The T1/DSL gap

[Jason McCullough]

So I've got this problem. My 640/640 DSL line is just too damn slow, but the next step up - a fractional DS1 or whatever - is too stupidly expensive for some apartment I'm renting for only the next year.

Other than waiting to buy a condo so I can get a leased line, what are my alternatives? Buying two 640 lines and bonding them together is all I can think of; has anyone tried this?

[Case]

So I've got this problem. My 640/640 DSL line is just too damn slow, but the next step up - a fractional DS1 or whatever - is too stupidly expensive for some apartment I'm renting for only the next year.

Other than waiting to buy a condo so I can get a leased line, what are my alternatives? Buying two 640 lines and bonding them together is all I can think of; has anyone tried this?

Cable?

[Jon R.]

640/640 is the max your provider offers, or the max you can get based on location? What about asymmetric packages?

[SpoofyChop]

Exactly what about 640/640 is too slow?

:roll:

[Aleck]

Look at other providers; if your line can handle it, there's faster DSL in your future. (I use http://www.speakeasy.net, and love the performance -- 1.5M down, 768k up).

[Erik Andersson]

I just got 8M/1M ADSL, and I'm pretty happy so far, even though it has been less stable than my previous 512/400. It costs $50/month tough, so it's not exactly cheap. If you live in the right areas you can get 26M/26M VDSL for the same price, but you have to live really close to the station (300m I think).

[Stroker Ace]

dammit! i pay $60/mo. for 1.5M/.25M

i think they may haev upped the download speed to 3M without telling me though.

[Brandon Clements]

I just got 8M/1M ADSL, and I'm pretty happy so far, even though it has been less stable than my previous 512/400. It costs $50/month tough, so it's not exactly cheap. If you live in the right areas you can get 26M/26M VDSL for the same price, but you have to live really close to the station (300m I think).
Damm Swedes :)

[Jason McCullough]

Did some research today; it turns out my problem is that Qwest is full of fuckheads; not only do they only offer up to one phone line's carrying capacity before the leased line switchover, they strongly imply they're the only way to get service.

The helpful people at Covad, Speakeasy, and DSL.net all offer nice speeds because they don't use Qwest's dipshit switching. Hooray!

Edit: Speakeasy so rocks. 3000/768 for $160/month ($20 for the first three months), $0 install, full rebate on hardware, and doesn't cost me anything to change addresses when I move. :D

[Lunch of Kong]

If you dont need the upstream bandwidth and wish to save money, the Seattle Earthlink cable modem offering should get you 1500/256 for about $50 a month.

[Jason McCullough]

Nah, I need it. It's nice to be treated like an adult by a company, though - Qwest actually got suspicious when I was asking for more bandwidth.

[Bull]

I had this with Qwest. I called to ask them if I could prepay for a line to get a discount and they told me that it would probably result in a higher charges, for some reason. They just completely don't have it together.

[Jason McMaster]

I would just like to say that Covad does not rock. That is all.

[Jason McCullough]

Begone, doppleganger!

[Alan Dunkin]

I just got 8M/1M ADSL, and I'm pretty happy so far, even though it has been less stable than my previous 512/400. It costs $50/month tough, so it's not exactly cheap. If you live in the right areas you can get 26M/26M VDSL for the same price, but you have to live really close to the station (300m I think).

Are you kidding, that is extremely cheap.

--- Alan

[Erik Andersson]

If 3000/768 costs $160/month in the USA, then I guess it's pretty cheap. But $50 doesn't feel quite as cheap when you can get 26M/26M for the same price...

[extarbags]

3M/512 with my cable modem, for $40/month. I work for a dsl provider, and I've never heard of someone being peaked at 640/640. The reason the gap is so huge, though, is because DSL isn't reliable worth a damn (standard DSL contracts allow for 72 hours of downtime before work even starts... I've seen DSL lines go down for 2-3 weeks and the customer has no legal recourse) and T1s are extremely reliable.

[Jakub]

If 3000/768 costs $160/month in the USA, then I guess it's pretty cheap. But $50 doesn't feel quite as cheap when you can get 26M/26M for the same price...
Sure it does, when you can't even get 26M... :(

[extarbags]

If you live close enough to certain major cities (I know Philadelphia is one), you can get 100M/100M line from Cogent for $1000/month. Just a fun fact.

[Alan Dunkin]

Dallas is another (we use Cogent for one of our ISPs).

--- Alan

[extarbags]

It's an incredible deal when you consider that it's about the same cost or slightly more depending on area as a T1 (1.5/1.5), and just as reliable.

[Jason McCullough]

3M/512 with my cable modem, for $40/month. I work for a dsl provider, and I've never heard of someone being peaked at 640/640. The reason the gap is so huge, though, is because DSL isn't reliable worth a damn (standard DSL contracts allow for 72 hours of downtime before work even starts... I've seen DSL lines go down for 2-3 weeks and the customer has no legal recourse) and T1s are extremely reliable.

Never had a problem with DSL in a year and a half.

Qwest for some reason or another limits the entire area I live in to 640.

I'd get a cable modem, but I want my goddamn static ip.

[extarbags]

Never had a problem with DSL in a year and a half.

You're lucky. Some people have no problems, some people have nothing but.


Qwest for some reason or another limits the entire area I live in to 640.

That's retarded.


I'd get a cable modem, but I want my goddamn static ip.

How much are you paying for DSL now? I don't know about providers in your area, but my cable company offers a business service that gives you a static for $80, up from $40. It's also higher bandwidth, IIRC.

[Alan Dunkin]

We (at home) are forced into using SBC DSL, which thankfully is at 1.5/128k (can pay more for 256k or more up) - because of their recent promotions it's at a mere $30 or so per month, which is nice.

Can't get any other DSL though, SBC has blocked everyone out pretty much, except for iDSL. Yeah right, like I want ISDN for three times the price.

--- Alan

[Jason McCullough]

I'm paying about $100 (ISP + line provider) for 640/640 right now; I have no idea why they limit the entire Capital Hill area in Seattle to that, but they do.

I was previously paying around $200 a month for 1000/1000. Qwest is full of teh poop

Comcast, the local cable provider, refuses entirely to offer any sort of agreement where you can run a server. Those fuckers with their market segmentation.

[Xaroc]

I just signed up with Speakeasy myself for the 1.5/768 line for $89 a month. So Jason what exactly do you need that 3MB download speed for? ;)

-- Xaroc

[DennyA]

McCullough makes extra cash on the side running www.HotNakedSupremeCmdr.com ....

[Jason McCullough]

I just signed up with Speakeasy myself for the 1.5/768 line for $89 a month. So Jason what exactly do you need that 3MB download speed for? ;)

-- Xaroc

"Utilities" and "applications."

[Xaroc]

McCullough makes extra cash on the side running www.HotNakedSupremeCmdr.com ....

Has me actually laughing despite the fact Jason is increasing his downstream bandwidth.

-- Xaroc

[Xaroc]

I just signed up with Speakeasy myself for the 1.5/768 line for $89 a month. So Jason what exactly do you need that 3MB download speed for? ;)

-- Xaroc

"Utilities" and "applications."

I think that RIAA automatically sends a SWAT team to your house for having that much bandwidth.

-- Xaroc

[Guido Jones]

Have you tried getting a business line through Qwest Jason? I've used their business lines before (had 1.5/768 back in SLC) and was pretty happy with the situation. I'm assuming so if you're using 640/640 since that's not one of the standard consumer options.

My apartment building has a T1 hooked up to it up here, and have a deal signed with the company preventing me from getting anything else. Luckily the service is pretty good so I don't have to move.

[Jason McCullough]

Their business line option for my apartment was like a billion dollars a month.

[Guido Jones]

Shrug didn't say it was cheap - Qwest pretty much only offers 640/256, and 256/256 for consumer lines. It's not just your area.

[Because They Are Hirsute]

I'm reading this thread over Qwest dialup because my Qwest DSL has been down for three weeks. The first time this happened, we were down for a month, and after being transferred up through countless layers of buffer techs, we finally got someone who realized the company had somehow internally cancelled our service, without any input from us. During the current outage, while running diagnostics on the line, they managed to disable our telephone service for three days. This is almost worse than my experience with AT&T Cablenet.

It's not masochism, Qwest is just the only residential DSL provider here.

[Bull]

Qworst strikes again.

[Jason McCullough]

Shrug didn't say it was cheap - Qwest pretty much only offers 640/256, and 256/256 for consumer lines. It's not just your area.

That's the thing I don't get - they offered me up to 7000/1000 in my apartment a whopping 2 miles from here, 6 months ago.

[Guido Jones]

Was it a resedential line? As far as I know the only thing that goes that high with Qwest was their business stuff, but it's been a while since I looked at Qwest ISP price plans. Plus they didn't try to sign you up through MSN did they?

[Jason McCullough]

It was residential. Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of Telcos?

[Guido Jones]

I deal with Qwest a lot because of work. I know their evils :P

[Aleck]

Edit: Speakeasy so rocks. 3000/768 for $160/month ($20 for the first three months), $0 install, full rebate on hardware, and doesn't cost me anything to change addresses when I move. :D

For anyone thinking of going with something like this, check out this new promo that Speakeasy is running:

http://www.speakeasy.net/promos/fastcheapeasy/gamer

You get the same package Jason's talking about (3.0down, 768up), 2 static IPs, 8 email accts, shell access, and free fileshack premium access. They just bumped the price way the hell down to $99/mo., and only $69 for the first three months.

For those already with Speakeasy, you can switch over and take advantage of the $99/mo. pricing (if your contract is already up, you can take advantage of the $69 for the first three months, too!)

[extarbags]

I deal with Qwest a lot because of work. I know their evils :P

One time Qwest called the company I work at and I got to talk to them. Hilarious:

Qwest: Hi, I'm calling from Qwest communications about our DSL.

Me: We're an ISP.

Qwest: Ok, but we're offering DSL in your area...

Me: No, we're an ISP. We sell DSL too.

Qwest: Well how are you connected to the internet right now?

Me: Um. Dual OC3.

Qwest: Ok... so.... are you at all familiar with DSL?

[Jason McCullough]

I think the static IPs are $20 extra (it's equiv to the service I have). Oh, they're free for the first year.

Guess me paying $20 for the first three months evens it out.

[Aleck]

I think the static IPs are $20 extra (it's equiv to the service I have). Oh, they're free for the first year.

Guess me paying $20 for the first three months evens it out.

Well, the great thing is that after the first three months you should be able to switch to the $99/mo. plan (that's been my experience in the past -- speakeasy has let me move from one promotional offer to another for the past 3 years).

Gotta love em!