What's the main differences between Cable and DSL internet service?

Question

i know that cable service comes through the cable line and that DSL comes through the phone line, but that's about all i know...

Answer 1

Cable is much faster than DSL. A Cable Internet connection uses your Cable TV line and it's  is available to anyone who can receive cable television. A DSL connection uses a local phone line that must be maintained by your local phone provider.

Broadband cable connects you to the Internet through the same cable system that you use for watching cable television, better known as a "coaxial." For many Internet users, faster is always better.. An advantage of DSL service is that your speed remains the same, no matter how many people are using the service. With cable Internet service, the number of users in your local area can affect bandwidth availability and result in slow service.

Answer 2

Non-technically. the only other thing you should know is that DSL is more reliable. There is less of a chance of your internet connection dropping.  

Cable is much faster, but is also more flaky.  it tends to cut out more and have more down time than DSL.  Depending on how many other users around you, your bandwidth can fluxuate. Bandwidth is shared per neighborhood with Cable, so if there are a lot of users in your area t could make your connection slower.    

Cable  customer service is the worst of any industry.  So if you aren't a technical person it will be harder to get support than a phone company as well

You can also check out http://compnetworking.about.com/od/dslvs...    

Answer 3

Don't listen to all the commercials bragging that one is better than the other.  You got it right.  They are both about the same speed.  The strength depends on how far away you are from the signal regenerating station.  I have worked with both and haven't found any difference.

Answer 4

well there are many forms of cable and many forms of DSL there is no particular difference, Cable CAN be optical. DSL CAN be faster. DSL COULD have more latency, it really depends on what packages are available to you  

Answer 5

I though there was only a difference if the word "Turbo" appears after one. LOL :)