Does size really matter?

Evidently it does when you’re talking about your Internet connection.  At least it does when you’re talking about the size of the cables that bring, or take, or carry, or transfer, or magically cause words and pictures to appear from the information super highway.  

Please understand that my knowledge of this kind of thing is minimal at best.  Truth be known, as long as it’s up and running properly, I don’t really care how or why it works…just so long as it works! 

When I had but one computer hard wired into my modem, life was good.  Life was easy.  However, about a year ago I introduced a router and a wireless laptop to the mix and life has never been the same.  

First the modem and the router wouldn’t talk to each other.  Next, the router and the wireless laptop were both talking, but one was speaking English and the other Chinese.  Then the modem slowed the router down, or the router slowed the modem down.  After spending several hours on the phone with the not so helpful help desk people I finally got everything up and running well...so I thought.  

To date I have no less than five different wireless devices all on what I’m forced to call “My Network” and speed is the new issue.  I have DSL, which has always been great.  Yesterday, when I was at the apple store trying to get some help with my speed problems I learned that DSL is lumped into the same category as dial-up, and the cable Internet is all the rage.  

Here’s how the conversation went:

            apple guy:  What kind of connection do you have? 

            Me:  DSL 

            apple guy:  (making an ugly face) Ugh!  Well there’s your                  trouble right there. 

            Me:  DSL isn’t good? 

apple guy:  Well, maybe years ago, but a phone line is just too small.  (Holding up his hands with his fingers making a circle about the size of a softball he said) You need a bigger cable. 

Me:  AT&T calls it Broadband and… 

apple guy: That’s a lie!  They say that, but it’s just a lie!  You can’t have broadband through a wire the size of a phone cord! 

I realized that I had hit a rather tender topic with this poor guy, so I said thanks and slowly backed away.  

The truth is, this may have been reality for years, but I just turned a deaf ear to the whole thing, because my little world was working just fine.  

So now I’m on the hunt for the biggest Internet connection available in my area, because it seems that size really does matter.