AHBAC
join:2000-06-12
USA |  Re: Cable winning the speed race
SHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh Don't tell everybody! They'll all leave DSL and muck up cable! Seriously, after my personal DSL phiasco with 2 providers, I'm looking at cable. |
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wheelert$93
T L C
ExMod 2002
join:2000-06-01
Lynden, ON
| It's highly possible that the cable companies are more in tune with what's going on in the broadband world, and are quicker to fix possible problems before they get out of hand. I know our cable company here is far easier to deal with than the telco. Telco's take note..... If cable ever gets into the phone business, you're sunk! Of course, that could be the reason, too. Cable companies don't bite off more than they can chew......
"Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings. They did it by killing all those who opposed them." |
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marx1
join:2000-07-16
Fairfield, CA | I have 784/392K SDSL service with Phoenix/Northpoint. I get a steady 900k/s down and 700k/s up.... Either it's my 9,000 feet from the CO or I'm just lucky |
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Anon | I am using ADSL in BC, Canada. I retired my cable modem
after one year to try ADSL, and believe I will be keeping
it. My provider uses the same backbone as Telus.net, so
speed is comparable to them.
On peak performance, cable is faster than ADSL, make no
mistake about that, both up and down. Trouble is, peak
performance is not consisitent.
ADSL, while a little slower than Cable at its peak, offers
a consistent connection with constant speed, up and down.
Cable would often go up over 320 KB/sec (3.0 Mbps) downstream, and hover around 50 KB/sec (400 Kbps) upstream.
ADSL gives a steady 240 KB/Sec (2.2 Mbps) down, and a very consistent 35 KB/sec (300 Kbps) upstream. I am located about 1.5 miles of telephone wire from the CO.
The drop in overall speed is more than compensated for by
the consistency of the connection, in my opinion.
Cost of ADSL is slightly higher, but should the Cable Co. ever start charging for cable modems, the price will be almost exactly the same.
I don't want to say cable was bad, because the opposite was
true, the service was very good. Not all users will agree,
but usage on my local loop was low, so speeds were high.
For my highspeed dollar, I have to say "ADSL". |
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jseymour8
join:2000-07-29
| Cable vs. xDSL
My main problem with cable (besides the fact that my local cable company is
Comcast--more on that later) is that with cable you don't get to choose your
ISP. True, with xDSL I'm stuck with a TelCo for local-loop service. But
after that: I get to choose not only my ISP, but my CLEC as well.
Comcast@Home cable is a perfect example of the problem. As many here know:
Comcast@Home recently changed their service agreement to prohibit VPNing
between home and office. I wouldn't have a big problem with that if
they offered a "business-/professional-level" deal for a reasonable price.
But what they want you to do is sign up for @Work--a hideously
expensive proposition! And if you don't like their choices: tough.
So even though the only xDSL available in my area right now is IDSL--limiting
me to 144k up/down--I'll stick with xDSL, thank you very much. |
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mayniac2
join:2000-04-27
Lehigh Acres, FL
clubs:
| Re: Cable winning the speed race
I have 1.5Mb/384K DSL service now. Next year, sometime, my cable company, Adelphia, is going to start offering cable modem service. There are two problems though. Number one, I already have DSL that I am happy with. I get very good speed and the latency, while not great, is acceptable. Number two, the cable modem service is one-way, meaning I will still have to have a dial-up modem for uploads. Why should I even bother with cable when DSL in my area is much more advanced. There is cable modem service from another cable company, MediaOne, but that is spotty, worse than DSL here, and it is also only one-way. |
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jeffbrantley
join:2000-03-24
Ballwin, MO
| reply to wheelert$93
I believe their are two advantages cable had over DSL.
1. The existing network of cable is generally of higher quality than the copper pairs which can be really really old. Though that is one thing that makes DSL innovators far superior to Cable, using technology that has been around for a lot longer to provide comparable service.
2. The cable modem drive started an internet lifetime before DSL. Once DSL settles down to standards (not lame ones like G.Lite, real standards) and you can go into Best Buy and see an Alcatel 1000 sitting next to the USRobotics Cable Modem, I believe DSL will have achieved a much more respectable standing. However, I also believe the technologists thinking up these broadband solutions need to have a pretty rapid plan for new technology to out-do the soon to be standards.
Things like VDSL and giving each cable user a channel of their own should only be the tip of the iceberg. Until browsing the web works as fast as we can click the broadband offerings must diversify and multiply. |
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ronnieg56$
Premium
join:2000-03-22
Brooklyn, NY
| I am in Brooklyn, New York. I do not know if cable systems are run the same way across the country as they are here. The problem here is that the two or three cable companies in the NYC area own franchises to the areas they serve. I know that I will_never_be able to get RoadRunner from Time Warner, not that I actually want them, because they are not allowed to sell their services in my neighborhood. I have cable TV from Cablevision which has their largest customer base in Long Island. So, most all of Long Island now has Optimum Cable, their cable ISP trademark, but all other areas that they service, including Northern NJ, don't even have a due date when service would even be available. And if they do come to where I am, I would have to hope they install/invest in an adequate system because of the party-line vs. bandwidth operation of cable. I subscribe to Speakeasy/Covad here and I pay top dollar for a top dollar company. I am not that concerned with upload speed as I am with d/l speed so I have RADSL service 1.5/384. I am only 4400 ft. from my CO so I get most of what I pay for and I will most probably shun cable if it does ever get to where I am.
ronnieg56 * *
Speakeasy works 4 me! |
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willardk
Mod 2000-03
join:1999-12-02
Jackson Heights, NY | reply to jeffbrantley
G.lite is here to stay
Its filterless, self installable and Covad and the Baby Bell's are in the middle to switching to it....almost done in many areas. Sooooo 1.5 max download for newer DSL is gonna be the furture....
aren't the telcos smart.
Will |
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digitalfutur
Sees More Than Shown
Premium
join:2000-07-15
BurlingtonON
 ·Cogeco Cable
| VHS vs Beta
While cable may be faster, ADSL can be self-installed, takes less time from initial call to activation, and is growing faster in percentage terms than cable. For most users (surfers) who don't download 100mb files, the additional speed of cable is not perceptible. It's like using an 800mhz PC for a spreadsheet file, when 300-400mhz is plenty.
As more and more people network inside the home, the surprise of extra $ for additional Internet cable connections will make ADSL the preferred choice for home LANs.
Don't think the telcos will let cable cos win this battle, it's not over yet... |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
| reply to wheelert$93
Re: Cable winning the speed race
Not trying to be a nay sayer, but I will be curious to see if the edge holds 24/7 once there is a significant number of cable modem subscribers. This of couse a system to system, not necessarily network issue.
-Hayward
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West) |
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dg3274
join:1999-10-12
Lynnwood, WA
|  Don't forget ION!
Let's not forget about Sprint ION now. Up to 8Mbps downstream (1Mbps upstream) is some pretty fast DSL if you ask me! Yeah, it's in a limited number of areas right now but it can lay the smack down on most cable modems. 
Check it out! www.sprintion.com |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
| reply to digitalfutur
Re: VHS vs Beta
I would disagree with you on the install end of things ESPECIALLY where it is not self install and requiring a "dry line" and inside wiring, the 3 companies involved playing ping pong can take nearly FOREVER.
With cable you only have one ISP choice, but you also only have one "instituion" to deal with and installs can frequently be within a week.
(Note I am a DSL user)
-Hayward
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West) |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
| .
The speed test archive is somwhat arbitrary
In that it is dependent on voluntary testing AND those tests being registered. (guessing most are not.)
I know my (not on list provider) avrg speed of 1.2/210 is above most of the bottom half or more of the current list.
-Hayward
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
[text was edited by author 2000-08-23 16:34:37] |
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jeffbrantley
join:2000-03-24
Ballwin, MO
| reply to willardk
Re: G.lite is here to stay
Like I said, to remain competitive, DSL companies must not limit themselves by considering something like G.lite ok as long as they can reach a few more people at less cost.
Phone companies will start placing fiber farther into the loop thus reducing the copper loop lengths for all. When the average user has a copper loop of less than 2000 feet, G.lite won't make any sense. Anything that puts that narrowminded a limit, no matter what the convenience, will not "be here to stay". |
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ranger9
join:1999-08-03
Carlsbad, CA
| Re: Cable winning the speed race
Cable in my area (Imperial Beach CA) has lost the race!
First the facts
New IBM Laptop; 733mhz, 256 meg of RAM, 10/100 3com NIC, 3D video, virgin install of Windoz SE, NO coxathome software installed, only IP, DNS, and gateway address's.
Here are results from the tweak site:
* Results
* Your public IP address is 24.9.xxx.xxx (I ain't stoopid)
Hops left before discard (TTL) is 114
TCPopts hex string is 020405b401010402
Max Segment Size is 1460
* Your MTU is set ok
SACK Permitted (RFC2018)
Ping stability - - - - - - - - - -
* You are not pingable
No packet loss test will be done
DefaultRcvWindow is 64240
Your RWIN limits you @200ms to 2569kbps
* Your RWIN is set ok at 64240
Your Path MTU Discovery is ON
Max sized data packet from you 1500
* Conclusion.. HEALTHY SETUP!
* End
And here are transfer rates from this site:
Test running..Downloaded 60900bytes in 380ms
Downloaded 696000bytes in 2700ms
First guess is 2062kbps
a FAST line - now test 3mb
Downloaded 1679100bytes in 28500ms
Upload got ok 1 bytes uploaded
Uploaded 1bytes in 270ms
Upload got ok 1 bytes uploaded
Uploaded 1bytes in 220ms
Upload got ok 1 bytes uploaded
Uploaded 1bytes in 220ms
Upload got ok 50000 bytes uploaded
Uploaded 50000bytes in 3350ms
Upload got ok 100000 bytes uploaded
Uploaded 100000bytes in 5110ms
** Speed 471(down)/163(up) kbps **
(At least 9 times faster than a 56k modem)
Finish.
So, is cable really gaining in speed? Mind you, these tests were taken at 11:30 PM, beyond "primetime".
IMHO, DSL will always be consistantly faster when considering duration of online exposure. |
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willardk
Mod 2000-03
join:1999-12-02
Jackson Heights, NY
| reply to jeffbrantley
Re: G.lite is here to stay
I guess only time will tell. But here's is another point to this argument. Supporters of DSL have always claimed the the Baby Bells having the resources that have could repsond to market better. Change equipment on a need basis. I disagree they are more like dinosours moving very slowly and once moving in a certain direction very apt to saty in that direction. I think G.lite is the defacto standard because of this....
The choice of comunnication is based on the equipment at the CO...and in case the only thing available is G.lite. |
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willardk
Mod 2000-03
join:1999-12-02
Jackson Heights, NY | reply to Hayward
cable install 2 days for me
Timewarner Roadrunner in NYC. Called them and two days later its installed....
One 1 hour outtage in 3 months so far. Slowest download about 1.3M upload consistantly 230K
Will |
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twodaend
The Eye Of The Tiger
join:2000-08-05
Alsip, IL
| reply to AHBAC
Re: Cable winning the speed race
Cable may have the upper hand right now, but in the future DSL will overtake cable. Right now, DSL is not as widely available as cable, thus people choosing to get faster internet access only have the choice of cable. Once all of these people start signing on and start sharing the bandwidth, cable will start loosing its edge over DSL. |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
 ·PHONE POWER
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T CallVantage
·Time Warner VOIP
·RoadRunner Cable
| We've been hearing these apocalyptic threats of shared bandwidth for years now. Truth is, when subscribership increases, all the cable company has to do is split the node to keep performance high. A good company can keep their network humming if they so choose.
And it's really a silly argument. If the speed is faster, go with it. If it ever does become slow, switch. Pretty simple stuff, really. But I think it's pretty telling that most cable providers don't try and force their customers into a years contract, seems they're not too worried about service deterioration.
-- Rob |
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