ADSL vs. CABLE MODEM vs. WIRELESS
Table
of ContentsPage
TABLE
OF CONTENTS..........................................................................……...1
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................2-3
CABLE MODEM TECHNOLOGY..............................................…..................3-6
ADSL
TECHNOLOGY ......................................................................................7-8
WIRELESS
TECHNOLOGY……………………...………...……….…………9-10
Availability
and Reliability……………………………….……………………11-14
How
long does it take to get service……………………..…..………………....14-16
Service
Provider’s Installation………………………………………………….16-17
Is
The Service Available 24 Hours, 7 Days A Week……..…………………..…17-18
Are
There Service Level Standards In Place (Guarantees)..………………..…..18-19
Summary
on Availability and Reliability…………………..………………..….19-20
Cost
Comparisons…………………………………………..……………..…….20-22
Hardware
requirements………………………………………...…………..….…22-23
Security
of Cable vs. ADSL Connections vs. Wireless..……….………………..23-24
SUMMARY
AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………….…….………24-25
REFRENCES…………………………………….……………………………..26
ADSL vs. CABLE
MODEM vs. WIRELESS
Introduction
As the Internet moves from dial up connections to high bandwidth links, three principle Technologies vie for user’s attention. Cable modems, which allow users to connect using the cable television network, seem to be first out of the gate with broader availability and lower costs with some concern about the security issues. ADSL, a service available through the telephone network, is reputed by some sources to offer greater potential for the future. And last but not least is Wireless Broadband; this is a newer technology, which use’s a satellite signal, from the satellite you will then run the coaxial cable into the wireless router, then run the RJ45 into your hub, switch, or computer.As the use of information technology grows, both personally and commercially, we see hardware capability expand continuously. At the same time the demands of users and the software they employ promptly exploits new capacity to its limits. The explosion in use of the Internet that has occurred in recent years leaves us with the limited bandwidth available as a bottleneck in the continued growth of the systems we use. Those who have been using dial up connections since the mid-eighties will know that each time the technology moves to a higher speed, whether from 300 baud to 1200, the great leap to 9600 baud or the more recent move to 56k baud, we are told that we are approaching the limits of what is possible using ordinary telephone lines. Each time, the pundits have been wrong but now, at 56k it seems they may finally be right and the search for alternatives is on (Clark, 99). The Internet has gone from a small user base of email correspondents to wide consumer use for web-based information over the past few years. These uses approach the limits of present telephone dial up connections. Audio and video need more bandwidth to come into their own. If, as some predict, we will move to the use of thin clients with programs residing on distant servers, higher bandwidth will be a necessity. “There are alternatives to telephone dial up lines such as ISDN, T1 or T3 leased lines, and others however it seems that they do not offer the combination of speed, economy and availability users want”(Angell, 01). This paper will examine the present state of the three technologies, ADSL, Cable, and Wireless. I will review cost, speed, availability and security of these services as we consider these to be the principle criteria by which users choose between them. I will offer my conclusions and sources of information for further research. Before examining these details, some background on these technologies may be of use to the reader.
Cable
Modem Technology
Cable modems use the television cable network. This is an always-on service, which offers significant bandwidth improvement over dial up service. Unlike xDSL service, subscribers share a connection. This presents security issues and can affect speed as the bandwidth is shared between a numbers of users. The cable network is a broadcast oriented system. The two way connection users require has required upgrades to the cable system to provide a network connection.More than 105 million homes in North America are passed by broadband coaxial cable plant and more than 75 million homes are cable TV subscribers. With near-ubiquitous coverage, coaxial cable connections provide a powerful platform for providing residences and small business with high-speed data access. However, one-way cable television systems must be upgraded into modern two-way networks to support advanced communications services, a technically complex and capital-intensive proposition. So far, cable operators have upgraded networks serving 60 percent of North American cable homes to support broadband Internet access.To deliver data services over a cable network, one television channel (in the 50 - 750 MHz range) is typically allocated for downstream traffic to homes and another channel (in the 5 - 42 MHz band) is used to carry upstream signals.
A headend cable modem termination system (CMTS) communicates through these channels with cable modems located in subscriber homes to create a virtual local area network (LAN) connection. Most cable modems are external devices that connect to a personal computer (PC) through a standard 10Base-T Ethernet card or Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, although internal PCI modem cards are also available.
The cable modem access network operates at Layer 1 (physical) and Layer 2 (media access control/logical link control) of the Open System Interconnect (OSI) Reference Model. Thus, Layer 3 (network) protocols, such as IP traffic, can be seamlessly delivered over the cable modem platform to end-users.
A single downstream 6 MHz television channel may support up to 27 Mbps of downstream data throughput from the cable headend using 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) transmission technology. Speeds can be boosted to 36 Mbps using 256 QAM. Upstream channels may deliver 500 Kbps to 10 Mbps from homes using 16QAM or QPSK (quadrature phase shift key) modulation techniques, depending on the amount of spectrum allocated for service. This upstream and downstream bandwidth is shared by the active data subscribers connected to a given cable network segment, typically 500 to 2,000 homes on a modern HFC network.Most cable modem systems rely on a shared access platform, much like an office LAN. Because cable modem subscribers share available bandwidth during their sessions, there are concerns that cable modem users will see poor performance as the number of subscribers increases on the network. “Common sense dictates that 200 cable data subscribers sharing a 27-Mbps connection would each get only about 135 Kbps of throughput -- virtually the same speed as a 128-Kbps ISDN connection -- right? Not necessarily (Crockett, 99)”.
Unlike circuit-switched telephone networks where a caller is allocated a dedicated connection, cable modem users do not occupy a fixed amount of bandwidth during their online session. Instead, they share the network with other active users and use the network's resources only when they actually send or receive data in quick bursts. “So instead of 200 cable online users each being allocated 135 Kbps, they are able to grab all the bandwidth available during the millisecond they need to download their data packets -- up to many megabits per second (Fitzgerald, 99)”.
If congestion does begin to occur due to high usage, cable operators have the flexibility to add more bandwidth for data services. A cable operator can simply allocate an additional 6 MHz video channel for high-speed data, doubling the downstream bandwidth available to users. Another option for adding bandwidth is to subdivide the physical cable network by running fiber-optic lines deeper into neighborhoods. This reduces the number of homes served by each network segment, and thus, increases the amount of bandwidth available to end-users.
3.
ADSL Technology
Although we tend to refer to this technology as ADSL (which is an acronym for
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) it is actually a subset of a broader group of standards that are referred to as xDSL (Hawley, Oct 99). It is Asymmetric in that users demand greater download bandwidth than upload bandwidth. The service is designed to sacrifice upload bandwidth in favor of download bandwidth. The service is carried over the unshielded twisted pair lines offered by telephone companies. “Greater speed is achieved by utilizing bandwidth beyond the regular voice range (300 Hz to 3,200 Hz)”( Berst, 01). Upgrading of telephone company equipment is sometimes required and there are distance limits between the Telco switch and the subscriber location that affect availability. It is an always-on connection and can share the line with regular voice service concurrently. Unlike cable, each user has a dedicated line. To use DSL you need a special DSL modem. These modems are not widely available, yet, other than from service providers. This modem is connected between an Ethernet card in the computer and a telephone connection.
4.
Wireless Technology
The fixed wireless headend is the control point for the broadband access network. A carrier-class IP switch or router interfaces with the backbone data network offering connectivity to remote content servers, as well as the global Internet.This switch/router also connects to a wireless cable modem termination system (CMTS) that coverts data from a wide area network (WAN) protocol, such as packet over SONET, into digital signals that are modulated for transmission over the wireless network. These signals are then converted into wireless microwave frequencies through a transceiver and broadcast through an antenna to customer home or business locations. Like their counterparts that operate over cable TV systems, a wireless CMTS unit typically provides a dedicated 27 Mbps per downstream 6 MHz data channel that is shared by active users. Upstream speeds are typically below 1 Mbps.Content and application servers are typically located at the fixed wireless headend, as are network management and operations support systems. If the carrier were offering IP telephony, voice calls would be directed by the headend router to an IP telephony gateway, and then onto the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Availability
and Reliability
Who
Offers ADSL, Cable Modem Service, and Wireless?
ADSL
Currently in Terre Haute there are roughly 3 main DSL providers, and they are Verizon, XsNet, and Joink. Verizon is by far the biggest DSL Company in Terre Haute, then XsNet, followed by Joink.
Cable
Modem
Currently in Terre Haute there are no Cable Modem providers, but soon Time Warner will offer it to all the customers who have digital cable.Time Warner has had all the lines ran for Cable Modem for over 3 years but are taking there time introducing it to Terre Haute.
Wireless
XsNet and Joink are the only two companies that are offering Wireless at the current time. Joink is by far the better of the two companies that are offering Wireless Broadband.Joink is all over the city with there Wireless, while XsNet is only in downtown and will be there for a while only. They are currently running all the necessary Fiber to run it to the south end of town.
Summary
High speed, always on, Internet access is in hot demand as the need to get immediate response, fast transmission and receiving of data continues to grow. ADSL or Wireless service seem to be the two choices for the home, while businesses in major cities have the choice of ADSL, T1 or fiber optics options as most buildings are not wired for cable. ADSL vs. CABLE MODEM vs. Wireless, currently the service providers in Terre Haute are cable and telecommunications companies but this will soon change as third party access providers will be able to offer either ADSL or cable modem service. Internet Service Providers would like into this fast, always on Internet market. It looks like it will only be a matter of time before the ISPs will be involved in re-selling opportunities.Another important step in providing ADSL or cable modem service is the recent announcements by a few major companies such as IBM and Dell in support of either ADSL or cable modem. Dell announced on November 10, 1999 that they would be bundling high-speed Internet cable service with some of their home computers they sell. And IBM announced in August 1999 that they have agreed to bundle ADSL access systems in their Aptiva Model 800 and 902 PCs.
Is
the Service Available To Everyone?
ADSL
In order to receive ADSL at your home there are a number of qualifications that have to be met. There are physical conditions that have to be met, but more importantly there is a distance factor from a central office that has to be met. The physical qualifications are the copper lines must be:
·Non-loaded wires – non-bridge taps, repeaters, etc.
·Customer cannot be serviced by a subscriber carrier system
·Customer cannot be on a rotary line
·Not on Centrex or line can’t go through PBX equipment (copper wire must not be in the same binder group as a T1 carrier)
·Copper wire cannot be in the same binder group with other DSL systems
Customer must have a single service residential or business line Most residential customers in Terre Haute (approximately 85% as stated by XsNet) will meet the physical conditions, however a large number do not meet the distance component. ADSL technology has limitations with the major one being the distance factor between the subscriber (home) and a central phone switching stations. The problem is that usable bandwidth of copper wire falls off as you approach the distance limits of 5 km. This distance limitation eliminates a number of potential ADSL subscribers. As well, most switching devices in the Telco’s central offices were designed to carry voice and have no special options to handle high-speed data. New switches are being installed in the central offices but this will take time and money. No one seems to be willing to say or publish how many homes meet all the criteria in order to receive ADSL. The problem is an issue for the Telco’s if they want to be a key player in the fast, always on; Internet service and they are trying to look for ways to overcome this major obstacle. A recent article in the Electronics Buyers’ News has stated that Integrated Telecom Express Inc. has produced a chipset that will extend the distance from a central office to homes to 20,000ft. According to the article by using this chip in the ADSL technology, ADSL would be available to 90% of the US households. Getting subscribers on ADSL is also a benefit to Telco’s not just for the revenue but because with ADSL “the customers Internet connection is taken off the Public Switched Telephone Network. Phone circuits, which were tied up for hours, can now be utilized for other callers, saving the Phone Company the expense of adding more” (Crotty, 99). Small businesses seem to be keenly interested in ADSL, as cable does not run through most of the downtown buildings. However a large number of them are also unable to receive ADSL because a number of them are connected to a telephone line that does not meet the physical qualifications.
Cable
Modem
Cable modem service providers do not have the same distance limitation problem that ADSL service providers do. The physical requirement for cable modem service is that coaxial cable is a two-way service (data can travel in both directions). The cable companies are quickly laying fiber-optic lines from key signal distribution points most of the way to residential areas, then they use the existing coaxial cables to the home. The laying of fiber-optic lines is very costly, which means the cable companies first priority will be to lay the line in the highly populated areas.An estimate done by the industry suggests that the cost to wire a neighborhood for broadband would be approximately a $1,000 a home. As new subdivisions are being built, modern wiring is being installed. Rogers claims to have 85% of the 2.8 million homes in their service areas running on 2-way coaxial. Once again, no cable company would give exact number of homes that were able to currently receive cable modem service. It seems that the cable companies are expanding based on budget and not as much on demand.
Wireless
Wireless is a lot easier to have or to get to homes or businesses.As long as the towers will reach the homes then there is really no problem in receiving the signal.The only major factor is making sure there are no trees, buildings, and or obstacles in the way of the receiver pointing toward the towers.
Summary
Currently cable modem service is available in more areas than ADSL service. Though ADSL service providers are working hard to expand their area of service. And it appears that all companies providing either ADSL or Cable Modem service are making sure that where one is available the other is available too or soon to be available and this is also becoming the trend towards Wireless. This is to eliminate one company having a stronger foothold into the market than the other in a particular area. It is quite easy to find out if ADSL, cable modem, and Wireless is available to your home, you can either call your local Telco or cable service, or log onto their Internet site which from there you can check service availability. With most every household having at least one phone line.And more and more if not all houses have cable service.
How
long does it take to get service?
ADSL
A two-week time frame seems to be the standard length of time as described by the Telco’s to wait to receive ADSL service. Verizon has indicated that they have been able in some instances to add a new subscriber within three days. A couple of US polls and articles concerning ADSL installation show that there are a lot of problems with the installation from length of time to wait for installation to quality of the installation.
When asked what the biggest problem with DSL is, one poll has subscribers rating
Installation to be the third biggest problem next to ‘Its all a mess’ and ‘price’6. Another
DSLReports.com poll on ‘From DSL order to online took’ how long, 61% indicated it took over two weeks, not including the 2% that cancelled before receiving the service. Most subscribers that have voiced their opinion in these articles in regards to being unhappy with the installation delay or the installation itself are from the US, where most of the installations are not being done by the service provider but rather are being subcontracted out. In BC at least most of the delay in installation is due to not having the equipment to install or not being able to keep up with the demand for the service. The larger Telco’s are adding anywhere from 400 to 2,000 new customers per week and the numbers continue to grow. Verizon has indicated that in some areas they have run out of modems and in the other areas they do not have enough technicians to keep up with the installation.Now they have come out with a self install kit, which any idiot can install, just plug the phone ling into the back of the modem, then from the modem you will take the RJ45 and run that into your NIC card located on the back of your computer.
Cable
Modem
New cable modem service subscribers are being told there is approximately a two-week wait period to get the service too. With 2,000 to 3,000 new subscribers per week for each of the larger cable modem service providers there are a lot of new installations being done. Rogers has developed two methods for installation, one of them the traditional way of a technician coming to your home, the other is a self-install version. This self-install version will allow the new subscriber to set themselves up at their own pace and timeframe.
Wireless
Wireless in Terre Haute in about one to two weeks.You will have an installer come out to your house or place of business, and they will install everything. Currently there is nothing in the works for a self-install kit, as you need to align the satellite receiver to receive the signal from the towers.This takes the correct equipment; most people don’t have anything near the correct equipment to do this type of job.
Summary
Two weeks seems to be the standard response when you ask the service providers about the time frame for service. Though the new subscribers are indicating that in most cases the installation is taking longer than two weeks.
Service
Provider’s Installation
ADSL
In
the past installation of ADSL seemed to be a little tricky and needed to
be done by a technician, but now with the self install kits, even a five-year-old
child could install an ADSL modem. It seems that most of the Telco’s in
Terre Haute use their own technicians to do the installs (possibly due
to union regulations.From a number
of articles this subcontracting for installation has been causing some
frustration on the part of the subscribers7.
A recent article in Network Computing states “Second, this first wave of
deployment is fraught with technical compromises, inadequately ( DSL
Reports.com survey on the ‘The Biggest Problem with DSL is’ 7 At
Last! DSL Gets Real, Article by PC computer, November 1999, by Jason Compton)
trained technicians and cheap equipment. There were lots of last-minute arrangements when this party was thrown together, and the surprise may be on you.”
Cable
Modem
It seems that cable modem hardware is easier to install than ADSL hardware. In fact some cable modem service providers have developed a package for subscribers to use to self-install the hardware and software. This allows the subscriber to obtain the service faster and when it is convenient to them to install. Those that choose to have the service provider do the installing does not seem to have to many complaints around the installation itself. The installation involves usually only one visit from the cable technician and is done within a couple of hours.
Wireless
They will have to do the install.There is a fee unlike most Cable and ADSL Service Provider’s; it is usually around $100 for the equipment, and installation of the equipment.
Summary
From all accounts it seems that the hardware installation for the cable modem service appears to be quicker, easier and without as many problems as the ADSL hardware. This should relate to lower installation costs for the cable modem service unless the ADSL service providers are taking a loss in revenue on the installation in order to match the cable modem service provider’s installation costs.
(Staying
Sober at the xDSL Party by David Willis, Network Computing, October 18,
1999, Volume 10, Issue 21, page
49)
Is
The Service Available 24 Hours, 7 Days A Week Or Is It Down From Time To
Time? If There Is Down Time, What Is The Cause And For How Long?
ADSL
ADSL is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with very little that would cause the service to be down. A downed telephone line or hydropower loss seems to be the most frequent reason for service being unavailable, and this doesn’t happen as it did in years gone by. If an ADSL modem fails then that subscriber would be down but would not affect any other customer. In a recent article regarding ADSL it was implied that there maybe service problems but consumers weren’t complaining - “… these offerings are mostly built out for consumer Internet access, a market with much lower standards for reliability and performance. Surfers are so stoked to be pitching out their old modems that they may forgive the occasional brownout.”9.
Cable
Modem
Cable modem service is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When cable
Modem service was first introduced there were a number of articles written in regards to the service being down a lot or consistently down. In an article in the Globe & Mail in April 1999, one unhappy cable modem service subscriber was out of service for 10 days10. The service providers have indicated that service is seldom down now.
(Staying
Sober at the xDSL Party by David Willis, Network Computing, October 18,
1999, Volume 10, Issue 21, page 49) Thousands
of Americans are flocking to high-speed Internet access, but the selection
of big pipes is severely curtailed for those outside of select cities, by
Simon Tuck, Globe and Mail, Thursday, April 22, 1999
Wireless
Wireless is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.The only time it may be quirky is when there is rain, snow, or a severely clouded sky.If something gets in the way of your receiver then you may run into problems.
Summary
24 hours a day, 7-days a week service for both ADSL, Cable Modem, and Wireless subscribers seems to be true most of the time. Very few if any service providers have any type of guaranteed in writing around standards in place that talks to the issue of always on Internet service though.
Are
There Service Level Standards In Place (Guarantees) For:
Availability,
On-Line Service, On-Site Service, Etc?
ADSL
No ADSL service provider in the United States, as far as I could find, only one offered service level standards in writing, at least the ones that goes to the subscriber. One company in the US, called Cox Communications Inc., has on their web site a service agreement that they provide to the subscriber. This service agreement though seems to be in place more for the benefit of Cox Communications Inc. versus the providing service standards to the customer. All of the ADSL service providers do have 24-hour on-line service support in place. And it is up to the on-line service support to determine if an on-site service is required.
Cable
Modem
A written service level contract does not appear to be in place from the cable modem service providers. They too have a 24-hour on-line service support in place.
Wireless
I was unable to find any type of guarantee, they will offer 24 hour support, but if its in the middle of the night or on non working hours then you are going to have to wait until the next day, if they need to send out a repair-man.But if something can be done at the main office, like a reboot of that server or something of that magnitude then they will try and get you back online.
Summary
It seems ADSL, Cable Modem, and Wireless service providers have 24-hour on-line support and are committed to helping the customer. A number of articles point out that the level of service received depends on the level of knowledge of the service representative and that there seem to be some representatives out there with very little knowledge, while others are very knowledgeable and helpful. It also seems that there is an inconsistency by the service providers in regards to putting their standards in writing.
Summary
on Availability and Reliability
In order to determine if ADSL, Cable Modem, and or Wireless service is available to your home or office, either visit the service provider’s web site or call them. Asking others for their opinion if they have either of the services as well as reading surveys appears to be the best and most reliable way of determining the quality of the installation, the service availability, and the after sale technician service. It appears you receive a more accurate answer through asking others than by asking the service provider. One recent survey on broadband access technologies in the US provided a number of excellent questions to ask when you are considering ADSL, Cable Modem, or Wireless service. (Article called DSL: Many Have Called, Few Are Connected by Eric Krapf, Business Communications Review, August 99, Volume 29, Issue 8, Page 26) “Cable modem and ADSL service providers seem to be reluctant to give too many details or get too specific in regards to availability and reliability” (Bennett, 99). When a call was placed toVerizon, the sales representative was very polite but would not give any specific answers. Questions around available areas for cable modem service was answered with a general answer that ‘you will find our service in more of the small cities than in the larger ones’. Most of the answers came around to why cable modem service was better than ADSL a conversation with an XsNet about ADSL provided a more thorough and specific answers to the questions. At XsNet a Network Administrator answered our questions rather than a salesperson. The Network Administrator at XsNet seemed more than happy and willing to address the questions and answered them without putting down cable modem service.
.
Cost
Comparisons
Cost
comparison: Cable
The following prices are as of November 15, 1999. The “Time Warner” company provides cable modem access and offers two types of installation – full or self-install. There is a price break on doing the self-installation. Depending on the type of system, installation can range for $80 - $200. To encourage people to sign up there have been various promotions such as this one currently being offered –“The installation fee will be waived if you sign up before December 24th”. *Cost for systems with built-in Ethernet is $100, or $200 if the system requires a Transceiver.
Cost for systems not requiring a network interface device is $80, or $100 for a system, which an interface device is required. For the full installation a cable technician will come to the home and install the cable modem, leaving behind the necessary computer hardware and software. The computer technician will then come to complete the computer installation. For the self-install option the cable technician will come to the home to install the cable modem and leave behind the computer hardware and software with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the computer portion of the installation. Once connected the service will be $39.95 - $44.95 per month depending on the residential service in your area, plus $10.00 per month if you do not already subscribe to cable. The fine print states that the $15.05 per month rental fee is being waived until the modems are available for purchase. It’s possible that the total monthly fee could be $65.00 - $70.00 per month if you don’t already have cable and don’t wish to purchase the modem. This basic fee is for one computer only. A total of 3 computers may be connected (and networked) for an extra $9.95 plus taxes per computer up to 5 email accounts hardware and software included in the membership are a cable modem, TCP/IP software, and Ethernet card and the Verizon web browser based on Netscape Communicator 4.0x2 Technical support is available 24hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions or problems that may arise. MB of Web space for a personal Web page – 300 MB of traffic per month is permitted No servers are allowed or supported by the Time Warner service, the soul purpose is for residential and casual use only Chat rooms and newsgroup are services provided For an additional fee you can sign up for Dial-up Access or Net Mail so that you can access your e-mail or the Internet while away from home.
Cost
comparison: ADSL
The following prices are as of November 15, 2001. Unlike cable modem service, ADSL is divided into three levels of service to satisfy the different needs of its customers. These three categories are:
·Home, Professional, Small Business
·Price $39.95-49.95/month $64.95/month $164.95/month
·Installation: Free/ $50 /$175
·Domain Name hosting $15/month $15/month Included
·Email addresses 2/5/10
·Web Space 5 MB/5 MB/10 MB
·IP Addresses 2-dynamic/5 dynamic/5 static
·Service: 24hr/day, 7 days/week
·Software: Netscape & Internet Explorer browsers with email software
·Hardware: ADSL Modem
·Dedicated connection to replace phone line
As far as cost for cable compared to the basic home package of ADSL they are more or
Less the same. The cost per month without any extras is between $39.95 and $49.95. ADSL provides a few hours of access to your email and the Internet free of charge while away from the connected computer. ADSL gives you more options if you wish to use your Internet connection for more than just recreational use. The technical support service is the same for both.
Cost
comparison: Wireless
Wireless is approximately $40.00-$60.00 a month. There are no levels or tiers that cost more then another.From what I have found it is 1.5 MB down and 768Kb up.That is a lot of bandwidth to move for not a lot of money.
Hardware
Requirements
Minimum
Hardware Requirements comparison: Cable
·PC Systems /Macintosh Systems
·Operating System Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP or Windows NT4.0 Mac OS 7.6.1 or higher
·CPU Pentium equivalent Pentium 166 or higher recommended
PowerPC 601, PowerPC 603 recommended Memory (RAM) - 16 Megabytes, 32 Megabytes recommended 24 (MAC OS 8.0 and higher requires an extra 20 MV of virtual memory) 32 Megabytes recommended Available Hard Disk Space 125 MB 50 MB for Netscape Communicator (@home does not currently support Internet Explorer for the Macintosh) CD-ROM Drive Required, Sound Card Recommended Video Card SVGA Built-in Color Resolution 800x600 Available Slot ISA/PCI/PCMCIA LC Direct/NuBus/Comm Network - Available Built-in10Base T Port (PC desktops or laptops) or ISA/PCI Slot (PC Desktops) or PCMCIA Slot (PC laptops) Available Built-in 10BaseT Port (MAC desktop or laptops) or AAUI Port (MAC desktop or laptops)
Minimum
Hardware Requirements comparison: ADSL
·PC Systems /Macintosh Systems
·Operating System Windows 95 or Windows NT, Mac OS 7.5.3 or 8 with Open transport CPU Pentium 100 PowerPC processor, Memory (RAM) 16 Megabytes 16 Megabytes Available Hard Disk Space 30 MB 30 MB CD-ROM Drive Required Sound Card Recommended Video Card & Resolution Support 256 Colors, 640X480 Support 256 Colors, 640X480 Network Compatibility Ethernet network interface card, 10BaseT with TCP/IP drivers installed Ethernet network interface card. RJ45 to NIC interface adapter may be required. Local telephone service Local telephone service
Minimum Hardware Requirements comparison: Wireless
·PC Systems /Macintosh Systems
Operating
System Windows 95 or Windows NT, Mac OS 7.5.3 or 8 with Open transport
CPU Pentium 100 PowerPC processor, Memory (RAM) 16 Megabytes 16 Megabytes
Available Hard Disk Space 30 MB 30 MB CD-ROM Drive Required Sound Card
Recommended Video Card & Resolution Support 256 Colors, 640X480 Support
256 Colors, 640X480 Network Compatibility Ethernet network interface card,
10BaseT with TCP/IP drivers installed Ethernet network interface card.
RJ45 to NIC interface adapter may be required Wireless and ADSL are roughly
the same as far as hardware and software go?
Hardware
Requirement summaries: Cable modem vs. ADSL
vs. Wireless
The minimum hardware requirements are higher for the cable modem. Hard disk space is Considerably more to load software for cable than ADSL and Wireless. A faster CPU and more RAM will enhance ADSL performance; this is not necessarily true for cable as much of the performance is based on the number of people in the neighborhood that are on the same network.
Security
of Cable vs. ADSL Connections vs. Wireless
Cable Modem’s are open to the web, they usually require a Firewall if you want to remain safe from the people you don’t want messing around with your computer.I have found it a lot easier to get into the back door of a Cable Modem machine then a Wireless machine.
ADSL depends on what type of account that you have, if you are running a static IP then more often then not you are more vulnerable to be back doored then you are if you are running a dynamic IP, where it changes.It also depend on if you are running through a router, if you are doing that then it will let people know a fake IP address or MAC Address. But like Cable a Firewall is recommended if you really want to make sure you are 98% free of hackers.
Wireless is about as hard to hack into as a Cable Modem, when you IP address never changes it makes it a lot easier to get into someone’s files. I would recommend a firewall for this as well. Just to make sure you are safe from hackers.
Security
& Speed of Cable vs. ADSL Connections vs. Wireless summary:
For
the most part they say you need to run a Firewall, if you don’t think you
have anything you are not willing to share with the world then who cares
right?But if there are files you
want just for yourself and loved ones then make sure you run a Firewall,
you never know who is out there looking for information you want to keep
to yourself, or family.Black Ice
Defender is one of the more popular anti-hacking programs out there.But
there are many more that you can choose from.You
can go to (www.download.com) and do a search for Firewalls and try out
a few of them and find the one you like then you can purchase them at your
local computer store, Best Buy, Circuit City, or Wal-Mart.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
When I decided to take on this topic for this MIS 476 Class, I really wanted to do something that I am going to do in the future.When I graduate from ISU I want to go into the Network Administration field.So this topic is very important to me.The way I chose to do this was to compare and contrast on ADSL, Cable Modem, and Wireless.I went in with the idea of, what type of High Speed Broad band would best fit a Corporation and a home user.I am a current ADSL user, and in my finding from all the information I have gathered I am a firm believer in that, ADSL is the way to go with High Speed Broadband.ADSL in my opinion is the wave of the future; you can make it wireless in the home or business. It is 10 times more stable then Wireless. While with the cheaper packages Cable Modem is fast then ADSL, I believe that ADSL is better, for the simple fact that if there are multiple users online with cable your connection, and latency can be hurt, with ADSL you are going to be the same no matter if there are 1 user on the Dslam or 50 users. There are no discrepancies in you download or upload speeds.The only reason I would ever consider using Wireless is if you live in the hills and cant get either ADSL or Cable.Wireless in my opinion is a joke.Even one of the guys I talked to who works for one of the companies I talked with said he hated to work with the Wireless side of the business, he said he didn’t like it, there are always problems with it, if the sky is cloudy, rain, and or snow.And I agree 100% I have been lucky enough to work with all 3 forms of broadband, and I will always use ADSL when available.If Cable Modem wasn’t so bad in the fact that the more people online it kills your download speeds, if not for that then I would go with Cable Modem it is very fast, and sometimes even cheaper then ADSL.But never for a business, due to the fact that the more people on the same system, the slower your get.
REFRENCES
DSL: Broadband by Phone by George T. Hawley, Scientific American, Oct 99.
High-Speed Data Races Home by David D. Clark, Scientific American, Oct 99.
DSL vs. cable vs. Wireless: the tortoise and the hare by David Angell, Communications News, Oct, 01.
Why DSL will win the fast-access fight by Jesse Berst, www.zdnet.com, Oct, 99
Faster, faster, faster by Roger O. Crockett, Business Week, Oct, 99
Cable modems changing lifestyles of PC users by Kate Fitzgerald, Electronic Media, Sept, 99
New flavor of DSL brings faster, cheaper web access to your door by Cameron Crotty, PC World, Sep 99
ADSL comes home by Brian L. Hilman, Telephony, May, 99
$64 billion question: ADSL, Cable, or Wireless? by Gene A. Frantz, Electronic Buyers’ News, June 14/99
Cable vs. ADSL vs. Wireless: battle intensifies by Todd Wasserman, Computer Retail Week, May Nov, 98
The high-speed conuncrum: xDSL versus the cable modem by Jordan Worth,
International Data Corporation, July 99
ADSL a threat, claims CAIP by Graeme Bennett, www.tcp.ca, July Aug, 99
ADSL: when 56k just isn’t enough by Graeme Bennett, www.tcp.ca, Nov, 98
Which is better, cable or ADSL? by Graeme Bennett, www.tcp.ca
A basic overview of ADSL technology, www.hr.tsl.telus.com
DSLreports, www.dslreports.com
Article called DSL: Many Have Called, Few Are Connected by Eric Krapf, Business
Communications Review, August 99, Volume 29, Issue 8, Page 26
cts and possibilities, prepared for the ADSL forum, July, 98, www.adsl.com