electronics and gadgets

Both cable and DSL connection are significantly faster then dial-up modem connection. However, there is often debate over which is the faster of two.

Cable and DSL modem are typically external devices that connect to your computer’s ethernet port. However, a cable modem connects to cable wiring while a DSL modem connects to a phone jack. While these are significantly different connection, they both provide the same “always – on” Internet access for your computer. Both cable and DSL Internet connections have increased in speed over the last few years. As of early 2005, a typical cable connection supports speeds of 2 to 3 mbps, while a typical DSL connection supports speeds of 768 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps. This means cable modem usually have the capability to be faster than DSL modems.

However, a cable modem shares bandwidth with other computer in the area that also have cable Internet connections. If there are many people in your neighborhood that use the same cable service, it is likely your data transfer speeds will be reduced. DSL, on the other hand, is a direct line to the phone company, and therefore is not affected by other users. So DSL generally offers a more consistent speed.