DSL or cable?

medi

I'm currently on a trial with IOL Broadband. They're giving me a 16 GB per month transfer limit, but really this is not much - between playing games and downloading vids I've realised that 30 GB would be more suitable for me - and this is just what NTL Cable are offering for their basic package.

Let's just compare some of the packages from IOL and NTL:

IOL:
1) (512kbps) IOL BB - 40 euro/month - only 8 gb transfer limit (rubbish)
2) (512kbps) IOL BB+ - 47euro/month - 16 gb transfer limit (could be better)
NTL:
1) (300kbps) NTL BB Starter - 25 euro/month - 1 gb/day (perfect!)
2) (750kbps) NTL BB - 35 euro/month - 1gb/day
3) (1.5mbps) NTL BB Max - 50 euro/month - 1 gb/day

Also, the installation connection fee with NTL is free! Unlike with IOL where I had to pay something like 90 euro just for the connection fee, so really this is not a free trial i'm on, it's costing 30 euro/month, even though on the ads they insisted it was free with no strings attached -_-

I mean, clearly I'd be much better off with either one of the NTL packages, to me there is not much difference between having 300kbps and a 512kbps connection as long as there is no lag in games it's cool - and with my experience the p2p clients I've used rarely utilised the full power of my 512kbps line anyways

So all in all NTL seems much like a much better choice. But I can't help but feel like I'm missing something. Surely this NTL can't be THIS much better then their competitors, if so, why aren't more people signing up for the cable with NTL!?

Mr. Presentable

Cable *is* this much better than DSL, plus I have never heard of the NTL limit being enforced, whereas these boards regularly have tales of woe about big bills from DSL providers for limit exceeding.

Diabolus

medi wrote:

Also, the installation connection fee with NTL is free!
Unlike with IOL where I had to pay something like 90 euro just for the connection fee, so really this is not a free trial i'm on, it's costing 30 euro/month, even though on the ads they insisted it was free with no strings attached.

The NTL is only a free connection if u have cable tv.
Also its not available to everyone although we all wish it was.
As for the IOL installation fee, u only pay that if u decide to keep the trial.

Saruman

if NTL where available here i would sign up with them and i think that goes for EVERYONE on the boards who uses/wants broadband.
If original poster is an NTL whore then take note... get your act together and roll out the broadband!!!!

medi

hm okay, if you're right about IOL not charging me 90 well then that's great, and uh, we got NTL Digital TV right now, if i can get the digital, would that mean we can get the cable too?

also, what exactly is the difference between the two? I know we got a little decoder box for the digital and the signal is recieved thru a fibre optic cable... oh ya! would it be a problem for the dude who calls out to somehow shovin the fibre optic cable up thru the walls into the attic where the pc is located?

medi

well?

MrVestek

Right, basically the difference between ADSL (you dont have dsl trust me, all of the dsl lines in ireland are adsl, is this:

ADSL is a high speed line run over bog standard copper wires through the existing phone system. Cable is exactly that, it piggybacks an internet connection down the line (once activated by ntl) along with your existing tv stuff. You do need an external modem however, as with adsl. Cable has the capacity for higher bandwidth as far as i'm aware (although this definatly wont be reached by existing companies for a good few years to come) . Also, the further away from an adsl exchange you are, the more likely you are to encounter slower speeds as the longer the information takes to flow to you down the line, the slower it'll be due to latency. Although latency does occur on cable, it's not as noticable it would be with adsl. In addition... cable has the capacity to have four times the bandwidth as adsl (although as said before, this wont be maxed out by ISPs... especially if it's ntl... for a good few years yet).

In conclusion, i'd recommend getting ntl cable, if it's available in your area. I'm currently on the 1.5Mbps package which costs €50 a month and i have to say... i love it :-D

medi

sorry i shud of been more specific, i was wonderin what difference between the NTL Digital TV connection i have now, and the NTL Cable TV

Felix Unger

afaik the cable that comes in is coax rather than fiber, the coax carries both the analogue and digital, but the decoder box decodes the digital signals.

MrVestek

what? then why ask about dsl vs cable... in a broadband forum? i don't get what you mean about ntl digital tv and cable tv either, and if so, why are you posting here? anyways clearly you are talking about broadband packages... what gives?

Felix Unger

I think hes just trying to determine eligibilty for NTL BB, if you have an NTL account you are potentially eliginle, but until you get a post card saying so....

MrVestek

ok then, best bet would be to check availability in your area. Contact ntl on 1800-321-321

Felix Unger

Can I plug my thread here the intriguingly titled "Using ADSL router with NTL Cable?", seen as this thread is hogging all the views ?

medi

yoyoyyooyyo wasup with that **** yo i come in here axin a question and you're all like tryin to start some **** with me wtf u best back up nigga else u'll get yo whole body laced up with bullet holes and ****

or in a language you might understand: ahhhh boi!!! c'mear an i tell ya yung fella, don't try ta pull da bluff on me yung fella or i'll fookin box ya, an i'll get my 17 brothers ta beat da livin bajaysus outta ya... ohh ya!! ya see that big peice of ****e over there!? that's you so it is

MrVestek

medi wrote:

yoyoyyooyyo wasup with that **** yo i come in here axin a question and you're all like tryin to start some **** with me wtf u best back up nigga else u'll get yo whole body laced up with bullet holes and ****

or in a language you might understand: ahhhh boi!!! c'mear an i tell ya yung fella, don't try ta pull da bluff on me yung fella or i'll fookin box ya, an i'll get my 17 brothers ta beat da livin bajaysus outta ya... ohh ya!! ya see that big peice of ****e over there!? that's you so it is

what.... the hell...???

medi

what i said, yeah

MrPinK

medi wrote:

we got NTL Digital TV right now, if i can get the digital, would that mean we can get the cable too?

No. With TV you've only got information going in one direction. NTL can't use their existing infrastructure to deliver internet access, they need to lay down new 2-way fibre optic cables in your area.

Don't get your hopes up about NTL, the chances of you being able to get it are very slim.

Moriarty

Gents, if you don't know what you're talking about don't try and spoof it. Seriously.

medi, the current packages offered by NTL are far better value than any dsl available in this country at the moment. Go with them if you can. To find out if you can, phone them.