DSL...what can you tell me about it?
MoveCloseDeleteAdmin

TV ClubHouse: Archives: DSL...what can you tell me about it?

Willsmom

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 08:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hi all! I need advice. My dh is in Korea. We have been trying to converse with webcams and it is getting pretty frustrating. He has dsl with new laptop. I have a 3 1/2 yr. old HP with 56K dial up. I can hear him great, but I break up for him. Anyway I am thinking about getting DSL (and a new puter as well!) How does it work? It's not cable right? It comes through a phone line? Can I use the phone while online? I have no clue and hubby wants me to get it soon. Also I live WAY out...in a pasture! Is it limited by anything? Thanks all!

Zachsmom

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 08:23 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Is there any chance you can get cable? If you have the choice I would definitely do cable, if not I can't help you out..lol

Sbw

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 08:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
If you live very far out of town you probably will not be able to get DSL. It is so many thousand feet from a certain point. It does work via the phone line and you can use the phone at the same time. There are web sites that list what places are able to get DSL but I don't remember where to find them, sorry. I am sure someone here will know exactly. I have just been able to get DSL in the last couple of months and it is superior to dialup for sure. Good luck.

Edited to add: I have heard that cable is superior to DSL, but not an option for me since I can't get cable. Check out all your high speed options.

Willsmom

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 08:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
hmmmm Zachsmom....so cable is better than dsl? I'll have to call around and find out if cable is available out here. Sbw...I think I've been to one of those sites and it said I could get Bell South dsl here. It's a wonder...I cannot even get a cell phone signal out here. Thanks for your responses and keep them coming!

Zachsmom

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 08:55 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Yes, cable has a better download speed.

As for cost, depending on your area, cable & DSL are both about the same cost (maybe $5 more for cable)

Faerygdds

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 09:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have DSL.. my parents have cable. They get better download speeds WHEN THEIRS IS WORKING... which is only about 1/2 the time and NEVER when they need it! TO make it work again they have to disconnect all cables from the cable modem and rehook them up. Then it USUALLY works again. Big pain in the rear. Now... my DSL has gone down only 4 times in the 3 years I have had it... and I love it -- RELIABLE!

That being said.. when I signed up I was barely able to get it because of how far I am from the switching station. Since then they have added a bridge and a few load coils which is making it LESS reliable now, BUT since I have been such a good customer they are dropping in a remote fiberoptic hookup for me... it'll take 10 days, but I'll get even FASTER than cable with no extra charge for my trouble!!! :)

Ultimately it's what works best for you!

Draheid

Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 09:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Willsmom, here is a message I posted in the computer thread regarding "Broadband" internet access. You might find usefull too.

Broadband is generically used to describe both Cablemodem and DSL connections. Cable is usually much faster then DSL by about 4 times or more, depending on the service level you subscribe to and the distance from you to the 'central office' or 'substation' you connect to for DSL service. (The technical limit is something like 18,000 feet of 'wire') You can see statistics for your area by going to Broadbandreports.com and looking at the ratings of various providers and/or area by zipcode to check what others in your area are experiencing. Click Here and enter your zipcode to see your area quickly. Look at the first link for more information about all things Broadband.

In my area, Cablemodem service is usually close to 2000/kbps versus DSL whichs is typically around 400/kbps.

Hope that helps.
I will add that I was one of the beta testers in this area as the cable company was preparing to launch their cablemodem service. This was almost 4 years ago. I still have the same cablemodem and have only had service problems a couple of times that I can recall.

Bigd

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 06:54 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I have Time Warners RoadRunner Internet, and it is excellent. I have had it for 3 years and it has never gone down. Mine is $44.95 per month which is expensive, but it is totally a get what you pay for thing. I **need** to cut my household expenses down and this is a logical place to do it, but I have not been able to bring myself to give this up - it IS that good.

Sasman

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 06:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
willsmom, i have had dsl for over 3 yrs and have not had any outages. if you are within range and do not have cable, i would recommend getting dsl; if you have cable, its a tossup imo.

hth

Mack

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 08:40 am EditMoveDeleteIP
DSL or cable? Had them both and can't say I see a difference. Had RoadRunner, then CoxNet, for several years and then moved to Texas and got a good deal on DSL. Thought we'd try it and must say we're pleased. Not one outage and we must be right on top of the "company equipment" as every test I've run shows top notch speed. Either is good, much better than dial up.

Jan

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 08:40 am EditMoveDeleteIP
willsmom, I had DSL for a couple of years and live right on the edge of their distance limit. I became very frustrated by outages. At what I would think of as heavy traffic times (eg Saturday mornings) my modem would "lose sync" and I could not access the internet at all. I would shut everything down and wait a day. By the next day it aways worked. This happened a few times a month. I called their tech dept but they could do nothing as it was so intermittent.

I now have cable and have had no problems whatsoever.

My recommendation for cable over DSL has some ammunition as I worked for the DSL provider and, therefore , got the service at half price. Going to cable doubled my bill! But the improved service was worth it to me. IF you live a long way from the DSL central office, I would recommend cable from my experience.

Ddr1135

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 10:54 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I have cable and have had no problems whatsoever, love it. Friends of mine who have phone company DSL complain that it's not as fast as mine (we pay the same price).

Willsmom

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 10:56 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Well everyone, thanks so much for your advice and helpful links. I have however discovered that I apparently live in Podunk, Alabama. No cable or dsl service available where I am. Might get DSL late next year, but they can't promise that. Anyway when dh's Korea tour is up...I will be moving and get DSL or cable!!!Thanks!

Grooch

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 10:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Willsmom, can you get direct tv dsl?

Willsmom

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 04:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
hmmmm....I have dish network....do they offer it?

Faerygdds

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 04:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Will.. you might also check on the availability on wireless internet in your area... your local CompUSA should have details.

Grooch

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 04:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Willsmom, I know Fruitbat has her computer connection with a dish. I think it is a seperate dish from the tv one, but I do believe they are both with direct tv.

Halfunit

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 04:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Wills - From what I can tell, Dish Network does offer DSL. Click below to see if it is in your area.


Dish Network DSL / Earthlink


Here is their main DSL page, with more information.

DSL Information

Twiggyish

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 06:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Grooch, I'll have to ask Ms. Bat about her connection. We have a dish for tv but not for internet. I've heard the weather can affect the connection with a dish. I'd love to have a faster connection.. right now we have ISDN.

C1mag

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 06:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I swear by Cable rather than DSL. DSL tempts a clogged phone line. If your cable cuts out contact your provider and they will give you a new box whereas DSL will blame the clogged lines.

Cable has far superior dload times. Multi tasking which is what I do most is a welcome adventure with Cable.

Willsmom

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 09:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Half unit....according to that link...my area doesn't qualify. I'm going to check into the cable and the wireless thing. Thanks all!

Draheid

Monday, August 25, 2003 - 10:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Willsmom: You might look into a product called 'DirecWAY' to see if you can get setup with two-way satellite high-speed internet. It's a 'side-product' of DirecTV I believe. It should be available just about anywhere. The only possible limitation might be having someone close enough to install it for you. http://directv.direcway.com/ should help find what you're looking for.

Another that is becomming more common is wireless networking. Depending on the area of the country you are in, there is a possibility that this type of service could be available. You can look at this site for possible availability in your area. Scroll down to the map and click on your state to find out what's there: Wireless ISPs & WiFi Coverage hosted by onelasvegas.com.

Hope that helps.

Willsmom

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 05:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Draheid...thanks so much for taking the time to find those links for me...you have always been so helpful! I'll check them out.
Debbie

Twinkie

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 06:24 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Love, Love, Love my DSL! I've had it for 4 years and never had a problem and get very fast upload and download speeds. Faster than friends who have cable modem.

Tabbyking

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 06:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
one thing about dsl using the phone line: we have an alarm system (ADT) that also uses the phone line ( our cable for t.v. is on that line, but no problem there.) because our alarm system uses the phone line, we had to get a separate phone line for just the dsl. we were told that it would set the alarm off each time we went online, so if you have an alarm system, check it out first! we have to pay the 49 bucks/month for the dsl, plus we have to pay for that second phone line, which is about 18 extra bucks a month.

Karuuna

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 07:32 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I just got wireless internet installed in my home, since I'm not in an area where I can get DSL or cable. It's really wonderful, and quite a bit faster than was advertised! :)

Sasman

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 02:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
karuuna, i am curious about your wireless connection. what does it cost?

Karuuna

Tuesday, August 26, 2003 - 02:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sasman, it's $50/month, with a $300 set up, for 256k service. Since I can't get DSL or cable where I live, it's a great solution for me. If you're interested, I can direct you to a website that lists wireless services available by state.

My service puts a small antenna (about 30 inches tall) with a 12 inch square plate for signal transmission on your roof. The router is attached, then they run a single Ethernet line into your house.

Lostintheglades

Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 05:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I've had my DSL since it first became available in our area ( 5 years or so). I also have a Linksys DLS router which allows me to connect all 3 of our computers up on the same line. The cost has gone down tremendously since then, I had to buy my DSL modem and now they give them away. I also pay my ISP for the service, they by several IP addresses which allows them to sell the connection for much less than the phone company charges you. Through my ISP I pay $45 a month for DSL, 20 megs of web space, unlimited E-mail and 4 e-mail boxes so that hubby and my kids can each have their own. Not a bad deal at all.

We have Roadrunner in the area too...but I like the DSL knowing that if the Cable is out, I can still have my internet access and vice versa.

Crazydog

Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 10:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I guess it depends on your area and your system. I had a cable modem through RCN here in Chicago and I had nothing but problems with it. It was incredibly slow, it always was down and not working. I would always call and complain and they kept telling me that I was "losing packets", whatever that means. They would send people out to fix it and reconfigure my computer - they came twice. Each time, the slowness reappeared within a few days.

Finally I got so fed up I cancelled it and switched to DSL. With DSL I have had nothing but great service and for me I find the speed is so much quicker.