ECN Forum Forums Technical Discussion Re: Computers and the Internet Cable connection vs DSL

How do I know what my speed is?
http://www.pcpitstop.com/default.asp

Just from my experience,...
When I had dsl (for about 2 yrs.), when it worked, it was great. Only on a few occasions, I had problems. A large truck came down our little street once, and clipped the overhead wire. It took a few days to get everything back to normal. Another time the guys collecting the garbage somehow nicked the wire coming down the pole (before it went underground to my house), and another time it just quit. That time they replaced the whole line from my drop to the corner of the block. After that, my speeds were never that good. These problems led me to believe that the dsl lines seemed more delicate and prone to problems than cable. I've now had cable for about 2 yrs., and nothing significant has happened.

[This message has been edited by XtheEdgeX (edited 01-07-2006).]

My eyes can be bad sometimes, but I don't think anyone mentioned the distance issue with DSL. While cable can theoretically go wherever there is coax, DSL has distance limitations based on degredation of the digital signal and load coils. Also, I think this has been alluded to, but remember that for everyone that connects to a cable segment they eat into the bandwidth/throughput available for everyone else on that segment (shared bus technology). In other words, it might be blinding fast with no one else in the neighborhood, but wait until 12 neighbors get it in their homes...

Since some of the cable (outside on the street) is made of copper, it doesn't really matter, what kind of end-hardware you use.

Speed test:
http://www2.externet.hu/meter.php?mode=test&kbps=1677.7&menu0=ugyfelszolgalat&menu1=10

ADSL max downstream is 8 to 10 Mbit/sec for shorter loops. 768K to 3.0 Mbit downstream service seems very typical, but is not always a limitation of the technology. Unlike with cable internet, your bandwidth from your home to the central office will never change.

ADSL2+ does ~25 Mbits/sec at up to 3,000 feet, ~20 Mbits/sec up to 5,000 feet, ~10 Mbits/sec at 8,000 feet, ~2.5 Mbits/sec at 14,000 feet.

VDSL is just under 100 Mbits/sec at 1000 feet, 40 Mbits/sec at 2,000 feet, 20 Mbits/sec at 4,000, and degrades sharply from there. VDSL2 is over 200 Mbits/sec when you live across the street from the CO, blah, blah, blah.

But none of that matters. In the end, what matters is how much you are willing to pay, what speeds your local provider is offering, are they throttling your throughput, how far you are from the CO (in the case of xDSL), how many local users are on the line (in the case of cable), and what is the capacity of the backbone feeding your ISP.

Broadbandreports.com has tons of information, forums, etc on high speed internet, and links to speed test sites as well.