For years I’ve had Comcast for data services here at my house. I’ve had few problems with them, my IP rarely changes, and the service seems decent. However, I’m trying to figure out a few things about it and searching at Google isn’t providing many results, so I’m hoping that some of you can help me.
I currently pay $62.95 for just data from Comcast. In researching getting a better deal I came across a package from WOW! with 2Mb/sec uploads with digital cable for $99/mo. This package is WOW!’s Xtreme Turbo 15Mbps (2Mbps Upload) Internet and Digital Value Cable Bundle:
WOW! Xtreme 15Mbps Internet is ideal for online gaming, video streaming, downloading large photos and accessing video-rich website content, and includes 5 e-mail accounts, 3 IP addresses and 10 MB of web space. WOW! Digital Value Cable delivers your local broadcast networks and Basic Cable, with an on-screen Interactive Program Guide, 45 channels of commercial-free CD-quality digital music, multiple channels of your primary premium services, expanded pay-per-view selections and access to WOW! OnDemand, our Video OnDemand service with a continually updated library of over a thousand titles including movies, kids’ shows, sports, music, and events.
· How do you like the service overall? What sort of problems have you had? Is the HD content decent or degraded ala Comcast?
· In this it says that I’d get three IPs, but do any of you know how those are allocated? Does the modem (or upstream stuff) just hand out that many, or are they statically set?
· If addressing is done via DHCP, what’s the lease time from WOW!?
· WOW!’s Additional Services & Equipment page lists CableCARDs as costing $3.50/mo. Do you know if this is an M-type? I’m needing to put this in a S3 TiVo, so it’ll have to be either an M-type or I’ll have to get two S-type.
UPDATE: I just signed up for WOW! with an install date of Monday. I was told the first CableCARD is free, and is an M-type. Installation is free, and the referral program should get $25 for both my aunt and I after a couple months. All three IPs appear to be allocated via DHCP, so it’ll take some fancy stuff to have multiple IPs on Trashwall, but I’ll see if I can do it. Ideally everything will be natted via main IP except the Xbox 360 which will be binatted to a second IP to get around Xbox Live / NAT issues.
I have the Xtreme 15Mbps Internet (with 2Mbps upload) and I actually top out at around 10Mbps–Michigan. I run weekly checks on my service and I’ve never gotten above 10Mpbs. So, you actually get 2/3 of what you are paying for. The upload remains accurate–I get around the 2Mbps.
Prior to going with the faster service, I was with the 8Mbps package (1Mbps Upload via WOW) and it topped measured around 6Mbps. So, you never really get what you pay for.
What I don’t get is, why we pay for the ceiling instead of the bottom? We only pay for something we know we can’t top, but the bottom can be anything. There should be quality threshold, meaning you’re guaranteed to operate within a specific range (parameter). Instead, you only get the top number.
Overall, I like WOW, but they don’t promise anything. I may actually start to look for dedicated services, because I need better bandwidth control.
that doesn’t actually seem like a bad service i currently have qwest 20Mb down and 100 Kb up it’s a pretty sad upload speed and it kills my connection but it think that only getting around 80% of the max is a common practice. i pay 65$ a mionth for my internet alone so ya i think your getting a good deal. DO NOT GO WITH QWEST. no matter how fast your download is they only offer 100Kb upload speeds. but if your relly looking to go with a connection that will give you garenteed band with you will have to go with a t1 or higher they get exspensive but if you split the bill it’s nice to hae the garanteed bandwith