DSL & Cable Internet

Digital Subscriber Line ( DSL) & Cable Internet are are two different ways of transfering data from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and your office or home. Both share some common features, but differ in several ways.

DSL:
-DSL allows for Broadband transfer of data
-The bandwidth available to some users depends on the length of cable running from the home to the provider's facilities and the electrical quality of the line being used.
-DSL transfers data over existing phone lines.
-DSL services typically offered today usually range in performance from 128 kbps to 1.544 Mbps based mostly on variations in equipment.
-A little more expensive, but becoming comparable in price to Cable.
-DSL customers can stay logged into the Net indefinitely
-Can subscribe through companies like Verizon and AT&T.
-Not in all areas yet.

Cable:
-Cable allows for Broadband transfer of data.
-Cable transfers data over cable cables like cable tv, allowing for faster speeds.
-Speeds have been clocked as high as 700 times faster than analog modems, but can be affected by some variables.
-The amount of bandwidth a user gets is based on how many subscribers there are in your area. That means that fewer subscribers = more bandwidth and more subscribers = less bandwidth.
-Hard to find a consistant speed because outgoing and incoming data transfer speeds differs so much, but still faster than DSL on average (especially when fewer people in area subscribe to cable service).
-Right now more available than DSL.
-Cable customers can stay logged on to the Net indefinitely as well.
-Can subscribe through companies like Comcast.

As you can see, there are some similarities and some differences. Cable data transfer is faster than DSL, but as more people subscribe to Cable in a given area, data transfer tends to slow down whereas a DSL customer's speed will not be affected by the number of subscribers in his / her area. Some DSL pundits tell us that as DSL service increases around the country, DSL data transfer rates will increase.