Review by thomasdietri 
member for 8.7 years, 9 visits, last login: 2.2 years ago
updated 2.3 years ago
 Cincinnati,Hamilton,OH
 $39 per month- (12 month contract)
 Cincinnati Bell "They offered a wireless router free, free install, cheap, 20Mbps down, 5Mbps up" "Connection seems to hiccup occassionally. Had service out today. Hopefully fixed." "FiOptics is the best deal in town."
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This review is for the new Cincinnati Bell FiOptics offering. It is fiber to the home which can carry phone, data, and television. I have the phone and data plan. Previously I had the Cincinnati Bell DSL product, which is reviewed below.
Install went fine, but took longer than I had expected. They were on site for about 4 or 5 hours. They installed a new box in the basement where the phone lines enter, and would have run CAT5 to the router, but that cable was already in place. They removed the cover of my current jack and just connected a free floating box with Ethernet jack. Kind of sloppy, but it's under / behind my desk so not really a big deal.
Connection is FAST! One problem is that most sites cap my transfer at 1.5 or maybe 2Mbps (like downloading drivers or ISO's from a hardware manufacturer). Doing speed tests I can get 20Mbps down and 5Mbps up, but seem to experience hiccups. Tech support was here today and thinks he fixed it.
Overall this is the best value in town if you want high speed. Total package with unlimited phone, unlimited long distance, and unlimited data is about $63 per month.
They also offer the triple pack of phone, TV, and data for $89 per month with basic TV, or $99 per month with most HD TV channels.
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I've had RoadRunner cable and now Cincinnati Bell ZoomTown DSL. This review is for their DSL product. I've worked in networking and IT for almost 20 years.
I switched from cable modem to DSL to save money, and it worked. Install and cutover was quick and easy. Switched from VoIP digital phone with cable to normal POTS line with Cinbell at same time, and switched to satellite for TV.
DSL modem was small, didn't produce much heat, required normal phone jack and had output jacks to Ethernet or USB. I used my own wireless router instead of theirs. Signal was always strong and reliable. Service was never needed other than when I called to switch over to fiber. In short, it was a great product at a great low price. I would definately reccommend Cincinnati Bell ZoomTown DSL to a friend.
I've never needed their tech support, and I don't use their email, so I cannot comment on those items.
Now, I have seen problems where some people have their DSL modem take a jolt from lightning during a storm, and that fries the Ethernet jack on their home PC. They must then use the USB connection or buy a new Ethernet card.
I've also seen problems for people on the edges of the DSL range (18,000 feet from the DSLAM). If you're too far then your signal drops repeatedly, your modem cannot establish a reliable connection, and your experience will be awful.
Comments:
 | | Common Misunderstanding I just thought I would let you know that you are getting the speeds you are supposed to, but for a long time now ISPs have been advertising their speeds in MegaBits, which is .125 of a MegaByte. That means that 20 MegaBits = 2 MegaBytes. Have I explained it well enough? | |
|  | | | Re: Common Misunderstanding I have Fioptics downtown Cincinnati. I live right by there NOC actually. It's blazingly fast. 30/30....testing gets me real close to 30mbps up and down no problem. New customers have to deal with the 10mbps upload limit. I've heard there's some definite issues with line quality within apartment buildings and houses that can cause these issues. I have a friend that is experiencing these issues as well. He actually is doing work for Cincinnati Bell as a contractor. Even having a contact withing the fiber department hasn't helped him get the issue fixed. Sometimes the wiring is simply too costly for them to replace. | |
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