 Review by Aggie Dan 
member for 11 years, 2764 visits, last login: 290 days ago
updated 9 years ago
 Irving,Dallas,TX
 $50 per month about 20 days Southwestern Bell "Tech support wait time is minimal." "Online ordering process too simplified. Modem shipment coordination lacking. Please ship the newest drivers the first time!" "Decent speed ~600/128. I don't see this ISP hitting Chapter 11 anytime soon."
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1/15/2002 - Well, on 1/3/2002 I called to cancel the service. I'll be migrating to SBC/Yahoo DSL and setting up a router so both my wife and I can VPN into work. My service finally canceled on 1/13/2002. And today I was able to call into SBC to get a new DSL order created. I have a due date of 1/22/2002. I should be receiving my kit on 1/21/2002.
11/15/2002 - At the urging of BBR I guess I will give an update on my service. Yes, I still have AOL + DSL. I have, though, experienced much better performance lately. I did upgrade my OS to Windows XP Pro, and that seems to have made all the difference in the world. That and the new AOL 8.0 ( I also run the beta versions) is much better about ping times than 7.0 was.
Even so, I'll likely change to SBC DSL by year's end because I'm building a new PC and need to set up a home network so that both my wife and I can remote into work. Her VPN software will not work with AOL, that she has been told.
3/27/2002 - Well, I have had DSL for quite some time now, so I thought that I would include an update. I'm definitely considering a move to SBC DSL since a while back I requested a different DSL modem, but it still hasn't arrived. Also, I've tried doing the ICS thing to share my connection with my other computer (AMD K62 - 333 MHz) running 98. Well, the computers are networked now. The second one just can't get to the internet. I know it is probably something I am doing wrong, but I'm thinking a router would be much better and it would allow me to still network even when I reboot in Mandrake Linux 8.1
As well, the service is rather flaky at times. The stupid USB modem and Windows ME operating system just do not seem to be the best ideas in the world as an always on combination.
12/17/2001 - It seems as though I found out what the problem with my connection reliability it. Within about 3 minutes of running the following combination of software packages, it tends to drop my connection :
Download Accellerator Plus
AOL 7.0
VNC
Hmmm... Well, I'll see what else I can do to get this stuff done. One good thing is that my VPN software seems to work fine. So, telecommuting is a possibility for both my fiancee and I.
12/11/2001 1:00 PM - Looks like I just got knocked offline. (Reducing Connection Reliability Score for the interim.) I'll have to wait until I get home to see what happened. Using VNC instead of backoffice to remotely connect to PC from home. I'm assuming that since I can't connect to my PC that SOMETHING is down.
12/11/2001 - Well, I spent a good deal of time last night getting my DSL connection working. I received the modem (Actiontec USB) and installed the drivers and assorted software. I put on the filters. No link light. Uninstall, reinstall, powercycle. Ok, time for tech support. Once I got through all the voice prompts telling me to check a site on AOL if I am inquiring about my install date I was talking to a rep. Another powercycle and then he had me download new drivers for the modem. It worked. Kinda. The speed was so bad that the Tweak test would not work. (15kbps downstream) So, I did some generic tweaks and was finally able to tweak up to 133kbps. This morning, I doublechecked everything before calling in a trouble ticket for slow connection. I'm glad I did. My computer was connected to the phoneline that sits behind my couch. By mistake I put the filter on the DSL Line instead of the phone next to it. This solved the problem. I'm now getting around the advertised minimum speed that SBC quoted me of ~ 384/128. But, I notice that I can burst at times much higher than that. We'll see how things go tonight when there isn't so much traffic in my immediate area. So, all in all, I'm rather pleased. I considering asking for a modem that doesn't use the USB port since I did buy a NIC for my computer for a reason. And from reading the forums, it sounds like it may boost my system performance a little.
12/10/2001 - I'm back from my Florida vacation. I left on the 6th. On Friday the 7th I received an email saying that my DSL had been installed on the 4th. Airborne Express tried to deliver my modem on Friday as well. Hopefully my fiancee can get the modem from the apartment office before it closes today. Then I can tell you what the speeds are like.
11/20/2001 - Well, if you have read my profile, then you understand that I am in the industry. In fact, both my fiancee and I are. I work for Verizon Online (former GTE) and my fiancee works for Sprint, formerly as Production Support for WebOE Sprint order entry system, but now as part of one of the development teams for WebOE.
11/14/2001 we got the news that she would not be laid off. She was supporting a system that was used (though this wasn't the only function) to enter Sprint ION orders. Now that we are reasonably sure that we can afford the extra money a month, I was given the green light to get DSL.
I already have AOL dial-up, and have since before the unlimited package was available. I like AOL's content. I HATE their newsgroup reader and would love to be able to use a third party software package.
On Friday 11/16/2001 I did receive an email confirming my order. It stated that I would have an install by around 12/9/2001. Yesterday 11/19/2001, I received an update via email stating that the RBOC (SWB) had accepted the order and that I would receive my modem soon, but to not use it until my due date, which would be between 12/6/2001 and 12/9/2001.
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