dsl/cable internet

[lwong81]

I just moved to Cali, and I called DSL extreme for their 26.95 special. Since I have no phone line, I cannot use it. I have a cell phone, and I don't plan on getting any other phone lines. Does all dsl and cable require it? And is there any other cheap services?

thanks,

[zoedragon]

I've found home DSL to be unreliable anyway. Get a cable modem instead. It requires no phone line. They string a cable to your house/apartment, and if you order cable TV also you're likely to get a discount on your overall package. Cable tends to be a bit more expensive than DSL though.

[PandaMoOo]

DSL is really a fickle thing. For most people its a cheaper solution, cable is faster and more expensive, and may be an easier option given your location.

If you only web browse, I'd recommend DSL... it's probably cheaper, ask how close you are to the "central office" if you're over 10000 feet you may get interruptions.

If you're a serious web user, download TONS of files. (who would do that??) Cable is probably the better option, it's normally faster and slightly more dependable.

If you live in a highly saturated area, cable will slow down during prime time hours, while DSL normally does not. If you live too far from the central office, DSL sometimes goes up and down with cold/warm/humid/whenever weather. Cable is cheaper if you get cable TV too Help my long stream-of-consciousness helps!

[Keng]

If you live close to the DSL points...get it

[zoedragon]

The problem is he has no phone lines. His cell phone is his primary phone line. He'd have to pay for phone line activation and phone service he doesn't need in order to get DSL. With the cost of phone service AND DSL service combined, it might come out to be the same as paying for cable. And with a choice like that I'd pick cable every time.

It's story time ladies and gentlemen, because I'm procrastinating at work. When I first switched from dialup to high speed, I opted for DSL because it was a little cheaper and I thought I could have highspeed access on all my phone ports after that. Well a week after SBC DSL claimed my access was supposed to be on, I still had no access. When I called to complain for the third time they were all, "That's funny, you should have access right now." Well DUH I don't, that's why I'm calling! They had to go "investigate" the problem only to find out that there's been a DSL outtage in my area. All week. I thought oh hell no, cancel my service NOW!

So I signed up with AT&T Cable internet and I was completely happy. Quick installation, no interruptions in service, very fast connection. I was complete happy. Until Comcast took over. They jacked the price from $45 to $65! I was like, WHAT?? Forget that!

It had been over a year, so I figured they probaby fixed whatever was all whacked out with their DSL. I signed up with Yahoo SBC DSL for a 6-month special of $26. Installation was easy and it was a fairly good connection, for about a month. My computer lost connection with the DSL and couldn't get it back, no matter how many times I rebooted. I called up tech support and we ended up reinstalling all the software. Then it happened again! For no reason I lose connection and again I call their tech support. They have 24 hour support, but man do they suck. They follow this script for troubleshooting, no matter what you tell them. Even if you've already done that step, they want you to do it again. Freaking robots! And guess what, they wanted me to reinstall the software, AGAIN!

These guys are like the AOL of the DSL world. At that point I told them to cancel everything. I'd rather pay for overpriced RELIABLE high speed access than have to deal with this crap every few weeks.

So the moral of this story is... I hate DSL!


To be fair, however, our DSL connection at work seems to be very stable. It's home DSL that I don't trust.

[Admin]

I applied for Earthlink DSL two years ago. The first two months was problematic. I was stuck at 768kb down with a monthly rate of $50 for an entire year because of the annual contract.

Applied to Charter Cable when the contract ceased. No contract needed and I can discontinue the cable service anytime I wanted. I did end up paying like $5 bucks extra per month from the regular service rate because we did not have cable service at our house. The speed was a whooping 2mb! Nice. But there was frequent downtime on a daily basis and so, I disconnected the service within a month.

I then applied to Verizon DSL for the residence and I had to sign up with an annual contract. But due to DSL competitions nationwide, the rate dropped down to $29.99 and the company boosted the down speed from 768kb to 1.5mb. Is actually nice to have that much speed all the time and no downtime. It has been 7 months with Verizon dsl and I am very satisfied with the service. And the bill comes along with the residential phone bill.

[zoedragon]

I think it's great to circulate these high speed internet experiences. So when one of us is getting ready to switch we know what to avoid. Comcast cable is mostly good. Sometimes my computer gets disconnected and I have to reboot, but it doesn't happen too often. Other people should post their experiences too!

[PandaMoOo]

Aah i read but forgot to miss that. Get cable if you don't got a phone line.

Yeah DSL used to be horrible! Some places are better now... most services used to use this technology called "PPPoE" which was a very slow unstandard way of routing information... computers often did experience software crashes and such. I've always done static IP address for my DSL connection I have at one location... haven't had much in the way of problems... 4-5 years now.

I recommend broadbandreports.com ! They have tons and tons and tons of reviews of all broadband ISPs!