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Home > DSL vs Cable

DSL vs Cable

Which is better, DSL or Cable?

This is a common question asked by consumers in search of high speed Internet access for their homes. Unfortunately, the answer is that neither DSL or Cable is better all the time under all conditions. The data transfer rates you can get from either DSL or Cable will depend entirely on whatever local providers are in your area.

Quick Comparison - DSL vs Cable

For the purpose of a general comparison between the DSL / Cable, we've listed the basic features, advantages and limitations of DSL vs Cable Internet access.

Do Cable Users Really Share Bandwidth While DSL Users Do Not?

Many salespersons for DSL providers will tell you that DSL does not share bandwidth while Cable does, thus slowing down Cable Internet connections when many people near you are using the Internet. While this is true, it is a general statement that can cause you to make an uninformed decision if you think it means DSL will always be faster than Cable.

For example, if your local Cable Internet provider has enough bandwidth in your area that can handle a lot of users, the speed of your connection will hardly be affected by this sharing. Also, if you use DSL and your DSL provider's central office if far away from your home, your connection will be slower than normal even though you aren't sharing that connection with anyone else. In such a case, Cable would be better, since Cable maintains its rate of data transfer better over long distances while higher ADSL speeds can be limited by distance.

The Decision Usually Comes Down To Exactly Where You Live

For many consumers looking into DSL vs Cable, the debate of which Internet service is better will never even come up. You're often lucky to have one of the two services in your area. For those consumers who actually have both services available to them, the answer to which is a better choice lies in the exact location of your home.

As a rule of thumb, DSL speeds will depend upon the actual distance your building is from the nearest central office of your ISP. For Cable Internet, connection speeds can be affected by the amount of Internet use in your particular neighborhood. And since no objective article on the Internet can tell you how far your individual house is to your DSL-ISP's nearest central office or how many other Cable Internet users are actively using the Internet in your area, you'll just have to do some asking around on your own.

Since the connections speeds in your area will most certainly be different than in other areas, you're best course of action is to talk to other Internet users in your area who utilize the type of connections that you are looking into. Only by gauging the quality of a provider in a certain area directly with the customers who use their service will help you make a sound decision.

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