In the US, at least in the part of it where I live, ADSL2+ isn’t an option. The DSL we have available is much slower than cable. I had DSL for a while and it was slow and I experienced lots of downtime. I constantly had to reset the DSL modem, etc. I have a friend who uses a different DSL provider and he has the same problems. With cable, I almost never have problems and on the rare occasion I do, it’s not the cable modem’s fault.

Network topology-the phone network was designed to carry low bit-rate, poor quality voice traffic…not high bandwidth video like cable so I’m not sure how the design is better. DSL was created to use the existing slow lines in a way that was faster so people could use the old infrastructure.

I’m not sure the wiring difficulty is much of an issue. I don’t need cables to make a 90 degree turns so who cares if they can’t. Typically, houses are pre-wired for cable and telephone so end users don’t care about which medium is easier to work with. Besides, if I’m installing a home network, I’m going to use my coaxial or RJ11 cable to get Internet access to my gateway (modem) and then complete the rest of my network with the industry standard RJ45. Have you seen a switch or router that accepts anything other than RJ45?

Where I live the phone and cable lines are mostly over poles so both DSL and cable share the same disadvantage.

The shared line is a valid concern but typically cable is still fast enough to provide Internet access to everyone sharing it than DSL is capable of providing as a dedicated line (again, where I live).

Most people like getting the same IP address every time they connect their modem. That way, it’s easier to access your home network remotely or run services. The reason services like dyndns are so popular is because DSL and other users constantly get new IP addresses.

As far as speeds go, I think FIOS is the future. Can ADSL2+ touch 50 MB down and 20 MB up?

Honestly, I don’t care if people use DSL or Cable. I recommend people use what works best for them where they are and get what they can afford. I just wanted to provide some pros for cable so this post isn’t too one-sided. I appreciate your feedback.

-Cable modems are power hogs, compared to DSL modems
-Cable modems are BULKY (have you compared the size of the SB5120 with, say, a ZTE ethernet ADSL modem from ZTE, the size of a pack of cigarettes?).
-ADSL2+ offers better speeds than cable
-The Phone network is much more reliable than the CATV one, at least were I live, the phone network goes underground whereas the cable TV network uses the light poles in the street.
-Network topology (design) is much better on the phone network vis-a-vis the Cable TV network.
-On the phone network your phone cable is YOURS. You’re not sharing it with anybody. On the Cable TV network, you and all your neighbors share the same cable. In case of storm or other accident if the cable gets cut == the entire building loses service.
- DSL uses tried RJ11 wiring. Have you seen the bulky RG58U cables used by Cable TV? Have you tried to make this thick cable make a 90-degree turn?
- DSL modems often come with software that gives you statistics on signal-to-noise ratio on the line
-most DSL modems feature an ON/OFF power button
-The SB5120? No power button, it just sucks power all the time.
-It’s possible on ADSL used with a home router/firewall to establish and cut internet access on demand, obtaining a new IP address, on the Cablemdodem network, IP addresses are assigned over DHCP using your cable modem MAC address. That means that switching IP address is often not easy, as you have to wait for the DHCP lease to expire. Even if you cut power to the cable modem and replug it (as there is NO POWER SWITCH), you often get assigned the same old IP address you had before.

FC