I personally do not like batelco. I hate the line at cable bahamas even more, not to mention how much they charge for cable and show so many crappy old movies on the movie channels.

As far as DSL is concerned, none of the numbers in the phone book actually work. You have to call the mall and ask DSL customer service for their tech support section.

I have never had a significant problem with my DSL. But since I moved into a new apartment I had some issues with my new DSL hookup. After a few calls I got thru to their tech support and they sent someone out on Saturday(overtime), and he came in and got me sorted out really quickly.

Basically it worked for about a month and then went down. The guy who fixed it had to go out to the box out on the corner and re-configure it, turns out that DSL for my area had somehow been reset or turned off. It took about an hour for him to return from the box on the corner, but once he got back to me, he had me set up in under 3 minutes.

Haven't had a single problem since, just like before when I lived at home. DSL is better than cable all around, and plus you get a free dial-up account that you can use when you are not home.

Cable cannot compete speedwise against DSL as it is a shared network. DSL's speed should remain the same for anyone within 200 miles of their Telco company - Batelco. I could be wrong but this is what I learned about DSL compared to Cable, also they say viruses can spread easier on cable because of the shared nature.

Personally I think they are about the same, but DSL should always be faster.

I personally do not like batelco. I hate the line at cable bahamas even more, not to mention how much they charge for cable and show so many crappy old movies on the movie channels.

As far as DSL is concerned, none of the numbers in the phone book actually work. You have to call the mall and ask DSL customer service for their tech support section.

I have never had a significant problem with my DSL. But since I moved into a new apartment I had some issues with my new DSL hookup. After a few calls I got thru to their tech support and they sent someone out on Saturday(overtime), and he came in and got me sorted out really quickly.

Basically it worked for about a month and then went down. The guy who fixed it had to go out to the box out on the corner and re-configure it, turns out that DSL for my area had somehow been reset or turned off. It took about an hour for him to return from the box on the corner, but once he got back to me, he had me set up in under 3 minutes.

Haven't had a single problem since, just like before when I lived at home. DSL is better than cable all around, and plus you get a free dial-up account that you can use when you are not home.

Cable cannot compete speedwise against DSL as it is a shared network. DSL's speed should remain the same for anyone within 200 miles of their Telco company - Batelco. I could be wrong but this is what I learned about DSL compared to Cable, also they say viruses can spread easier on cable because of the shared nature.

Personally I think they are about the same, but DSL should always be faster.

Just to satisfy my curiosity, what download speed to you get with DSL? I use cable and I get 260K.

I PERSONALLY FEEL AS IF WE BAHAMIANS COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING THAT IS DONE BY BAHAMIANS..........OK THEN SINCE YOU LIKE TO COMPLAIN SOON MUCH ...THINK PRE 1992.............I POSTED PREVIOUSLY ABOU POOR SERVICE IN THE FAMILY ISLANDS ABOUT CABLE BAHAMAS PROVIDES, ESPECIALLY INTERNET SERVICE, I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS IN THE FAMILY ISLAND, :raw:

THAT EVEN THOUGH I PAY MY BILLS ON TIME LIKE ANYONE ELSE IN NASSAU,. I SHOULD EXPECT THAT TO BE TREATED LIKE A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN :realmad: ..........HOW STUPID.......... :hammer: :hammer:

BY THE WAY I AM STILL WAITING FOR SOMEONE FROM CABLE BAHAMAS TO SHOW UP SINCE HURRICANE JEANNE.......TIRED CALLING.

LET ME HURRY TYPE BECAUSE MY SERVICE DROPS OFF EVERY FIVE MINUTES...................ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN THE FAMILY ISLAND I SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO BE TREATED ANY DIFFERENT.



LORD GIVE ME FAITH TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE AND WISDOM TO DEAL WITH IT.............AMEN :confused:

Just to satisfy my curiosity, what download speed to you get with DSL? I use cable and I get 260K.


For DSL, it really depends where you live, and how the phone lines are in that area/property - rewiring all the phone lines is not an option most of the time - especially if you have to get Batelco into run new wire from the main. I know quite a few people that had to switch back to Cable as DSL was as as slow as or less than 128K. If you pay for it, you can get a good DSL speed, ADSL which is common in other countries at normal prices, but we have to pay hundreds of dollars to get ADSL, so we are left with basic DSL. DSL is no good for uploading generally, at least without ADSL, and therefore useless for my Remote Video Applications. Some web server software can use DSL but it is still alot slower than Cable, as the upload speed is only 128K, unless like I said, as a business they would require ADSL and that cost is $490 a month, which is the same speed of a standard Cable Bahamas Business account, 384k upload, for $99.

I have not seen less than 384k average speeds on Cable, yet, in Nassau, at least with numerous accounts I tested -ofcourse different times of the day and the location makes a difference but im talking average speeds. Though we are supposed to be getting over 500k for the $34 unlimited, and over 1700k for the $69 package. Some Cable nodes/Cabling/Connections have issues also, so same thing there again, and yes network traffic.

All in all, bang for buck for a business, and the $34 Home User package, Cable is the way to go, in the Bahamas. If they had ADSL for the same price then that would be much, much better. My parents have DSL, and others I know, and although download speeds are about the same, it doesnt match up. One thing that BSM mentioned in particular, is the lack of tech support at Batelco, for DSL. Though, that said, same can be said for Cable when you get put on hold for 1 hour, switched among several receptionists claiming to be technicians, and then finally get a call back from a technician 4 hours later, if you are lucky. BUT, Cable is easier to fix by oneself at least by an experienced PC tech or one with experience with Cable's tech support (!), also its not using a standard 22 gauge telco line, so it is much less likely that the cable will get damaged, as occurs more than often with telco lines, even if they have Fiber there is still standard telco coming into your home.

All in all, certain areas of the island experience different situations, so if one doesnt work, then the other is the only alternative, for now. Dial up... cough cough ....Ouch. Its good for a back up, but thats about it. I wish there was an alternative for both actually, and it would be nice to have island wide wireless internet, but only will happen when batelco frees up their cell towers.

not sure what my up or down is, but I can watch movies or previews pretty well.

like rory says it depends on your lines too, good lines - good speed.

and we all know that batelco enjoys being a monopoly, they only change when the prices in the US change or if they get competitors, and sometimes if you jump on the bandwagon as soon as they release new technology - again to try and dominate the market and remain a monopoly.

Personally I don't know how many businesses in the Bahamas remain open with the poor service that many offer. Personally, since I can afford it, I tend to go with private services whenever possible as there is usually less wait and better service, but not always - ask around first.

not sure what my up or down is, but I can watch movies or previews pretty well.

like rory says it depends on your lines too, good lines - good speed.

and we all know that batelco enjoys being a monopoly, they only change when the prices in the US change or if they get competitors, and sometimes if you jump on the bandwagon as soon as they release new technology - again to try and dominate the market and remain a monopoly.

Personally I don't know how many businesses in the Bahamas remain open with the poor service that many offer. Personally, since I can afford it, I tend to go with private services whenever possible as there is usually less wait and better service, but not always - ask around first.


I shouldnt have posted, my cable has been on and off all day!!! :-(

I shouldnt have posted, my cable has been on and off all day!!! :-(


lol. I think they are both fairly stable most of the time, my DSL has been on and running for up to a month without disconnecting.

Well since Coralwave just bumped up the speeds i get surfing speeds of over 1.2 mbps and when downloading files i get like a solid 260k per second.

they did bump up the speeds but not the level at which they're advertising or at least not what a test on broadband reports told me. (i even got 2.53MB/ps as a fluke once).

they did bump up the speeds but not the level at which they're advertising or at least not what a test on broadband reports told me. (i even got 2.53MB/ps as a fluke once).


yep, network traffic is their biggest problem, luckily im a night owl so it doesnt effect me much :-)

Did they raise the $34 package speed also? I really didnt notice any difference..

im on coralwave lite and i think the bill is still 35ish. I notice the speeds not through surfing as much but when downloading files, sometimes i get some freakisly fast downloads like 2+mbps and like in notime a file wiill get download, but regulary i get about 260 kbps when i used to get 60. Does anyone else notice.

Also im a bit new to the board but I notice that you guys are very tech savvy and its nice to see ppl in the Bahamas like you guys who i can sort of look up 2.

BTW want a Gmail invite email me ballin.ace (at) gmail (dot) com. Gmail google's approach to email just for the folks who dont know.

Hi, I have always got around 384 in tests, dont know what it is now. Anyway, im downloading a 150MB file and its averaging 21-23 KBp/s downloading ...

just got this! I guess they have changed it :-)

-----------------------

1.6 megabits per second

Communications 1.6 megabits per second
Storage 199.4 kilobytes per second
1MB file download 5.1 seconds
Subjective rating Great

-----------------------

2nd time i tested it was 1.2, 3rd time it was 1.7.

And, im in the middle of downloading a 150MB file :-)

Rory

I personally do not like batelco. I hate the line at cable bahamas even more, not to mention how much they charge for cable and show so many crappy old movies on the movie channels.

As far as DSL is concerned, none of the numbers in the phone book actually work. You have to call the mall and ask DSL customer service for their tech support section.

I have never had a significant problem with my DSL. But since I moved into a new apartment I had some issues with my new DSL hookup. After a few calls I got thru to their tech support and they sent someone out on Saturday(overtime), and he came in and got me sorted out really quickly.

Basically it worked for about a month and then went down. The guy who fixed it had to go out to the box out on the corner and re-configure it, turns out that DSL for my area had somehow been reset or turned off. It took about an hour for him to return from the box on the corner, but once he got back to me, he had me set up in under 3 minutes.

Haven't had a single problem since, just like before when I lived at home. DSL is better than cable all around, and plus you get a free dial-up account that you can use when you are not home.

Cable cannot compete speedwise against DSL as it is a shared network. DSL's speed should remain the same for anyone within 200 miles of their Telco company - Batelco. I could be wrong but this is what I learned about DSL compared to Cable, also they say viruses can spread easier on cable because of the shared nature.

Personally I think they are about the same, but DSL should always be faster.

Which is better DSL or Cable? This question is a lot like “which is more secure Windows or Linux?” Both are loaded questions with no definitive winner. The answer depends on your location and needs. While it is true that cable modems are a shared media and DSL is not, using this to justify the superiority of DSL over cable is not valid.

Firstly DSL is only dedicated to the Central Office (CO). A good analogy for this would be a house using a (dedicated) driveway to get to a (shared) public road. While you can travel 75 mph in your own driveway, you will still experience traffic jams when you reach the public road (Internet). The shared aspect of cable can have implications if the cable company does not properly design and maintain their neighbour nodes. As more people are assigned to a node, the connection speeds can slow. Using our driveway analogy again, cable modems are like using an apartment driveway as opposed to a home driveway. Depending on the time of day, there maybe a little more delay in getting to the public road for the apartment dweller than the homeowner. The time it takes for both to get to their destinations depends mostly on the congestion of the public road, not their driveways.

The argument about DSL being more secure is another questionable claim. The technology used is no more or less secure than the other. It is how a provider implements its services that determine security, not the technology. Unlike Cable Bahamas that uses Internet facing addresses, Batelco (for most home subscribers) uses non-routable addresses. Access to the Internet is done through NAT. While NAT’ing does help protect systems from most network-based attacks, it can severely restrict what a user can do on the Internet.

In the debate between DSL and Cable, there is no definitive winner. It basically boils down to cost and personal preference. If a home user already has cable, then Cable Bahamas would be the most logical choice as an ISP. If they don’t have cable then DSL would be more appropriate.

Speed is a different story; Cable’s technology allows it to offer higher theoretical speeds than DSL. The reason why DSL has not been widely deployed in many rural areas of other countries is that DSL also has a severe limitation on the effective distance that it can operate from a central office.

yep, network traffic is their biggest problem, luckily im a night owl so it doesnt effect me much :-)

Did they raise the $34 package speed also? I really didnt notice any difference..
Yes They Went By $2. Without notification I May Add. :tdown: