When high speed internet started rolling out in the mid to late 1990’s, cable wasn’t really an option. DSL at the time was a tremendous advancement over the previous options that had been available (ISDN, Frame Relay and T-1, to name a few). As time went by, however, the cable companies (such as Comcast) began to roll out and heavily market high speed internet access via cable, and as such most users today can pretty much choose between high speed internet via DSL, and high speed internet via Cable.
So the question remains, which one is better?
The Answer is, it depends on your situation
DSL Internet |
Cable Internet |
| Speed -DSL typically is slower then Cable Internet, reaching 4 or 5 MBPS. DSL is also asynchronous. | Bandwidth – Cable Internet can reach speeds as high as 30 MBPS, depending on the package you buy. Download speeds are faster as well. |
| Not Shared -Your downstream is your own – a line connects you directly to your cable company’s local office, and you do not share bandwidth with others. | Shared – The bandwidth you get from your Cable Provider is shared with other users in your neighborhood/area. |
| Secure – Because of a dedicated connection DSL is considered more secure then Cable | Less Secure – Because you share bandwidth, Cable is considered a less secure option. |
| Distance Issue – The farther you move away from your telephone company’s local office, you will experience more signal degradation. | No Distance Problem – Distance is not an issue with cable |
