Is ADSL better than Cable?

I am an ADSL user.  I use Telus as my ISP because I like the consistency of ADSL.  It is not a shared line like cables and my internet connection speed is not affected by neighbors downloading all day (or vice versa :)).

My connection is not great.  As you can see, it has a download speed of only 2.62 Mbps.  That is pretty slow compared to most high speed connections.  But I am also not paying a lot either.  I would not call Telus exactly cheap, but compared to Shaw, Telus is comparable in their packages and the speed they claim.  And because of a customer retention call I made, they are giving me a discount that makes my high speed internet connection cheaper than all other packages available in Vancouver.  I am paying less than $20 a month. Regular price of the package I am using after sign up promotion is usually around $35 a month. From time to time, I consider switching to a higher speed package or switch to Cable. But it is difficult to justify when you compare what I am paying to $40 for a higher speed package or more for cable.  The gain in speed means I can download faster, which also means I will have to sort out my files more frequently.  I am already doing a poor job sorting my download and speeding it up will make that problem worse :P

So how do I make use of such a sub-par connection?  I schedule my torrent downloads overnight.  For stuff I like to download during the day, I limit the download speed to 800kbps, leaving much of the bandwidth for regular tasks.  I also do not host my own web server.  With upload speed this slow, I am sure my blog won’t be read by anyone :)

Other than Cable and ADSL, there is also optic fiber connection in Vancouver.  However, Novus Entertainment, the company provides this service, only serves customers in high rise apartments as they claim the infrastructure of their optic fiber network is too high for lower density residence.  Poor me won’t get this service for now.

What kind of high speed internet connection do you use?  Do you like what you use?

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