| Author |
Message |
    
andrew schwartz
Citizen
Username: Amschwartz
Post Number: 1
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 4:26 pm: |     |
Hey everybody. I'm on the verge of upgrading my internet connection at home. Does anyone have any opinions on the local DSL or Cable service for high-speed internet. |
OK, it's Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 649
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 4:33 pm: | |
I've had both and liked them equally well. I had cable modem service with Cablevision when I lived in Edison. I've heard bad reports about the cable company in this area, so I got Verizon DSL. They even gave me a better deal than Comcast could. Verizon DSL has been utterly reliable, and the speed is good. I believe it's a little slower, but not perceptively.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 36
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 4:45 pm: | |
We love the cable modem service -- but loathed the installation process. Really, really 3rd rate technicians (they outsource this) come to your house. Blew up all aspects of my husband's machine (admittedly, 5 years old but we'd verified that it would work) and denied responsibility. Went through absolute hell. So the service is totally excellent as a product; installation is awful. |
OK, it's Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 650
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 4:50 pm: | |
Oh, by the way, we had Comcast come in last week to install cable TV service. The installer was incompetent. He didn't even know where to put the cable. If he can't do that, what is he there for? My wife told him how to route the cable, and I corrected his other error after I got home. He left with our TV not working, and he claimed he wasn't responsible. The lucky thing is that I was able to make it work. Comcast is unimpressive.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 1061
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 4:51 pm: | |
I secnond that. REALLY REALLY bad techs.
There is nothing like being. |
OK, it's Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 651
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 4:54 pm: | |
Sorry I keep following up my own posts.
Cablevision has much better technicians. When I had to troubleshoot my cable modem service, the guy at the other end knew as much about computer networking as I do, and I do that for a living! Impressive!
People here on MOL speak highly of the two competing satellite TV service companies. So you could get your internet and TV without going through comcast. I chose comcast because it was cheaper, though only slightly, and because I wanted to get the local station, channel 35.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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vermontgolfer
Citizen
Username: Vermontgolfer
Post Number: 90
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 5:57 pm: | |
Had both, like cable better. I'm in SO, so I have Cablevision. My biggest problem with Verizon and DSL was that when I moved, within SO, I was unable to get DSL to move with me and was without high speed service for months. Went back to DSL when available, but as soon as Cablevision was available I switched. I also think that Cablevision is offering a $29.95 for six months for new serivce. I installed myself, rather easy, just tapped off cable line.
Good luck!
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Arnomation
Citizen
Username: Arnomation
Post Number: 54
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 7:48 pm: | |
I have Verizon DSL and it's not as fast as I thought it would be. It's much better than the 56k modem I was on but not as good as the T-1 line at my old job.
The other thing about DSL is that since it goes through your phone line you need to put filters on every phone line that you want to be able to talk on because the DSL signal screeches in your ear if you don't and sometimes they don't work all that well.
The other thing I have trouble with on Verizon is when I have to send files. Many times I get an error message window saying that it can't connect to the Outgoing Mail Server and the email goes into my Outbox until it is able to send it. If you don't use it for work this won't be an issue for you but when you're working on time sensitve projects with tight deadlines it's incredibly frustrating. |
OK, it's Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 654
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 11:00 pm: | |
How can you compare DSL with a T1? A T1 costs $1000 a month!
If you can't upload large files, decrease the size of your MTU. I don't remember how to do this in Windows. If you use a home router, such as a Linksys, it's in one of the advanced setup options. Decrease it to 1440 or 1400. That will do the trick.
South Orange has Cablevision!? Hot damn! I moved to the wrong town!
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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Arnomation
Citizen
Username: Arnomation
Post Number: 55
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 8:01 am: | |
I didn't really mean to campare the two although I guess I did. I just didn't feel like the DSL was really that noticably faster and it surprised me.
Uploading large files isn't the problem, it's connecting to the server that's the problem. I get the error message sometimes on small files. I don't know why but sometimes their server is wonky and my emails don't go out until it can make a connection to the server, for whatever reason.
--decrease the size of your MTU. If you use a home router, such as a Linksys, it's in one of the advanced setup options. Decrease it to 1440 or 1400--
I have no idea what any of this means. |
sac
Citizen
Username: Sac
Post Number: 725
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 9:35 am: | |
Remember that DSL doesn't necessarily equate to Verizon. We use Speakeasy DSL, in large part due to the kudos that have been posted numerous times on this board. We haven't been disappointed. |
OK, it's Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 656
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 10:04 am: | |
Arnomation, I'll try to find a reference on how you can decrease the MTU setting. It stands for maximum transmission unit. Basically, information is sent in packets, and sometimes, the packets can be too big for DSL to carry. By decreasing MTU, the computer sends things in smaller packets, rather like breaking up a document into fewer sheets before putting them into a binder, to be reassembled at the receiving end.
DSL isn't supposed to be as fast as a T1, if that's what you had expected. It's usually about a quarter megabit. A T1 is 1.544 megabits.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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twig
Citizen
Username: Twig
Post Number: 87
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 10:04 am: | |
andrew schwartz- do you know how far you are from the phone hub? I recently had cable internet service installed after going back and forth deciding between cable and DSL. After first doing some reading and then speaking with a Verizon tech/rep, it seems that you have to be within 18,000 feet of the phone hub to get optimal DSL service - at least, that's what I read and the Verizon tech person confirmed it. It may be that the closer you are, the faster the service. Not being a tech person, I may not have the full story on this so more knowledgeable readers may want to comment. But when I directly asked the question about distance and speed, the verizon tech person said that because I was almost the full 18,000 feet from the phone building, the speed I'd get from DSL would be faster than dial-up but not nearly the optimal potential speed of DSL. Of course, cable speed is also subject to factors. It can be affected by neighbors who are downloading the entire 20th Century Fox film collection on a nightly basis since you share the bandwith with other subscribers - so there are no guarantees. So far, we've been quite happy with cable. Good luck. |
kevin
Citizen
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 95
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 11:37 am: | |
Tom, you can actually get a full T1 internet service for between $520-$620 per month here in the MW/SO area which includes the hardware and w/1 year term.
While not something that a home user would particularly be interested in, a business might be.
A fractional T1 would even be cheaper at $399/mo.
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Brett
Citizen
Username: Bmalibashksa
Post Number: 241
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 1:37 pm: | |
twig,
DSL service does slow down the farther you get from the hub, and in my experiance it's really hard to find out how far you are from a hub.
I have a T1 at work and DSL at home. I haven't had many issuses with the DSL and it's fast enought for anything I download. |
vermontgolfer
Citizen
Username: Vermontgolfer
Post Number: 91
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 4:54 pm: | |
OK,
Funny, when I came home today, there was an ad hanging on my door from Comcast, to switch to their digital cable. Guess there operators are not only great, but they don't even know they don't have coverage in SO.
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