I've just moved into a new home and it will be the first time for me to use a DSL internet connection(yahoo's SBC Homeportal modem) b/c that area doesn't provide a cable modem connection where I've used in the past(Comcast). So my question to those who've experience both, will a DSL set up be as good or better than cable? Three main criteria I'm hoping to gain from DSL. 1. Fast speed- quick downloading,refresh and page loading time. 2. Simplicity- Easy setup and quick installation to get started right away. 3. versatile/flexibility- Will I be able to provide internet connection for multiple computers in my home? Does it provide laptop setup for cordless connection?
1) Depends on how fast a speed you can get. Most connections nowadays for DSL are 768k - 3 Mbit. My current DSL connection runs between 2.5 and 3 Mbits. In my experience DSL has been more trouble-free than cable. For the average surfer, 768k is fast as hell. The only time you'll notice the difference between 768k and say 3 Mbit is if you're downloading a ton of large files. 2) Setup is easy for DSL. Usually no one needs to come out to your place. They mail you your filters if needed and you just plug it into your phone jack, plug your ethernet connection up to the filter and you're off. 3) This doesn't really depend as much on whether you havd DSL or cable. It just depends on you buying a router. The other plus is that it's always costed less than cable. I can't stand Comcast, so I purposely did not get them for my broadband. In all honesty the setup of either one is pretty much the same... the technology that's different between them lies outside your walls for the most part.
DSL is fast and yes you can share it easily with a router. Has been good overall, but in my experience (been with dslextreme and directvdsl) i have had times where the internet is down. Sometimes it goes on for a half hour, other times longer but it won't be down for more than a day. Every couple of weeks it will happen. For me, it's usually on Sunday nights but other than that it has served me well. I've asked friends and they say it happens to them sometimes too. You will love your download speeds.
I have RoadRunner and pay $50/month. I've had no problems with it so far, speeds are great at 3000/384 but they also have a plan for 6000/512 which I think cost around 75/month. Service in my area has been good, no outages and I've never had to call Tech Support or anything.
Good info guys... Question here. How does a router work and how much is it? When i was reading and looking over the installation instruction(SBC) it did NOT mention a router and that it said to just use the install disk for each computer in the house so I assumed thats all you had to do. By the way, I just got the pacakage today and just goin through it but needed to wait until the 15th completion service date for dsl connection to work.
I have DSL and haven't had any problems with it. The modem and filters were mailed free to me from Verizon. I pay $29 a month. It's not as fast as I would like, I think because i am too far from the main coverage area, but eh. It's still much faster than dial up. Where do you go for tests to test the speed of you connection?
Just plug the ehternet (or if you modem has a usb out put) into the router. Then from there just connect all your pcs to the router. You should install the software onto all the pcs. ALl you have to do then is hook them up to the router.
i used this website. It works pretty well but you can only use it a certain amount of times or in a week or something like that. Other than that you can just go to yahoo or google and type in bandwidth. http://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/
Well, I did some research on my modem " 2Wire Homeportal" and according to some poster in this forum(link below) the modem is full featured and has a router/firewall built in so you don't need an additional router to share connection. I will try to use the install disk on a another computer to see if it work. http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,11901018~mode=flat
Some modems are like that. I have the ethernet cable from the modem pluging into the router, and the usb out into the USB of one computer whose ethernet card isn't working . The other computers are plugged into the router. Thanks for the links to the bandwidth tester. Mine is measuring at 1.1mbs
depends. are you a power downloader? or just a page surfer? cable IS faster usually in my experience, but if you're just surfing, both are darn fast. cable is generally more downtime/headaches too. at this point, i would go with what's cheaper. i seen sbc yahoo DSL from verizon customers for $19.95/mo for 12 months! That's crazy.
