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Which is better, Cable or DSL?

Posted by Serges LaRiviere on Fri, Apr 20, 2012

Techie,

I’ve been searching around for a new internet service provider since I moved into the Pioneer Valley.  What is going to be a good choice for getting high-speed internet? 

Marie 

 




Hi Marie and welcome to the area!

I recently had to do the same thing, having moved from Northampton to over in Florence myself, so I did the same thing as you, looking at the prices and seeing what was going to be a match for me.  Some areas in the valley are still limited as far as what services are supported, I have a few customers who still rely on dial-up due to limitations in the hillltowns.

The first thing to look at is what you need our internet connection for.  If you are going to be streaming TV shows and movies through something like Netflix, a high speed connection is a must.  If you are a gamer, or work with large media files, you’ll need the faster speed of cable internet or DSL.  Dial-up service will not support streaming video, and is very slow.

Most internet service providers have different tiers available of service. In many cases you can save between 10-50% by packaging your internet service along with your phone or TV service.

The Skinny:

Dial-up:
$10+/Month
Slowest speed
Uses your existing phone line, but ties up the phone as long as your are connected.  Is not an always active connection.  Good for basic web browsing, email.  Not suitable for many graphics-intensive websites, media streaming or gaming.

DSL:
$40+ on average, but can be cheaper with introductory deals or packaging deals.
30-50x faster than dial-up
Uses your existing phone line connection in many cases, but does NOT tie up your phone line.  Is always connected as long as modem is on.  Good for graphics intensive web-browsing, some media streaming, email, some gaming.

Cable Internet:
$60+ on average, but can be cheaper with introductory deals or packaging deals.
60-100x faster than dial-up
Uses your existing phone line connection in many cases, but does NOT tie up your phone line.  Is always connected as long as modem is on.  Great for graphics intensive web-browsing, media streaming, email, gaming.

Hope this helps, and as always if you have any questions you can contact us directly at the store via our contact us form, by calling, or by visiting our store in downtown Northampton.

Thanks,

The Techie

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