dsl - dinosaur?

[rosawendel]

so we're having connectivity issues with the desktop. I've had at&t DSL for the past 7 years or so, and as near as I can tell, the modem (speedstream 5100) is the culprit.
as an aside: our setup has the modem connected thru ethernet, and a separate router (linksys wrt54G) providing the wireless for the laptop and iPhones.
I'd love to have a similar setup, with a separate modem and router, but I find the market for DSL modems to be a barren wasteland (one motorola from at&t's website that has been pretty royally panned by the amazonians Motorola DSL Modem - Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Southeast-Region-DSL-Modem/dp/B001GXWLBQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283080133&sr=1-4), and a d-link that also provides a coutionary tale when using with at&t D-link Modem - Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DSL-2320B-ADSL2-Ethernet-Modem/dp/B000N4WRGI/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283080133&sr=1-2).
Our local computer supply sore (microcenter) likewise has a dealth of selection, except one or two that combine the modem with a router. however, there seems to be a good variety of cable modems.
so here's my q: am i clinging to an outdated technology? should I give up the ghost and go the way of the coaxial? changing email can be such a hassle, but then again, so is sporatic coverage.
any advice from the geeks in the room?

[nissan gtp]

get a gmail account (or several), and you never have to change again. I don't even use my ISP's email acco.

DSL ? Yes, it's obsolete. What other options do you have ? Cable modem/FIOS/etc ??

[rosawendel]

I'd say cable would be my only option (time warner). U-verse is available, but I won't use that out of principle: i can't stand the placement of the distribution hubs - on the lawn aprons of america.

[KLang]

I've got Comcast Blast service which is supposed to be 16 Mbps, I normally see 20-30 Mbps download speeds. I've not had any issues with the modem supplied by Comcast so I don't know about buying replacements.

AT&T keeps trying to sell me a bundled package of local and DSL but their top DSL speed is only about 6 Mbps.

[Insomniac]

I'd think after 7 years, you can call AT&T and ask for a new modem for free. If they say no, ask to either talk to customer retention or be transferred to cancel service so you can schedule a shut off date for DSL.

[Andrew Longman]

I'm still using DSL. Cable sux here and I like DirectTV. About a year ago we had some connectivity problems and through our provider (CenturyLink) they gave us a new updates modem for free. Happy so far.

[Tifosi24]

I know I am a little late to the party on this thread, but my parents had the same issue a year or two ago. They have Qwest, and their DSL modem, which we had since 1998, just stopped working. After some looking around and talking with technical support, what had happened was that the company did some upgrades and the system stopped supporting the ancient modem. As was said above, Qwest sent them a new modem for free.

[cameraman]

I know I am a little late to the party on this thread, but my parents had the same issue a year or two ago. They have Qwest, and their DSL modem, which we had since 1998, just stopped working. After some looking around and talking with technical support, what had happened was that the company did some upgrades and the system stopped supporting the ancient modem. As was said above, Qwest sent them a new modem for free.

That tells you something about Qwest's customer service that they find the obsolete gear by killing people's service without notice:shakehead

Signed,
a Qwest DSL customer whose hatred of Qwest is only superseded by his hatred of Comcast.

[ChampcarShark]

Howdy ya'll. Just wanted to share my two cents.

I had an issue with time warner, they insisted to limit my service so the internet was sloooooow and sporadic, changed to at&t DSL with the same "connection speed". No problems ever since.

Time warner kept me five days without service before they figured that the limitations were the problem. Day five I cancelled the service, next day at&t came and installed service and gave me a 100.00 dollar reward for changing from cable to DSL.

Time Warner's service here is bad, really bad.