thinking about cable modem

[AndreBranco]

3 questions:

can i use aol or earthlink with a cable modem?

can i upload send email and other things using a cable modem?

how much do they charge a month using cable 24hours a day every day of the week is it a single fee ±60$??

=)

[BBA]

I have a MediaOne cable modem. It is a $39 add on to my regular cable bill. I can have AOL on this account for an extra $10 a month.

It is awesome for uploading/downloading and running a server!

I definitely think it's worth it, I even have 3 other PC's connected through the same modem and I can't see any performance difference at all.

BBA

[kec95]

I'm still waiting........


Kenny C

[AndreBranco]

BBA
is it a 39 dollars fee and no extra charge for using the cable modem all the time just as cable tv? http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[Dash800]

I got a TCI@Home cable modem... and... personally Im pissed with it. Its serve cuts off for a few mins MULTIPLE times a day. They limit the upload to about 17k so you wont run a server. Their tech support sucks.
Its fast (sometimes) downloading
Flat rate of 45 a month, 40 basic plus 5 for an extra IP. Im on just about 24 hours.

[BBA]

Yes Andre...

All the time, no extra charge, leave the PC on, your on!

Just not too good if you have overhead cable RF lines because lightning tends to take them out real quick. I moved to an area wheere all lines are underground and no problem yet (8 mo's)

BBA

[CMonster]

Sorry I cannot answer your questions but I hope you do not mind my $.02:

Only DSL is available in my area (would like cable but our sucky cable company is dragging their feet)...the DSL is still too expensive for me - I think that DSL+Internet account may come down to about $39 by next year. Pac Bell is offering $49 a month for DSL/unlimited Internet access, unlimited email etc. But I better wait and get the most out of these 56K modems for now.

I wonder if anyone knows how cable compares to DSL????

[This message has been edited by CMonster (edited 07-11-99).]

[Dominus]

To answer CMonster's question, xDSL absolutely smokes on downstream, and is consistent all the time, no matter what the network traffic in your area is, as there are no shared lines involved (as with cable modems)

The only downside is upstream. Most providers use ADSL (Asyncronous Digital Subscriber Line) which, as the name implies, is asyncronous, or not the same speed on downstream & upstream. I have a Alcatel 1000 ADSL modem which cruises on downloads, but has a 128kbit/s (16kbps) upload cap. This is used to discourage website & FTP hosting, and to otherwise save the bandwidth of the ISP so they can cheaply provide service to more customers.

The bottom line is, if you want constant super-fast download speeds without worrying about shared line load, get ADSL. But if you want to do any kind of cheap hosting, cable is the way. Both are pretty much the same speed; 1.5-10 mbits/s depending on the ISP.

[CMonster]

Thanks Dominus, that was very clear.

[KillerBug]

yes, yes, $40, that is the info for Road Runner anyways.