AT&T / SBC High Speed Internet Provider

[DonM]

I recently received a direct mail offer for high speed internet for 12 months at $12.99/ month plus taxes.

I usually don't bother because of the high cost, plus I don't really speed a great deal of time on the internet every day.

This offer approximates the cost I'm paying for dialup ($9.95 for Netzero)

Has anyone any experience with this service. I'm sure it's not the highest speed- maybe approaching 1.5mbps

The modem is extra, but the modem manufacturer is offering a 100% rebate.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Don

 

[Lee B]

I'm using it. Works good. Things to know:

You have to sign up online, not talk to anyone.

You install it yourself. This is not trivial, but not difficult. They send you some filters that you have to install on every telephone's connection. If you forget one (I did) the DSL won't work. The filters don't affect telephone sound at all, but filter the few frequencies that the modem uses, thus preventing interference.

If you have more phones than filters (they send 4 or 5), disconnect those until you can get more filters. I'm sure you can order them from the modem supplier, but probably a tech store carries them.

You commit to 1 year of usage or pay a termination fee. You keep your phone service and pay the fee with your phone bill.

 

[geekette]

My only concern is SBC service. They are a renamed legendarily-bad servicing phone company. It looks like they will be the first to offer DSL in our area, so we may finally bite the bullet and hope for the best.

That is an attractive rate. What is it the second year?

 

[lawren2]

I have had

AT&T DSL service for years. Never a problem with it. Always up and running.

I would check the speed they will be giving you at that price.

The true DSL product runs up to 150.0mbs and costs $29.95. I usually experience speeds of 100.0mbs.
The lower cost rates usually guarantee rates up to 768k. Pay half get half. It is still a great deal compared to plain old dial-up speeds.

The Voice Over IP product has had it's challenges but continues to impove.

 

[Luanne]

My only concern is SBC service. They are a renamed legendarily-bad servicing phone company. It looks like they will be the first to offer DSL in our area, so we may finally bite the bullet and hope for the best.

That is an attractive rate. What is it the second year?

Hmmm, as an employee of that "renamed legendarily-bad servicing phone company" I take offense, lol. We've had their residential DSL for several years with no problems. Can't speak to the rates since as an employee I'm basically getting it free.

 

[geekette]

No offense meant - I'm sure you weren't the one dropping the ball. And you're far from here, too. I'd expect it's the actual service office and people doing the work rather than the company as a whole. In Indiana, they had a long run of very bad service. We'd switch away from them if we could. I still periodically have my voicemail disappear. Just quits working and we don't know it until someone that's been trying to call us catches us at home and tells us they have not been able to leave messages. One of their mistakes turned out to be in our favor - they put our second line in the phone book, so our main line was mostly invisible to anyone looking for us, including telemarketers.

Being in an older part of town has it's disadvantages, and lack of choice is one of them.

 

[Luanne]

In Indiana, they had a long run of very bad service.

Ahhhh, you're from one of those "other" regions.

 

[Blues]

IThey send you some filters that you have to install on every telephone's connection. If you forget one (I did) the DSL won't work.

That's why your best bet is to pre-wire a whole-house DSL splitter before installing the DSL. E.g. the "Economy DSL POTS Splitter" for $30, on this page: http://www.hometech.com/techwire/dsl.html

You simply mount this box next to the "network" box where the phone line comes in, usually on the outside of your house. Then you connect two wires from the network box to the splitter "network" connections, and wire the line going into the house to the splitter's "voice" connections. This leaves you with the splitter's "data" connections, to which you need to connect an outdoor-rated cable (outdoor CAT5), and run that cable to the room where you'll have the DSL modem.

This is a bit of a pain, involving some outdoor wiring. But it's worth it.
1) You no longer need to worry about the filters if you add or move telephone equipment. But better,
2) It moves the DSL connection to a point-to-point connection, from the phone company to your point of use; rather than having the high-speed data bouncing around your byzantine inside wiring (mine is, anyway). Otherwise, bad inside wiring can very much affect the speed of your DSL connection.