Review by klipko 
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 2.1 years, 627 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Portland,Washington,OR
 $42 per month
 about 14 days
 "Pretty reliable uptime"
 "Cost and speed (download and up)"
 "Looking to move to FiOS when available"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
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Update: 16.July.2007
Switched to Verizon FiOS. Service was canceled in February '07
I've had Comcast (AT&T Broadband before the buyout) since 2000.
2000 - 2001 | AT&T / @Home
Monthly cost was $37.95 ($32.95 Internet, $5.00 modem rental) for what was 4 - 7 Mbps down / 128 kbps up. Where I lived at that time not a lot of the neighbors had heard of cable Internet so my down speed was pretty fast. Up time was great and on a good day able to download Linux ISO (from Oregon State ftp servers) at 1 Megabyte per second. Never experience speed slower than 4 Mbps but I do remember reading in some neighborhoods with numerous subscribers in the same area that their speed would die off in evenings. Up load speed sucked but at the time, IM with video or any 2-way video applications wasn't mature at the time.
Install was quick, home was prewired so all the tech had to do was install the connectors / do something to the cable box out in the street, install the cable modem, make a call to activate and BAM! Speedy Internet.
Cable Internet replaced a second dedicated phone line for dialup from Qwest. DSL wasn't available.
2001-2002 | @Home dies, AT&T takes control
@Home went to hell...financially and AT&T takes control. Month cost was pushed up to $39.95 ($34.95 Internet, $5.00 modem rental) and speed was capped at 1.8 Mbps down / 128 up. Wasn't happen to see my average 4 - 7 Mbps down speed to go down and price increase.
Service still was pretty reliable. I can only remember once that it when out because a drunk driver took out a street box for phone and cable. (Nearly missed the electrical transformer.)
2002 - 2002 | AT&T Broadband
I moved from Salem area to Portland. Couldn't move the service because I was changing franchises, what their computer system said. This would be beneficial because at the time AT&T was running a promotion for new customer $19.95 for the first six months. I was considered a new customer moving to Portland so...sweet.
Speeds and cost (after the promo) still the same. No issues installing the service, apartment was cable Internet ready. (Fancy term for "coax was installed".) No issues with the service going down. Comcast buys AT&T but the Portland metro area has yet to see any changes.
2003 - Present day | AT&T to Comcast
Change to Comcast pretty uneventful...for me. I know a couple people had issues with no service or accounts being canceled automatically.
Change of name from AT&T to Comcast, increase speeds to 3 Mbps down / 256 kbps up and the monthly cost to $45.95 a month ($42.95 Internet, $3.00 modem rental). Not happy about that at all. Year later (early 2004) another speed increase, 4 Mbps down / 256 kbps. Six months after that upload increase to 384 kbps. In 2005 another increase 6 Mbps down, same upload (384 kbps). I could only see 5 Mbps down.
Had Comcast wire new coax, change modem but still only 5 Mbps. Even connected directly to the modem (no router). Signal strengths are good according to the tech's equipment and the modem itself. I just left it as is. Could be a neighborhood cable Internet subscriber saturation issue...I'm guessing here.
Comcast also added free McAfee software (anti-virus, firewall) and other services too for all subscribers. This took out some of the sting that I had from the last price increase.
My usage of the Internet has increased to where I'm working remotely at home more often. The 384 kbps upload is starting to limit how fast I can accomplish certain tasks. Screen updates (VNC, and Remote Desktop) and uploads of 10 - 20 MB files take a long time. (My employer is not willing to spend the extra $10 for 8 Mbps down / 768 kbps up.) I've always felt that I should be paying less than $40.00 a month (like the old days with @Home and AT&T Broadband). Less than $35 a month would truly be awesome...add on taxes and the total bill is less then $40. That's my dream... Other part of the dream is for symmetrical connection; 5, 7, 10 Mbps down/up.
There is PowerBoost but I don't see it in action and supposedly my market has it. My downloads are usually at a constant 5 Mbps (~580 kBps displayed from Foxfire and IE).
Over I use the Internet as a dumb pipe for VPN connections, online radio/TV/videos and some games but mostly it's VPN access to work. I don't use to many of the Comcast perks other than McAfee Anti-Virus and Rhapsody radio. I don't use their email address.
Up time is still very good. There was the problems with their DNS servers being down for a week or so in mid 2005 (not sure if it was '05) but I'm savvy enough to change my router's (Netgear WGR614) setting to use Level 3 servers (4.2.2.1 - 6). (I don't think most people outside of BroadbandReports.com and et. al. audience know what that means.) Other than that I can't remember when the last time service as gone down because of Comcast, power failures have been the causes for the last few times.
Overall I guess I'm OK with Comcast. The killers are price, and lack of upload..( and my company not paying for the faster upgrade "it's only $10 boss"). Pluses are; download speed, free commercial software (McAfee, Rhapsody, etc.) and good service up time.
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Comcast
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been w/comcast 2 years now...