Hating DSL right now - time to switch to cable

[disneysteve]

I don't care what it costs. It is time to ditch DSL and switch to cable. I don't even care about the speed. What I do care about is reliability and DSL just doesn't have it. We've had it for years and it periodically blinks off, sometimes for a few seconds, sometimes for several minutes. Most of the time it isn't a big deal. Sometimes, however, getting disconnected in the middle of something ruins what you're doing.

The last straw was having it cut out in the middle of a poker tournament when I was way ahead and would have won. It was a Sit and Go tourney on Facebook - one round. First hand, I had a pair of queens. Five people went all in and I won, leaving only 3 others, each of whom only had 1/6 as much money as me at that point. There was no way I could lose (unless I got stupid) since all 3 of them together had just under half of what I had. Then the DSL went out.

So I guess it is time to call Comcast and find out what I need to do to switch. I know cable is faster and not much more expensive (maybe even the same price). I just don't like change, which is why I've kept DSL as long as I have.

[jeffrey]

It's amazing what reliability is worth if you spend a lot of time on the computer -- probably add 5 to 10 years on your life

[Confetti]

After enduring several outages at my office, and lots of time spent on the phone with our DSL provider, I told my boss we were switching to cable. I have cable at home and it has never gone out. The only time I ever had trouble was when the modem went bad, and that wasn't the fault of the cable company (Comcast). As a matter of fact, they told me I was the only one in the neighborhood who was out and sent someone out the following day with a new modem and ran some new cable just to make sure, all on their dime.

[disneysteve]

We've had cable outages at work, but they are very few and far between, maybe once a year for a few hours. DSL goes out regularly in short bursts which is far more annoying.

[faithman1012005@yahoo.com]

Very frustrating, I know mine goes out on a regular bases as well, hoever so far it's been for just about 30 seconds and it'll be back on. Usually have to unplug everything and plug it back in.

[Broken Arrow]

Before my current cable broadband, I had Bellsouth DSL.

My setup was made as optimal as possible. No landlines. No filters. Just a straight shot into the modem.

I remember it hung up on a few occasions, and resetting the modem fixed it. Eventually, I did call Bellsouth to be sure, and they went out of their way sending a technician to check on it, free of charge. Decided to give me a brand new modem, and that solved the hang-up issue.

Sometimes, the router also hung up and had to be reset, but this was a router issue that I still have once in a blue moon, even when I am with cable now.

I actually loved the DSL, and am tempted to get it back. However, cable met my same needs for a lot less money, so I am not looking to switch back anytime soon. Should I decide to do so though, I already have the hardware so I only have to pay for the monthly subscription.

I understand not all DSL connections are created equal though. I know some are further away from the provider than others, and therefore, the connection quality varies there. Within each household, the quality of the networking hardware being used also makes a difference.

[disneysteve]

mine goes out on a regular bases as well, hoever so far it's been for just about 30 seconds and it'll be back on.

Same here, but 30 seconds or 10 seconds or 5 seconds is long enough to wreck whatever you happen to be doing. Once the connection is dropped, it's dropped. Even if it reconnects right away, it is too late.

[sweeps]

Do you use a router, Steve? Your problem could be the DSL, but it could be your router -- don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

[noppenbd]

I work from home full time over a Verizon DSL connection and have to say I have never had a major outage. So it must depend on your individual situation.

[MonkeyMama]

We've never had a DSL outage.

Our cable was out ALL OF THE TIME. For short periods of time, and long periods... We switched to DSL something like 8 months ago.

I wouldn't hold my breath that cable is any better.

[momof1in150]

It depends on your phone lines. Some lines are noisier then others and require a filter for DSL to work properly. We have had both and were happy with both.

[Broken Arrow]

I was told that DSL's signal is digital, and as a much stronger signal, it wrecks havoc with normal land line phones. That's why filters are necessary. But through technical details I currently do not understand, filters will also degrade the DSL signal. That's why only one filter is recommended, but definitely no more than 3 per house.

That's also why when I had my DSL set up, I used neither filters nor landlines (just didn't need it). Just a pure running signal going only into the modem. When I had some modem trouble, I went so far as to insist that they install a new dedicated line from the outside box going straight to only one designated outlet, which then ran straight into the modem. Yes, I was being a pain that way, but the result was superb. The technician rated my signal as eligible for their fastest speeds available... I just didn't want to pay that much. Plus, my own separate tests showed that I was only getting their second highest speed in real life usage. Er, anyway, just a lot of extra details about what happened that you guys probably wouldn't care about.

My current cable is actually even more user-friendly and error-free than DSL. The only downside is that I do experience the occasional slowdown, but that is to be expected with shared bandwidth. Most of the time though, it does what I need for roughly $25 a month less than DSL, so like I said, I won't be switching back anytime soon.

But yeah, both are technologies that have their own pros and cons, and the mileage will vary depending on each household's technical situation and hardware.

[simpleyme]

we have had cable for years never had an outage, my kids do not ever remember anything else, word of warning once you do it it you will never be able to go back!

My FIL has dial up we go to his house and he forces us to look at crap on the computer it is horrible how slow it is ;-) DSL and cable cost the same in my area

[ActYourWage]

There are issues with both....Alot of the time it is the router/modem.

[rizzmo]

DSL is laden with technical problems, mostly stemming from boosters put on lines to improve voice transmission over analog lines. If one of these is on a neighboring circuit anywhere on the loop from the Central office (or subsation) to your home you will have sporatic issues (disconnects/hang ups) or it will just flat out not work. It is labor intesive for the phone company to find where the problem is, an often will just switch the circuit you are on till they find one that works (all the while sending you new modems). However, many times the booster will be placed such that getting a different line will not solve the issue. It is a giant headache to deal with, I would pay more and switch to cable.