“Considers the factors when choosing to install a Cable Modem or DSL”

DSL or Cable Modem

Written by: Les Harper - Feb 4, 2012

DSL OR CABLE MODEM

To access the World Wide Web the most popular technologies that offer fast connections are the Cable Modem and DSL broadband.

There are many reasons why this is the norm, however one reason is that they are much faster than dial-up connections.

A comparison of the rate of data transfer between a Cable Modem and DSL will show a difference depending on various technical configurations.

Due to these differences the Cable Modem and DSL might have the upper hand at different times. The following overview tries to explain the advantages and disadvantages of both.

CABLE MODEM

A Cable Modem is generally used in homes. This is due to its convenience and price as the Internet data is transferred on the same cable as the Television programs. The technology utilises separate wires within the cable for Television programs or Internet data transfer. This makes economic sense as it is profitable for the Internet Service provider (ISP) as there are no extra set-up costs and the spare bandwidth is used for Internet data transfer. The other aspect is that homes in the same location rely on the cable for accessing the World Wide Web. This sharing if the bandwidth amongst so many homes within the same location may give rise to slow connections and up and down speeds. This is especially true when many users are accessing the net at the same time.

DSL BROADBAND

DSL broadband differs from the Cable Modem as it uses the home telephone lines to access the World Wide Web. When many users are accessing the web at the same time the speed of the Internet is sometimes faster than the Cable Modem speed. However the further one lives form the ISP the slower the Internet speed and the closer one lives the faster the speed.

If the sharing of the bandwidth is balanced then the Cable Modem is quicker than DSL broadband.

However some of the advantages of the Cable Modem can be wiped out due to technical reasons.

A REVIEW OF DSL AND CABLE SPEEDS

A comparison of the different connections of cable and DSL speeds is the most important thing to do. A maximum speed of 10 Mbps is achievable with broadband DSL whereby a Cable Modem offers bandwidth speed up to 30 Mbps. Another type of DSL known as VDSL has speeds that compare to a Cable Modem, but this is rarely offered to subscribers due to technical and financial reasons. As previously discussed there are some reasons why the Cable Modem loses out to DSL. One reason is the lower bandwidth when many subscribers are connected to the Internet simultaneously. Some ISP’s also cap the bandwidth which will affect the speeds on the Internet.

Other things that effect speeds whether you have DSL or a Cable Modem are technical problems in the network,spyware,wireless routers that are set up wrongly and home network problems.

The reason most homes do not have the Cable Modem speeds of 30 Mbps bandwidth is because most ISP’s only offer speeds of between 1 – 6 Mbps for down speeds and 768Kbps for up speeds. They do this to accommodate as many customers as possible and provide an equal share of bandwidth to all of the customers. The ISP’s often cap speeds in order to make more money i.e. if you want a faster connection speed you have to pay for it.

DSL connection Internet speed is dependent on factors such as how far your home is from the telephone hub, network reliability and telephone line quality.

If you want the best Internet connection and you are looking at DSL and modem connections there are obviously advantages and disadvantages to both. You will need to make a decision by comparing cost, reliability, customer support and other reasons due to your individual circumstances. When you have done this you will see which connection works for you, proceed to installation and get online.

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