Imagine how drab and difficult life would be without the Internet. In fact, most of us cannot imagine how our predecessors survived without the Internet! Communicating and obtaining information has never been so easy and fast as it is now, and we must thank the Internet for this. It is so indispensable that a variety of service providers offer it through different mediums and in different schemes.

A broadband connection is a must if you need to surf the Net for several hours each day and upload and download large files. You save a lot time by using broadband instead of a dial-up connection. Broadband connectivity can be obtained either through DSL or cable modem and such facilities are primarily available in urban areas. Let's check out the advantages and disadvantages of both systems.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) enables high-speed internet access and simultaneous use of Internet and voice facilities. It is significantly faster than dial-up connections and is cost effective. You can choose from a range of speeds according to your requirement. In addition, with this service, you don't need to worry about busy signals. The downside is that DSL speed is affected by the quality of your phone line as well as the distance your phone line covers to connect to the phone company's hub. Better quality and shorter distance ensure better performance.

Cable High Speed Internet is provided through cable lines and is generally known to be faster than DSL connections. Cable Internet connection is always on, which means that you do not need to connect for access. The high speed and always on status, however, make your PC more vulnerable to viruses and hackers than in the case of the DSL connection. Use both physical firewall and firewall software to mitigate risks. In addition, install efficient anti-virus software in your PC.

Although cable service providers promise higher bandwidth and, therefore, greater speed the than DSL services, in practice the gap between the two is narrowed due to the following reasons. First, both types of service providers set speed caps.

This could be because they feel that residential customers will not require very high speed or because they want to be able to accommodate more customers. The desire to provide equitable distribution of bandwidth to all customers in an area is another reason. By setting speed caps, service providers may also want to charge higher for higher speeds and lower for lower speeds. Second, cable services in an area slow down if lots of people access the Net simultaneously.

Third, the quality of both services vary from second to second depending on traffic congestion on the Net and technical reasons. Fourth, certain home PCs may not be able to match the speed of Internet connection, leading to lower quality.

Both DSL and Cable Internet connections are available in some areas, while only one type is available in others. The quality of service and cost often depend on the service providers in an area and are not necessarily related to the dfferent technologies.