Which one is better?

[Nuclear Krusader]

DSL or cable?

TIA for the input.

[Byte 2.0]

depends on location.

Speeds oftered by each company if you have a choice of either type of connection.

You can't just ask which is better. You really have to compare companies and options.

I do DSL tech support, but I use my local cable company for internet.

I get about 2000 +kbps down 160kbps up

the dsl I support is 1472 down 256 up.

can get info on most providers at dslreport.com
or now boardbandreports.com

so it really depends on your area and the lines that provide you with service. I could carry on for hours about crappy DSL and tell yo how great cable has been for me, Other People can do just the oposite.
DSL you have a line to yourself, Cable they say is shared bandwidth.

on my cable I have no slow downs like DSL companies will lead you to believe. I don't lose sync everytime it rains. I have had a great expenice so far with cable. Plus I meet alot of ppl that have very good experiences with DSL.

[reboot]

DSL can be faster or slower than cable, depending on two things.
The package you buy for DSL may only be 256 down, so read the fine print carefully!!!
Cable is usually faster than DSL, but if you get too many clients on your node (the switch for your neighborhood) then it can slow drastically. Most cable companies only allow x number of clients per node, then they install a second node to handle the next bunch of subscribers, however, they've been know to overload so badly that it seems you're surfing at 56k speeds during peak hours.
With a few tweaks, you can really help increase your cable speed, DSL is capped, period.
I get 1mbit down, and 512 up on a good day, and never less than 800kbit down. This translates roughly into 50 megabytes in less than 4 minutes real world speed to a site 5 or 6 hops away. Local is much faster.

[Byte 2.0]

reboot is right, DSL does have a cap, cable is also caped. You have to check the max speed the companies say is possible.

[morriswindgate]

From what I have seen, quality of DSL varies from phone company to company. Also I have seen a lot of setup problems with DSL. On the otherhand Cable, once you get past the problems with frequency traps that may be installed on your line and the big time lack of knowledge from you cable installer, runs with no problems.

[Byte 2.0]

one thing to knw, 3rd party DSL companies buy there service from a large phone company and resell, hints get mad at one company and go with a 3rd party provider, you still have the same lines.

[kittyfire]

DSL if you aren't living in Atlanta or Miami. I've tinkered with both in my area. The DSL speed for download/upload is night and day difference than that on cable. DSL is a cleaner connection. You aren't sharing. Cable speeds can vary greatly depending on who's doing what on your pipe.

I honestly think internet users are just like people who scream at microwaves to hurry up now. Stove? 56k? Dinosaurs?

[morriswindgate]

The idea that cable slows down as the number of computers goes up has pretty much been disproven. That cable can carry a lot more data than any phone line, if the proper traps and setting are used.
I was the first in my area to have cable and in the first ten people in my town. Now most people in the area have it and I am still waiting for the slowdown.

[Byte 2.0]

"That cable can carry a lot more data than any phone line"

Phone lines can carry upto 11 megs, but they are provisioned way below that but there is room to expand in the future, I have no clue the max cable lines but I would expect higher.

[Mac Medic]

Originally posted by kittyfire DSL if you aren't living in Atlanta or Miami.

How come? Is cable better here? I love my dsl and get 1.2 mbit throughput. But then i see craig has 5 mbit cable and i get all verklempt. Damn it I need enhanced cable.

[kittyfire]

My first hand experience with the two is that the DSL is faster. Both are promised at 1.5 down and 256 upstream. I get far closer to that with the DSL than I do with the cable. There are so many variables in both that it's very hard to provide a side by side analysis. With the phone lines, the distance to the CO is a huge issue. The condition of the lines is an issue. The weather is an issue. With cable you bypass a lot of those physical issues but you do share the bandwidth. Even more than possible slowdowns, the biggest issue is with privacy. In a lot of ways it's apples to oranges. The scenario I have here, where the DSL is much faster than the cable could easily reverse if I were to try the DSL 10,000 feet further down the line from the CO. DSL's weakness is very much physical, hardware... Cable's weakness is very much software.