All internet service have shared bandwidth. Once your data reaches your provider, it is all pumped out a single line to another provider (with large ISP’s this is typically directly onto the Internet Backbone). So no matter what type of provider you have, if they do not match there upstream connection to the bandwidth used by its uses you will see degradation of your speed.
Though DSL is a dedicated bandwidth from the DSLAM to your house, the copper cable it is being carried on is not. From the DSLAM, large multi pair cables carry the single out to your area, they then break down into small cables, until they reach the single pair cable feeding your home. Any time you place electricity on a copper cable, it puts off an electrical field. This field will bleed onto other pairs inside the feeder cables. This is called cross talk. The more singles being pumped down a feeder cable, the more cross talk is created and can degreed DSL bandwidth. DSL is dedicated bandwidth, but it is not guaranteed bandwidth. If the DSL modem can not utilize all 257 channels, it will slow its self down as it drops channels, until it is able to maintain a stable connection. The actually telephone company providing the copper wires, can monitor this and regulate how many services run on a single feeder, but in the name of dollars, they will push to as far as they can.
ADSL is able to hand a maximum downstream of 9 Mbps and 640 Kbps up stream (You would have to be sitting on top of the DSLAM). Traditionally in most areas it is 1.2 Mbps downstream and 384 Kbps Upstream.
With cable, users are multiplexed onto a single channel. This can be as high as 1000 users. That single channel is able to supporting 40 Mbps (newer systems have 64Mbps) of traffic, that is the shared bandwidth. Cable providers are able to manage that 40Mbps by limited how much bandwidth each user is allowed to use, thus the speed settings of 1.5Mbps, 2.0Mbps, 3.0Mbps. Each cable modem actually has a maximum of 10Mbps (Which I have actually seen and let me tell you.
~~~~~~). Most large cable providers will heavily monitor this, where you tend to see a problem is living out in rural areas, where there are not enough people to justify the costs of bring in new hard lines (The main lines of the cable system) or providing additional channels of bandwidth. Companies will tend to try to squeeze as many people onto a single channel as they can maximize profit. The Time Warner market I live in provides 3Mbps downstream and 384Kbps upstream. Even during peak hours the slowest I have ever seen my downstream fall to be 2.5Mbps (and that is living at several different places inside the market)
Now when it comes to final fantasy, the highest amount of bandwidth I have seen the game use was 24Kbps, and that was sitting in Lower Jeuno by the Auction House. This is only a fraction of a dial up modems bandwidth (assuming 56k). No service provider Cable or DSL will ever let there service degreed to this point. Typically when you are seeing a problem like that, it is not an issue of bandwidth but the service provider is having a problem, such as work on there routers, DNS Servers or equipment has failed. If you are having a constant problem with DCs, but are able to get out on the web, then typically your ISP has a router problem and dropping packets or they are putting your packets though to many jumps before they make it to the SE Servers.
As much as people would like to say that DSL is better or cable is better, there really is no rule of thumb. It all depends on the provider in that area, in some areas cable will be far faster than DSL, but in others it can be slower. In some areas DSL will be very unstable, and cable will be better. Then we have areas where you are going to get shitty service no matter what.
My best recommendation is talk to people who are using the service in your area and will be using the service in the same way you are, compare price to bandwidth and watch for the hidden fees, I have seen a telephone company charge you the DSL service, then charge you separately for the Telephone line and not tell you this until after you have signed a contract.
You can view my current bandwidth usage at
http://www.bravanet.net/mrtg/wan.html
BTW Hi Ivalice
