Author Topic: Cable internet speeds (Read 478 times)

Slash27 · « **on:** January 23, 2007, 10:08:56 PM »

I found out cable internet is available finally in my area. Is offered in 256, 5meg, and 7 meg. I honeslty dont know enough about it. I assume the higher the number the faster but how fast is good enough? The 5 meg is $32 a month and the 7meg is $45 a month. Input?

rabbidrabbit · « **Reply #1 on:** January 23, 2007, 10:11:52 PM »

5mb will do you fine. They are throttling your top end but most pulls won't come that fast anyways due to other restrictions.

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 23, 2007, 10:41:05 PM »

Restrictions like the speed at which they can send you information.

Working with comcast, they kept upping their speeds. I believe they are up to 7 or 8 MBpS. The highest speed I've ever downloaded was 1.2-1.3 megabytes a secon. Most places don't top 400 kilobytes a second for me.

LePaul · « **Reply #3 on:** January 23, 2007, 11:28:58 PM »

It also depends on your neighborhood....how many users they have, etc.

My folks live in a densely populated neighborhood. Their bandwidth varies a lot but all the times Ive tested it, its seldom been higher than 1.5mb down.

Mine, where I'm one pole away from the hub, which attaches to fiber, gets anywhere between 5mb to 9mb

Neighbors always ask me if i like cable. I tell em it stinks, go DSL....and stay off my huge pipeline LOL

flakbait · « **Reply #4 on:** January 23, 2007, 11:43:11 PM »

You also need to take into account your location. The chief geek (local version of Skuzz) of my ISP has Comcrap Cable as his primary. He regularly gets pings in the 7-900 ms range and even though Comcrap says his speed is 6mb/s, he's never seen anything above 2mb/s. Yet my apt. manager has the same service, in a different neighborhood, and sees pings around 90ms and regularly snags 4mb/s during a download (see below). So don't go paying for rocket fast speeds you probably won't see. Your best bet is to locate a neighbor with the same access you're looking to get and ask to try it out. Pack along a copy of PingPlotter on a floppy to check pings, and try bagging a mongo game demo to check download speed.

If it looks good, such as pings under 200ms and bandwidth speeds close to what they paid for, go for it. However, if the average ping is over 600ms or you regularly see 1.1mb/s on an 8mb/s line, you're probably better off with what you've got. Cable internet uses the "node" method of connecting you to the 'net. Your neighborhood is wired into one node. If a lot of people in your immediate area have cable access, it'll never be close to the speed you pay for. The reverse is also true; a few people in one node means nice pings and beautiful speeds.

In my area I've got exactly two choices for "high speed." First is Comcrap. Lousy customer service, charges that'll make you scream ($54 a month for "6mb/s") and techs that can't tell the diff between ms and pms. But, the pings are okay and speed is nice. Or I can go Qwest DSL, get charged far too much for phone service, be sent to a collection agency over cash I don't owe, and talk to Baba Gadoush in Bangladesh every time the service conks.

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Flakbait [Delta6]

Widewing · « **Reply #5 on:** January 24, 2007, 12:08:01 AM »

I have Optimum Online Boost.. Up to 30 mbps downstream, 5 mbps upstream capability.

My regards,

Widewing

Debonair · « **Reply #6 on:** January 24, 2007, 12:42:56 AM »

braodbandreports.com will give you better input that these n00blwerfers

Rolex · « **Reply #7 on:** January 24, 2007, 01:16:54 AM »

As far as AH goes, Slash, not a lot of data is flowing anyway. Your latency should reduce, but still be the same regardless of which plan you choose. I would say take the 5 Mbps service. Two more (supposed) Mbps won't make that much difference in your web surfing.

I won't tell you what I have for almost the same price, because you'll want to choke me.

Slash27 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 24, 2007, 04:56:27 AM »

I pretty much want to choke you anyway Rolex, but thanks for the info.

Thank you guys.

Hornet33 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 24, 2007, 06:07:01 AM »

I've had a 5meg service through Cox Communications for a couple of years now and have no complaints. I can upload and download whatever I want pretty quick and game play has always been reliable.

Eagler · « **Reply #10 on:** January 24, 2007, 06:39:53 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by LePaul
Neighbors always ask me if i like cable. I tell em it stinks, go DSL....and stay off my huge pipeline LOL

the only problem with that tactic is the fact that the phone companies are out for cable (video) blood. cable has hurt phone co high speed and now telephone biz to the point they are pouring millions of dollars into fiber to the house all in one systems aimed at eliminating any competition..and they have pockets deep enough to make that happen.

Yeager2 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 24, 2007, 10:44:25 AM »

Sorry folks but,... American Internet simply sucks... is outdated,.. and ridiculously expensive.

My Korean "Internet 2" is well.. fast... and simply amazing.

16 to 20 megabytes (YES MegaBYTES) as in 20 x 1024 Kilobytes Down and about 5 to 6 Megabytes Upstream.

Korean Internet is simply the best on the planet it seems. Oh.. and for all this,.. a mere 30 bucks a month..

Go Megapass / KT telecom..

Gunthr · « **Reply #12 on:** January 24, 2007, 11:16:16 AM »

Yeager, I've never heard of Korean Internet. I have comcast - and apparently ALL my neighbors have it too, considering my speeds, which ain't comcastic. How/where do you get Korean Internet?

Gunthr · « **Reply #13 on:** January 24, 2007, 11:16:47 AM »

please don't tell me Korea.

LePaul · « **Reply #14 on:** January 24, 2007, 04:36:59 PM »

Wasnt it the Koreans who wanted to tax Voice-Over-IP telephone calls? I remember an article somewhere where they were trying to make sure their phone companies got the expensive business of GI's calling home.