what is the difference btw. dsl and cable? I am looking for internet service only. what do I need to ask?
548763
As you can see from the answers above, and from any online research you are about to do, you have asked a VERY GOOD question, to which there are many different answers!  That's because the answer to your question, cable versus DSL, is "it depends".  Some people have a better experience with DSL.  Most people have a better experience with cable.  And still other groups of people couldn't care less, because either cable or DSL will be many times faster than their old dialup.  In my own case, I tried DSL and it was lousy because my neighborhood was too far from the nearest telco central office, and this makes a difference as the bandwidth you get depends on how many thousands of feet of telephone wiring there is in your local loop.  So not only did I go with cable for Internet service, but I also dumped Verizon and my telephone service is over the cable too.  I'm very happy with it overall.  Although it is true the with DSL you have your own switched, dedicated bandwidth, versus cable where the bandwidth is shared among all your neighbors, you will not likely notice this effect.  I say that because CableVision, Comcast, etc, are constantly upgrading their HFC (hybrid fiber coax) networks, and slowly but surely the fiber (and huge amounts of bandwidth) are getting closer and closer to your home.  As these upgrades continue, there will be gigabits per second of bandwidth at every head-end in every neighborhood and it won't matter that you're sharing a bandwidth pool with your neighbors because you will ALL be able to go at the maximum speed you're paying for.  In addition, many cable companies do or will offer different level of service, where you can pay an extra 5 or $10 per month to have guaranteed amounts of bandwidth if you're a real power user.  You'll be able to get similar DSL offerings with equivalent bandwidths and prices.  So if your home is within a close enough distance to the telco office, it'll be a toss-up as to which you might enjoy more, so decide based on the bandwidth and monthly price.  If distance is an issue, get the cable modem, even if it's 5 or $10 more per month.
1060878
I never knew yahoo had cable internet only DSL. Do u have the yahoo software installed? I never installed it on my grandma's computer and it works amazingly!
190554
Check http://dsl.metrot1.com\n\nIt will check for cable, dsl, and satellite.  It will allow you to compare plans side by side, see specials, and sign-up online.  You can even get a $50 mail-in rebate for signing up.
619765
The reason that I got the DSL was I got tired of getting "punted". I've always had the bill attached to my regular phone bill. They send you a DSL kit with a DSL modem, filters, and an Ethernet PCI card, if you need it. You are really going to wonder how you did it for so long without a DSL! I've had it for at least 4 years now. The service has been good, not stellar, but good. I don't care much for the tech service. Sometimes my service goes out. That's usually the fault of the local phone network.
111929
I just switched from DSL to a fiber optic line.  Contact your phone company to see if they offer this.  If not, contact your cable provider -- in my area, the cable provider is the one who provides fiber optics.  You can also pay a higher monthly fee to get even faster fiber optics than the normal speed, which I don't need and didn't order.  I've been quite happy with the regular fiber optic line.  And it turned out to be cheaper than my DSL.
156173
Broadband is a general term used for DSL/Cable/ISDN internet connections - so it's the same as cable....but anything is better than dial-up.
245540
Check out:\n\nhttp://dsl.metrot1.com\n\nIt checks availability for DSL, Cable, and Satellite.  It will then allow you to compare them side by side, see any specials, and sign-up online.  They are even offering a $50 additional mail-in rebate on top of specials for signing up online.
6400
I originally switched to DSL so that I could still receive phone calls while begin online. I don't think I really noticed the speed difference until I tried to log on to a few sites while visiting my parents and their dial-up connection. "Man," I thought "how did I ever live with something this slow!" If you go to sites with a lot of Flash animation or movies like trailer clips, DSL is a serious plus.\n\nAs for setting up, I didn't have any troubles. Phone cord goes from wall to modem, Ethernet cord goes from modem to computer. Call ISP to let them know and they walked me through setting up the computer preferences. Probably the most important thing is to call your ISP *beforehand* to make sure that DSL is available in your area!
1016935
Basic difference:\nDSL is over an existing  (or new) phone line\nCable is over Coaxial Cable No Phone line needed\nDSL has a physical limit from it's distribution points after whcih the signal degrades enough for the FASTEST DSL to not be reliable.\nCable has no such limitation in real-world usage.\nCable uses a shared netwrok whcih can account for traffic slowdowns in some cases, but this is not a RULE.\n\nSpeed differences:\nCable has higher upper lmiits then DSL And the speed fluctuates.\nDSL should be more consistent and FLAT. Yet can still be FAST.\n\nIt depends on your area. That's the bottom line.\nFor some DSL works great, for others it's CABLE. \nCable tends to be more costly.
875155
one is dsl, and one is cable. they are not the same.
784976
OK here goes, I was a ISP and sold my service. I had to buy service from what is called a tier two provider. They are the ones who get you the pipe line to the Internet cloud and your IP's. Then you will need Equipment (modem bank, servers, and dsu/tsu). You will also need phone line to your modem bank.\n\nAll this takes knowledge to setup and take care of, it is not for the faint of hart.\n\nIf you want more info duane_p57 at yahoo dot com
1126704
These websites wil help you find what ISP service is in  your area so that you can compare prices, service, and availability.\n\nhttp://www.broadbandreports.com/\n\nhttp://www.thelist.com/\n\nhttp://www.theispguide.com/
53158
Comcast doesn't offer DSL, they offer Cable Modem service.\n\nI have SBC DSL.\n\nGenerally DSL has lower prices but offers lower speeds than Cable internet.\n\nIf you are just doing web surfing, search, e-mail, streaming/downloading music, DSL is often "good enough".\n\nIf you are watching lots of videos amassing a huge audio library from subscription music services, it's nicer to have the higher speeds you can get with Cable internet.\n\nA site called dslreports.com offers reviews of different DSL and Cable providers.
753926
The amount of money you'll end up spending on your internet card is going to be roughly double of what it would be if you got connected with dsl or cable internet.  You don't have to get full fledged phone service to get dsl setup, you can go with the bare minimum and in some cases have it setup as a data only line, cable is the same way, you can get just the internet service.
5586
All computers are not connected together.\n\nThink of ISP service as Sewer, Water, Electricity, or any other service you receive.\n\nIt costs a lot of money to setup the big huge internet connections that interconnect between service providers and the rest of the world.  \n\nIt also costs a lot of money for a phone company to buy and setup the equipment for DSL to work.  Your phone line can't carry high speed data by itself.  It needs special equipment to make it run.  (Cable is similiar.  You need special equipment on your side and on the cable company's side in order for you to have access to the internet)\n\nOnly computers on a local network are trully connected together and even that has a significant cost if that network is very big.  \n\nThe ISP is like the Water company.  They have access to the water.  They pay for access to that water.  The in turn sell that access to you.
592087
Neither one is more secure than the other.  The security comes in how you secure your own computer using AntiVirus software, personal firewalls, Ad or Spamware, etc.  You may see a slight degradation of service using Cable in the evening when more people are home and using their cable modems.  Otherwise, the main difference will be in cost.  As for what you need to connect to your computer, both Cable and DSL will come into your home into some sort of a modem.  From there you will just need an ethernet cable (you can get these at any computer or electronics store, such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Fry's Electronics, etc), which will plug directly into your Ethernet (NIC) card in your computer.  The plug on your computer will look like the modem plug, but will be slightly larger.  See the link below for more information on DSL and Cable.  Good luck.
1115430
Get DSL it is just as fast and it uses a phone line, and plus no one has to come to your house to hook it up.  It also costs less than cable internet.