Off-Topic
No recommendations on plans, but ADSL vs Cable is complicated.
ADSL gets slower typically further from the exchange, so you get variations from anywhere from (these days) 1.5Mbps to theoretically 24Mbps (living in the exchange).
Cable typically runs faster, and new tech gets it faster than it used to be - 30Mbps+.
Biggest issue is line contention. Coax tends jam a lot of users using it at higher speed into one pipe leading back to where the ISPs interconnect is. This can happen too with ADSL, but the typically slower speeds reduce this a bit. Cable can be really fast in some areas, or it can be oversubscribed to the hilt and run like a dog. A few years ago it was often complained about as running slower than ADSL despite offering "more speed".
Anything from your location, time of day and a million other factors will determine if cable is going to be fast. A million other factors will determine if ADSL is any better.
If you have cable available, it's probably worth looking at - as long as the pricing works for you. Here, we have one cable provider, and they're so expensive that no one in their right mind uses them.
ADSL gets slower typically further from the exchange, so you get variations from anywhere from (these days) 1.5Mbps to theoretically 24Mbps (living in the exchange).
Cable typically runs faster, and new tech gets it faster than it used to be - 30Mbps+.
Biggest issue is line contention. Coax tends jam a lot of users using it at higher speed into one pipe leading back to where the ISPs interconnect is. This can happen too with ADSL, but the typically slower speeds reduce this a bit. Cable can be really fast in some areas, or it can be oversubscribed to the hilt and run like a dog. A few years ago it was often complained about as running slower than ADSL despite offering "more speed".
Anything from your location, time of day and a million other factors will determine if cable is going to be fast. A million other factors will determine if ADSL is any better.
If you have cable available, it's probably worth looking at - as long as the pricing works for you. Here, we have one cable provider, and they're so expensive that no one in their right mind uses them.
Cheapest isn't always best (so avoid Dodo). Forums such as whirlpool are worth looking at to see if there are many complaints of congestion in specific areas. Typically the cheapest ISPs have fairly limited backbone for the number of users they have. Complaints of practically unusable internet is certain areas at certain times is a common problem. Better providers generally focus on having enough backhaul and infrastructure for the number of clients they have. Cheaper ones won't, and peoples experience with them varies greatly.
Ultimately it depends on how important reliable, fast internet access is to you, and at what price. Cheap =/= the best, and the best ISPs typically aren't the cheapest. I'm with Internode who arguably run the best network in Oz, but they're not the cheapest. I have a nice fast path to San Jose which important to me as a I have gear there, so I get nice, low latency. They have quite a few international peers. There are others there that use them too. From a technical view point, their network is pretty impressive. The link below will shed some light on what people tend to think of their service.
I'd suggest checking out http://whirlpool.net.au/survey/2010/ to compare other peoples mileage with specific providers. If you do some research on the ISPs who offer things like unlimited downloads, check where those ISPs fit in terms of service and reliability - typically they have higher rates of poor performance and reliability. (for extra points research the number of providers who have done unlimited long term in Oz and see what's happened to them - the cost of moving data in this country makes it quite clear that this is not sustainable)
Just to complicate things, everyone's milage varies. I could put a heap of people on a crap connection who think it's great, and could put one person on a good connection who thinks it's average - will depend entirely on how you use it, when you use it, where you are, and what you're comparing it against. That's why some people love providers like Dodo and TPG - both of who are considered to have the worst services but the cheapest prices. Some of their clients love them, some use them for a week and need to move elsewhere (and some wind up leaving with things go pair shaped).
So - it's really up to you to decide between the price you're prepared to pay, what you want, and how reliable you need it to be. You won't get as many options with cable, but it's probably a better option than ADSL if you can get it (at least in terms of the speed you can get out of it).
Ultimately it depends on how important reliable, fast internet access is to you, and at what price. Cheap =/= the best, and the best ISPs typically aren't the cheapest. I'm with Internode who arguably run the best network in Oz, but they're not the cheapest. I have a nice fast path to San Jose which important to me as a I have gear there, so I get nice, low latency. They have quite a few international peers. There are others there that use them too. From a technical view point, their network is pretty impressive. The link below will shed some light on what people tend to think of their service.
I'd suggest checking out http://whirlpool.net.au/survey/2010/ to compare other peoples mileage with specific providers. If you do some research on the ISPs who offer things like unlimited downloads, check where those ISPs fit in terms of service and reliability - typically they have higher rates of poor performance and reliability. (for extra points research the number of providers who have done unlimited long term in Oz and see what's happened to them - the cost of moving data in this country makes it quite clear that this is not sustainable)
Just to complicate things, everyone's milage varies. I could put a heap of people on a crap connection who think it's great, and could put one person on a good connection who thinks it's average - will depend entirely on how you use it, when you use it, where you are, and what you're comparing it against. That's why some people love providers like Dodo and TPG - both of who are considered to have the worst services but the cheapest prices. Some of their clients love them, some use them for a week and need to move elsewhere (and some wind up leaving with things go pair shaped).
So - it's really up to you to decide between the price you're prepared to pay, what you want, and how reliable you need it to be. You won't get as many options with cable, but it's probably a better option than ADSL if you can get it (at least in terms of the speed you can get out of it).
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