Is at this time there Still a Place For DSL Internet?
Broadband cable and fiber optic ISPs are providing higher bandwidth
Online connections than ever. Does this imply that reliable DSL is
within danger of being lumped in with dial-up towards the bottom of the
heap?
Far
from it. DSL still belongs among the high-speed pack — and Verizon
DSL provides a number of benefits which make it not just a contender
with cable and fiber, but actually a better choice in lots of
situations.
Availability.
In spite of major expansion within the last number of years, fiber
accessibility is still limited. DSL and cable are much more predominant.
Monthly
cost. DSL is typically the lowest priced high-speed Web option. Your
local provider may vary, but many DSL ISPs provide a $15-$20 tier, which
is around half (or even a third) of the price of a comparable cable or
fiber tier.
Set
up cost. Nearly all DSL networks come on common telephone service, that
have been connected to all of our homes for many years. Then chances
are you have a fast and ‘tool-free’ DSL installation front of you. In
fact, most people can really handle the set up themselves, without the
wait or the need to bring anyone into their home.
The
‘Peak Hours’ Problem. Because cable carries a higher maximum bandwidth
doesn’t mean you’ll get faster real-world speeds. Cable Internet is
really a ‘shared’ connection, which means that it gets bogged down a bit
more with each user — and this can translate in to a serious loss in
speed in densely-populated areas, specifically during the busier evening
and weekend hours.
The
‘Caps’ Problem. One of the ways that cable ISPs aim to make up for more
customers is by limiting the amount Internet the client may use. Many
cable companies are notorious for ‘data caps’ (and some much more
notorious for denying it, even when given clear evidence). A higher
bandwidth connection isn’t much good to you if you can only use it for a
couple of weeks of each month before you’ll hit the data ceiling.
Don’t
Believe the Hype. ISPs will try to encourage you to buy more speed than
you require. It’s one thing if you’re a serious online gamer, or if you
regularly stream and/or download big HD audio and video files. But
cable or fiber won’t provide a very good boost when it comes to the
things which we do by far the most — email, social networking, news,
online shopping, Internet browsing, and so on.
What
DSL You have? Even ignoring most of these other considerations, your
local DSL may actually be the fastest choice available. Granted, many
potential DSL subscribers have to compare slower ‘classic’ ADSL with
faster cable and fiber. But more and more areas are enjoying modern
versions for instance VDSL2 — at 40 Mbit/s, it’s DSL that doubles
cable’s best efforts — and matches almost the most expensive consumer
fiber tiers.
