What's the best internet method and Mbps?

I have cable internet and a wireless router, but now it keeps going offline. I have tried just using an ethernet cable straight from the modem to our laptops but that also keeps going offline, especially if two of us are on both laptops.
My husband wants to change our provider to our local telephone company (DSL). Which is the best method. I'm not impressed with the speed of the cable. The telephone company has a five tier service related to Mbps. Which is the best Mbps to get? There are 2 laptops but we also have guests staying with their laptops so we will need wireless for them. We upload and download files, pics and music, not movies. We don't stream or play online games. Of course the more Mbps the more expensive it is so what is the optimum for a decent speed?

 

How much are you downloading & how long are you willing to wait & how much are you willing to pay?
That is the question. http://www.numion.com/calculators/time.html

First I'd call the cable company and have the check the signal, maybe you need a booster & everything will be fine.
Whats is best for some is not the same for others, around here some people can get fiber @30Mbps, just not in my area, but cable is offering a 30Mbps connection, but cable is shared bandwidth and I may not always get the 30Mbps.
In general terms for speed your looking for Fiber, then cable, then DSL, and last dial up.

 

I agree with Foogoo to call have them walk you through to checking your signals. It could very well be a problem with their installation. I wouldn't be convinced that the problem is just poor internet service.

Also I am confused by: "I have tried just using an ethernet cable straight from the modem to our laptops but that also keeps going offline, especially if two of us are on both laptops."

With that statement, I'll assume you mean that both laptops were connected to the internet at the same time. So do you mean that you have ethernet cables connected from your modem to your router and then from your router to your laptops? Or do you have a modem with a built in router that has cables to your laptops.

If you're connected from modem to router to laptop, I would make sure your router's firmware is up to date. Especially with an older router.

If my assumption was wrong, and you're an ethernet cable straight from the modem to the laptop. You may want to check your modem's firmware and make sure it is up to date.

You can find instructions on how to check and update the firmware on the manufacturer's support website. Or contact your service provider if they provide the equipment.

 

Yeah what I meant was that from the cable modem (that come into house) We have one cable going to a brand new up-to-date ethernet modem. From that we have three cables ... one going out to a wireless router, and a cable going out to each laptop. We have taken the wireless router off and just using the ethernet. It seems to work fine now. But if I put the wireless back on the system it doesn't work so well.
Even though the router is new, it may need a firmware upgrade. I'll check that out.
We are changing from cable to DSL through the phone line. However, I see that DSL is the 3rd best option. Once we change, we have to stick with them for a year or pay them $250 to disconnect. We've never had DSL before.

 

How many Mbps do you get right now? And how many are you switching to?

DSL is Slower then Cable. Alot slower usually.

 

http://www.high-speed-internet-access-guide.com/dsl-vs-cable.html

Shows that cable is 3-4 times as fast.

 

plover, I actually don't know how many Mbps I have now (when it works anyway) but I have always been satisfied with the performance until lately. We are going with the mid-range one (not the kbps) with the phone company. $60 a month. Our problem is not the Mbps but the on/offline problem. I do ebay stuff and I just can't use this system any more as it would kick me offline at a crucial bid.

plodr, We have mac laptops and we use an Airport Express router because it lets us plug in the printer and our music system. I also use a Windows but not to get online. I use the PC for work and the mac for recreational stuff.

hrlow2, The link you gave is very interesting. i'm reading it now. I wished I'd seen that a week ago. Still, it's not too late. We have a 30 day trial period. But if it's true about the superiority of cable over DSL then we'd be stupid to change. Maybe the tier system our phone company has will make a difference. I't quite expensive at $60 a month. Thanks for that info. If we stick with cable we have to get our system sorted. The guys who come round are supposed to be technical but they squat. All they're interested in is that they're modem isn't at fault, and they always say it's our router.

 

Have you tested your network with the Airport as far away from the cable router as your ethernet cable will allow? There may just be some interference when they're in very close proximity.

 

We have the ethernet router in the back room, and the wireless router (Airport) up in the loft. I have an extra long ethernet cable though. Do you think that could be causing the problem? It's about 20 feet long. Longer than I need. We've been using the ethernet cables only for almost a week and we're both able to stay online, i.e. we're not being kicked off. Maybe I should try the router again. Just tell me if you think the length of cable matters first.

 

Ethernet is good to 50' easily but pushing your Airport (wireless) into the attic may be losing you some wireless speeds on the lower floors. Wired is always going to give you better speeds and lower ping times if you have multiple PC's connected.

 

250' Ethernet cable from my router to one of my machines with no loss of strength.

 

Max length for CAT5 5E and Cat6 is 328 feet so that shouldn't be a problem.

I run a 100 Foot cable to a switch with no issues.

Wired is a lot better then wireless. I recently just switched my house to fully wired.

 

Cable also can't be tapped into so easily.

 

Well we now have ADSL over the phone line...and I must say it's a lot more dependable than the cable, and also faster!!! The wireless modem supplied by the company has 4 ports. Can I plug my Airport Express into one of them so that I can use my speakers and printer? My Airport Express is a wireless router, so will it disrupt the ADSL modem/router? Would I have to reprogram it as an access point? Not sure how I do that so if anyone knows I'd sure appreciate it.
Another question, I suppose I could still plug in the ethernet cable straight to the ADSL modem/router and get a faster speed?

 

You'd need to set the Airport to act as an access point but it shouldn't disrupt anything.

Any ethernet connection direct to your router should give you better speeds than wireless.

 

Thank you Satrow that was very helpful. The ADSL modem that provides access to the internet is also a wireless modem. I guess I could use 2 wireless routers together? I was thinking also that it might be useful to have any guests accessing the airport router rather than the adsl wireless router as we would prefer they have a separate password.
If you have any thoughts on that, I'd appreciate it. It's all quite complicated for some of us isn't it.

 

I have just plugged in my airport express into the ADSL wireless modem and SUCCESS! I was expecting problems as I'm quite pessimistic when it comes to computers. I can choose which wireless connection I want to use AND both connections will let me play my music to my speakers and access my printer. I didn't need to make the AE an access point. I am amazed that I can use both WOW! I am just so over the moon about this. An added bonus is that both connections are secure so any guests can use the one to which I give the password to. Thanks to all for helping me find out for myself. I am not sure if this would work with other wireless modems connected together but the AE router is the way to go if you want music .... well for me anyway.

 

My next step is to see if I can connect to the ADSL directly using ethernet cable. If that works that would be awesome. I'm on a roll now!

 

Hey, good on you

Hooking up a computer to a router with ethernet is the easy part (usually)

 

Yes! It works great. The ethernet cable straight into the DSL modem/router is FAST .... pages coming up with no delay at all. So now we have 2 wireless networks and ethernet options. OK what next LOL. Maybe I can hook up my pancake maker wirelessly!
Is there anyway I can hook up my tv to the network? I still have 2 ports left to play with.

 

Connected ethernet and everything works flawlessly. So I have all angles covered.

 

Yes I can. So now I have 2 wireless options and an ethernet option which I use all the time and it's great. I have never been kicked off once since we changed.

 

You must have had a bad ISP if DSL is faster then cable.

However glad it's better for you.

 

.... and I can. It works exceptionally well. Fast internet, but wireless if I need it. Fantastic.