--Syrus--
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Subject:
I just ran an internet speed test....
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I don't know too much about this type of thing but I finally decided to check into it. The online speed test is telling me I am only downloading at 2 mbps. Could this be wrong or am I getting shafted here..
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Sprawl-zero1eye-
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Subject:
I just ran an internet speed test....
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Depends... what are you paying for?
I pay for 19 Mbps, and get 8 Mbps on a good afternoon. I'm getting the shaft. 
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Ravynmagi
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Subject:
I just ran an internet speed test....
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You'll need to note the differences between megabits (Mbps) and megabytes (MBps). 2 megabytes (2 MBps) is equal to about 16 megabits (16 Mbps).
If you have 2 MBps that's okay for cable/DSL.
If you have 2 Mbps that's pretty slow.
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--Syrus--
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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False alarm, I just checked through my local isp's speed test and it reported around 6 mbps. Which is what my plan advertizes.
I am running dsl though and paying about $60 CND a month.
The cable provider around here advertises about 14 mbps for about $20 less.
Is cable really that much faster?
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Ravynmagi
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Subject:
I just ran an internet speed test....
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--Syrus-- posted:
Is cable really that much faster?
Yup. 
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Greybear1andonly
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Yes and no.
They generally have a clause that says ""UP TO"" because your sharing a LINE with EVERYONE else in your neighborhood back to the gateway....the more people that get on, the lower your gonna get.
DSL should be a constant.
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--Syrus--
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Greybear1andonly posted:
Yes and no.
They generally have a clause that says ""UP TO"" because your sharing a LINE with EVERYONE else in your neighborhood back to the gateway....the more people that get on, the lower your gonna get.
DSL should be a constant.
Hrm that sounds like quite the gamble. Although I do live in a pretty low end of town, I am not sure I'd be sharing the connection with too many people.
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Ravynmagi
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Subject:
I just ran an internet speed test....
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--Syrus-- posted:
Greybear1andonly posted:
Yes and no.
They generally have a clause that says ""UP TO"" because your sharing a LINE with EVERYONE else in your neighborhood back to the gateway....the more people that get on, the lower your gonna get.
DSL should be a constant.
Hrm that sounds like quite the gamble. Although I do live in a pretty low end of town, I am not sure I'd be sharing the connection with too many people.
That shared line in the neighborhood is almost never an issue though. And of course DSL speeds may also fluctuate depending on your distance from the CO, which hopefully also isn't as much an issue these days.
Usually when your speeds dip it's because of congestion further up the food chain and those types of slow downs affect a lot more than just the people in the neighborhood and happen with cable or DSL. It's a matter of how well the ISP built it's infrastructure. Some do okay, others not so okay.
But cable as a technology is faster than DSL. Though some DSL providers offer fiber optic connections which is faster than cable.
And both DSL and cable providers are not always accurate in their advertised speeds as discussed in this thread here.
http://vnboards.ign.com/pc_generalhardwaresoftware_tech_support_board/b22497/115316712/p1/?14
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Aerlinthian
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Subject:
I just ran an internet speed test....
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You're at the top end for DSL, that is actually an impressive DL rate. DSL is almost a home run connection to the ISP whereas cable you can be grouped with many others which will drag you down during prime time.
The thing with the price that you have to be cautious of is that they may be only talking about the Internet portion and not including the cable portion. If you really want to experiment you can get both services for a month or two (if there are no limitations or fees...), check your cable during prime to see how it does.
Other than that, making a switch is a roll of the dice. You might even want to talk to the DSL provider and see if you can spook them into giving you a better price which then really gives the advantage to the DSL.
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Greybear1andonly
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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I know when everything is going good, Im getting my moneys worth. but on weekends with holidays or during the summer, my speeds drop drastically.
I live in town, to have DSL was going to cost me the same as what I pay now for Cable, at less than half the speed and only 1 IP.
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Blisteringballs
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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--Syrus-- posted:
False alarm, I just checked through my local isp's speed test and it reported around 6 mbps. Which is what my plan advertizes.
I am running dsl though and paying about $60 CND a month.
The cable provider around here advertises about 14 mbps for about $20 less.
Is cable really that much faster?
6Mbps is pretty good for DSL. Verizon in my area usually tops out at 11, though you average more like 4. 6Mbps will net you .75MBps.
If you have the option for cable you should do it. $60 for DSL is outlandish (it's $20 here for that speed). Cable at $50 gets you 30Mbps. What area are you in?
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Marzuk
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Greybear1andonly posted:
They generally have a clause that says ""UP TO"" because your sharing a LINE with EVERYONE else in your neighborhood back to the gateway....the more people that get on, the lower your gonna get.
DSL should be a constant.
The same applies with DSL, the bottleneck is just everyone on the local loop for that CO, which I don't see as being that much different than a cable companies nodes. Overbooking poorly can cause some big problems with either.
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IvanDF
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Cox is moving to fiber internet starting next year. Will probably take them a few years to get to my town, but they're not sitting around and letting people pass them.
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--Syrus--
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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I'm close to Niagara Falls, Canada.
From my expirience and talking to other people around town the cable service seems to be quite faster then DSL. Although my girlfriend also has DSL and her connection is noticably slower then mine. Sometimes it is ok, other times she can't even stream video.
I think I will eventually make the switch unless my DSL provider does come down in price as mentioned above. For a 14 mbps connection, even if I do only get around the same as my current DSL speed during peak times I am still saving about $20 a month.
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Spookysheep
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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I might be lucky. I have the very basic (non "turbo") plan and I get 7.34Mbps.
All for $20 
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The_Korrigan
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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I have "only" a 8mbps connection, and I'm getting over 7mbps real speed all the time, all that for 19 Euros per month.
I have yet to find anything needing more than that. Even downloading movies works just fine overnight. So I stick to that since it's dead cheap and I don't need more (I have Digital TV over antenna, so no need for internet TV and similar crap).
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Sprawl-zero1eye-
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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But man it is nice when you take your laptop to work and everything flies!
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Mirkwood MUD, OneEye IvoryFang, Lord of the VampireZ (Retired) AC Frostfell, Clan Z - Lvl 239 Grief Dagger (Retired) WoW Lightbringer Alliance, Z Guild - Lvl 85 Combat Rogue (Retired) Making iOS Apps these days at http://zsprawl.com/iOS
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Sinane-tk
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Me too, i pay for 10 and strangely i have only 4 mbit
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Koneg
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Ravynmagi posted:
That shared line in the neighborhood is almost never an issue though.
In an area with a lot of multi-family dwellings (condos, apartment complexes) it most certainly will be an issue. A spread out suburbia with predominately single-family homes, not so much of an issue.
Otherwise? Never ever let the cable or fiber internet providers get away with telling you "oh no, your bandwidth isn't shared" or that it can't be affected by the rest of the neighborhood because it's a complete crock.
Of course it's shared.
The question is by how many. Typical nodes are anywhere from 96 to 576 subscribers on a gigabit link. Feel free to do the math.
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Ravynmagi
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I just ran an internet speed test....
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Koneg posted:
Ravynmagi posted:
That shared line in the neighborhood is almost never an issue though.
In an area with a lot of multi-family dwellings (condos, apartment complexes) it most certainly will be an issue. A spread out suburbia with predominately single-family homes, not so much of an issue.
Otherwise? Never ever let the cable or fiber internet providers get away with telling you "oh no, your bandwidth isn't shared" or that it can't be affected by the rest of the neighborhood because it's a complete crock.
Of course it's shared.
The question is by how many. Typical nodes are anywhere from 96 to 576 subscribers on a gigabit link. Feel free to do the math.
It CAN be a problem I agree. But so can DSL's distance limitation. ISPs will over sell cable in some neighbors and ISPs will sell DSL to people not in the ideal range. You CAN run into problems with either technology. Though usually if the ISP is doing it's job it shouldn't be a problem.
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