It's really six of one, or half a dozen of the other ...
In reality, if you want a broadband connection at home or in your small office, you have two choices, a cable modem line or a digital subscriber line (DSL), and neither can really deliver Ethernet-like speeds.
Although DSL and cable services are both affordable, several factors affect the quality of your connection, including location (how close you are to your DSL provider) and security (how much the service opens your computer to hackers).
Because DSL is relatively new, there's a lot of misinformation surrounding this technology.
One important thing to consider with DSL ... except for a lucky few customers, DSL isn't as fast as some companies imply. Electromagnetic noise (also called crosstalk) generated by other nearby electronic devices can adversely affect DSL performance. More importantly, your distance from a telco's special switching facility, called a central office (CO), directly affects your DSL connection. The further you are from a CO, the slower your connection. And, of course, no matter how fast your connection, you're subject to traffic jams once you get on the Web. Note, too, that most DSL service is asymmetric--the download speed is faster than the upload speed. For example, most starter DSL accounts offer 384-kbps download/128-kbps upload access.
Finally, there's security. Because DSL keeps your computer constantly connected to the Internet, you may end up with a static (unchanging) IP address -- a unique number that identifies your computer on the Internet. Traditional dial-up services randomly assign you a new IP address every time you log on, so no one can find you at the same place twice. With an always-on Internet connection like DSL, your computer is vulnerable to hackers who can gain access to your files, drop viruses on your hard drive, or worse.
Before you sign up for DSL, ask whether your potential provider offers any security measures. Many DSL providers will assign you a dynamic (constantly changing) IP address if you request it. For additional security, some companies, EarthLink, for example, include personal firewall software for the Mac and PC as part of the deal. But chances are you'll have to buy antivirus and firewall software on your own to keep hackers at bay.
With Cable ... keep in mind that you'll probably never get data transfer rates even close to cable's theoretical 27 mbps, either. For a number of reasons, connection speeds range from 500 kbps to 2 mbps. One big factor is that you share that cable line with other local customers. If you're the only person in your neighborhood online via cable, you may well get that 2 mbps. But as each person logs on, your access speed is divvied up. If one of your cosurfers starts downloading mammoth files, your performance will degrade further.
Ask your cable provider how many other PCs share your cable connection and what will be the fastest connection speeds you're likely to get. And find out if the cable provider guarantees minimum upload/download speeds.
Also, because you share your cable connection with the people on your block, it's easy for nosy neighbors to peek at your computer files. One thing you can do right away is disable Windows' file- and print-sharing features. In Windows 95/98, open the Network control panel, click the File And Print Sharing button, and uncheck the two boxes in the subsequent dialog box. In Windows 2000, select Start, Settings, and then Network and Dial-up Connections. Right-click your cable connection, choose Properties, and in the General tab, uncheck the File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks box.
The bottom line, is there are just about as many reasons to choose DSL as there are to choose cable ... and cost is something that should be taken into consideration.
