redrims999
join:2007-12-27
Atlanta, GA | Comcast vs. Att DSL
Could someone outline some pro's and con's for me? For example
Comcast
Pros:
Faster
Cheaper
Better tech
(This is only an example.) Any info is welcome. |
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shdesigns
Powered By Infinite Improbabilty Drive
Premium
join:2000-12-01
Stone Mountain, GA | Ask you neighbors how they like their service.
Here, AT&T and Comcast are unreliable. So I went with a 3rd party ISP for DSL. |
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ChiTang
Premium,MVM
join:2002-08-23
Alhambra, CA | For DSL, the last mile applies, so 3rd party or direct from Telco will end up with the same line. VAR is a different story tough.
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I used to be indecisive, now I am not sure. |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
4 edits | reply to redrims999
Depends where you are, when it comes to Key West, Comcast lives up to Comcraptic.
Goes out in good weather, lets alone a TS or Hurricane if you still can power modem and PC, DSL is rock solid here for. Or brief outages. Majpor storm can be weeks before you get cable back. Sat and DSL works much better here. Doesn't get blown off roof (Hasn't happen in ten years and several Cat 2 storms and many TS)... right back as soon as you can power it. In fact my DISH DVR is on a UPS that can run it for hours... so miss no recordings in a power failure...part of life at the end of a 150 mi extension cord... cable here is still not battery backed up significantly... and even a local outage can kill everything downstream.
This is probably one of the few places cable has near or under 50% penetration now.... especially the all $$$ important commercial accounts like bars and hotels... the majority of which have switched to SAT, as well as many private residences. A sat dish is a frequently increasing sight here.
Cable HSI not particularly cheaper (after the 3-6 mo teaser BS), though potentially faster, if you don't have a lot of 24/7 full bore DL leeches on your node leg.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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Greg_Z
Premium
join:2001-08-08
Springfield, IL | reply to redrims999
Apples & Oranges. Both have their costs, and benefits. |
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CvD
| said by Greg_Z  :Apples & Oranges. Both have their costs, and benefits. Right.
As a general rule, DSL is a better choice for "budget-minded" people. The catch is that every DSL install can be considered a custom install and your speeds and reliability can vary widely. Talking to your neighbors about how they like their own service can be hit and miss because the assumption you're making is that their phone lines are in the same condition as yours and their service is coming out of the same place yours would come out of. And that may not be the case.
The best way to answer your question would be to do some shopping and looking around on your own, first, then come back with specific questions. For all you know, Comcast could offer some good deals in your area and the price difference between DSL and cable might not be that significant. But asking us "Which is better: DSL or cable?" right off the bat is a bit like asking "Which is better: BMW or Mercedes?"
Both cars have their fans and detractors and one may be a better fit than the other for you, personally. Likewise, some people like DSL while others swear by cable. There aren't too many hard-and-fast rules and which one is "better" depends on how much money you have to spend, what services are available in your area, and what you plan to use the connection for. |
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jimbopalmer
Tsar of all the Rushers
join:2008-06-02
Greenwood, MS
 ·Windjammer Cable
| reply to redrims999
Ask yourself this question: Which company do I hate more now?
If you already hate AT&T as a phone company, they will not be better as an ISP.
If you already hate Comcast as a cable company, they will not be better as an ISP.
The business relationship is WAY more important than the technology. Do you understand the bill? How long does it take to get to tech support? Do they speak American English? How often do you have outages? How long are they? What does the User Agreement restrict you from doing?
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I tried to remain child-like, all I achieved was childish. |
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ncbill
Premium
join:2007-01-23
Winston Salem, NC | reply to redrims999
AT&T DSL is cheap - $10/month for new DSL customers for 768KB
(what I'm using now)
Here DSL is substantially more reliable - cable services fail if the wind blows. |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | reply to redrims999
Comcast has data caps. |
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redrims999
join:2007-12-27
Atlanta, GA | reply to redrims999
for 250GB right? |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | Sounds like a good guess. |
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redrims999
join:2007-12-27
Atlanta, GA | reply to Greg_Z
Yes but what are the costs and benefits |
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Greg_Z
Premium
join:2001-08-08
Springfield, IL
·Comcast
| said by redrims999 :Yes but what are the costs and benefits Look them up. |
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Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA
·Comcast
 ·Aristotle Internet
| reply to shdesigns
said by shdesigns :Ask you neighbors how they like their service. Here, AT&T and Comcast are unreliable. So I went with a 3rd party ISP for DSL. Now, that answer should have been it, unless there is a decided need to start trouble. BTW third party can be a good idea.
Ask neighbors is the only way to make an assessment for your area, I know, I know nobody talks to neighbors anymore; try it. When you get one for DSL and one for Cable, compare what you are looking for against what is offered.
Of course it won't really stop there, depending on their PC and their ability to understand maintenance in order to have an optimum connection. |
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KLH
join:2001-09-24
Vincennes, IN | reply to redrims999
With AT&T you get a backup dialup account if your service ever goes down, or to use while away from home. You also get free WiFi at all of AT&T partnered locations. |
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hortnut
Its been a hard road.
join:2005-09-25
All Over
·BCTelco
·Qwest.net
 ·Skype
·Comcast
| reply to redrims999
I am in a very rural area, but I am able to get DSL from a small Co-Op. Comcast is out of the question and only alternatives are dialup and Sat.
One thing I have found out about DSL make sure your Interior House lines do not have any noise that can feed back - I did and it affected speed and would knock me off very frequently. Plus I ran a separate line to the Dsl modem.
Also my DSL modems IP address was the same as the Wireless AP/Router I was using. Had to change my equipment's IP addressing scheme, as that was knocking me off on a regular basis.
I have had similar issue with cable, so I ran a separate line where cable came into the house.
I have had Cable since @home changed to ATTBI and that changed to Comcast. Cable is faster in downloading multiple pages and large programs. Cable is more expensive.
As I worked Tech Support for Qwest for Dialup, ISDN, DSL from the time they were just offering it in '97-2001 - I have usually have had no need to contact Tech Support, except when I had a bad Self-Install Disc with Comcast some years ago and they needed to provision my Modem manually.
These forums are some of the best places to obtain the knowledge to do your own tech support.
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Darn, its gettin that time to go to Wallymart to gits me picture taken agin.
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Chinabound
Premium
join:2002-12-21
Antioch, IL
clubs:
·Comcast
| said by hortnut :I had a bad Self-Install Disc with Comcast some years ago and they needed to provision my Modem manually. Was it the same disc that said "Give this to your computer?"
I threw mine away after reading that. It scared me. |
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Johkal
Cool Cat
Premium,MVM
join:2002-11-13
Happy Valley
clubs:
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·Comcast
·Vonage
1 edit | reply to ninjatutle
said by ninjatutle :Comcast has data caps. Comcast uses "Network Management".
Ref: »Comcast High Speed Internet FAQ »Comcast Network Management
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Write me up a 125.......I Can't Drive 55 »redrocker.com/ »cabowabo.com/ |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Dude. Looks like capage to me.
Today, we're announcing that beginning on October 1, 2008, we will amend our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) available at »www.comcast.net/terms/use/ and establish a specific monthly data usage threshold of 250 GB/month per account for all residential customers.
It's no secret we've been evaluating a specific monthly data usage or bandwidth threshold for our Comcast High-Speed Internet residential customers for some time. Rumors circulated online last year and they popped up again in May.
»www.comcast.net/terms/network/amendment/ |
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Johkal
Cool Cat
Premium,MVM
join:2002-11-13
Happy Valley
clubs: | It's more in tune to throttling than a hard cap. |
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