It’s an age old question and one that has likely reshaped itself over time. Which high-speed option out of DSL vs. cable Internet is the best option to go with? The answer, sadly isn’t all that black and white. The fact is that there are a number of factors to consider when choosing one over the other. See, cable Internet is a shared line where DSL isn’t. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that DSL is faster than cable though. It can be a mixed bag of results in most cases.

See, the problem is that we’re really talking about apples and oranges as both technologies differ so much. The fact is, both Internet options have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on what you’re looking for. A great example of someone using both options would be Lockergnome’s own Chris Pirillo. For his daily use, he is using cable Internet as it provides him with the maximum speed available in his area, considering the bandwidth package he’s selected. For his video stream (at least at one point), he uses DSL; it may not provide as much speed as cable, but it does provide stable, consistent speeds to allow him to keep his Ustream video going forward.

Speed

It’s true that a typical cable package is going to outshine DSL on speed. Yet at the same time, cable can become nearly useless during peak times, whereas the slower DSL connection isn’t plagued by such issues. So the best solution really depends on what it’s being used for. As one might expect, most people opt for cable when desiring speed, whereas those desiring a better price may settle for DSL instead. Cable is faster, though. Faster for the money spent, anyway.

Stability

If I had a dollar for every time the cable Internet was on the fritz, I’d be a rich man. With the possible exception of dial-up Internet, I cannot think of a less stable connection choice. Yes, 95% of the time it’s working okay. But compare that to my experiences with DSL being up closer to 99% and the choice with regard to stability becomes stunningly clear. To be ultimately fair, some of that downtime with cable comes from user related issues with a person getting a poor signal strength in their location only. But other instances reflect a problem with the cable company’s network becoming such an issue that we see more emphasis put into damage control from a PR point of view instead of actually addressing the cause in the long term. DSL is generally showing a much better uptime in my option.

Photo by Muffet

Price

Cable may have the speed advantage, but generally speaking a low tier DSL option for existing home phone users is competitive with the slowest cable speed available at the best price. If cheap is the name of the game, I’d suggest DSL.

Availability

And last, how available is one vs. the other? Having used two different providers for both DSL and cable, and cable with the same company in numerous locales, I can say that cable is easily more available than DSL. The fact is, DSL is something of a rarity for more rural folks. In my area for instance, I have the option of cable, DSL, or fiber Internet. Fiber is the way to go as it has the stability of DSL with speeds matching or exceeding cable. But alas, most areas are not wired for it yet. It’s relatively new to most locales.

The best choice is?

I can’t say that there is a best choice. My needs may not be the same as yours. Speed, stability, and availability will have to be your guiding light.