Shopping for a new ISP

_HighVoltage_

_HighVoltage_

Captain Volvo
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Now that I have settled into my new apartment, I need to find a good/cheap ISP. I can't use my neighbors' wifi forever :)

My options unfortunately are quite limited!
The only two providers in my area are:
1. SuddenLink cable internet
2. Verizon High Speed Internet (NOT FiOS)

...And there's always dial up :lol:

Does anyone here use the Verizon service? It is a DSL connection (ugh) advertised as 3mbps...price $35 a month.
The other option is the cable service - 1.5mbps, again $35 a month. They also offer 10mbps for $65 a month, which I find outrageous.

I think I'm leaning toward the Verizon DSL, am I making a mistake?
 
Given those options, I would go for the DSL, I can practically match that cable service with my 3G phone!
 
It might be worthwhile finding someone with the 1.5mbit cable connection and testing the actual speed. I know when I had cable (Comcast) years ago, we got abotut 8mbit on our 2mbit line. Given only the advertised speeds though, I'd go with the DSL. You'll get double what the cable company advertises, and you don't have to worry about sharing. I have 3mbit dsl (from a local ISP) and it is plenty fast for everyday use, although it takes a while to download a Steam game.
 
I'm not that picky about speed. As long as I can reach 200kb/s I'll be happy.

Now I realize how technology backwards West Virginia is, but it may also apply to a lot of other states.

My parents in Bulgaria are currently paying $10 a month for a 10Mbit connection that also includes an Intranet of the whole city networks (500,000 people) at 100Mbps.

Here I'll be paying $35 for a measly 3mbps, which I'm very suspicious of...
 
DSL actual speed will depend on how far you are from the CO, and the quality of the phone lines.

I was on a 5mbit plan, but the best I was ever able to get was 3.

Now I've switched to cable, and I get 31 Mbps down :)


http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4676
 
Hopefully I'll be able to get at least 2mbps...
If it's less than 2, I'm cancelling.
 
Are these symmetrical lines? Cause if not these prices are ridiculous... I have a 12/1.5mbit line for 40$ a month...2.5/0.5mbit would be around 12$ but a symmetrical 4/4mbit line is like 40$ as well.
 
I believe it is a symmetrical line. A check showed that I am 9000ft from the CO, so 3mbps should be achievable.
 
DSL is almost never symmetrical. At least, AT&T's DSL isn't. Not too sure about Verizon's. I may be a bit bias, considering where I work, but i'd go for the cable line.
 
Well, I already ordered the DSL. My service start date is the 21, I'll report on the speed as soon as I connect.
 
Grrr... I am starting to get pissed off at Verizon. I ordered my service 2 weeks ago. I got my package in the mail last week, but my service due date wasn't until this week and they couldn't push it forward...

Okay...so I waited. And I still don't have connection. It turns out there is a problem with the line. The DSL light keeps blinking, looking for signal. They will send a technician to look at it. I already tested the line outside my house - same thing. My guess is...Somebody didn't connect me in the central office. But now I have to wait till Friday. This is getting really aggravating.
 
Nope....still not working. Modem now gets a steady green DSL light (the line does get 3360kbps), and syncs with the plug, but the Internet light is red and I can't get an IP from the CO server.

I spend an hour and a half on my cell with tech support last night, doing silly things like unplugging cable. At the end the guy told me that he will issue a repair ticket for me, but he had to transfer me to some other department for a minute. He did a cold transfer, the person had no idea who I was or what my problem was...and they hung up on me. An hour and a half, nothing is fixed, and nobody is even aware of the problem.

I ordered my service 3 weeks ago, and it's still not working. I want to cancel, but I don't really have any alternatives. Looks like I'll be making more phone calls to tech support, going once again through their stupid procedures for hours, just to find out that the problem is not with my setup, but is at the CO...

Really pissed off now.
 
Woot! I FIXED IT!!! No thanks to tech support, who were completely useless and just waited my time. It turned out that the company had sent me the wrong activation CD. Doing everything manually fixed it (and I do mean every single setting).

Then I spent 2 more hours connecting the wireless router. For some reason the cable modem only liked to be connected to the PC. Once the router was in between it stopped. I had to "bridge" the modem and clone my MAC from the laptop to the router. Phew...I am learning new things every day.

Connection report - I got what I paid for.
Download: 2.88mbps
Upload: 0.73mpbs

It is advertised as up to 3mpbs/0.8mbps, so I am pretty close.
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
Woot! I FIXED IT!!! No thanks to tech support, who were completely useless and just waited my time. It turned out that the company had sent me the wrong activation CD. Doing everything manually fixed it (and I do mean every single setting).

Then I spent 2 more hours connecting the wireless router. For some reason the DSL modem only liked to be connected to the PC. Once the router was in between it stopped. I had to "bridge" the modem and clone my MAC from the laptop to the router. Phew...I am learning new things every day.

Connection report - I got what I paid for.
Download: 2.88mbps
Upload: 0.73mpbs

It is advertised as up to 3mpbs/0.8mbps, so I am pretty close.
Click to expand...
Please, don't confuse the two.
 
Are those speeds via WiFi or are you hardwired into the router? I have 20-25mbps hardwired, but I don't think those speeds are carried wirelessly....so it doesn't really matter.

I am thinking of installing a few homeplugs (or something similar) so I can have higher speeds in other rooms without running ethernet cables through the house.
 
Last edited:
_HighVoltage_ said:
Connection report - I got what I paid for.
Download: 2.88mbps
Upload: 0.73mpbs

It is advertised as up to 3mpbs/0.8mbps, so I am pretty close.
Click to expand...
There is about 10% overhead in the ADSL protocols, so you're getting everything you should be.

Firecat said:
Are those speeds via WiFi or are you hardwired into the router? I have 20-25mbps hardwired, but I don't think those speeds are carried wirelessly....so it doesn't really matter.

I am thinking of installing a few homeplugs (or something similar) so I can have higher speeds in other rooms without running ethernet cables through the house.
Click to expand...
If you have 802.11G or N wireless, and decent reception, you should see no increase whatsoever from switching to wire-/power-line networking, at least as far as the Internet is concerned. If you're doing a lot of file transfers within your LAN, you would see an improvement from switching to gigabit Ethernet, but powerline networks usually top out at about the same speeds as N cards, and are quite susceptible to interference. If you're wishing for better speeds, and really do notice a difference between wired and wireless, just splurge on a simultaneous dual-band N router with big antennas, and upgrade any G devices you want to to N.
 
Interesting. I do have an N router, but I guess I would have to buy an N adapter for my macbook. The main reason for using the method I was going to is actually for my DVR w/ built in slingbox....it has no Wi-Fi capability so it needs to be wired. And running a cable is probably out of the question being that I am in a condo and don't have any access.
 
Firecat said:
Interesting. I do have an N router, but I guess I would have to buy an N adapter for my macbook. The main reason for using the method I was going to is actually for my DVR w/ built in slingbox....it has no Wi-Fi capability so it needs to be wired. And running a cable is probably out of the question being that I am in a condo and don't have any access.
Click to expand...
Macbooks have Wireless N.

untitlquq.png
 
JakeRadden said:
That quite depends on the age of the macbook, wouldn't it?
Click to expand...
Unless you have the first gen Macbook, you have Wireless N. Mine's a 2nd gen Macbook (first generation with the Core2Duo), and it has Wireless N...
 
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