Upgrading my Internet Connection Speed

[benos]

I'm currently on my original EarthLink consumer level ADSL plan that I've had for years. The plan is 3 M down and something like 400k upload. It actually averages around 2.5 down and 300k up.

Lately, I've had more intermittent connection issues than I can deal with - so I'm going to upgrade to "business plan."

So I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the decision I need to make. Right now I'm paying $39.95/m, so bumping up to a $400/m T1 connection is a little shocking to me. I just got off the phone with an earthlink sales rep... They have several plans available for small home offices.

We run 3 computers, and one VoIP phone line.

The earthlink rep said I probably wouldn't be able to notice any download difference between the speed I have now, and the 1.1 x 1.1 Biz SDSL plan, below.

The two plans I'm considering at the moment:

"Small Office+" ADSL: 3.0 x 768 - $89.95/m

"BIZ SDSL" 1.1 x 1.1 $219.00/m

BIZ T1

1.5 x 1.5

$359.00/m 3 year min

$399.00/m 1 year min

2.5 hours downtime max / SLA agreement

BIZ SDSL / Public LAN static IP

1.1 x 1.1 $219.00/m

1.5 x 1.5 $269.00/m

24 hours downtime max / SLA agreement

$399 equip fee but it is all refunded upon installation

Small Office+ ADSL: phone line not needed / single static IP on "outside"

1.5 $79.95/m

3.0 $89.95/m

6.0 $104.95/m

all 768 k upload

"best effort delivery" on downtime / no SLA

All advice will be appreciated.

Thank you,

be

[Greg Bell]

... so bumping up to a $400/m T1 connection is a little shocking to me.

I can remember when that was more like $1,000 per month

Not that they are any better with SLA but does your cable company offer a "business" level circuit? Might be worth a call.

[Cactustactical]

Brian,

doesn't Cox offer cable internet in your area? We have it for both our business and at the house. Way more better than dsl.

[benos]

... so bumping up to a $400/m T1 connection is a little shocking to me.

I can remember when that was more like $1,000 per month

Not that they are any better with SLA but does your cable company offer a "business" level circuit?

Yes. The plans I listed are all "business level."

Brian,

doesn't Cox offer cable internet in your area? We have it for both our business and at the house. Way more better than dsl.

Yes we have Cox. When I moved into my house 5 or 6 years ago, it had Cox's cables strung all over the place, inside and out. I wasn't planning to use them, so I tore them all down. They literally filled a huge garbage can - boxes, cables and all kinds of stuff. Being a nice guy, I called cox and asked them if they cared to send anyone out to pick up their equipment. And I got a real asshat - who just kept repeating that the cables/hardware were supposed to stay on the house. After about the third time I heard that, I said "Look, I just bought this house, I'll never have Cox cable, so I'm definitely not going to have Cox's cables strung all over the place because 'I'm supposed to leave them on the house'" - and hung up.

But maybe I'll look into it. If I could just one cable tastefully installed into my office where my phone line comes in now, I'd consider it.

Another issue. I'd like to keep my @mindspring.com email address. At this point I have a few that are tied to so many accounts I hate thought losing them. But I've heard you can now "port" email address just like phone numbers, but there is a monthly or yearly fee. But I don't know how much it is; I guess I should call them. I just did. Man, EarthLink's support is just crap these days. I got this person who sounded like they were asleep the entire time. I had to have them repeat everything multiple times, just sounded completely cluess the whole time. I finally hung up out of frustration. but I did get this:

9.95/m for up to 8 emails "EarthLink Experience" inc. 10 hours dial up

Email only service "Premium Email" 2 emails for 29.88/year - prepay

2 eamils, 3.95/m, then 3.95 for each extra one per month

I have 3 to 4 accounts that I'd like to keep.

It might be worth changing to another company just to get rid of EarthLink's crap support.

And the sales rep I talked to yesterday admitted that their support crew for even their biz plans was in Manila. He said there was talk of moving the biz support crew back to the US, but he couldn't guarantee that. That's irritating.

be

[Flexmoney]

Five grand a year sound like a lot to me, when what you are paying for now ought to work. (I assume it's currently just going down, not being over used?)

I'd explore. If you go cable, it can be ran neatly.

[G-ManBart]

Five grand a year sound like a lot to me, when what you are paying for now ought to work. (I assume it's currently just going down, not being over used?)

I'd explore. If you go cable, it can be ran neatly.

+1

One possibility might be a wireless network to keep the install clean. We've done that here and the main line goes into my wife's office where the wireless router is. My desktop is in a different room using a wireless USB adapter and there is no noticable difference in either upload or download speeds...and the laptop works well anywhere in the house except the garage (still works there, but a little slower).

[Cactustactical]

Brian,

doesn't Cox offer cable internet in your area? We have it for both our business and at the house. Way more better than dsl.

Yes we have Cox. When I moved into my house 5 or 6 years ago, it had Cox's cables strung all over the place, inside and out. I wasn't planning to use them, so I tore them all down. They literally filled a huge garbage can - boxes, cables and all kinds of stuff. Being a nice guy, I called cox and asked them if they cared to send anyone out to pick up their equipment. And I got a real asshat - who just kept repeating that the cables/hardware were supposed to stay on the house. After about the third time I heard that, I said "Look, I just bought this house, I'll never have Cox cable, so I'm definitely not going to have Cox's cables strung all over the place because 'I'm supposed to leave them on the house'" - and hung up.

But maybe I'll look into it. If I could just one cable tastefully installed into my office where my phone line comes in now, I'd consider it.

No comment on your previous experience with Cox customer support, but cable is much faster than dsl. Our business costs are $100 per month, the wire comes through a wall to a header box?m the signal is split to 6 locations, all inside the wall and we have wall jacks for the desktops.

Our house ( $50 or so per month for internet) is laid out with one main line coming to a box on the outside of the house with individual lines through the attic crawl space to each room with a wall jack for the tv, phone, computer connection. Is no more muss than old style phone lines.

It rarely goes down, always on connections, the speed is incredible. Cox currently has 3 speed options here:

Download Speed: Up to 1.5 Mbps Up to 12 Mbps Up to 20 Mbps

Upload Speed: Up to 256 Kbps Up to 1 Mbps Up to 2 Mbps.

We have the up to 12 mb download and 1 mbps upload speed and it is fast, heavily image laden web sites load in a second or so.

We switched everything over from Qwest 10 or so years ago and it was a good decision. Customer service is like everyplace else, hit or miss. I am not sure whether they would give you internet alone or if you would need to pickup phone or tv also.

Edited July 20, 2008 by Cactustactical

[JKSNIPER]

Brian,

Go with cable.

Much faster than other options and almost never goes down unless there either a hurrricane or blizzard or some jackass wrecks their car into a pole somewhere.

Their people should be able to install the cables in a professional manner.

I also use the wireless router at the desktop and my kids can trek through the house with their laptops without dragging wires everywhere.

My brother and son worked at this for a while and if you were local J.D. would be happy to wire you up but the drive from Long Island to AZ would be a bummer.

Good luck with it.

JK

[cking]

I've installed and maintained a state wide network in Florida, with more than 90 sites using all kinds of connectivity. You really can't say ADSL, Cable, is better than the other. It mainly depends on the infrastructure in your neighborhood.

What I've seen is, if your near a new homes build out area, the infrastructure will be new the service from both will be good and reliable. Out in boonies it will suck.

Best way to find out is if you have two different carriers like cable and DSL order both because you have 30 days to decide. Test them both and get rid of worst.

[benos]

Thanks all for the great info.

Does anyone know if a land-line phone number (with Quest) can be ported like a cell phone number can? If so that would make the cable thing more doable for me.

be

[Flexmoney]

What if you just add cable...keeping your current DSL/phone too (and all that goes with)?

Might be some up-side there.

Would switching over be easy in case one went down? My cable comes into a cable modem, then I run it to a wireless router (router = wireless + it has 4 plug-in connections as well).

I'd think that having two modems...a DSL modem and a Cable modem...would let you just plug one right into the router (leaving the other there, but not plugged in unless needed).

[Nik Habicht]

Flex makes a lot of sense. Having the modem/router plugged into a UPS would allow you to work off a laptop (assuming charged laptop batteries) even during a power failure.....

I don't know about running a shipping label printer of a UPS though....

Redundancy is almost always a good idea.....