Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dsl and cable

Picking a good plan

pulled_levers — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:10:11 -0800

In need of a cheap high speed internet/cable package shared among 7 college girls in MD and not sure where to start. Help! Six other girls and I will be moving into a house in College Park, MD 20740. A friend of mine has looked into Verizon for a plan. Unfortunately, she says that that particular plan only works with flatscreen TVs which we do not have.

I have looked at comcast as well as reviews of comcast saying that they are overpriced with not-so-great customer service.

After looking at some DSL vs Cable sites, it seems that cable is pricier but has faster connection. Because the internet will be shared among seven girls, I wanted to know whether or not paying for cable will become a necessity and if we should go for a package that has a minimum of X MBPS.

I would prefer a high-speed internet service coupled with a fairly basic TV cable plan. I am worried about internet being too slow if shared between so many girls. I am also bringing a wireless router to the house (will the internet company I choose help me install that at all?).

I am feeling slightly overwhelmed because we are moving in in two days and classes start on Monday. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Info source on bandwidth caps & download quotas?

kidbritish — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:40:09 -0800

Is there a website that tracks ISP's bandwidth caps and download quotas, and presents the information in an up-to-date and easy-to-read format? I'm especially interested in USA.

Everybody provides every service now.

Acari — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:22:13 -0800

Canadian phone/cable/internetfilter: what combo of services are cheapest? The scenario:
Two people moving into a new place in Edmonton, mostly calling each other [or not, neither have cell phones right now] and local calls almost exclusively. Cable TV is not a requirement, although even the phone company provides that service now.

Is it best to go with a dsl/landline package from Telus?
A cable internet/digital phone package from Shaw?
Internet from [somebody] and VOIP [with Vonage? somebody better?]

Having two cellphones on a family plan and [magical internet from whoever] sounds like it provide the most convenience for us, but there are also a zillion cell phone providers to sift through to figure out what the best deal would be there.

Our total phone usage is currently quite low [maybe 20 minutes/month each?] but that might creep up with cell phone ownership. The kind of calls we make are mostly of the this-is-my-current-location-i-will-see-you-at-X-o'clock type, and would be served equally well by text messages, but voice calls are necessary for contacting older relatives.

What I'm looking for is someone who has been down this road and can point to the glaringly obvious solution that I haven't even considered yet.

Can I use my DSL modem/router to act only as a wireless router?

ocha-no-mizu — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:04:33 -0800

Can I use my DSL modem/router to act only as a wireless router? I'm replacing my DSL service with cable internet. Instead of paying for the cable company's wireless router, I'd rather use my existing DSL modem/router if I can. Is it as simple as plugging the cable modem into the DSL modem/router?

For what it's worth, my DSL modem/router is a 2wire 2700HG-B.

Comcast, from the gates of hell I spit at thee!

jadepearl — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:41:56 -0800

DSL in Minneapolis. Recommendations, experiences, ISPs of note. Comcast is awful. I get horrible digital service and the speed is nothing impressive. I am probably going to go satellite for cable but I need internet service that is fast, reliable and not too expensive. I have a wireless network in the house and use Apple TV. I do a lot of work online so lots of uploading and downloading.

Cheap Broadband in Albany, NY?

cahlers — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:47:35 -0800

Can someone suggest cheap ($15/mo) broadband in zip 12208? Verizon DSL 768kbps is unavailable there. I'm looking for DSL at 768kbps download speed in Albany, NY, comparable to what's offered by Verizon Online for $14.99 in other markets. Apparently this package is not offered in the zip code where my parents live (12208). They have never had broadband before, and now are looking to obtain it, after using dial-up for many years. However, they have a limited budget and could not pay more than around $15/mo. They do not need download speeds of higher than 768bps; however, I don't think paying $10/mo for 50 hours of Verizon dialup is worth it.

My parents do not need DSL per se, only broadband. However, they do not have cable TV, so bundling w/ cable is not an option. If a company offered cable broadband at around $15/mo, that would work for them too.

I have searched DSL Reports and Google without success.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Comcast v. Verizon

jk252b — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:21:19 -0800

What internet service to use in Cambridge, Massachusetts? Does anyone have experience with both high speed internet options in East Cambridge, Mass, that can tell me what the practical differences are between Verizon DSL and Comcast cable internet in the neighborhood? I know that technically Comcast is faster than Verizon (6 mpbs v. 3 mbps), but is there any real difference when it comes to every day usage? Does the fact that there seems to be a Verizon central office on Bent Street in East Cambridge (just a few blocks from my new place) mean that it may actually end up being faster than (or comparable to) Comcast which shares the bandwidth among all subscribers in an area?

Anecdotes about people's real experiences in this neighborhood would be most helpful to me!

Help me find a cheaper Internet provider.

TwilightKid — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:52:31 -0800

I live in NYC, and had AOL for Broadband for my internet service provided to me through Time Warner. AOL recently waived their fee's and is now free. I am left paying Tie Warner about $45 bux a month for broadband service.....I wanna find something cheaper, yet just as fast and efficient... Who can point me in the right direction? IS DSL a safe route to go? I never really learned the difference between the two; (broadband and DSL). Are their cheaper services out there, but just as good?

Too many choices! So much fine print!

rossination — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 11:37:33 -0800

Internet options for 3 apartment-dwelling college students in Seattle. In a few weeks, I'm going to be moving into an apartment in Seattle's U-District (15th and 55th) with two other college students. We're trying to figure out what the best bet is going to be as far as Internet goes. We won't have a land line (the building is wired for it, of course, but we're all just using our cell phones) and we only plan on staying for a year (possibly more, but we don't want to get into a 3-year contract). Basically, I'm looking for the cheapest broadband option that won't be a pain to set up and/or maintain.

I've looked at this thread, which is sort of useful, but still doesn't really apply because we're not looking for phone or TV. I've also poked around DSL Reports a bit. And I know about the fabulous nocharge.com, which has sustained me through the summer, but I'm itchin' for some high-speed Internetting.

Do we want cable or DSL? How best to go about doing this? Any advice about broadband, especially in Seattle and the U-District, is appreciated.

Wireless help: Do we have a crappy router or bad DSL?

kechi — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:21:27 -0800

Flaky wireless: Can we not connect to the wireless network because of a bad router or a bad DSL connection? So, we (my housemates and I) all have problems connecting to to the wireless network. We can fix the problem by turning the router on and off but we need to do this two or three times per day. Sometimes my roommate (who's computer I'm using right now because mine won't connect and I'm too lazy to walk downstairs and reset it) can connect but I can't. Sometimes we can't connect unless we turn off the modem as well as the router. We've already tried downloading new software for the router and that didn't change anything. A friend of ours who has exactly the same router as us uses cable and doesn't have this problem so he thinks it's our connection. I think that is bullshit and that we have a crappy router. So what should we do? New router or switch to cable? (It's a netgear router wgr614 v4)

Broadbandfilter: How can I get internet setup without a current phone number (in SF)?

gramcracker — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 06:05:11 -0800

Gah! Broadbandfilter! Moving to a new apartment next week (in SF). What broadband provider, and how do I search for it without a current phone number? (Cable vs. DSL vs. FIOS vs. Wireless?) Cable is Comcast obviously; DSL looks like it can be from any number of providers, but I need a phone line first to verify. And then there's Verizon FIOS and Sprint or Verizon Wireless available as well. Need service earlier than Google rolls out its free product in SF.

Any experience with FIOS or Wireless? Good, bad?
I used a nearby restaurant's phone number to checkout availability of DSL in the area, and it looks like I'm close enough to a CO to get it. Anyone know the cheapest phone line I can get--or "naked DSL" without a phoneline--or a cheap DSL + phone line package? (Have Cingular wireless, could I do their "triple package" thing?)

Any advice, especially SF-specific, would be greatly appreciated. We're students, so we'd like to stick to the ~$40 per month range. Thanks!

LegaleseFilter: How does AT&T's new DSL privacy policy compare to my current provider's?

jxpx777 — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 20:21:04 -0800

LegaleseFilter: How does AT&T's new DSL privacy policy compare to my current provider's? Obviously, lawyers or other such persons will be most helpful here. I have been contemplating ditching my current internet service provider due to poor performance and reliability. The only other real option for me is AT&T Yahoo! DSL. I was just about to pull the trigger on the switch until I heard about AT&T's updated privacy policy. In reading the two policies (Charter and AT&T), I can't really see that my current provider's policy is any more restrictive than AT&T's. But, I wanted to check with my MeFi homies to see if someone with more legal training than I have (and any would be more than I have) can outline the differences. Also, explaining if those differences are in theory or if they would actually make a difference in the real world would be helpful as well.

Current provider's policy: http://www.charter.com/privacy/InternetPrivacy.aspx
AT&T Yahoo! DSL policy that would apply to me: http://help.sbcglobal.net/article.php?item=8620

Why don't ISPs compete on upstream bandwidth?

shivohum — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:25:51 -0800

Why don't DSL and cable providers compete on the amount of UPLOADING bandwidth they offer? It seems to me that broadband ISPs are trying to one-up each other with respect to download speeds, but with the increase in applications like photo-storage websites, ordinary users gain more than ever from being able to upload faster. Why don't DSL and cable providers try to increase their upload speeds (and heavily advertise this increase), which are, if I'm not mistaken, still typically much lower than download speeds? Is there an economic reason? Legal problems?

Comcast vs. DirecTV in Seattle Eastside?

frogan — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:32:56 -0800

Comcast vs. DirecTV in Seattle Eastside? I'm moving soon and need advice on telephone, internet and television. Need advice and a best plan of action. I currently have DirecTV+ TiVo, DSLExtreme and SBC phones in SoCal. I'm fairly happy with this arrangement.

I'm moving to Sammamish, WA and need to re-evaluate my set-up.

DirecTV has a promotion in which they will install a dish at the new house in exchange for keeping their service for one year. A similar service on Comcast seems to be about the same price (give or take), but Comcast does not have a channel lineup currently available on their site.

Moreover, Comcast also offers all-in-one packages of television, cable-based broadband and telephone services. This seems like it could be very good or very painful.

* Anyone have any experience on the all-in-one Comcast service?
* Does inclement weather in the Seattle area ruin satellite service very often?
* Any other general pieces of advice?

There once was an ISP from Nantucket...?

bingo — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 18:38:30 -0800

Best choice for high-speed internet on Nantucket? I am acquainted with an otherwise very intelligent, progressive woman who for some reason believes that dialup AOL is the best way to get online. The first obstacle in convincing her otherwise involves finding a decent ISP on Nantucket, where she dwells. However, while googling has returned some leads, I can't seem to get any substantial info without forking over personal information. Any suggestions, especially based on first-hand experience, would be great.

dsl or cable?

asavage — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 13:16:05 -0800

DSL or Cable? Why is dialup so damn fast? I've had DSL for years. This summer, back east, I had to dialup for email a couple times, and I noticed something: either dialup has gotten blazingly fast, or my DSL sucks. There was little noticable difference between the two, except for downloading.
My question: here at the southern edge of the Mission District in San Francisco, does anybody have comparative notes on which service is faster? I know cable can be neighborhood and local usage-dependant, and I'd love some comments from those who have direct experience.

One more thing. I'm pacbell DSL (now SBC) . I'll also take advice for other DSL service providers.

Cable Alternatives

mhaw — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:15:08 -0800

DSL vs Cable Internet... what are the differences in term of performance, reliability, price, etc? Can anyone given an evaluation of the pros/cons. Bonus if you can comment on the advantages/disadvantages of satellite TV over digital cable or vice versa. I've been a digital cable subscriber for the past two years, I'm generally happy with the content and service, but I'm unhappy with the high price... nearly $140 a month for full digital cable and internet through Comcast. So are there equivalent, cheaper alternatives?

If it makes a difference I use Tivo.

Broadband connection options?

luriete — Fri, 06 Aug 2004 09:43:25 -0800

This has been asked before but the answers I need are a bit more specific. I bought my home (1920s bungalow) here in Sacramento 3 years ago, and the previous owners had DSL - in fact the DSL port in the house is exactly where I need/want my broadband connection to be. So - I just got an Airport Express card for my powerbook and a Airport Extreme basestation: do I want DSL or cablemodem? I use satellite for TV, not cable, and am not going to switch any time soon, so bundles are out. I am not going to run a website and need no static IP. Insanely high speed is not necessary, just something a hell of a lot faster than my current 56k. Prices? Service? Will SBC give me a deal on DSL since the install is already in place?

Should I buy Cable, DSL, or DirecTV for my new house?

Macboy — Tue, 13 Jul 2004 05:46:24 -0800

What is your experience with DSL vs Cable? What about Satelite DSL from Directv? Moving next week and trying to decide what to use for the house. Thanks in advance.