High-Speed Internet Connections 101

Size isn't everything. Get the low-down on cable connections vs. Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs)

By: Bruce Krever

Each article I read left me increasingly confused. I began drowning in a sea of cyber-speak jargon. Everywhere I turned, high-tech acronyms were assaulting me.

  I had no idea what I was in for. My editor suggested I write an article on high-speed Internet access: which is better for the average home user, cable or DSL? No problem, I thought. Do some research, make a few phone calls, write a summary. Boy, was I in for a surprise.
  Each article I read left me increasingly confused. Each article contradicted information I'd read in previous ones. Even seemingly simple things like maximum transmission speeds varied wildly from article to article. I began drowning in a sea of cyber-speak jargon. Everywhere I turned, high-tech acronyms were assaulting me. I learned that ADSL, SDSL, VDSL, RADSL, and IDSL are all "flavours" of DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line. But that's nothing. One article claimed, "the RBOCs still don't have their hearts in DSL." In the same, short paragraph, I learned that survey participants were asked whether they trusted "a CLEC more than an ILEC to deliver high-quality DSL…." Yet, nowhere in the article could I find mention of what these acronyms stood for. Another article claimed that a benefit of DSL (compared to cable) was that it allowed users to choose from a range of transmission speeds (and pay accordingly, of course). Still another article claimed that this was true of cable systems!
 

Clearly, I was not going to be able to give an authoritative endorsement of one system over another. What I can do for you prospective speed-surfers is highlight key issues and clear up some of the confusion. And I'll do it in plain English too.

  Clearly, I was not going to be able to give an authoritative endorsement of one system over another. What I can do for you prospective speed-surfers is highlight key issues and clear up some of the confusion. And I'll do it in plain English too.
 

For the completely uninitiated, DSL and cable (yes, the same cable that brings you fine, innovative TV programs like the Partridge Family and Emergency!) are the two affordable choices for high-speed Internet access likely to be available to you

  For the completely uninitiated, DSL and cable (yes, the same cable that brings you fine, innovative TV programs like the Partridge Family and Emergency!) are the two affordable choices for high-speed Internet access likely to be available to you. Depending on your location, you might only have access to one or the other. If you live in a remote, rural location, you might not have access to either technology, yet. And even if your local telephone company or ISP (Internet Service Provider) offers DSL, if you live more than 4.5 km away from their central office, you won't be eligible. So your decision might be even easier! Consult your local cable and telephone companies.

Speed
  Okay, this is sort of the "size matters" part. Who's got the biggest pipeline? Theoretically, with a maximum (downstream) transmission speed of 10 Mbps (megabits per second) cable should win out over DSL (maximum 7 Mbps downstream) in raw speed. (Cable and most forms of DSL have different speeds for downloading and uploading information. Downloading information from the Internet, which is what most of us do while online, is afforded more bandwidth than uploading, so it's faster.) But actual speeds depend on the specifics of how the technology is implemented, and this varies widely from company to company. So what does this mean in the real world?
  Let's look at a concrete example. In my downtown Toronto neighbourhood, I have the luxury of choosing from two affordable high-speed Internet options: DSL as offered by Bell Sympatico High Speed Edition and cable access as offered by Rogers @Home. Both offer fast Internet access for approximately $40 per month (assuming you're already a Rogers cable or Bell long distance subscriber). Sorting out which service is better, however, is far from simple.
  Bell Sympatico High Speed Edition's service advertises speeds "up to" 960 Kbps (kilobits per second) downstream and "up to" 120 Kbps upstream. These figures allow Bell to claim that their service is up to 30 times faster than a 28.8 Kbps modem. Not bad. (28.8 Kbps is the speed at which many older, dial-up modems connect to the Internet. More recently manufactured modems typically connect at 33.6 Kbps or 56 Kbps, the upper limit.) Note the use of the words "up to." The speeds users achieve will depend on a number of factors (of course, these factors are not specific to Sympatico's service): the speed of their computer, their distance from the phone company's central office, the amount of Internet traffic ("net congestion") and the popularity of the specific sites they're trying to access, to name a few.
 

One of the downsides of cable Internet access is that, unlike DSL, the bandwidth is shared: you do not have your own, dedicated line. When you use a cable modem, you and your cable-Web-surfing neighbours are essentially on a giant, shared network.

  Rogers @Home service advertises download speeds of 1500-3000 Kbps and upload speeds "up to" 400 Kbps. But what they emphasize on their Web site is that @Home users can surf "up to" 100 times faster than they could on a 28.8 Kbps modem. That's pretty fast: roughly three times the advertised download speed of Sympatico. But that "100 times" estimate is based on Rogers' maximum speed of 3000 Kbps. Since their published download speed is between 1500 and 3000 Kbps, a pretty big range, I'd expect that you'd rarely reach that top speed for very long. As with DSL or even traditional dial-up access, real-world speeds are dependent on many factors.
  One of the downsides of cable Internet access is that, unlike DSL, the bandwidth is shared: you do not have your own, dedicated line. When you use a cable modem, you and your cable-Web-surfing neighbours are essentially on a giant, shared network. So as more users in your area begin using the service, your access speeds will drop. How big the drop will be is difficult to say. Cable companies downplay the whole issue. But because cable's bandwidth is shared throughout the network, it seems likely that performance degradation might be more noticeable during hours of peak use than with DSL. On the other hand, the speed of cable is usually higher to begin with.
  Whichever option you choose, you'll no doubt notice an appreciable increase in speed over your old dial-up modem. The only question is whether the difference will be worth the added cost. I still use a 33.6 Kbps dial-up modem, and for my needs at the moment, it's fine. It is slow, but isn't that why they call it the World Wide Wait? Perhaps I should mention that I pay just under $14 per month for 100 hours. I just can't justify $40 per month, no matter how souped up the connection might be.
  Before you decide to spring for one of these high-speed options, make sure you meet or exceed the recommended, not just the minimum, system requirements. One friend of mine, after finding out that her computer was too old and slow to work with Sympatico's high-speed option, opted for Rogers @Home service. Her system did just meet Rogers' minimum requirements. The end result? She has noticed no increase in speed over her 56 Kbps dial-up modem. Oh well, at least she can talk on the phone and surf at the same time.

Other Considerations/Issues

• In our example, both DSL and cable options were available for competitive prices. This may not be the case where you live. In many places, cable is often cheaper than DSL, sometimes by quite a lot.

• DSL services provided by an independent ISP (one not affiliated with your local phone company) may be quite a bit pricier than the example here.

• Whether you choose cable or DSL, you'll need an Ethernet card (which you may already have) installed in your computer.

• In addition to the monthly charge for the cable or DSL service, there will be an installation fee. Check for promotional specials with free installation. You will also need to buy or rent a cable or DSL modem (rental costs may be included in the monthly charge).

• Both cable and DSL let you use the Internet and talk on the phone simultaneously. With DSL, a second phone line is not necessary: copper phone wires carry analog (voice) and digital data on different frequencies.

• Both cable and DSL allow you to stay connected to the Internet all the time. You don't need to waste time dialing into your ISP, so there won't be any busy signals. Because you're connected all the time, however, you may also be more vulnerable to computer hackers. See below.

• If you access the Internet by DSL or cable, make sure you have file sharing and print sharing turned off, or you'll risk other people gaining access to your computer (or printer). In fact, this is a danger even with traditional dial-up connections. Go to grc.com/default.htm and click on "Shields Up!" to test your computer's vulnerability. (Try their suggestively titled "Probe My Ports" test, too.) DSL advocates claim the security problem is worse with cable because of cable's shared network.

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