How fast are cable modem connections?


         Many cable companies and Internet providers tout cable modems as 100 times faster than a dial-up Internet connection, or the equivalent of more than 5 mbps. That, however, is a slight exaggeration.

Theoretically, it can be done. But realistically, it rarely happens for a number of technological reasons. A more accurate figure would be 1 mbps -- about 20 times faster than a 56-kbps dial-up connection.

         Another note: Cable modems are typically asymmetric, meaning that download speeds are faster than upload speeds.

         When calculating Internet-access speeds, it's important to recognize the difference between bits and bytes. Web browsers, such as Netscape Navigator, often report download speeds in kilobytes per second (KB/s).

Modems report speeds in kilobits per second (kbps). There are eight bits in each byte. So, if your browser is downloading a file at 100 KB/s over a cable modem connection, that's equal to 800 Kbps.