[CS-FSLUG] DSL (Verizon) vs. Cable (RoadRunner)

[Frank Bax]

At 08:19 AM 6/23/04, K Montgomery wrote:
>I currently have RoadRunner (Time Warner Cable) Internet service.
>Verizon DSL just became available in my area and they're offering it for
>$29.9-something a month -- about $10 cheaper than RoadRunner.
>
>Assuming the price is what they say it is (the saleswoman seemed to
>indicate it was, in response to my questions), can anyone here point me
>to an objective comparison of DSL vs. cable?  Or, has anyone considered
>the switch?  I'm basically doing standard home networking stuff, with
>the possibility of some light server use (a personal web site) in the
>future.


Too many variables.  Both DSL and cable are affected by local, regional and 
national infrastructure.  DSL performance is affected by length of copper 
wire from your house to telco.  Cable performance is affected by internet 
usage of your neighbours on same subnet.  Both are very local 
factors.  Service levels (can you connect, is email working today) for 
either technology can vary widely across the country due to local/regional 
factors.

I find the best gauge to be teens and young adults that are into online 
gaming in your area.  Online gaming requires decent performance and 
reliable connections or you lose the game more often for technical 
reasons.  Ask the gamers in your area which service is working best at the 
moment, but remember that given a competitive market place, their 
preferences could flip-flop every few months.

Frank