Learning About Routers and Internet Security

Your Guide to 2 Rival Internet Service Types

If you're like most people living in the developed world, internet access and usage is an integral part of your daily life. The internet might be your means for correspondence, research, work, and even as a replacement for your previous television service. Internet services have certainly improved substantially over the years, but one type of service may be best suited for your home's infrastructure and your media needs. Here you will learn about two comparable internet service types, their benefits, drawbacks, and how it might be your best service option.

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, internet service is one of the oldest and most commonly used of the four mentioned here. DSL was first installed as a replacement wire for your typical phone lines, as the lines would then be able to handle internet data while keeping the lines open for phone calls. Despite the age of this service, many service providers have frequently upgraded the lines throughout their entire service area in order to compete with newer technologies.

Because DSL lines also handle government-regulated phone service, you can expect the internet connection to be more stable, uninterrupted, and more reliably delivering on service speeds quoted. You get what you pay for, though. What you gain in reliability and consistency with DSL, however, you lose in savings. Other types of service often outperform DSL in terms of internet speeds provided proportional to their rates.

DSL is best for people that are willing to pay a little extra for above-average reliability and speed consistency.

Cable

Cable internet providers have been the chief competitors for DSL providers for many years now. There are several cable companies that are growing quicker than DSL, which means that if you are currently out of the service area for both DSL and cable providers, it's likely that a cable provider will be able to offer service sooner than a DSL provider. One huge advantage of cable over the others is the high service speed relative to the cost. The problem with cable speeds, though, is that your connection is shared with your neighbors, which means that their usage will slow down your download speeds noticeably.

Cable internet is best for people that live in areas with a sparser population density. The few the people you share the connection with, the higher your download speeds will be.

Neither DSL nor cable internet will prove to be the best option for all customers. You may consider DSL over cable because you want to avoid outages during important conference calls or pay-per-view shows or subscriptions. But then you may prefer cable because you mostly use the internet while other people aren't also using it. With the information provided here, you'll be able to pick the type of internet service best for your needs. Talk to companies like Virginia Broadband, LLC for more information.


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