<p>I am moving into my apartment when school starts. I hope to have internet access before that date. I am not planning to use a phone service, and I would like to know the costs vs. benefits of various internet services:</p>
<p>Comcast Cable, Yahoo DSL (requires phone line??), RCN (sp?), and wireless.</p>
<p>What would cc'ers recommend in terms of the cheapest and most reliable internet service?</p>
<p>Please respond, and thanks for reading.</p>
<p>i have time warner. it may just be where i live, but it is super freaking fast.</p>
<p>i download at over 2 megabytes/sec when i'm using a download manager on a fast server, great stuff.</p>
<p>A lot of people think that getting rid of their land line and getting just comcast internet is cheaper, but all promos and packages aside, assuming that you already have cable service, a phone line + DSL is cheaper than comcast internet. Of course this is based on my area. I'm not sure about Berkeley, but I'd be willing to be its the same.</p>
<p>What would be the cheapest service to buy, are there any deals or specials?</p>
<p>i'd get DSL</p>
<p>most stable line, no f'd up random bandwidth problems/server problems like cable has (who cares about the download speed? waiting 10 more minutes on a torrent isn't going to kill you)</p>
<p>
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A lot of people think that getting rid of their land line and getting just comcast internet is cheaper, but all promos and packages aside, assuming that you already have cable service, a phone line + DSL is cheaper than comcast internet. Of course this is based on my area. I'm not sure about Berkeley, but I'd be willing to be its the same.
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<p>Do I need cable service (TV) beforehand in order to use an internet service like Comcast? I am not sure about the terms, but if I want cable internet, do I also need cable television service?</p>
<p>Do I also need cable for DSL? If so, why would a phone line + DSL + cable service be cheaper? Does that apply only if comcast comes without any promos? (I think I saw on television about Comcast "triple play"-a promotion? But the special price seemed available for only a few months. Is it worth it?)</p>
<p>Thanks for all your insightful responses so far, though. I appreciate the prompt responses.</p>
<ol>
<li>no, you can get cable internet individually, and the same goes for cable TV, however, cable companies always package TV+cable together for a cheaper price if you want to go that route</li>
<li>DSL runs on a phone line (or something of that sort), it doesn't require cable, so you can have DSL+cable TV</li>
</ol>
<p>if you can get RCN for the same price as comcast, then get RCN because i've heard nothing but bad things about comcast</p>
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<p>if you can get RCN for the same price as comcast, then get RCN because i've heard nothing but bad things about comcast
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<p>Thanks, chronic, for the response.</p>
<p>Well, if it were possible, I would want to avoid cable TV and phone service. If I choose DSL, I would definitely receive a phone bill as well?</p>
<p>But if DSL+phone service is cheaper than comcast (w/ promotion), I could see the utility in choosing DSL. </p>
<p>I haven't heard much about RCN, yet. So I am not sure. I am still considering wireless internet+router. Any comments on that?</p>
<p>what do you mean by wireless internet? you have to hook up internet from your modem to your router so you can use your computer/laptop (using a wireless card, need to buy one for a pc, laptops should all have one integrated) to get signal off the router</p>
<p>you can choose to get DSL without a phone bill b/c it doesn't require dialing a number, i don't know exactly how it works b/c i've never had DSL, but i'm sure you're not going to get charged for phone</p>
<p>i've heard about RCN before and trust me, anything is better than comcast if you're going to get cable</p>
<p>You can get SBC/Yahoo DSL/phone package at quite a low rate. It has been good enough for me for heavy internet usage and a lot of downloading at generally high speeds.</p>
<p>Get the 10 dollar AT&T deal.</p>
<p>I had comcast internet only for two years for $30 bucks a month (w/ promotion). It was pretty good in the beginning but the service was getting worse lately. The speed was slower (an average 100-ish kB/s speed on torrents....er...not so good imo), and service cut-off was more frequent. </p>
<p>I'm prolly gonna stick with comcast, cuz AT&T aka sbc DSL will absolutely make you nuts. </p>
<p>P.S. Anyone knows other ISP other than Comcast that offers comparable speed?</p>
<p>lol hypnosX how would DSL make you nuts? DSL has much lower latencies and much less bandwidth hogs/server problems than crappy cable can ever offer</p>
<p>the speed of your service has almost no effect on your internet performance </p>
<p>if you're a heavy downloader, and in that case 5000kbps cable vs $25 pro package AT&T 3000kbps has around a 2000kbps difference, which translates into a loss of around 240kb/s, and after you account in the # of people actually uploading, there really isn't much difference, not to mention cable's speeds are less stable (but still faster than DSL, unless you get the $35 or $40 or whatever it is DSL package from yahoo 6000kbpsDL)</p>
<p>Notice that all the Cable folks have promotions. I'm talking strictly w/o promotions and with the assumption that Cable TV was going to be bought.</p>
<p>Cable internet w/o TV is expensive, look it up. 40 per month?!</p>
<p>How much would yahoo DSL cost, compared to $33/month comcast triple play. </p>
<p>But can anyone confirm if yahoo DSL requires phone service? Since triple play includes phone, wouldn't that make it comparable to DSL + phone service (if DSL requires phone service)</p>
<p>Is there anything I should be aware of if I need to buy a modem? Rebates, cost, etc.?</p>
<p>And how would I consider wireless internet, since my phone lines are inconveniently located in my kitchen? Do I need a router (does an old one function just as well, +2 year old)? And would I still need to sign up for an internet service?</p>
<p>Thanks. Sorry for the deluge of questions.</p>