Looking into switching my cable ISP

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2004-02-28 10:45am

As it is right now, I'm paying $45 a month for Earthlink cable, because when we signed up it was cheaper than the only other service in the area. It still is cheaper than said service. I believe we're listed as supposed to get download speeds of "up to 3Mbps" But I've never seen it exceed 350k. That might just be because you can't get a faster speed in general, or maybe it's just because they put loads of people on the same line. I'd like to know, if you do. Now, I can get it bundled with TV cable (which we're also paying quite a bit for) from a newer provider for cheaper, but my options are as such:
112 kbps
500 kbps
2 Mbps
4 Mbps

Even the 4 Mbpbs option is slightly cheaper than what I have now. I'm just looking to save a little more cash, and was wondering if the 500 kbps might actually be that, or if it would tend to be more like 80 kbps.

Super-Gagme · Post by **Super-Gagme** » 2004-02-28 11:18am

umm well you know 3Mbps IS about 350KB/s

Notice "B" for BYTE and "b" for BIT...

Okay incase you still don't follow me

3 Megabits per second is equal to:

3000/8(8 bits in a byte) = 375

375 Kilobytes per second.

So since downloads are displayed in your Byte speed and not Bit, of course you are getting ~350KB/s

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2004-02-28 11:24am

Honestly, I never noticed that before. Thanks a bundle. Kind of misleading to list things that way, when the genral public thinks in terms of bytes and not bits.

Super-Gagme · Post by **Super-Gagme** » 2004-02-28 11:32am

Yeah, it's pretty much like buying things in the US at like 4.99. Even though it isn't cheaper they are trying to hide that it is, same with net speed. They try to make it "seem" faster by using a different scale.