Man, alive, I look forward to the day that this is commonplace.
That being said, I'm just looking at upgrading from 1.5 Mbps to 18 Mbps in the coming weeks. Anybody here been on both that can attest to the difference? Particularly in the areas of streaming video/large file downloads?
@OCEntertainment: Yeah, I switched over to 18mbps from 1.5 a few months ago and I can totally tell the difference. Lots video downloads/streaming, to multiple PC's at a time, and it's super fast. Does slow down if you tax it completely for long periods (bandwidth throttling?)
@jamjen: Who's your service provider? We'll be jumping on the AT&T U-verse option. They say there's no explicit data cap, but with AT&T constantly talking about how their cell network is gonna go down if the users get picture messaging....well, I can't imagine they're gonna be open to completely unmitigated bandwidth.
@OCEntertainment: You won't need to worry about this with AT&T Uverse, but one thing to keep in mind if you do upgrade to bandwidth speeds above 10Mbps is to make sure the networking hardware supports it.
Older cable/adsl modems typically offer to the consumer network 10Mbps speeds and consumer wi-fi/routers often only accept 10Mbps from the broadband network.
So, to get the best performance from your broadband upgrade some people may need to upgrade their network equipment.
@adinnieken: Thanks, I didn't think about that. We use a WiFi router that's connected to our network over an ethernet connection. Never thought about checking to see what ethernet speeds it supports. I think I'll be ok, but I'll double check now.
@jonhapimp: People always whine about the one time setup costs...
If it means that I would have the option to choose from 5+ ISPs (rather than 1, or 2 if I'm lucky) then I wouldn't care how much it cost. Its a goddamn infrastructure upgrade, it'll pay for itself unless you're planning on moving soon...
When the local cable company here uses "high speed fiber backbone" as a key selling point of their product, I automatically discount anything a cable broadband provider says. Someone out there in Giz land tell me that they are getting real-world advertised speed out of their cable modem, please. So, 100Mbps might be one quarter what they advertise? I'll take the fiber, thank you very much.
IIRC, cable's speed slows as more and more users jump on the line. Unlike FiOS where the fiber is brought into your home, w/cable, you have to use their copper until you hit their backbone, which is fiber.
It's funny...Sometimes you get so much of something (or in this case, something gets so fast) that you have to ask yourself: When is enough, enough? I honestly have no dire need for an internet connection that fast, yet I'm an internet whore....So I have to ask, for people who want this (and faster) internet, what exactly can you possibly use it for?
@TheSonOfKrypton: I have a FiOS connection and I can not even touch the speed of it, so your point is extremely valid. That said, I remember when I got my first DSL connection that delivered data at an amazing 256K, and I thought at the time there is no way I would ever need a faster connection. Eventually all speeds seem slow, and I can not fully explain why.
@shinchan: I stream/download all kinds of media. I'm on a 3Meg line with AT&T Uverse (not completely familiar with all the download/upload speed nomenclature, so can't be more specific than "3Meg", but I can tell you for sure my D/L speeds top out at approx 340 kb/sec) and I can stream HD video with no problem (from Hulu or network specific websites). Also, I habitually download TV shows hours after their release (using an auto torrent finder/downloader program on my Mac) so I can have them ready to convert for my iPhone in the morning. At full speed through Bittorrent, I can download a show in 25 minutes....25 fucking minutes! How much faster do I need if I can do all that with my current connection?
@TheSonOfKrypton: I have had a 100 Mb connection for quite a while now and I would miss it. Yes you can DL a TV show in 25 min. I DL 10 tv shows and a movie simultaneously in 25 minutes or less while surfing and watching online videos.. no problem. No more Dl'ing 2-3 things at a time... i Dl 10-15 with no real hit in speed.
@Cliff_Dangers: Still though... when is enough "enough"? Do you need to download 10 shows and a movie in 25 minutes? Do you actually watch 10 shows in a 25 minute timeframe, thus warranting another 10 shows to be ready 25 minutes from now when you're done with those 10? Or in the case of Windows/Linux downloading... Do you think, oh hey, I want to install Windows 7, and have to do it in exactly 5 minutes from now? Can it not wait 2 hours? Anyway, not that I don't like the speed... I just think it's not critical unless it's gaming or for business needs.
@triggerx: Yeah, I tend to agree. In most cases there is no logical reason to download TV and movies faster than you can watch them.
However, I was having an issue with an Ubuntu 8.10 machine last night that could either be solved with some complicated kludging or by installing 9.04. The ISO came down in 5 mins. I would not have wanted to wait 2 hours.
100 mbps really can't hurt, but if I were going to spend more money on my internet connection, I would get FiOS 50 mbps on top of my OptOnline 30 mbps. Redundancy is worth more to me than that extra 20 mbps.
I can live without that kind of speed if Cablevision can improve HD picture quality. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with Cablevision, even if James Dolan is a colossal douchebag.
Question: does anyone with a Linksys Wireless-N Router have problems with connectivity over N?
@iatacs19: The NYC area is weird because of the apartment buildings. Larger buildings often have a contract with a certain provider. It's basically a duopoly although VZN has been eating away at the edges.
Personally, I hate that Cablevision doesn't let me choose my premiums on the Triple Play. I can't swap Starz and Encore for Showtime and Cinemax. Also, Premium On-Demands cost extra(TW throws them in for free).
On the upside, we have the most annoying commercials of all-time: 90 second reggaeton spots for iO digital cable, broadcast at a significantly louder volume than the program.
@iatacs19: iO is Cablevision. Idiot. And as for their marketshare, they are #5 in the US covering Long Island, parts of Queens and NYC, Connecticut, Jersey and Pennsylvania.
However, their speeds and commercials and whatever are the biggest fraud in town. 20 mbps down? Yeah right, you're lucky if you can hit 10. Best HD picture? Hah! It's so pixelated it's ridiculous.
I highly doubt people will actually hit 101 mbps. Yeah, and they can go screw for not allowing MSG HD on anything but iO, not carrying NFL Network AT ALL and having the worst On Demand of any cable provider.
@Marc Melton: First of all, you called the wrong guy an idiot. Idiot.
Secondly, apparently you're lucky if you can hit 10 mbps. Try coming to the conversation with a sample space. (I regularly get > 20mbps downloads w/Boost and can use just about all of my 5mbps up. Same at my office, and a few friends and family. Still, I wouldn't use that as a blanket statement about their service).
And I'm not sure that you understand the role that the upstream server will play in your usable speed. Probably 100mbps is overkill for most households as they wouldn't be able to pull from enough upstream hosts to even get near saturating their lines. Torrenters and the like, maybe.
Also, a lot of consumer "routers" out there won't get far over 10-30mbps, yes, even if their ports link at 100mbps or even a gig. Maybe you just have a Belkin "router" from 2003?
I grow weary of these Scientific Atlantic boxes. I want to grind them. I want to put them into a giant blender, and pulverize these wretched set-top turds into a fine toxic powder, mix it with ketel one and floor cleaner, and funnel this poisonous swill down the gaping maw of our cable repair man.
09/09/09
That being said, I'm just looking at upgrading from 1.5 Mbps to 18 Mbps in the coming weeks. Anybody here been on both that can attest to the difference? Particularly in the areas of streaming video/large file downloads?
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
Now....to wait out the long grueling days until it arrives.
09/09/09
Older cable/adsl modems typically offer to the consumer network 10Mbps speeds and consumer wi-fi/routers often only accept 10Mbps from the broadband network.
So, to get the best performance from your broadband upgrade some people may need to upgrade their network equipment.
09/09/09
09/10/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
If it means that I would have the option to choose from 5+ ISPs (rather than 1, or 2 if I'm lucky) then I wouldn't care how much it cost. Its a goddamn infrastructure upgrade, it'll pay for itself unless you're planning on moving soon...
04/30/09
i'm eagerly awaiting the end of that sentence.
04/30/09
04/30/09
Cablevision: Nuh-uh!
Verizon: Yah-huh!
Cablevision: Why don't you?
Verizon: Shut up-ah!
04/30/09
04/30/09
I triple dog dare you!
sorry for the breach in etiquette.
04/30/09
04/30/09
04/30/09
For HD porn, we assume.
04/30/09
04/28/09
04/28/09
04/28/09
04/28/09
Downloading the newest Linux/Windows7RC/Demo etc.
And of course porn.
It also considerably enlarges your e-penis, which is always a good thing.
04/28/09
04/28/09
04/28/09
04/28/09
However, I was having an issue with an Ubuntu 8.10 machine last night that could either be solved with some complicated kludging or by installing 9.04. The ISO came down in 5 mins. I would not have wanted to wait 2 hours.
100 mbps really can't hurt, but if I were going to spend more money on my internet connection, I would get FiOS 50 mbps on top of my OptOnline 30 mbps. Redundancy is worth more to me than that extra 20 mbps.
04/28/09
Question: does anyone with a Linksys Wireless-N Router have problems with connectivity over N?
04/28/09
04/28/09
Cablevision (at least AFAIK) doesn't cap.
04/28/09
04/28/09
Personally, I hate that Cablevision doesn't let me choose my premiums on the Triple Play. I can't swap Starz and Encore for Showtime and Cinemax. Also, Premium On-Demands cost extra(TW throws them in for free).
On the upside, we have the most annoying commercials of all-time: 90 second reggaeton spots for iO digital cable, broadcast at a significantly louder volume than the program.
04/28/09
However, their speeds and commercials and whatever are the biggest fraud in town. 20 mbps down? Yeah right, you're lucky if you can hit 10. Best HD picture? Hah! It's so pixelated it's ridiculous.
I highly doubt people will actually hit 101 mbps. Yeah, and they can go screw for not allowing MSG HD on anything but iO, not carrying NFL Network AT ALL and having the worst On Demand of any cable provider.
04/28/09
Secondly, apparently you're lucky if you can hit 10 mbps. Try coming to the conversation with a sample space. (I regularly get > 20mbps downloads w/Boost and can use just about all of my 5mbps up. Same at my office, and a few friends and family. Still, I wouldn't use that as a blanket statement about their service).
And I'm not sure that you understand the role that the upstream server will play in your usable speed. Probably 100mbps is overkill for most households as they wouldn't be able to pull from enough upstream hosts to even get near saturating their lines. Torrenters and the like, maybe.
Also, a lot of consumer "routers" out there won't get far over 10-30mbps, yes, even if their ports link at 100mbps or even a gig. Maybe you just have a Belkin "router" from 2003?
02/23/09