Need broadband? Ready to switch? Get fair, unbiased advice in a language you understand so you make the right choice.
Cable Vs ADSL - Ask Our Expert
If you’re having technical, service or supply problems, or just have a question you want answering, why not write to OurExpert@BroadbandChoices.co.uk
Michael Phillips is product director at BroadbandChoices.co.uk and can help with anything from contractual problems, to giving technical advice or telling you how to speed up those slow movie downloads.
Our expert says...
The speed test results from our new Speed Tester software now records the speeds or cable connections versus those of ADSL connections, and overall, cable does come out on top with 31 per cent of customers receiving at least three quarters of their promised speed compared to only seven per cent of total ADSL customers.
However, this doesn’t mean that someone on an “up to 20Mb” connection from Virgin Media will necessarily regularly get a speed that fast.
Cable is still affected by contention - so up to 49 other people could still be connected to the same cable at any one time. Also, Virgin Media doesn’t run fibre optic cables right into your home - so there will be speed degradation between where the cable ends and where older wires deliver the broadband to your home. Finally, you might face some traffic shaping if you’re downloading a lot during peak times.
There are ways of improving your speed without switching to ADSL though, simply taking the issue up with your existing supplier, to making sure you always connect with an ethernet cable, or switching to a high-speed broadband provider like Be.
If you are worried about switching away from the BT network just make sure that you look for an ADSL provider with a good reputation for speed, and a good customer service record.
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