The average internet speed on cable is quite a bit faster than DSL or satellite. Cable internet starts at 50mbps, which is probably enough for a single user to surf the web, watch videos, play games, and run a few other apps simultaneously.
Cable internet providers are slowly starting to offer Fiber optic connections (up to 1Gpbs) that can simultaneously support dozens of users doing everything from gaming and downloading movies in the same house.
What is cable Internet
Cable internet is a broadband service that uses coaxial cables to connect your home to the cable company’s network. This allows you to transmit large amounts of data – much larger than the standard DSL and satellite connections can provide.
Because cable internet is so fast, cable internet can support many users in the same building without slowing down.
How Does Cable Internet Work
The first step to transmitting the Internet is to convert your home’s electrical current from AC to DC. This is typically done using a transformer or, in newer homes, an inductor.
The next step is sending the Internet through your home’s coaxial cable (or optical cable), which connects to a modem outside your residence.
When you turn on a device such as your computer, the modem receives the signal and converts it back into an electrical current so your computer can use it. Most people lease their modem from their cable provider for about 5 dollars per month.
The final step is to send the Internet over telephone lines which is most commonly done by a company called Vonage or your local phone company.
The cable provider communicates with your modem using a CSU/DSU, which converts the signal from the cable provider so that your computer can use it. You only transmit data through your telephone line if you are using a cordless phone.
Cable Internet vs DSL Internet Comparing Internet Speed
Cable providers deliver Internet to your home using optical and coaxial cables. These connections are faster than traditional phone lines, also called DSL because they support a lot of bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data sent between two points in a given time. More bandwidth will make more faster your internet speed.
The most common cable connections support 3Mb/s or 10Mb/s of bandwidth. Theoretically, cable internet offers up to 50 times the bandwidth of a traditional phone line.
Cable providers now offer data plans allowing you to stream movies at higher resolutions and download much more data than you could ever use in a single day. These plans also have much more data cap than DSL-reliant internet providers.
Internet is transmitted at the speed of light. What this means for cable internet is that regardless of how far you are from your provider, you will get the same upload and download speed as if you were connected to a provider just down the street from your house.
This feature makes cable internet better than DSL and Satellite in many ways.
How to choose a best Cable Internet provider
Before you choose an internet provider whether cable or DSL first you need to configure the features of the plan you’re going to have. Let’s find out how you’ll pick a cable internet provider;
Download speed
The first thing that you will want to do is to research the download speed of each provider in your area. This will tell you how fast everything gets downloaded in your home.
Please write down the download speed of every provider you are interested in and then prioritize them based on this criterion.
Internet Prices
After your list of providers, write down the price you would pay for service with each provider. The first thing that you will want to look at is the price and download speed together. A low price without high download speeds may not be worth it if you plan to stream many videos or play games online.
A high price with a high speed means that you should look at how fast the Internet is before committing to a plan.
TV and Cell Phone service
The last thing you will want to look at is the combined price of your Internet, cable TV, phone, and home security service. This may be a good option if your television is always on and you are very particular about having good quality customer service.
If you are only interested in the Internet for gaming or videos, you can save a bit of money by looking at cable TV and phone service providers.
Customer service
One of the people’s biggest complaints with their cable provider is phone customer support. The best way to avoid this is to choose a provider you are familiar with.
If you are already a Comcast customer, you know what type of phone support they offer. You can use the same criteria if you want to switch providers. Just look up reviews on the major internet providers in your area.
Advantages of the cable Internet
Cable internet has a lot of advantages. They include:
Speed
The average cable internet provider’s download speed is 10Mb/s. On the other hand, DSL providers typically offer a download speed between 1Mb/s and 3Mb/s.
While this may not seem like a lot at first glance, it can make a huge difference in what you can do online. If you buy a movie from iTunes, it will take about 4 minutes to download at 3Mb/s but only 1 minute at 10Mb/s.
More data
If you are streaming video, you will want to ensure that your cable internet plan has some data cap so that you don’t accidentally go over it and get charged extra money for going over your limit.
The average cable internet plan is 200 GB per month, where DSL providers have a maximum of 100GB at most. The 200GB plan will be enough to stream 2-3 HD movies simultaneously or download around 300 songs from iTunes.
Gaming
Cable internet providers are starting to offer data-per-game and data plans for individual apps and programs. Suppose your cable provider has a gaming plan.
In that case, you can play online games from just about every game console without worrying about running out of data or accidentally downloading something you don’t need.
The Comcast Cable Internet Game plan is an example of an internet plan with a data cap per game instead of a data cap for the entire month.
Reliability
Most cable providers are available to everyone in their service area, so there is little risk of losing service because you moved to a new house. The cable provider will send someone out to run a cable from their office to your home and underground through the street.
The final step in the installation is running another cable into your home for the modem and television equipment.
Price
Cable internet providers are much cheaper than DSL providers. In addition to the download speed, your price will depend on how many internet devices your house contains.
Typically, the more appliances in your home, the higher the price. For example, Comcast offers a 50Mb/s service plan with a cap of 300GB for $39.99 per month. The Comcast High-Speed Internet with Wireless Router is also available for $59.99 monthly.
Quality of Service
Cable providers have been around for a while. They have a history of providing excellent quality service and are usually very stable. The tv and phone service you get from a cable company is also very reliable.
If you live in an area with poor cell phone service, you may find that your cable provider covers far more of your home than other internet options like DSL.
Security
The security of your cable internet also depends on the safety of the company that provides it. Some companies may say that DSL is more secure than cable because there are only a few ways to transmit data over the Internet, which can be easily tracked.
On the other hand, cable providers utilize many wires, including telephone lines, to transmit your data, so it cannot be traced as easily.
What is cable internet used for
Cable internet is used for almost everything you do with DSL services. This includes:
Streaming video
The first and most apparent thing cable providers do with their Internet is provide cable television. This means you can watch all major television networks like ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS on your computer or smartphone.
If you are a sports fan, you can also watch the ESPN family of networks on your computer or tablet.
Online gaming
The best way to stream games worldwide is through a service such as Xbox Live or Playstation Network. You can play various games online with cable internet without special hardware or software.
Your cable provider can only slow down your internet speed when you are downloading something in the foreground. If you are playing a game and downloading a movie simultaneously, there will be no reduction in speed.
Downloading files
Most cable providers provide a 200GB per month data cap, which is more than enough for you to download everything you want. If you want to download an HD movie or TV show, all you need is the memory on your computer and a cable internet plan with a data cap of 200GB or higher.
If you want large videos (more than 10 minutes long), try downloading them in chunks of 5 minutes. You can avoid having huge files take up too much space by just downloading one episode at a time as you go through it.
Conclusion
Cable internet is still the best option for some people. Cable providers do have their flaws, but they are stable and reliable. Make sure you get a good provider and consider the plan’s speed before committing to one.
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People Also Ask
First, you will find the main cable line where the cable provider makes their connection to your house. This is typically called the “line of sight” or “tunnel.” You will find it in your attic or garage. The cable wires that transmit data from the headend to your house are called “service drop” wires.
The only way to get TV or Internet service from a cable provider is through a cable modem. A cable modem uses the same physical wiring that other devices do, so you can use your home phone, TV, computer, etc., to communicate with it. You can also connect a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device (like an external hard drive) to the cable line and use it as an internet source.
If you are in a remote location, you may have to upgrade your cable infrastructure to higher speeds. This can be costly and time-intensive. You may have to buy a new cable modem to have faster Internet. You also have to pay a monthly service charge for the service.
