Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 19:32:25 -0500
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
From: Steve Mastrianni <stevemas(a)persys.com>
Subject: Re: [OT] Re: DSL Coming -- I may need help!
Reply-to: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Hi!
I got cable before the dirt was dry over the trench.
Its been a mixed bag,
TCI is
the provider, but they use AT&T for content and Sprint for the backbone. When
I first got it, it was like having my own T1 for $40 per month. As they added
more and more people, they began throttling the rates to fit more slots, and
now limit uploads to 128K.
Ditto, In early days early "97, I got cable. Wave, then Cogeco,
then now @Home. My ISP is in process of converting older users from
wave and cogeco to @Home. Reliablity is IFFY! Count on outrages in
everything from minor to major and performance is all over the map
with unpredictable results.
Which one considered best back then is Wave. Tech support is
bliss and got good frequent tech updates and get excellent clueful
replies from clueful tech people and community meetings. Now, silence
besides rare "trivial" ok all the way to silly, full of
errors newsinfos. Calling their support by phone is now
*hideooooous*, ranks same as compaq's tech support to get the idea.
Their first line support sucks, and follows a script
which takes an average of
45 minutes to go through. (Run WINIPCFG, check you IP, check you modem,
Being deaf, I have to remember to warn my relay operators to drill
through and get live support when calling automated tech support
types. Can't keep up with TDDs speed while typing and listening and
say "go!" because of bandot speed limitations on TDDs (ahem TTYism).
until it become a crisis, only then after repeated
threats do they seem to
acquire more bandwidth. YMMV, of course.
Ditto!
1. Newsgroups and email server sometimes go AWOL or go insane at
times. Even the surfing the 'net while email or newsgroups server or
both are hung out to dry or acting cranky. 2. Connections quality
varies from turtle's speed, no better than 2.88Kps all the way to
sonic speeds, norm speed is 56K speeds ranges. I have about 8
outrages in a year usually over a day or more.
I'm on the LANCity cable modem grey, 4 green LEDs with big 10 fins
heatsink case with seperate laptop style sized 40W power brick that
runs HOT. The newer ones are white, no heatsink on top. My former
old modem cable was Zenith one, what a treat, loved the reset button,
6 informative red LEDs in a row and internal PSU.
--Steve Mastrianni
Wizard