The Faster Web

By Les Freed and Frank J. Derfler, Jr
PC Magazine

April 22, 1999

All the excitement over fast Internet connections is really about only a couple of miles of wire. No matter where you live, you aren't too far from a fast pipe into the Internet, but the problem of how to extend that pipe the last few miles to your home or office occupies thousands of engineers, managers, politicians, and bureaucrats.

Three "last-mile" communications technologies -- cable modems, digital subscriber line (DSL), and satellite -- can provide fast Internet access for homes and businesses. Although they are based on vastly different concepts, all three deliver speeds many times those of conventional modems or ISDN lines. In addition, they can provide full-time, always-on connections that eliminate tedious modem dialing and log-on procedures.

As little as 18 months ago, we wondered aloud whether cable modem and DSL would get off the ground. The answer turned out to be a resounding and emphatic yes. Virtually all of the major telecommunications companies have made major commitments to DSL technologies, as have the major networking equipment vendors. According to the Yankee Group, there were 425,000 two-way cable modem installations with Internet connections at the end of 1998 and 25,000 DSL customers. Yankee predicts 1 million cable modem and 250,000 DSL subscribers by the end of 1999.

Review Criteria

For our evaluation, we ordered and tested different types of services at 12 locations around the country. Generally, we found that, if you can get it, cable modem service is a bargain for the residential user, though there are some service issues. ADSL performs well and is a good solution for small and medium-size businesses and their telecommuters. But it tends to be more expensive and is less widely available today. Satellite is a good solution where you can't get DSL or cable, but you'll need an analog modem and phone line for uploads. The costs for any of these fast services typically run between $30 and $150 per month for a single PC, though DSL service prices vary much more than cable prices. In most cases today, however, you won't have the choice, as availability of either service is still limited.

Full Speed Ahead

All three of these technologies deliver speeds ranging from 7 to more than 50 times the speed of a conventional 56K modem. That extra speed translates into faster downloading of today's Web content, and it also opens the door for higher-quality graphics, sound, and video content on the Web.

The additional bandwidth also makes it possible to use the Internet for other applications -- such as high-quality videoconferencing and online backup -- that aren't possible or practical with a 56K dial-up connection.

Though the increased speed is a big attraction for cable and DSL technologies, the always-on nature of these services will change the way you think about the Internet. Having a full-time connection makes a virtual private network (VPN) more practical, since a work-at-home user can keep a VPN connection to the company office network up all day long without worrying about the cost and without tying up a phone line.

You can also use a cable or DSL connection to host your own Web site or FTP server, so you can have access to your own files while you're away from your home office. In addition, e-mail users can check their mail as often as they like without having to take time out to dial manually into their ISP.

Another technology, terrestrial microwave, will hit its stride in the next few years. Companies such as Teligent and WavePath already use microwave transmissions from small antennas to provide local Internet access, but the availability of this technology is very limited. These companies aim primarily at small and growing businesses that need flexibility and low investment costs. Many offer packages that include remote access, virtual private networks, and telephone service.

We don't expect that any one of thesefast connection technologies will push aside all the others. Instead, each one will find its niche in business and residential installations.

Cable modems Primarily for residential users, cable modems connect over one channel of an upgraded cable television system. Connections are constant, with download and upload speeds as high as 4 Mbps or more. Cable is currently available to more users than ADSL and is expected to grow dramatically during 1999.

ADSL ADSL runs over existing phone wires, providing download speeds up to 8 Mbps (but usually closer to 1.5 Mbps). It's a constant connection, yet it doesn't interfere with your existing phone service. Availability is even spottier than cable, but incumbent and alternative phone companies predict a quick rollout this year for both business and residential customers.

Satellite If cable or ADSL is not available to you, there's always satellite -- provided right now by Hughes DirecPC. Download speeds are up to 400 Mbps. Uploads require an analog phone line and standard modem. You also need a place to put a satellite dish.

Our Contributors: FRANK J. DERFLER, JR., is the senior networking editor and LES FREED a contributing editor of PC Magazine. KEVIN YOUNG was the project leader, and executive editor LEON ERLANGER was in charge of this story.

Editors' Choice

Cable modems

You probably won't be choosing among cable modem, DSL, and satellite services, because with the exception of satellite, these services have only limited availability today.

The performance and relative value of a fast connection service depend strongly on your location and several other variables. Nevertheless, in most cases our tests showed cable modem services to be a better deal for the residential user today than DSL and satellite. Cost per Mbps on our performance tests was generally the lowest for cable modems, and though our cable modem reviewers had a few more installation and customer support problems than DSL and satellite reviewers, they found performance in general to be excellent. BellSouth's ADSL service in Atlanta reached the same value as the cable services.

Since cable modems operate over the cable television infrastructure, they are available mostly to residential users. If you own or operate a small business, you'll probably find DSL more likely to be available than cable. And satellite is a good solution for locations where neither cable nor DSL services have yet arrived.

Benchmark Tests

By Les Freed and Frank J. Derfler, Jr
PC Magazine

April 22, 1999

Fast Connections

Cable modem services generally outperformed DSL and satellite connections; they usually represent a better value.

Service performance can vary according to location, distance from the service provider, availability, time of day, and several other variables. Nevertheless, these performance graphs give you a taste of the level of performance you can expect from different types of fast connection services.

The bar graph for Straight FTP Throughput shows the results of a test in which each reviewer downloaded Netscape Communicator 4.5 across the Internet from a special dedicated server. Cable outpaced DSL but did not reach the multimegabit speeds the cable companies claimed.

The last column displays the cost per Mbps, based on monthly service costs, of realized throughput for each service. Interestingly, though they tend to have lower costs, services with slower speeds are actually fairly expensive on a per-Mbps throughput basis. While value varied by location, in most cases cable service showed a lower monthly cost per Mbps than DSL or satellite. And DSL showed a much wider variation, from $115 to $1,091, compared with $67 to $184 for cable.

We collected a number of hops to our server, ping times, and some trending information. We found that performance strongly depends on where you live. Even within the same service, ping times varied quite a bit. In nearly all cases there were periods when service would cease, though blackouts lasted at most a few minutes.

The most obvious result is that these services are fast, ranging from 4 to 30 times as fast as a 56K analog modem.

Copyright 1999