DSL Vs. Cable Modems, which has less ping?

[FrozenLiquidity]

I guess this message could actually go in Networking, so I won't be suprised if it gets moved.

Anyway, the question in which provides the user with less lag, a DSL or a Cable modem? I am torn between these two options, however neither of them are available in my area yet, but within the next few months they should be. But which option provides the best ping, as I like to play internet games, and having high pings is not an option. So which option do you think would be best?

[RCN_Moose]

Another thing to check is any limits on the amount you can upload or download. I have @home and it has no limits (yet). I was going to try DSL here but it has fixed limits for how much you can upload or download.
Also, if you're leaning towards cable, try to find someone with it in your area. Depending on the company, some of them really overload there subnets to save money. I just came from Halifax and the cable there bites! The best I was getting was around 60 Kb/s!. The worst was <1 Kb/s! This is unacceptable for cable and it was all because they had to many people on each subnet.(was talking to one of the techs who was quitting) On the other hand, in Victoria (here) they're really good and I'm using getting around 200-300 Kb/s, slowing to 80-90 Kb/s in really high traffic times.

Moose http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by RCN_Moose (edited 05-11-2000).]

[mattheadfat]

i asked the cable guy to explain the whole "my neighbors got cable modems and slowed down my connection" idea. he said that they add a router for every new 1000 users and says that it's more than enough to allow everyone to have a high speed connection

[FrozenLiquidity]

Hey guys, I am well aware of the speed of each one and all that other stuff such as how fast it can transfer data,pricing and other stuff. You don't have to pay for DSL by how much you download! It just depends on the ISP you choose.

Back to my question, what is the average ping of a user on a cable modem compared to a user on a DSL? Considering that I am out of range from the DSL hub, if they extend the hub, the distance that the signal travels does affect the ping. However, if a new hub was made at a closer location, I would have less ping, and less lag.

What I really want to know is not how fast these connections can transmit data, but the time it takes for a signal from the cable modem/DSL to reach it's destination. In other words, which connection would provide a better ping in Half-Life?

FrozenLiquidity

[Battleship]

Despite what anyone here says you cannot say that one is better than the other. It depends on the region you live and the ISP your connected too. Find out what your other people in your area get. I have Rogers@home in Ottawa Canada, I download at 320 KBps capped and upload at 42 Kbps capped. My bud has Bell Sympatico HSE DSL and he downloads at 120 KBps max capped and uploads at 12 KBps max capped. So depends. My max ping in games for UT is a ping of 15 . Quake 3 I got a ping of 20 . These are not averages of course, when I connect I usually get anywhere from 30 - 80 depending on the server.

[smokin1]

No one has mentioned that your ping will vary with how far you are from the server you are trying to connect to. It all depends on how many hops your packets have to make.
It doesn't matter too much what your connection is if the server is too far away..
I have cable, and the closer the server, the lower the ping...I get very low pings with cable...depending on above..but comparing it with a friends DSL to the SAME server is the real test..here I think cable wins
2c
http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[OuTpaTienT]

I know everyone's trying to help, but no one's really answered the question yet. I can't entirely answer the question, but I can tell you the average pings I get on my cable...then maybe others can list their pings with their cable/dsl connections...then maybe you can form an answer.

Gaming servers close to me (within maybe 300 miles), my average pings is somewhere in the range of 20-50. I usually don't even pay attention to any servers returning a ping over 50.

But sometimes very late at nite/early morning, there is no one nearby playing so usually end up on an East Coast (US) server, which is almost 3000 miles from me (West Coast) and my pings then average around 75-90.

All-in-all, I've been very happy with my cable connection. Especially since I'm a newsgroup fan. Downloading from the newsgroups I get about 450KBytes/sec (yes that's 3600Kbits/sec!). Let's see DSL do that for under $40 a month. hehe.

[FrozenLiquidity]

Thank you for your information OuTpaTienT, now all I need is a DSL user that I compare that to. From what I've seen so far, Cable Modems have less lag than DSL. Becuase Cable modems aren't available in my area and I am pretty sure that not too many people will get Cable as soon as it's available, so I feel safe that I won't have to share my bandwidth with too many users. But I would still like some more info on DSL pings. Thanks!

FrozenLiquidity

[wyvrn]

I am a dsl user in Houston, TX. My ping to yahoo.com is 80-110. Not sure where there server is. My ping to sysopt.com is 160-170. Sysopt server is in CA right? This is at night with heavy traffic, it might vary depending on time of day. Not sure if this is good or bad, but my download rates routinely hit peak of my "allocated" bandwidth so I am happy. I think there is a CO right down the street from my, my ping to my provider swbell is like 20ms. Hope that gives you something.

Ok just pinged axiontech.com which I know is in Houston, and I got an average of 25 ms. Pinged everquest.com which I know is in SoCal and got 135ms avg.

[This message has been edited by wyvrn (edited 05-11-2000).]

[SysOpt]

I am in CA but the server is in NY. The board is on Pacific Time though http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif.

[FrozenLiquidity]

Thanks guys, I guess I know what to expect. Wow, even the Editor-in-chief responded. Hmmm, I still can't decide on which option to choose. I guess this doesn't really matter since neither is available yet. I think I will just get the first one available and stick with that. Unless I am unsatisfied with the service.

I hope that one of these options will become available soon. As soon as one is available the company will contact me. Why can't they hurry up!?

FrozenLiquidity

I am growing impatient.

[jl123]

Yeah i know how you feel. I have 7-10 days to wait for my DSL. Now talk about impatient, it's me. I'm counting the days til i get it. I should get it before school is out http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif Just hang in there.

Oh yeah. What is a ping? How do you "ping" a website like wyvrn did? What can it do for you?

~Joel

[OuTpaTienT]

Open a DOS window, and type this:

ping www.sysopt.com (http://www.sysopt.com)

or

ping www.yahoo.com (http://www.yahoo.com)

or whatever url you want. For help on how to use the PING command, just type:

ping

[Livewire]

I believe that DSL will give a more consistant connection as Cable modems slow down as more users get on the loop. If I am mistaken about this please feel free to correct me.

[SoopaStar]

for the buck, cable can be cheaper. my speed with @home is around 1.3 mbits/sec downstream and 130 mbit upstream. (that is not bytes, it comes to around 266 kilobytes/sec down). Most xDSL services charge ALOT for that. dsl goes from 64k-bits, to 128, 384 and 768 and 1.5 mbits/sec (again, divide by 8 to get kilo-bytes).
performance wil be better on DSL over time because it doesnt get as bogged down like cable does when more people use it.
Paul

[michelletje]

Wow I always thought my cable was sh*t.
I live in Europe and i get a ping to sysopt
at 120 ms and in Europe i get 30 ms.
By the way is there anybody who has ADSL and what are the pings of ADSL.

Michelletje
Low pings keep gamers alive.

[This message has been edited by socalgal (edited 05-12-2000).]

[FrozenLiquidity]

Dang, I want my High-speed internet, and I want it NOW!!! If they could only hurry up and make Cable modems/DSL available in my area, but then I would have to wait even more for them to get the needed components to me.

This waiting is unbearable, espically when I know that a person not a half-mile a way has DSL and I can't get it yet!!! Grrr...

FrozenLiquidity >=(

And what makes me even more angry is that I can't get this smiley face to be angry.

[This message has been edited by FrozenLiquidity (edited 05-12-2000).]

[FrozenLiquidity]

I appreciate your contribution jad1097, but if you had done your homework, satellite connections have absolutely HORRID pings, some modem users get better pings than satellite users. The minimum ping that a satellite gives it's users is about 250-400, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. So obviously, satellite is definetly out of the question, for me.

FrozenLiquidity

[jad1097]

You said high speed and that is high speed. I have no idea what the ping rate would be but I would think it is faster than 56k.

Since the upload is only through dial up then I would guess that it would not help you any for online gaming.

[This message has been edited by jad1097 (edited 05-12-2000).]

[FrozenLiquidity]

Ping would be the time it takes for a signal from your computer to reach it's host and get returned again. With a satellite connection, you can imagine that the ping would be pretty high.

FrozenLiquidity

[neo_otyugh]

i ping sysopt at 55 and yahoo at 73.
download peaks at 950 kiloBytes per second, averages at 300 kilobytes per second.
i have time warner cable service...the price is great. my pings on ost game servers that are not overloaded average around 70 within the US and around 120 in europe.
my bro lives in cali and has dsl, his pings are averaging around 50...but he cannot download nearly as fast...

[jad1097]

You could always get a satellite. I think they have downloads of 420kbps or so.

[Sharpy]

Cable arrives at my house in June/July. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/icons/icon8.gif
Now I'm angry...

[This message has been edited by Sharpy (edited 05-12-2000).]

[jad1097]

FOrgot to give a link to directpc. (http://www.direcpc.com/consumer/index.html)

While Internet Access via cable or ADSL maybe available in some areas, only one technology platform can offer nationwide access to the Internet at speeds of up to 400 kbps today. That technology is DirecPC® from Hughes Network Systems (HNS). The DirecPC Turbo Internet ™ service, which is three times faster than ISDN and 14 times faster than a standard 28.8 modem, is the fastest and most affordable Internet access service available everywhere in the continental US today.


It is expensive though.$109.99 a month for 200hrs not including ISP and $.99 an hour after 200hrs.

[rtyp3]

Hey, I know a lot of people want faster connections but don't want to pay. Well, I found these sites- www.freedsl.com (http://www.freedsl.com) and www.inyc.com. (http://www.inyc.com.) They both offer free dsl, kind of like free dialups. I think with inyc you need a banner... not sure though. Hope that is useful.

[Pick]

My $2 worth. I have used @Home (cable modem) for close to 2yrs now. At first it was excellent and fast. I was one of the first users in my area.
Now that more users have been added it appears the system has not kept up to the demand. Anyway you talk of lag and low pings in the same context. My experience is low pings do not relate to low lag. I play online a lot and there are many variables that effect my game playing. A main concern is the game server,number of players and how many hops to the server. On servers with higher pings and fewer players sometimes my playing is great, on servers with low pings and more players it will 'lag'. So far in my opinion Cable is the best for the dollars. PS: I qualify a high ping as those over 150 -low pings are those under 100.
Some suggested reading can be found at : http://www.whatis.com/latency.htm http://navasgrp.home.att.net/tech/cable_dsl.htm
What you do with this info is your own responsibility and you do so at your own risk.

[This message has been edited by Pick (edited 05-18-2000).]

[tkray]

I install cable modems for a living, so I know a little bit on the subject. Cable vs. DSL is a question I deal with alot. Personally i don't think either one has an advantage, when you're comparing them in general terms. The important thing to consider is the services available in your area. (Does brand X cable modem offer better speeds than brand Y DSL on a local level.)

The quality of the cable signal is a big factor in how well the modem works. If possible, ask the installer to check the line and give you and idea if the strength is good for your area.

As far as cable modems are concerned, DOCSIS compliant modems seem to perform better, at least in my area. I use the speedtest in Computing Central at www.msn.com. (http://www.msn.com.)
http://computingcentral.msn.com/topics/bandwidth/speedtest.asp

I used to get 500kbps or less with our old modems. Now I get between 1 mbps to the off the chart rating on the scale. And my pings have improved as well.

DOCSIS is an agreed upon standard by major cable internet providers. It offers a small measure of security over older cable modem systems. (I still recommend a firewall, tho) and it gives you the option of buying your own modem, saving on long term expense and also insuring you can use high quality components.

[ghostface]

I'd say get whatever gets there first. I've been using Time Warner Roadrunner for a couple of months now since it was the only thing availiable in NC. sigh. I like it.

[wtp]

of course DSL, it's secure unlike cable modems, but of course if you dont' install the lines right, or too much excess cable, you will increase your ping. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

wtp http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[AMDClocker]

well i have sdsl with 734 up and down .....at it rocks ....see i upload alot and i like the speed ...well most places have adsl so you get 124 upload thats it ...fine for web surfer but not me .....ohh and my ping to sysopts 42 and to download.com 42 so im in chicago il hope this helps

[FrozenLiquidity]

If you are this "Cloud" character, who has a very slim profile I might add, I think the situation would be quite the opposite, except I'd wouldn't be using the Gluon Gun. If i had DSL or a Cable modem, you would not find me easy prey...

Muahahahaha

FrozenLiquidity

[netranger]

DSL-cable pings:
I have both services installed and I can tell that there are some tradeoffs...it's the nature of the "beast" and there's not alot you're going to do unless you get your own T1 installed.
Cable provided by cox@home...Not the best but certainly not the worst. Shared bandwidth, lousy ping times during prime time hours, upload/download speeds are never consistent. Their tech support is told to "tow the company line", anything better than a 56k connect is within company guidelines...Thats a direct quote.
ADSL by PacBell (pachell to some). Breeze to install (selfinstall), cheesy software, but rock solid connections and it never waivers.
Also with DSL, you're buying bandwidth and with cable, you're sharing....Think about that next time you brush your teeth http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif
Just for kicks (and tests), I have two identical machines; one with DSL and the other with cable. Both are running Win98SE and NO tweaks...Wanna make this a fair comparison.
Installed Half-life on both. DSL latency is running around 20-30 and cable bounces from 30-70 and sometimed hits 1500!
My suggestion: Run what you can get, but if you're on half-life and you see someone streak by with the glueon gun and the players name is "cloud", well....Have a nice time dying http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[henry]

Packet INternet Groper sends a ECHO_REQUEST to illicit ECHO_RESPONSE from a host.

So, when someone pings a host, say www-mv.netscape.com , the ICMP datagram has to pass through several hosts before reaching www-mv.netscape.com
Now, when someone simply uses 'ping www-mv.netscape.com' the result is simply how responsive the host is, if the host is idle enough to respond to a ping request. A low ping result doesn't say if xDSL or Cable has lower latency.
What matter is the round trip if one is concern enough. A low round trip will reveal more which is of a better choice. Unfortunately, only Win95OSR2 with Winsock 2 or higher, Win98 & Unix ping will provide an average round trip ping result, not for WinNT.
If one is to be more precise, rely on the tool 'traceroute' or 'tracert' (under WinXX) & look at the first few hops, that will determine whether the trip to your ISP lags.

Hope that helps.

PS. Stop whining you guys, Down Under, there're only 2 cable providers. Telstra is the dominant player and capped downstream unlimited plan @ 400kbps, but with majority of the hosts located outside Australia. It doesn't matter that much.

[voogru]

directPC??
hahahahahaha!
420kbps my ****
i got no more than 100kbps on mine and in half-life i had a ping of 600-900!

Oh and Dish Network (satilite company)
is coming out with broadband satilite with speeds up to 2GBps (2 Gigs per second)
because dish network has satilite tv also and they have 500 channels at 4mbps each.
ok lets see here.
4
x500
----
2000 Mbps
oh and it will be 2 way internet unlike 1 way internet with directpc

for more information click here (http://www.dishnetwork.com)



[This message has been edited by voogru (edited 06-01-2000).]

[dstange]

I did a ping on yahoo = 27ms
on sysopt = 57ms

with my DSL modem. My download speed goes between 1.8 - 2.9(the highest i saw) Mbps.

Cable in my area sucks.

[brandon184]

hehe.. Thats funny.

I live in a small town, near a fairly small city, in a really boring province with not a lot of people, and *I* get awesome DSL service. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

The funny thing is, that half of the city people, still don't have dsl access. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Anyway.. I've used both, and enjoy DSL a lot more than cable. I'm not sure why. Just seems a lot more consistent in preformance. There are a lot of people in the area that have it, and the service hasn't slowed down, and isn't slow one bit.

[jad1097]

voogru
More like 30Mbps! (http://www.dishnetwork.com/software/third_level_content/satellite_services/data/index.asp) 2000 Mbps? I am sure that direct TV has the same capability since they have just as many channels.

To prove your point please provide a direct link to the quote of 2000Mbps! Oh and don't forget when it rains or snows you are SOL unless you use dial up and then you are stuck with 56k.

What about pricing for this 2 way satellite internet? A link please?