What are the major pros and cons to cable modem technology?

The pros to using the cable modem are few, but overwhelming. The most obvious being the speed of the connection, cable modem distributors claim that using a cable connection can increase your connection speed to the web by 250 times. Below is charted and example on how long it would take to download a 10 meg file using different types of connections.

Speeds to transfer a 10-meg file

The immense difference in downloading speed is obvious.

The second and less obvious advantage to using a cable modem is that (at least in the 2-way modems) the telephone line is not used. This allows customers to save money by not buying a separate phone line for Internet connecting. It also means that the cable modem user will not experience busy signals when trying to connect to the Internet. That is because of the nature of the connection, the connection through a cable modem is constant, like being in a local area network or LAN.

• The first and foremost con is that getting this technology is difficult, its not widely available. It is only available in about 13 areas around the country and only in major markets.
• Another disadvantage is cost, the cost of a cable modem can get upwards of $500. However most cable companies allow you to lease the equipment from them.
• A drawback in some markets is that only one way connections are available. Meaning that you will still have to have a conventional telephone modem in order to connect to the Internet.
• A disadvantage to using the cable modem that may manifest can be the trouble with bandwidth. The incredibly fast speeds displayed above occur under ideal conditions, figuring that the number of users is relatively small. With the increasing number of customers the amount of bandwidth decreases and makes the connections slower as the system tries to accommodate the needs of every user in the network. If this problem isn't addressed it could become very serious should the cable modem service become widespread.
• The final real disadvantage is that, like your cable company, you can't choose who your Internet provider will be if you use a cable modem. With standard dial up modems you can choose your Internet provider, whether it be America Online, CompuServe, or any other of the numerous dial-up providers, with the cable modem you will only be able to choose the one internet provider for your area. This means that you are basically forced to pay whatever they want to charge you for this service.