comcast cable

[RedTalon]

Hey I am in the works of signing up for an ISP, and was wondering if there is a noticable differance from the 6 Mbps/384 Kbps to the 8 Mbps/768 Kbps cable connections. Kinda temped to go for the 8 but not sure how much of a difference I will see.

Thanks

[Twisted_Firestarter]

It depends on what you do with your connection. If all you do is surf the web and play games online then probably not. In fact, you probably won't notice a difference between 6mb/s and 4 mb/s. However, if you do a lot of downloads or uploads, bittorret, etc., it will make a world of difference.

[FBmantis]

If you do a LOT of uploading then go for it if the price difference is acceptable...otherwise don't bother.

[TheBigC]

They originally marketed as a “gamers’ package”, hence my intrigue at 1st. Therefore, I tried it as a promotional thing and fell in love with it. I had the standard 6Mbps originally and upgraded to the package you are talking about. It cost an extra ten dollars a month. Instead of getting 8Mbps, I now reach 16-18Mbps on average. Yes the upload speed has increased, which is good for when I work on web sites but the download speeds are insane. I even called them to ask why it was so fast and they explained that it has to do with the bandwidth allocation that they give to you is supposed to average at least 8Mbps, so speeds above that is common. Now that all being said, there are two minor drawbacks, no static IP and unlike a T1 connection the speeds are variable and can dip below. Overall though I am thoroughly satisfied and recommend it if you heavily surf the internet and frequently download files.

[RedTalon]

Well I torrent and download a good bit, figured I would see the biggest differnce with torrents. One more question though, what exactly is a static ip....you know besides an IP that does not change. I know bellsouth ADSL advertises it on there higher end speeds...saying it is great for gaming. I would figure it could be a nice conviencence thing, but does it increase your download rate or decrease your ping.

The ADSL connection is 6mps/512kps, which I was thiking about...but you need a phone line for it and I don't ever use that. I don't really what much TV either but basic cable at least comes with the cable connection.

Thanks

[TheBigC]

The only time you would need a Static IP is if you want to host a server from your house, otherwise the Dynamic IP they offer usually last for 30 days or you can change it more often by using the command promt ipconfig /release. The Static IP is very useful for websites and game servers, otherwise it is not really a perk. As for the type of service I use it is cable not ASDL, no phones needed. But as a added incentive I got a complete Comcast package deal for VOIP (complete home phone service), internet and cable TV. That makes it easier and cheaper on paying bills.

[Twisted_Firestarter]

Yeah, what TheBigC said. With a static IP address you will be given a permanent IP address to the internet. It will never change. For the average user, this is actually a bad thing as it allows hackers to more easily focus on your computer since it will always be found in the same internet address. Also, residential level service contracts almost always strictly forbid hosting servers and such, so I'm not sure what the point of even having one is under a residential contract.

[RedTalon]

cool thanks for the info

[Acreo Aeneas]

You could request a new static IP if your static IP suddenly becomes blacklisted due to no fault of your own. Of course, that means a bit of time on the phone explaining to the ISP why you need a new IP address.

Hmm...that's interesting firestarter, that res. level service doesn't allow home-based webservers. Anyways, if you happen to live in Chicago, there's a stated limit of some xxxx bandwidth numbers. It's only when you exceed that, would your contract be breached. Otherwise, there isn't any specifics that I could find that says you can't host your own website from home.

[Grunge]

I use Comcast 8000/768 and I have no complaints. My upload hovers around 100k when seeding torrents and I just grabbed some videos on the POE2 forum at 1000-1200k/sec.