Question on internet speeds.

[MystifyingMonkey]

Which service for DSL is really good. I live in New York, Queens. I am not going to go with cable because i dont want to spend the extra money to get cable too. Also if i get lan is it faster then?

[mbossman2]

www.dslreports.com will give you the low down on the various DSL services available.

As to speed, your internet speed is detemined by the available bandwidth of your internet pipe, a LAN, unless it has a large number of users on it, all attempting to access the internet simultaneously, will have little impact on your overall internet performance

[pam123]

Hail fellow urbanite.
Verizon has gotten it's act together and for the last 2 years I've been happy with my DSL connection.
Like mbossman says check out dslreports for your zip code and find out if Verizon or Earthlink does the best job in your neighborhood.

[glc]

I don't care how good Verizon has gotten - if Optimum Online cable is available in your neighborhood, get it in a heartbeat. It's the fastest cable in the country and makes anyone's DSL look bad.

[pam123]

Originally Posted by MystifyingMonkey Which service for DSL is really good. I live in New York, Queens. I am not going to go with cable because i dont want to spend the extra money to get cable too.

Optimum cable, or it might be RoadRunner in Queens, wouldn't be an option then since both require that you have basic cable tv.

[glc]

Roadrunner is not anywhere near as good as Optimum. I know what he said, but I'm saying that Optimum is worth a premium if need be. Also, I don't know if they are like Comcast, but Comcast does not require TV service, you can get JUST broadband Internet. You get a $15 a month *discount* if you also have a TV package.

[pam123]

Originally Posted by glc Roadrunner is not anywhere near as good as Optimum. I know what he said, but I'm saying that Optimum is worth a premium if need be. Also, I don't know if they are like Comcast, but Comcast does not require TV service, you can get JUST broadband Internet. You get a $15 a month *discount* if you also have a TV package.

Ah, I see.
Mistifying lives in Queens so his choice is RCN cable, a company that is/is not dealing with financial problems. They do offer the option of broadband alone on their website but it may not be available to him ( it took Optimum 2 years after I got DSL to offer it in my neighborhood ).
Optimum on line is limited to the Bronx and Brooklyn, and RoadRunner is limited to Manhattan. As far as I know you can't get Comcast in NYC.
Balkanized is the term that has been applied to the NYC cable market.

[glc]

If RCN is his only cable choice, I'd go with Verizon or Earthlink DSL too - as long as he is close enough to the switch to get a decent speed plan. He isn't going to get the top speed of cable, but it's going to be reliable and consistent.

[cm13]

i live in Boston and i have Verizon DSL. they allowed me to get a free speed upgrade and i tested it at http://bandwidthconnection.com/speedtest and my speed is 1.6 Mbps...pretty good for $30 a month no?

[pam123]

Originally Posted by cm13 i live in Boston and i have Verizon DSL. they allowed me to get a free speed upgrade and i tested it at http://bandwidthconnection.com/speedtest and my speed is 1.6 Mbps...pretty good for $30 a month no?

Very good and I'm waiting for Verizon to offer a similar deal in NYC.