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  #1  
Old 07-14-2004, 08:50 PM
Joseph Bauers
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Broad band vs. DSL

We have operated two computers via a broadband connection with our cable tv supplier. One computer feeds off a router.

For the first three or four months, the service was excellent. Lately, however, things have gotten dicey. There have been some disconnects, and we've had the cable service guys out three times. Each time, of course, the problem has gone away on its own by the time they get here, or I've rebooted the modem and router and solved the problem that way.

My tech friends tell me that, with the great increase in high-speed connections, such a decline in service is inevitable. One alternative is a DSL connection through SBC.

Anyone have experience with both? I wonder if a DSL will be as fast as broadbanc, and will it in fact be more reliable?

After experience a high-speed connection, I don't think I could stand going back to a dial up--I quite that because the service there was getting worse, and the rates were approaching those of broadband.

Joe B.

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  #2  
Old 07-14-2004, 09:01 PM
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DSL is really dependent on your location in relation to the little ubiquitous brick phone relay buildings you see enclosed in chain link fences somewhere in your neighborhood. The advertised speeds are full of it - your location in relation to the phone relay is the real determining factor. I'm running one server on DSL that is in walking distance from a service block, and it screams faster than T1 even tho its supposedly only 768k.

Cable service drops as more people hop on. So does DSL, but if your first in line, its like water faucets - the first one in a series flows more water. Cable divides mathematically by the number of people on. Your position on the wire doesnt matter, when it slows everyone slows.

You can also get big degradations in cable due to your wiring scheme from the drop to your server. Is it a long wire run?
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Old 07-14-2004, 09:49 PM
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Yeah, thats why I am asking about his wire scheme, excesses splices, added hubs or switches since first install, all effect cable signal.
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  #4  
Old 07-14-2004, 10:02 PM
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I tried DSL but my house has so many piss-ant phone splices that its noisy as heck. I borrowed a TDR from wirk to see if I coudl straighted it out and I had to rewire everything from the box. Then I found out that somewhere up the line is a box that gets noisy if it rains. I've got clean lines in-house but the system beyond is so bad I couldn't use DSL. Phone company gave me my money back.

I got a cable modem and a router and hooked up two desktops and an occasional laptop to Cox (A more appropriate name for a utility could hardly be imagined). But, I get very reliable service and its very fast. Sometimes my slow-a$$ old Macs are faster downloading than my screaming PC with a T1 at work.

Our city utility has run a huge fiber network all over every part of the city to control all of their remote sensors and facilities. They built the thing with a huge bundle of excess fibers and so have lots of capacity just sitting there. They have recently floated a proposal to provide internet/phone/CATV signals to business and residences. As you can imagine, freemarketeers (me) and the affected companies are coming unglued.

On the other hand, I'm tired of being screwed by utility monopolies and would love to see them bleed a lot. Morality vs righteous anger: which will win?

Bot
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Old 07-14-2004, 10:12 PM
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There's the answer. "It depends"
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Old 07-14-2004, 10:14 PM
Joseph Bauers
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Thanks for all the help, everyone.

I share Bot's dislike of the untility monopolies, and I'm reluctant to give SBC (phone company) a try; on the other hand, Insight Communications, the cable supplier, is notorious for lousy customer service. It must be a truism that everyone hates his cable company.

What amazes me about this whole experience is that the thing worked perfectly for almost four months, but within the past six weeks, we've had these recurring problems. All my friends who are more tech savvy than I (which is most of them) tell me that, from my description, the problem does not likely lie with my equipment.

This is a university town, so I suspect that Insight's ability to serve the growing demand for high-speed Internet is not keeping up. Maybe there's something to the idea that as capacity is used up, quality declines.

It's all been sort of like the old expression:--when she was good, she was very very good; when she was bad, she was horrid. Come to think of it, this pretty much describes the entire computer industry.

Joe B.
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  #7  
Old 07-14-2004, 10:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by KirkVining
There's the answer. "It depends"
...And Depends always catches $hit.

Bot
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  #8  
Old 07-14-2004, 10:25 PM
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Is this at a residence or a business?
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Old 07-14-2004, 10:27 PM
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Look around and see if wireless internet is available in your city. Park City only has about 6k permanent residents, and we already have two (going on three) providers. Two people in my firm have it, and claim it's faster than the DSL we have in the office.
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  #10  
Old 07-14-2004, 10:47 PM
Joseph Bauers
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Posted by KirkVining: Is this at a residence or a business?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Residence, Kirk.
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  #11  
Old 07-14-2004, 11:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by Joseph Bauers
Posted by KirkVining: Is this at a residence or a business?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Residence, Kirk.
Do you know of any neighbors having the same problem? If its your provider, chances are all the people on the street would have a problem. If they don't and you do, its in your drop somewhere. To check for a local problem:

Anyone trenched in your backyard? (Check for bad splice underground -TV will still work but IT will go to ****)

Did you have any extra taps put in for additional sets? You may have splices some cable guy left exposed to rain

Any squirrel nests near overhead lines ? Could be a partially chewed cable.

Can you access the distribution block for your cable? if so, you can unscrew the cable at the block, run a jumper over the ground from it to your house service, and see if that fixes it. If it does, line has to be replaced.
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  #12  
Old 07-15-2004, 10:22 AM
Joseph Bauers
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Our lines are overhead. A neighbor across the street says his has been working fine. My suspicions are with the drop from the pole in our back yard to our house.

Joe B.
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  #13  
Old 07-15-2004, 10:32 AM
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If you have pair of binoculars, view the line and see if you observe any splice work. If so, call the cable company and ask them to come out and check the splice. Most likely water is getting in somewhere They can also bring a gadget out that will test the overall condition of the line.

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