Review by scaredpoet  - Location: Monmouth Junction,Middlesex,NJ
- Cost: $121 per month (24 month contract)
- Install: about 4 days
Good "The speed is great, reliability is much improved"
Bad "Expensive, and the only game in town"
Overall "Comcast lacks real competition where I live. They know this and will take advantage of it."
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(ratings match consensus)
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After a long time of suffering on DSL, I've gone back to Comcast. Their speeds have leapfrogged dramatically over what Verizon will offer me, which still hasn't made FiOS available to where I live, though residents quite literally across the street can sign up for it if they wish. So, when faced with a choice between 5Mbps DSL, and up to 100Mbps+ speeds if I want it over cable, there's unfortunately not really much of a choice to make.
I'm on Blast, the 50Mbps tier now. All told I'm paying $121 a month, including TV package, on a double play. I've purchased my own modem: a Motorola SBG6580. Speeds are consistently as advertised, sometimes slightly higher.
Comcast's reliability has greatly improved since I last reviewed them. The frequent ups and downs in the past was the primary reason why I switched to DSL in the first place. Now, the service stays up for months without issue. However, when there is a problem, expect Comcast customer service to be completely clueless. If it's not some node or network-wise issue that they're already aware of, then it's likely going to take a truck roll to figure out your issue.
The bitter pill to swallow though, is the cost. With Verizon basically not bothering to compete, there really isn't another viable choice anymore for broadband internet service. Comcast is fully aware, and so you're going to pay through the nose for their service, and get locked into multi year commitments if you want any sort of break on the pricing (which by the way, doesn't last the full term of the commitment). This obviously doesn't engender any fuzzy feelings from me. The only saving grace is that as of this writing, Comcast isn't enforcing any usage caps, so rest assured I am getting my money's worth, until they tell me otherwise.
Would I recommend Comcast? Well, they've been reliable as of late, and they generally keep their promise on advertised speed. But their pricing is so high that I can't in good conscience say they're great, or even very good, in terms of value for money.
Fortunately for Comcast, I don't really HAVE to recommend them... because unless you're in one of those lucky, small enclaves where FiOS exists, you likely don't have any other choice.
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updated 61 days ago
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