New Broadband Speed in my Area

[Clocker]

My ISP, Wideopenwest, is offering a new "Ultra" tier of broadband internet.

The current 'Advanced' packaged offers 1.5MB download and 300KB upload.

The new 'Ultra' tier makes 3.5MB download and 500-525KB upload. It costs $60. Do you think it is worth it?

I think I'll hold off until the price comes down. I currently have a great rate of $80/month for Advanced Internet with a Digital TV box, an Analog box and HBO (about 10 channels).

Just wondering what you thought of the speed/price.

C

 

[blakerwry]

Going to the higher rate won't help pings (gaming), and your current up and down are both great for surfing, gaming, downloading, etc. Really, what would you gain by going to the 3Mbit down, 0.5Mbit up? However, if you were running a server that relies on bandwidth I could see wanting the upgrade.

 

[SteveC]

I'd say no. Unless you really download a lot, I don't think it would be worth it. Honestly, if I could get a lower speed service from my cable company that was $10-15 cheaper, I'd take it. It makes almost no difference on web pages, and unless it's an extremely large download, it'll only be a few seconds difference.

 

[Mercutio]

It's just not worth it. 3MBit is best-case. Best case in this case means "downloads initiated between 2:07 and 4:13AM, and only until oversubscription forces us to take some of the bandwidth we set aside for gulli-^H^H^H^Hloyal premium customers to deal with the masses of folks who aren't".

 

[blakerwry]

It's just not worth it. 3MBit is best-case. Best case in this case means "downloads initiated between 2:07 and 4:13AM, and only until oversubscription forces us to take some of the bandwidth we set aside for gulli-^H^H^H^Hloyal premium customers to deal with the masses of folks who aren't".

Just depends on the ISP and the site your connecting to... my gf is on 3MBit and regularly gets it.. I'm on 2MBit and regularly get it (always get it on fast servers).

I do get the full 384KBit upload... she "only" has 256KBit, not sure how reliable that figure is.

 

[P5-133XL]

The only real benefit that I can think of would be business related (not typically allowed on cable) or P2P file sharing where your ability to upload limits your sharing ability.

 

[SteveC]

It's just not worth it. 3MBit is best-case. Best case in this case means "downloads initiated between 2:07 and 4:13AM, and only until oversubscription forces us to take some of the bandwidth we set aside for gulli-^H^H^H^Hloyal premium customers to deal with the masses of folks who aren't".

It depends on how the ISP runs their service. It's actually the one thing Cablevision is very good about. They won't officially specify speeds, but they try to target 3Mbits as the minimum, even at peak times, and if a node starts to get saturated, they'll split it. I've never experienced a slow down that was from their network, at any time. The times I've tested the speed, it's always been well above that.

 

[CougTek]

Hell no! I get 4Mbps and pay ~35U$ a month for it. Wait, huh? You're in the States. Ah, changes everything...

 

[blakerwry]

Hell no! I get 4Mbps and pay ~35U$ a month for it. Wait, huh? You're in the States. Ah, changes everything...

are you capacity limited?

 

[Clocker]

Hell no! I get 4Mbps and pay ~35U$ a month for it. Wait, huh? You're in the States. Ah, changes everything...

Yeah but I get great prices and lots of free shipping from Newegg! :wink:

 

[CougTek]

Clocker : Jerk.

Chicken : 10GB download, 1MB upload. Per month. I rarely if ever use that much.

 

[Handruin]

Slightly off the beaten path but my ISP sent me an e-mail today that starting July 23rd, they are upping my D/L speed from 512Kb to 768 Kb at no extra charge.

no complaint here...

Town ISP is pleased to announce a system upgrade which will enhance the
Standard Internet service level by increasing the download speed from 512 Kb
to 768 Kb. The monthly Gigabyte transfer allowance to 20 GB and each
customer will now be allowed two more e-mail accounts for a grand total of
five.

 

[Fushigi]

I think I'll hold off until the price comes down. I currently have a great rate of $80/month for Advanced Internet with a Digital TV box, an Analog box and HBO (about 10 channels).

I'm currently paying $65 a month for digital cable with HBO & STARS + 1.5Mb/256Kb internet through Comcast. That includes taxes, etc. I consistently get 240-270KB/s throughput.

But that's with discounts for having both internet & TV, satellite dish 'buy-back', and and intro rate on the internet access. Almost $50 a month in discounts. When those end, I'll probably ditch the cable TV and go back to satellite as it's cheaper and better quality but keep internet.

- Fushigi

 

[Tannin]

Would I pay US$60/month for 3.5MB/500KB service? What kind of a stupid question is that? Right now I have a connection that gives me maybe 0.25MB/256KB service and it already costs about $US 60/month.

OK, I admit that I have two locations, but when I look at the price you USians pay for broadband, I ... well, I have to quickly look up what you are paying for housing so that I feel better again.

I guess that means we are going to vote "yes", Tea. Although, I must confess, the stuff we are doing on the web these days works perfectly well at the speed we already have. Most of the time, anyway.

 

[Handruin]

Is housing that much cheaper over Australia? I'll admit I think the prices in my area are ridiculous for what you get. The only thing people tell me is "location, location, location" and when I think about it...there is no joy of living near Boston. (given that I'm 40+ miles away, I don't even consider it a benefit.)

I’ve seen a house recently listed for $250,000 and the only description was, “price reflects work needed”. I was dumbfounded.

Sorry Clocker.. back on topic. For those kinds of speeds, I would probably pay for it. You know how many hours I would save downloading backups from SF? Granted, my situation is less common, it still has value when I consider how much less time I would spend waiting to backup files.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm about to buy a house. I'm going to look at it today, in fact.
One year old, 1300 square feet, and only $115,000.

Of course, the owner is my brother. I think I can talk him down a bit.

Stilll, for the part that I can't pay out of pocket, I have to get a loan. After walking through the application process once, I think I'd rather have a rectal exam than do it again.

And hey, while you guys are whining about broadband costs, remember: I pay more than all of you, and all I'm getting are two land lines and two accounts to dial into.

Why can't I get cable that's just CNN and HBO? Why do I have to pay for that other crap?

 

[blakerwry]

I supose if you get a house you won't have to pay for your rediculous internet solution...

I'm moving into an apartment in less than a month and will have free dialup through my work... makes it tempting to not pay for broadband....


My options are to:
1) pay for land line and use free dialup ($40/mo)
2) pay for cableTV + cable internet (i don't think you can get these seperate).. and cell ($75/mo)
3) get a cell and use DSL without actual phone service (have to double check this is available in my location) ($75/mo including cell)

My cell phone costs are meager as I rarely use the phone, but i do need a way to be contacted. I would probably use the T-Moble or Virgin Mobile pay as you go type plans... Think it's about $7 month minimum for a minimum of 30 minutes/mo. $10 a month would get me a minimum of 40 minutes. -I still have to do more research on this....

hmm.. maybe the cableTV+broadband is the best deal... after all, it's only a couple hours of work more per week than solution #1.

 

[Fushigi]

I'm about to buy a house. I'm going to look at it today, in fact.
One year old, 1300 square feet, and only $115,000.

Of course, the owner is my brother. I think I can talk him down a bit.

Stilll, for the part that I can't pay out of pocket, I have to get a loan. After walking through the application process once, I think I'd rather have a rectal exam than do it again.

And hey, while you guys are whining about broadband costs, remember: I pay more than all of you, and all I'm getting are two land lines and two accounts to dial into.

Why can't I get cable that's just CNN and HBO? Why do I have to pay for that other crap?

Congrats on enterng the realm of mortgage ownership. It's good you're getting in while the rates are still low. The app process is definitely a PITA, but as long as you've a good credit rating you should breeze through it. Just bring a spare wrist or two to help when you have to sign all the papers at the closing.

What town is the home in, if I might ask?

To put the housing price into perspective, I live ~65 miles from Griffith. Last year we paid a negotiated price of $258K for a 3100sq ft home on 0.28 acres. For the area, it's a bargain and not too far off the $/sq ft Mercutio is getting.

OK, for the big question, is broadband available at the (potential) new digs?

Re: Cable. The deal I'm on is the minimum package to get the bundled discount on net access + digital cable. Otherwise I'd prefer to not have any 'premium' channels at all.

- Fushigi

 

[timwhit]

That's weird all you other people keep getting more service for less price and my cable company keeps giving us less service for more price.

The last cable bill I got was $101.70. This included a cable modem at 768/128. And digital cable with no HBO or Showtime or any other extra channels. At that point I dropped the digital cable and went with basic cable. My bill will still be in the $70 range next month. Charter Communications is a dirty rip-off.

I used to pay about $90/month for 1500/128 plus digital cable. Now that same service would cost at least $120/month. It has only been 9 months since I was paying $90.

They come up with these policies like now we are going to charge you $5 a month for a cable modem rental. I have never paid this for the last 3 years, why do I have to pay now? $5 a month for digital cable box rental. Never again.

Oh God how I wish there were competition in the cable business, then maybe they couldn't increase prices every 3 months...

[/rant]

 

[Mercutio]

Hobart.

Newly constructed subdivision (no trees). The house is 1300 square feet with three bedrooms. It's pretty and new, but much less than ideal for computer stuff or audio (rooms are funny shapes, and there are lots of ledges, balconies and other annoyances). I'm nonplussed.

 

[blakerwry]

That's weird all you other people keep getting more service for less price and my cable company keeps giving us less service for more price.

The last cable bill I got was $101.70. This included a cable modem at 768/128. And digital cable with no HBO or Showtime or any other extra channels. At that point I dropped the digital cable and went with basic cable. My bill will still be in the $70 range next month. Charter Communications is a dirty rip-off.

I used to pay about $90/month for 1500/128 plus digital cable. Now that same service would cost at least $120/month. It has only been 9 months since I was paying $90.

They come up with these policies like now we are going to charge you $5 a month for a cable modem rental. I have never paid this for the last 3 years, why do I have to pay now? $5 a month for digital cable box rental. Never again.

Oh God how I wish there were competition in the cable business, then maybe they couldn't increase prices every 3 months...

[/rant]

The only reason prices have stayed low here (cable TV service has gotten cheaper) is because ofcompetition. A new company called Everest moved in and started installing fiberoptic lines to every neighborhood in Lenexa, and some of the surrounding area (overland park, Shawnee, and maybe parts of Olathe and Mission.) Basic cable TV from Time Warner went from like $30 or $40/mo to $20.. cable internet was $40 when 1st introduced.. went upto like $44/mo a few years ago and has remained stable. The service is probably the same speed as before, mail has gotten faster/more reliable, IP addresses allowed have been reduced by policy (not necessarily in practice though).

I am very thankful for Everest, without them, undoubtedly service would have stayed constant or even decreased while prices would have continued to increase.

 

[Handruin]

In comparison to your deal, I've investigated my hosting plans and I can get the following. Clearly you get better pricing than everyone.

Code IU1
Monthly Rate Including Modem $69.95

Installation Cost $99.95
Download Speed 1.5 MB
Upload Speed 512 KB
IP Addresses 2 Dynamic
Email Addresses at Town ISP 6

Web Space 10MB
Domain Name Hosting N/A
Monthly Tranfer GB 40

 

[Piyono]

Here in the T-Dot, Bell offers three flavours of DSL:
Basic - $29.95 - Downstream up to 128Kbps. Upstream up to 64Kbps - 2GB cap
Standard - $44.95 - Downstram up to 960 kbs. Upstream up to 120 kbs - no cap
Ultra - $69.95 - Downstream up to 3 Mbps. Upstream up to 640 Kbps - no cap

I subscribe to Standard but am currently enjoying a promotional 2 months of free Ultra, courtesy of Bell's marketing department. With the added bandwitdh, my download speeds run the gamut from fast to ludicrous speed. I've watched, dumbfounded, as 20MB files downloaded in seconds, right before my eyes.

Would I pay US$60 for the Ultra sevice? Well, considering that US$60 translates to roughly CAN$84.37... I'd have to say... no.


Piyono

 

[Pradeep]

I'm something like 22,000 feet from my CO, and that doesn't have any kind of DSL capability anyway. Cable will probably never come down this road. Well water. In Upstate NY TimeWanker has a monopoly and the price of basic digital cable (with no premium channels or cable Net) is around $55.

Right now I'm on AT&T dial up, which is one of the few that has a local number for me to call into. About $22 a month. And I can't use my pair.com relay servers, so I have to use webmail to send. F$$$! Only other option is DirecWay but that's around $99 per month if I don't want to spend $500 on install costs.

Does your prospective abode have a basement Merc?

 

[Mercutio]

Unfortunately not. It's built on a concrete slab.

 

[Howell]

3) get a cell and use DSL without actual phone service (have to double check this is available in my location) ($75/mo including cell)

Do let us know if this is available to you? They would not let me sperate the DSL from the phone service when I tried a year ago.

 

[blakerwry]

3) get a cell and use DSL without actual phone service (have to double check this is available in my location) ($75/mo including cell)

Do let us know if this is available to you? They would not let me sperate the DSL from the phone service when I tried a year ago.

I know it's possible... it just depends on ISP/phone company. I haven't checked in my area. I may be able to get discount (or even free business class DSL where I work so i'll have to check into that.)

 

[zx]

I'd rather pay 35 CAD per month for my cable internet service . 3MBit down, 180kbits up with 10Gig down and 5Gb up. I also get very good pings on CS.

Viva Quebec!!!

 

[blakerwry]

wel... You can get good pings with justa bout any rate over 5KB/s in almost any online game..

What is it with you Canadians, you all have capacity caps... I'd rather have lower speeds w/out a cap than high speed that you can't utilize.

 

[e_dawg]

Do let us know if this is available to you? They would not let me sperate the DSL from the phone service when I tried a year ago.

Ah, well there is another reason to be proud of Canada, the land of broadband: the new monopoly breaking policy of the CRTC... well, not really, but they do intend to take away DSL monopolies away from the ILEC's and let the CLEC's in the game.

 

[timwhit]

So Merc will you be able to get broadband in Hobart?

 

[The JoJo]

Yes, how is it Merc? Any chance for you to speed up your internet access?

You know, a bit more speed does wonders to getting pr0n Trust me, I....hrrmmmm.... nothing, forget about that willya people ....?

 

[The JoJo]

Good luck with the appartment and loan things!