can vary widely depending on the carrier, location of service and the application for which the connection is being used. For example...Tier 1 providers may cost more than local/regional Tier 2 and Tier 3 providers but are much more stable and reliable. A Tier 1 provider should always be the provider of choice for any business serious about the quality of their OCx network.

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Technology: OC12

Speed: 622.08 Mbps

Description: Optical carrier (fiber) connected by equipment capable of speeds up to 622.08 Mbps.

Application: Large enterprise or ISP backbone.

Pros: Extremely high speed and throughput.

Cons: Extremely high cost.

Costs: Expect cost of an OC12 to start at around $1-300,000+ for a stable, reliable system (e.g. from a Tier 1 provider)..... plus several hundred thousand dollars in setup costs. However....the pricing for these connections can vary widely depending on the carrier, location of service and the application for which the connection is being used. A Tier 1 provider should always be the provider of choice for any business serious about the quality of their OCx network.

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Technology: OC48

Speed: 2.488 Gbps (Gigabytes per second)

Description: Optical carrier (multiple strands of fiber) connected by equipment capable of speeds up to 2.488 Mbps.

Application: Large enterprise or ISP backbone.

Pros: Extremely high speed and throughput.

Cons: Extremely high cost.

Costs: Expect cost of an OC48 to start at around $3-500,000 for a stable, reliable system (e.g. from a Tier 1 provider)..... plus several hundred thousand dollars in setup costs. However....the pricing for these connections can vary widely depending on the carrier, location of service and the application for which the connection is being used. A Tier 1 provider should always be the provider of choice for any business serious about the quality of their OCx network.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire
Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Lemm