Comparing DSL and Cable
Choosing between DSL and Cable can be a confusing predicament for many people. They only require good internet connection at an affordable price, however they just wind up confused due to all the many kinds of connection types and speeds and packages. All these confusing details will just drive consumers to sidestep these information and purchase the first internet service they come accross. In this article, the most frequent questions will be answered to assist you in making an informed decision.
Cable Speed
Cable has DSL beat in the speed department. It’s almost always faster than DSL and is capable of reaching speeds of 20mbps depending on the plan that you choose. Although cable internet can be quite fast at downloading, that level of performance may be elusive and nonexistant. The reason for this is because you will be sharing the bandwidth with your neighbors so their internet usage will alter your speed. Therefore, you will encounter a drop in performance during periods of heavy usage. However, this is nothing to be too concerned about because as long as you will not be playing games and downloading movies during peak times, performance will appear unchanged.
DSL Speed
Even though certain DSL connections are capable of downloading faster than cable, the slower ADSL is often offered to residential customers. The most basic DSL connection ranges from 384 to 768 kbps while the quicker DSL connection ranges from 6 mbps to 20 mbps. Contrary to the cable services, your connection is not shared with your neighbors so your DSL performance remains quite consistent. Distance between your DSL provider and your home plays an important role in your connection’s performance because the further you live from the provider, the slower your speed will be.
Cable Price
Since cable is faster than DSL, you can expect to pay more for cable internet. Cable prices can cost anywhere from $40 to $60 a month depending on which plan you selected. You can save some money if you also purchase cable TV and a home phone line in a packaged deal from the cable internet company.
DSL Price
DSL providers may provide varying speeds at different prices similar to cable internet, but costs usually remain lower than cable. Prices for DSL will range between $20 and $40 a month. There may be DSL companies available that package TV, home phone, and internet together to decrease the cost. If you’re already using TV and phone services from a DSL company, you can see if they have a package deal if you sign up for their internet service also.
Which one should you get?
Even with minute imperfections, both cable and DSL are very reliable and capable in terms of speed to accommodate various types of users. With that said, if you plan on doing some hefty downloading then cable internet will probably be the better choice, but you can expect to pay extra. The basic DSL connection can do just fine when it comes to moderate movies and games, but expect to upgrade to a higher speed if the performance does not satisfy you.
Check for Cable and DSL internet availability to see where you are located in terms of distance to the ISP and do some cost-benefit analysis so you can decide which internet connection gives you the most bang for your buck.
