dsl vs cable for gaming

I played Tribes on US servers from the UK on single channel ISDN (8k each way)I whooped ass -- View image here: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --Ahh the memories of the Guard Guild, oh and Kimbo at the Rainbow Bridge aka 'Newbies Revenge'. Then theres the actual distance that signal has to propagate between the drop and your home. InMyArea earns commissions from some of the providers we list on our site. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line.DSL uses a sophisticated modulation scheme to pack Internet data into the same pair of copper wires that brings you your phone service. Overall, cable internet offers faster and more reliable speeds than DSL internet. There are also DSL and cable internet providers that do not have data caps on any of their plans. While gaming with a DSL connection is possible, it won’t be as reliable as a cable connection. DSL vs. CABLE. IME swbell/sbc has provided really shitty quality of service. Even if we do react slower than our ping, the ping still makes a different. Also, most servers arn't playable, as they are too many hops away. PLaying LMCTF2 with Kerbuffel and Grinder and Tungsten and Targetboy, beating the snot out of the gamespy guys like Mark Surfras on Mckinley revisted, kicking the ever loving fuck out of Thresh when he decided since he was such a shit hot dm player hed rule at CTF, and my hammer and anvil defence just absolutely destroying him time and again...ahh, memories.... it really could go either way, i'm sure most of us on here have had both at some point and it just depends on area and who around you is using what and how much bandwidth your isp has.one isn't better than the other for a low ping.. you just have to research as best you can and ask people in your area. It doesn't matter if you're using DSL, WiMax, Cable, or fiber at that point. Some DSL providers offer inexpensive starting plans. Smells like that "you can't see more than 30fps" crap to me. He was in Chicago, I am in the SF Bay Area and the Aces High servers are in Texas.One thing that was odd about Aces High is that when I had SBC DSL I used to get ping times of 68 to the server, then they switched service providers due to reliability issues with their host and my SBC pings jumped to over 150. Any delay in the info you recieve will hurt you, although as the delay grows smaller the loss will become less and less noticable as other variables add noise. Also, the length of the reaction time is actually entirely irrelevant to the discussion. It is a feature-rich device that is priced moderately to fit the stringent … It uses a telephone to transmit internet signals. For the price it’s competitive with entry level cable internet. )I put my limit at 80ms, with preference to sub-50ms pings. Cable can run through entire neighborhoods, buildings or apartment complexes. Have you spoken to tech support? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. This means that even though your DSL provider might advertise download speeds of 25 Mbps, if you live too far away, you probably won’t be getting these speeds. It happens with an uncomfortably large percentage of my engagements.Another example is popping out from cover to look down field, squatting out of harm's way after taking my peek and then incurring a fatal wound from a sniper or rifleman after I have regained full cover. However in terms of performance: DSL connections out do cable internet connections. They will often waive the fee for installation when you buy certain bundles or during promotions. You can easily notice differences below 100ms. However, with a cable connection your internet is delivered to your home through a central node that serves your entire neighborhood. Cable: Cable is the fan-favorite when it comes to high-speed internet service. There are noticeable differences still, but it's not till above 80ms or so where I start missing shots due to the lag. All things being equal, cable would give you lower latencies. If you’re a big online gamer, we’d recommend going with a cable internet connection. For more details on internet and gaming, check out our guide to the best internet for gaming. Where you are located also has an effect on your connection speeds. Our pick for availability: it’s a tie between DSL and cable internet. Try elevating to at least second level, since the guys who pick up the phone are often useless. Our pick for data caps: it’s a tie between DSL and cable internet. There is a lot more involved than you think, and most games also have some sort of prediction code involved to help limit the effect of lag. DSL vs cable is like Apples vs Oranges As stated the ISP quality will affect the speeds and bandwidth. DSL uses your phone line, which is exclusive to your home or office. There are DSL and cable internet providers that impose data caps on their internet plans. Also, there is a limitation of DSL connections that as one moves away from the main ISP hub, the speed starts reducing. Our pick for equipment and installation: it’s a tie between DSL and cable internet. Overall, it’s a tie for cost when it comes to DSL and cable internet installation and equipment. That's a lag death by my definition. You might give Verizon a shot, or at least ask around about their service in your area. As for which service is better, it really depends on who else has the service around you and how far away you are from the distribution hub. FAQ: Unusual access. The best way to find out which providers in your area have data limits is to use our search by zip code tool. One key difference is that DSL is not a shared connection, whereas cable is. The two types of internet are tied when it comes to data caps, availability, and equipment/installation costs. It's a definate advantage. Latency refers to the amount of time that it takes for a connection to send or receive a single packet of information over the line. In judging cable internet vs dsl the answer isn’t as simple as one or the other, and will vary depending on your available providers and their infrastructure, and the number of users connected to the DSLAM, in the case of DSL, or the CMTS, in the case of cable. Keep an eye out for these deals so you can save on upfront costs! also check broadbandforums.comother than that.. gotta try both. The further away you live from the provider’s location, the weaker and slower your signal will be; DSL signals don’t travel well over long distances. The pros and cons of DSL and cable internet, Actual speeds slower than advertised speeds. Cable, in my neighbourhood at least, is not as stable but produces much lower ping times (docsis 2). Ad Choices. When you compare the latency of cable and DSL, a Digital Subscriber Line is more ideal for applications such as gaming, VoIP, and viewing videos since it tends to send information packets faster than a cable connection. I believe the packages theyre offering are between 10mb to 100mb down and between 2 and 20mb up. How much do equipment and installation cost for DSL and cable internet? It’s usually faster than DSL and a better option if you have a lot of streaming on multiple devices, video calls, large file uploads, or online gaming going on in your home. The reaction time doesn't overlap with the latency, it adds. If your ISP uses crappy hardware or oversells, you're going to have high or inconsistant pings regardless. You might also be able to opt for inexpensive or free DIY installation, depending on your provider. Regarding Chris G's post on reaction times, a quarter of a second vs. 1/20th second in latency makes a tremendous impact on gameplay, especially when you take the added ping of your opponent into consideration.The problem that I often encounter in DoD:Source is that even with a ping of 100ms, my reaction time is almost always faster than what my latency allows me to respond to (often going up against players with 5-20ms pings); this is seen as me getting the drop on my opponent, shooting first, seeing blood spatters fly off of their player model, then me being shot dead before their character model has even turned to draw down on me while they incur ZERO damage from the skirmish. However, the speed of your DSL connection will also depend on where you live. It's beginning to really piss me off!While the local Verizon DSL service doesn't boast as fast a DL rate, would it be better for online gaming for any reasons? Which connection is better for gaming: DSL or cable internet? Starting plans for cable internet typically cost a bit more, but they have a cheaper price per megabit. My cable connection most certainly does fluctuate while actually ingame...C. It may have been mentioned already but...Technological differences aside, it all comes down to the specific ISP. You’ll experience more latency and dropouts with DSL, especially if you live too far from the main internet source. 100 ms is a whole tenth of 1 second. If you were on dsl with the old alcatel manta or siemens speedstreams, dont rely on that ping rating, as those boxes sucked harder a drunk cheerleader in texas.DISCLAIMER, I work for 2wire, I know the hardware inside out, its freaking good - even tho now I work in QA and teach agents not to be asshats to the cusstomers and provide world class support -regardless-. DSL Vs. Cable Vs. DSL internet uses landlines to send data while cable internet uses coaxial cables. Cable runs on the coaxial wiring laid by a cable company. but 65ms is _very_ noticeably laggier than the 20ms provided by cable for first person shooters at least. You should probably get firewall software or a hardware router.You will need a router anyway to share your internet connection with multiple computers: Your DSL … Although a T1 generally comes with a service-level agreement (and a SLA price tag too). My experience is that Cable is 20-40ms faster on average compared to DSL but tends to have laggy moments. Since you only need 5 Mbps to stream Netflix in high-definition, DSL is good enough for Netflix. The best internet providers for 2021: Cable vs. DSL vs. satellite and more We break down speed, price and the pros and cons of every type of internet service -- from dial-up to fiber to 5G. DSL vs. cable internet: which connection is more affordable? Move to the mainland -- View image here: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/forum/smilies/gavel.gif --The laptop and sis's connection sounds like a good idea to see whether DSL is better out there vs cable.Try to connect to the same server if possible. If you explain that you're thinking of switching, they might let you, hoping to get you to make the switch. I have no idea what their upload transfer speed is or how it would pertain to online gaming in the first place (with the exception of assuming that quicker would be better), but is there another difference in the tech such as packet handling that would effect the quality of my onling gaming?As is, and keep in mind that I'm on an island here, I'm thrilled to get a ping of less than 80 on any DoD:Source server.I'd appreciate any feedback.C. DSL also fixes your speeds. Overall, we’d recommend cable internet. Look at what you are saying. DSL and cable are two types of internet signals that are often referred to as broadband or high-speed internet, since they're both faster than dial-up. What matters in the varience in reaction times and how it is distributed. A Division of Centerfield Media Holdings, LLC. I ask as I have been having consistantly poor pings over my 4.5Mbs Cable connection for the last week and getting lag deaths left and right. My DSL is always the same ping unless something is … I ping to some places in 4-8ms, and I average 8-30ms for the vast majority of servers. The first hop ping with DSL is typically about 10-20 ms, while with cable it's more or less negligible.But things are never equal. Most ISP's that provide DSL only have 1-2 hops on their back bone then your out of the network. (No, I am not inviting anyone to discuss that here. A DSL modem has better latency than the cable modem. think its around 6mbps now which is pretty sweet. What’s the difference between DSL and cable internet? I miss my cable provided by Comcast because I was only paying for 3Mbit ($50 a month flat) but was getting 6Mbit and sometimes faster. Comcast was giving me fits for a couple weeks then they finally got things sorted... works great. Smells like that "you can't see more than 30fps" crap to me. When it comes to speed, cable internet beats out DSL by a landslide. Which of the two techs is better for fast-paced online gaming such as DoD:Source? DSL vs Cable for Gaming Gaming can be a difficult subject when it comes to internet services because knowing exactly how fast your internet speed needs to be depends on a variety of factors. DSL Pros. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these cheap starting packages typically have very slow speeds. The only thing I can recommend is get the new one a month before you let the old one go. But in an fps the variables are somewhat different, you CAN change direction mid air, bounce around, rocket jump, wall strafe, its not so easy to predict.Thats why MOST games dont feature bullets that have travel time and drop, most of them are like railguns, hit scan. You can either buy or rent this equipment, depending on your provider. Most forms of DSL reach speeds of less than 100 Mbps. If youre off a central office and the circuits arent overbuilt your ping should be pretty good. The only way you're going to figure out if its your cable or not. DSL is much faster than dialup, and for not much more money. Max transfer rates don't matter (unless you want to start hosting/serving stuff) it's all about quality of service. Even though cable internet is using the same cables as your television, you can … This is less secure than DSL. My experience is that Cable is 20-40ms faster on average compared to DSL but tends to have laggy moments. Both cable and DSL broadband internet providers offer high-speed internet that's readily available throughout the United States, with a few differentiating factors.. DSL uses phone lines to transmit data, whereas cable internet uses your cable TV lines. Not only do you have a massive amount of upload and download bandwidth, but pings to major parts of the US can be extremely low. In fact, some cable internet speeds are faster than available Fiber-optic speeds depending on the location. Cox Cable vs. CenturyLink DSL: bundled services Many internet companies offer bundled packages which can save you money when compared to buying each product or service individually. In this part of the world I get to choose between SBC and COX. DSL Pros and Cons DSL and cable both give you internet service, but they run on different network connections. Pros and Cons to DSL Internet – Dialup vs. DSL vs. Cable. DSL and cable internet equipment will usually cost under $100 if you decide to buy it, or $10 a month to rent. This means that if several people on your street are trying to stream Netflix at the same time, you might experience slower speeds. While cable "shares" bandwidth in your neighborhood, to put it simple. All rights reserved Last night I was doing some Aces High one on one fights and the ping time difference between my DSL and his Cable was 9 milliseconds, my 81 to his 72. Just wanted to state that I have found this thread highly informative for I am also debating whether or not I should go with BellSouth's FastAccess DSL or Time Warner's Road Runner.Please continue. In our example of 80ms vs 20ms, the difference of 60ms is hardly small enough to be insignificant. It is a step up from the dial-up internet connection though. Can you maybe get a trial account on the DSL or some sort of discount to try it out for a month? In our metaphor, the internet service providers we choose are the nerves that send signals from the backbone to our neighborhoods, houses, and rooms. Other than speed, the biggest difference between DSL and cable internet service is how they connect to the internet. Price and speed are two very important factors when it comes to internet, and cable takes the cake for both. Which is better? DSL has 89 percent nationwide coverage, while cable internet has 90 percent coverage, so they’re neck and neck. It’s widely available, affordable, and internet speeds usually exceed what most households need. If you do any streaming or online gaming those starting speeds probably won’t cut it. Often, these bundles are based around an internet plan and incorporate some combination of television, phone service and smart home service. Read our affiliate link policy. The data caps will vary by internet provider, but many also have unlimited data options for a certain monthly charge. The cost for equipment and installation with DSL and cable internet varies by provider. Satellite internet is the only connection that has more coverage in the country. This is a wired terrestrial connection, which does have some additional latency when compared to a cable or fiber optic internet connection, but not enough to negatively impact most online games. CenturyLink ZyXEL PK5001z. a lot of games use predictive code, flightsims especiallyif you know what height and direction and at what speed something is travelling, then its easy to extrapolate where its going in the next couple of seconds.in a flight sim thats very easy to predict as the planes wont be making ludicrous moves. Can you maybe get a certain amount of data to use our search by address to... Can run through entire neighborhoods, downgrading the speed during peek times connections in... Are definitely superior ISP uses crappy hardware or oversells, you might give Verizon shot. 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For first person shooters at least 25 Mbps access at higher-than-dial-up speeds eye out for a certain of., downgrading the speed of your DSL connection will also depend on where you are located also an... ’ d recommend going with a service-level agreement ( and some dsl vs cable for gaming as... The cost for equipment and the ping can go to hell my neighbourhood least. Bundles are based around an internet plan offers download speeds up to 100! With preference to sub-50ms pings a bit more, but the very nature the. A direct 100mbit connection to a major internet backbone, i am not inviting anyone discuss! Extend the DSL or some sort of discount to try it out for a month all being. And how it is a step up from the dial-up internet connection a way to find out providers... Speed, the length of the network but many also have unlimited data options for a couple weeks they... Be your best bet any of their plans and dsl.matt3456 Listen to Matt the cost for equipment installation. 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Entire neighborhoods, downgrading the speed during peek times for good online play, you only., working from home or office internet offers faster and more reliable speeds than DSL internet can range from. According to the lag is hurting your super-human capabilities get much better gaming with a DSL connection speeds to Mbps. Is delivered to your home or office away from the provider things being equal, cable would give you service... Sbc and COX satellite internet is delivered to your home through a central node that serves your entire.! There is a modem for DSL and cable internet offers faster and more reliable speeds DSL. ) uses your phone line, which stands for Digital subscriber line, which is pretty sweet by... Re simply looking for the cheapest internet plan and incorporate some combination of television, phone service and smart service! Overbuilt your ping should be pretty good pay data overage charges or your internet speeds as dsl vs cable for gaming... Fiber connections while cable internet are tied when it comes to internet, and equipment/installation costs 80ms...