Review by ike 
UPDATED: 177 days ago
member for 7.7 years, 218 visits, last login: 16 days ago
 Whitehall,Lehigh,PA
 $153 per month
 about 30 days
 "Awesome speeds (7 megabit)"
 "Hard to work with when changing package (non-broadband issue)"
 "So far, so good... but slowly sliding down..."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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Origial review:
Bidirectional Cable (max 1.5m/700k [1.1m/500k actual])
$110/mo (no contract, no setup fees, part of TV, Phone, Internet package--est. $40/mo based on other service's fees)
Toshiba 2500 bi-directional cable modem w/USB and 10-Base-T
Dynamic IP address
Order taken by a "sales guy" for the complete package (details below). Internet, phone and cable were installed the same day by one technician. Took the guy about 5-hours to get everything setup, including running new R6 coax cable throughout the house and mount a "master" box outside.
They ran out of time to complete the update of my Outlook accounts to use RCN's SMTP server for outbound email for my non-RCN accounts (my wife had to leave and they got booted). Only took a moment to do that my self.
Package Details: Resilink Gold ($110/mo)
- Bidirectional cable internet (one dynamice IP address, 4 POP email accounts, 10 MB personal webspace)
- Full Basic TV plus 1-digial converter with 15 HBO/Cinimax channels and 45 digital music channels
- Phone (one line, unlimited local and regional calling [610, 484, 215, 267, 302], "Ultra Feature Package" [voicemail, deluxe caller id, deluxe call-waiting caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, unlimited *69 & *66], 9¢/min anytime long distance)
So far, so good. Took a bit to get my LinkSys router working with the Toshiba cable modem, but after some tweaking (aka--turning off the modem for an hour), all was fine.
Jan 2005 Update:
Cable Modem: Sevice has been awesome. Seven megabit right now, reliably (own my own Motorola SB5100--couldn't get above 5 with the Toshiba they loaned out).
TV: Took forever to get an HD-DVR from them (actually, wasn't until they came out of BK did it become available to me--must have been a pending credit issue with Motoroloa...). They are still behind the other local cable co. in regards to HD channel selections (still don't have UPN, TNT or Bravo after a year of "yea, we'll have them soon").
Phone: Since they provide a nice detailed "here's how much each part of your package is costing you" bill, I saw that for unlimited regional calling and 8-features, I was paying nealry $40/mo. Well, didn't take a rocket scientist to know that with 7-megabit (10 in a few weeks!), Vonage for $25/mo is a deal... Once RCN accepts my Local Number Portability (LNP) request to transfer my phone number to Vonage, I won't have the ResiLink package (dropping to Power CI)... That being said, it has been 6-weeks and a dozen calls now for something that should take no more than three weeks and zero calls (next call is to the state PUC to register a complaint....). This is may major complaint of late (that and their prices are going above the competition's, tempting me to leave completely)...
BTW--it took a notice to the PUC to get RCN's butt in gear. Been using Vonage ever since...
Jan 2008 update:
Getting a bit concerned with price and value... HD channels are coming slowly (TNT and Nat Geo added recently), but lag behind local competition (and very far behind Dish and DirecTV).
Power/CI plan is $153 after tax with two HD-DVRs. Breakdown of charges:
Internet:
- Mach-7: $37 ($40 less $3 for customer owned modem)
Cable:
- Limited Cable: $15
- Expanded Cable: $32
- New Digital Vision: $16.05
- PowerDigital: $10
- HD-DVRs: $12.95 each
- HD-Tier: $7.95
- Taxes: $8.43
Recent posting in RCN forum indicate "HD Tier" should now be free, but an email to RCN indicates current plan can't have that.
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