Cable Modem vs. T1

KingofBLASH · 10-27-2003, 11:21 AM

Is there any reason I should get the T1 over the Cable modem? My company is in the process of setting up our first server. T1s cost $250 a month and provides us with 1.5Mbs. A cable modem that costs $180 a month provides 4Mbs downstream and 2Mbs upstream.

-Dan

crashmeister · 10-27-2003, 11:38 AM

With a T1 line you got a fixed speed.Normally that isn't the case with cable.Speeds can drop if there are a lot of people on the same channel.

KingofBLASH · 10-27-2003, 11:40 AM

Is there any way to determine how likely it is for my speeds to drop, or what the effective speed will be?

Thanks in advance,

Dan

randomblast · 10-27-2003, 12:02 PM

yeah, phone the cable ISP and ask them waht the contention rate is.
The exchange normally has a 45MBPS both-ways T3, so at 20:1 contention you get 2.25MBPS at peak times, which should not affect you greatly.
You should look at the fine print though, some ISPs reserve the right to charge extra/limit data transfer for "antii-social" users who use a lot of the exchanges connection, which if you're a busy server most likely means you.