Cable vs. DSL Internet
So it's time to make the jump to high-speed internet. But which do you choose, Cable or DSL?
Well, that depends on a lot of things, but largely on you and your living situation. The main thing you should consider is do you have a phone line or do you use your cell phone primarily? If you don't have a phone line, you'd have to add one for DSL. Cable gets the edge in this department, because so many people already have cable in their homes.
The second thing to consider is affordability. When comparing cable vs. DSL internet, the plans are about the same, but it is dependent on the carriers in your area. With either service, it's likely that you'll have to pay a one-time installation fee that can run upwards of $100 depending on who your carrier is, where you are and how much work they have to do to install your internet.
As far as the monthly costs go, Cable and DSL internet are both pretty equal, although DSL service tends to be slightly higher, between $5 and $10 per month. Either way, you're looking at a monthly cost of $40 minimum for high-speed internet.
The last thing you need to consider is overall performance. Again, it's pretty close. Most cable internet connections support a higher bandwidth than average DSL connections. But cable connections can slow down if multiple people in the same area are using the service simultaneously. It won't slow down to say, dial-up speed, but it won't be able to reach its maximum bandwidth potential.
While it's only a slight edge, it's still and edge. The win goes to cable just due to the ease of adding it to your home. If you have a phone line already, it may be a tie, but even then, it's still easier to run the cable to a modem next to your cable box, than it is to run a phone line across your living room.
