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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
 Posted - 11/10/2002 : 12:45:51 AM
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I'm thinking of upgrading from dialup to either DSL or Cable Modem. Anyone have any experience with either? I could get DSL for $45 a month (year contract, first three months $20 each, no activation...) Or cable, which I haven't checked prices on.
I know basically nothing about either, except what I've read, and they all say theirs is the best. Cable said something like 50 times faster than a 56k, DSL said 50 times faster than a 28.8, so it sounds like Cable would be faster, but I don't have cable, and our cable company here is shitty. I could get DSL thru the phone company I currenty use and probably still have one bill.
Any suggestions or experience with either? |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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Ccr152
Chatterbox
145 Posts |
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Saint Jude
Alien Abductee
USA
2144 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 01:28:37 AM
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| their both nice. i use cable, and have little problems w/ it. but most of the tech people u have to deal with are retarded, no wait, thats an insult to the mentaly challenged. |
Remember, turn off your tv. Read. |
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Silky The Pimp
Alien Abductee
3321 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 01:53:07 AM
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| I'd probably go with cable, allthough I have DSL and don't really have any complaints. Just make sure to get everything set up properly if you're going to be hooking up more than one computer to the connection. |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 02:51:05 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ccr152
cable, no question.
well...one question. Why?
I just figured DSL was better and that's what I'd get. Now I guess cable is better. Is it faster or what? I've looked a little and I can't find that much about cable modems. For that matter, I'm not even sure I can get one here (bfe).
What are the differences in price?
Basically, tell me anything you know about the two, if you will please. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 02:52:07 AM
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| And I'll be using only one computer, so that's not an issue, Silky. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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PJK
Alien Abductee
USA
4159 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 08:25:05 AM
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| We have cable and I really like it. The only things I didn't like was the fact that the salesman said no problem hooking up both of our computers to it and the installation guy made up some lame excuse why he couldn't do that on the day he was here so now we have one on cable and one on the dial up modem. I was pissed because that was a big reason we were going that way. Problem is when you have cable (and it is incredibly fast...I didn't have to wait at all for Teri's short video) you get spoiled and there is no going back. It can get expensive too....but then what isn't these days? |
"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"Friedrich Nietzsche |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 08:39:28 AM
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How much are you talking about for a cable modem? 50 a month? I pay 15 a month now for dialup.
And if I had a cable modem could I split the line and have cable tv? I don't now. What kind of hardware are we talking about? And cable modems don't affect the phone line do they? |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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PJK
Alien Abductee
USA
4159 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 09:22:44 AM
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I don't have many answers for you because I am one of those people who just expects it all to work and doesn't care how it does it.
We pay 30 a month for the computer cable. It does work off the same line as the computer so if you get cable they can split it and you can get cable tv as well, however you pay extra for that.
When we first got cable many many years ago it was under 20 a month for basic and another 10 for 2"premier" channels. Now we have 60plus channels(most of which are useless!) and 2 HBO's and we have it on 3 tv's and it costs us $110 a month with the computer included. I would opt for no HBO but my husband loves it so its staying.
I know you can get a computer cable modem in the store for about $50. Ours is Motorolla. Or you can rent one from the cable co.I know Best Buy had them. Also my husband did all the wiring for our tv's because the cable guys are idiots, and just got the boxes from the cable co. Our cable co. had kits to install the computer to the cable with everything you needed but we had someone install it because we got it on a free installation promotion.Hope some of this helps you. |
"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"Friedrich Nietzsche |
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dirtysloth
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1302 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 11:31:21 AM
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Check with your cable company before you buy one though. Might not make a difference if you buy one where you live, but I brought mine from VA(which was a couple hundred a couple years ago) to FL and the cable company wouldn't let me use it because it was from VA. So even though I have one I still have to rent one from them because of their policy.
Prices vary depending on where you live so just check up on it. I only paid $35 in VA and now I pay $50. |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 12:06:33 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by enthuTIMsiast
How much are you talking about for a cable modem? 50 a month? I pay 15 a month now for dialup.
And if I had a cable modem could I split the line and have cable tv? I don't now. What kind of hardware are we talking about? And cable modems don't affect the phone line do they?
My cable modem sans cableTV is about $55 per month. (I have Adelphia, BTW.) I tried DSL for a while, but the service was spotty since my house is apparently right on the cusp of whatever distance from the switch is recommended for good service/bad service.
I have DirecTV so I specifically asked for Internet only. A friend of mine suggested I get a splitter and see if I get basic cable anyway and I do. So my roomie hooks the Cable to his small TV for better reception. |
teri 
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 1:25:21 PM
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Ok, you all have spoken, and if I get anything, it will probably be a cable modem. (Possibility of splitting to cable tv would be nice too :> )
Anyone that's willing check out this deal and see if it looks good.
Earthlink.
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Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 2:29:51 PM
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Sounds like a good deal. Just make sure you don't have to already be a cable customer to get it. A lot of the deals I hear about are like that.
Also, I think personal firewall is key since the IP addresses of cable companies are known by hackers far and wide. That makes them prime targets of opportunity. I use Norton, but you could see what come with the Earthlink service.
teri
p.s. If anyone wants to try hacking into my iBook, I'd be intrigued to know if Norton Personal Firewall really works... |
teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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pcbTIM
Alien Abductee
USA
6501 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 3:49:19 PM
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Question:
Is a cable modem a T1 or T3 line? Because if it is, I would suggest getting that. It's awesome. For example, when I want to download porn, it finished in a couple sec.......I mean, when I download videos of my favorite church choir, it goes by pretty quick. |
Gay marriage killed the dinosaurs. |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 4:06:25 PM
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Nah, cable and T1 are different and T3 is even differenter. Fast faster fastest, in that order. T3's not the fastest possible, but of those three it is.
Cable is about 50x a 56k modem, I believe. And I think I'd like that. I'm not sure I can get DSL out this far anyway, even tho they say I can (like you teri being on the cusp). I'm about 6 miles out of town. Which in fact might be a problem as far as cable is concerned also, since I'm not even sure it is run out this far. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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Street-Samurai
Is Anybody Here?
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2002 : 4:21:40 PM
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| With DSL it's all dependant on how far away you are from the nearest hub. Cable doesnt have a distance limitation. These are things you can find out from the company. I think cable is better in most cases except if your really close to a DSL hub. As far as customer service I have SBC DSL and they have been very helpful. I like my DSL when it works but a lot of the time it's a crap shoot when I try and connect. |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2002 : 02:24:37 AM
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| One drawback of cable, supposedly, is that you share with the rest of the people using the cable system. Since you're out in BFE -- and in Mississippi -- this shouldn't be a problem. |
teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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{=HTG=}
Alien Abductee
USA
2342 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2002 : 02:40:44 AM
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| Thats very true. And on late nights, such as this, 2:40 AM, and no one is on there cable modem, i'm getting very fast speeds. |
'HTG, are you a cute girl?'
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2002 : 4:11:34 PM
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| It all depends on the quality of the cable service in your area. I used to work at an ISP that provided DSL in a town that had really shitty cable service. The cable network was so flooded that some nodes would drop BELOW 56k speeds during primtetime hours. If you get a good DSL connection from a good provider, then your speed will be consistent. |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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Bustoff
Chatterbox
145 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2002 : 4:58:52 PM
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Hey PJK,
Concerning your problem there with two computers, I'd consider getting a cable router made by Linksys, available at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. The 4-port one costs about $60 now i think. They're simple to set up. You just connect your cable modem to the router and then connect the router to the computers (up to 4). It's basically a splitter for your cable internet connection. Me and my dad both have one and we've never had any trouble. It would eliminate the need for dial-up all together. I'd be happy to answer any questions about it.
By the way - if you do get one, don't ask the cable company for help, ask Linksys. |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2002 : 5:25:39 PM
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| Well, I thought I'd mentioned this yesterday, but cable isn't even offered out as far as I live. So that's not even an option. The other option is DSL, and being that I do live so far out, the distance itself would probably be a limiter... So I guess I'll have to stick with 56k until I move. I guess paying $50 a month just so I'd be able to download some TR shows is pretty silly, anyway. And I'll just go on and say that that's my main motivation. Not that that's not a good one. It is. But after a month (or a week, let's be realistic) that would be a moot point, because I'd have all of the shows downloaded. So I guess this is all ok. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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PJK
Alien Abductee
USA
4159 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2002 : 6:56:09 PM
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| Scratch any advice I gave on this....I am having a terrible time with Tim's site! It kept kicking me off and saying the sight was down...I don't think it really was. Oh well. |
"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"Friedrich Nietzsche |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2002 : 7:32:00 PM
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Nope, nothing here's gone down on me... hehe
Back to the topic at hand. Or the reason for the topic, anyway...
I finally got the external burner from the guy at work who wants to have it on his computer (which incidentally is in his office where I couldn't use it). I told him I was going to try it on the last computer that it can be used on (which is true). It runs on Win 2000 Pro, and I emailed HP about the burner working there...they directed me to the right page with updated drivers and software so they'll work together. Anyway, I got the burner, went thru about 30 minutes of work with the burner and software and finally got the burner working, I THINK. I got a cd burned, but it will play only in my computer. I think the problem is that it was burned at 4X. No big deal: I'm going to download shns the convert them with my computer anyway, so it's not a problem. Today all I burned was .wav, tomorrow I give the thing the .shn test, and we'll see where I stand.
This, if it works, will alleviate the immediate need for a fast connection. Since Ole Miss is one of the most wired campuses in the US, I can download whatever shows I want to very very quickly.
Thanks to those people who offered to B&P for me; I hope now that it won't be an issue. I will let you know.
Thanks for the help about the connection, too. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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PJK
Alien Abductee
USA
4159 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2002 : 8:11:26 PM
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Sorry to hear nothing's gone down on you....hehehehe....Jason you literally had me LOL at that one! Thanks for the laugh!
Good luck with all of your downloading etc.! |
"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"Friedrich Nietzsche |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2002 : 1:14:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by PJK
We have cable and I really like it. The only things I didn't like was the fact that the salesman said no problem hooking up both of our computers to it and the installation guy made up some lame excuse why he couldn't do that on the day he was here so now we have one on cable and one on the dial up modem. I was pissed because that was a big reason we were going that way. Problem is when you have cable (and it is incredibly fast...I didn't have to wait at all for Teri's short video) you get spoiled and there is no going back. It can get expensive too....but then what isn't these days?
I have my cable modem hooked into my Apple AirPort so that all the computers in my house can use a wireless connection to get Internet service. Works great, but we haven't tried it with a PC yet -- only iMacs. |
teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2002 : 7:46:26 PM
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| Wow...I just finished setting up my new cable internet. I'm getting 1.5mbs downstream! And I've got it all hooked up using a linksys wireless router...including my Tivo (I got it to download the program data through the network instead of dialing up). I rock. |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2002 : 8:18:07 PM
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You do rock. I've never messed with my TiVo at all. I'm afraid of messing up my warranty I guess.
Have you ever had trouble with your TiVo rebooting for no reason at all? |
teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2002 : 9:59:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by tericee
You do rock. I've never messed with my TiVo at all. I'm afraid of messing up my warranty I guess.
Have you ever had trouble with your TiVo rebooting for no reason at all?
I also added another 120 gigs to it a few months bag...nothing like having 220+ episodes of the simpsons available to you 24/7. I don't have problems with it rebooting for no reason, but you might be able to find help at www.tivocommunity.com
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Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2002 : 9:04:13 PM
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| I have visited there, but they always suggested ripping your box open and fiddling with things inside. I'm not that brave. |
teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2002 : 4:25:57 PM
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So TiVo works with all tv getting mechanisms, huh? (cable, satellite, antenna...)? That's interesting, but if antenna, you'd be limited by what you could pick up, right.
Well, I might move soon anyway, and then I'd be able to get DSL or cable, either... and that would kick ass if I so decide... |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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rhymsesthecat
Try A Little Harder
USA
64 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2002 : 4:20:54 PM
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DSL no problems at all
but cable is ok |
rhymsesthecat |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 12:38:51 PM
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| Ah, no problem now. I can't get either where I live, and I'm about to move anyway, so it's fixed. If after a couple of months I have the money, I'll probably get cable so I can have it for tv too. If after a couple of months I don't have the money, I will get neither and still be ok with my 56k. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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Topic |
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Advice on Internet connections: DSL or cable?
