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Review by w5nl0 See Profile

  • Location: Cumby, Hopkins, TX, USA
  • Cost: $80 per month (12 month contract)
Nothing at all
8 days to do a 15 minute install. Unstable connection AT BEST!!
Doesn't seem to care..tech support is a joke...staw away unless it's your only rural option.
Pre Sales Information:
Install process:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I called Argon for service on 12/12. Was told install date will be 12/20!? I got installed and you get what you pay for. 2mbps is 2mbps. there are no bursts to 10mbps(False claim). When you live in the sticks you take what you can get..

I rated value for the money at a zero because $81/mo(taxes included) for a hard throttled 2mbps is a bit much, but those are his prices and have been those prices since he started offering broadband AFAIK. The internet is changing and nowadays 2mbps is just barely enough for someone who USES the internet. If your looking up muffin recipies, 2mbps is plenty. IMHO $81 should at LEAST get you a 3.5mbps connection if not 4.

Now for the review after one week of service.

Since I have been installed, my link to their AP(tower) will not stay up for 15 minutes at a time. If it went down once it has been down 100 times in the last 7 days. Until today I sent an email and a screenshot EVERY time the service has gone down. Emails totaling 45. That's just when it went down while I was trying to use it. Out of the 40 emails I was replied to TWICE. Both times had me go through the gammit of quick fixes. Bypass the router...why? Need the router for WiFi for my other devices. However, I did all she asked with no result.

This has been the one of the most unstable internet connections I have ever had. Just today I could not hold a stable 32k WMA AUDIO STREAM!!!!! I had to resort to using my cellphone for listening to this stream(The Ticket). I cannot in good faith recommend Argon Technologies to anyone and I am writing this for all to see before they make the mistake of subscribing.

When the link is up, it is ok, except during peak hours and then the speed suffers drastically. It appears that he does not have the backbone service to support all his users.

This is a cut and paste of an email to support:

This is what happened (Attached a screenshot of the speed at 570k) last night after 5 when everyone’s home and the network traffic is at a peak. Check the SM, it has gone down twice in the last 30 minutes.

I am going to require a 2 mbps connection...nothing less. The package does not say UP TO 2mbps for $74.95, it says 64x 2mbps $74.95. I have seen that less than 5 times today during non-peak hours. If you cannot supply the bandwidth I pay for then I am going to have to do something else, especially at $81/mo. No hard feelings but I do expect to get at LEAST what I pay for.

Brian McElvy

No reply. Guess they went and hid under their desks.

If the problems get fixed, I will amend this review accordingly. You have until 1/1/12 then I will hold YOU in breach of contract and move on. Just like I signed a contract to pay you, you are in a binding contract to supply me with the advertised speed at the advertised price. You are not even close to fulfilling your end of the deal. I believe the legal term is "Specific Performance".

Bottom line: Stay away

Update: Today 12/27 I was offered to be let out of my contract. I accepted. First they called about setting me up a service call to try and fix the problem. I said "Fine, do what you have to do to keep this up." 10 minutes later I got the offer to release me out of my contract.

Sounds like they are aware that they cannot provide what I am paying for. So there is the story of my experience with Argon Technologies.

Caveat Emptor

Update 1/10/12: They have removed the claim of "bursts to 10mbps" from their website and added "up to". But here on DSL reports they claim 14MPBS BURSTS!!!! WOW!! IMAGINE THAT!!!! Look out Cable!

About Argon Technologies Inc. ..

Argon Technologies offers Phantom Wave Wireless Broadband Internet Service to all of Hunt County Texas and most of the surrounding counties. We are rapidly expanding our service area in all directions.

Phantom Wave Broadband Internet Access provides our users from 128Kb/s to 3 Mb/s transfer rates with burst speeds of up to 14 Mb/s!!

Data Rates ranging up to 100 Mb/s are available for our commercial customers.

Availability:
Texas



member for 12.3 years, 320 visits, last login: 10.4 years ago
updated 11.7 years ago

25139889 (banned)
join:2011-10-25
Toledo, OH

25139889 (banned)

Member

Not offending

but normally ISPs are covered by "up to" and outage are acts of God and nature and are not covered for breach.
w5nl0
join:2011-11-13

4 edits

w5nl0

Member

Re: Not offending

Click for full size
Click for full size
No act of God here. condx are perfect and my SM at 58 feet and the AP is 2 miles away. A bit overkill but I was trying for service out of Commerce 10 miles away and the reflector was up there with a good cable run, so we just swapped SM's and aimed the reflector, I'm in line of 2 AP's with the Commerce ISP and the SM is picking up both and cancelling(bleeding over) each other. Just bad luck where I fall on the map.

My signal to the AP is -57dbM with a 1 jitter. When its up pingtest.net shows this is a world class line in terms of quality, speed is acceptable, but the link will not stay up. I have ruled out any NAT/firewall problems. No act of God, just a bad network with obviously poor administrators.

P.S. There is nothing between my SM and the AP but clear blue sky. not a tree limb.....nothing.

The only thing that has not been ruled out is interference from the Tier One/Cool Access AP which is not in a direct line but close.
w5nl0

w5nl0 to 25139889

Member

to 25139889
Also in the contract there is no mention of "UP TO'

Needless to say this has become a nightmare. During this writing the link has dropped twice. They got issues! And a week to fix it.
StLCardsFan
join:2011-06-06
Lafayette, LA

StLCardsFan

Member

Re: Not offending

not that I know for sure ...but i looked at a centurylink ISP map and it says Cumby, TX. is in its service area.

I would assume you would have centurylink if it was available? If not ..what do your neighbors use?

2 mile LOS wireless shot shouldn't be a big deal. Ive seen 20+ miles down petroleum pipelines ..and yes up in your part of Texas.
w5nl0
join:2011-11-13

w5nl0

Member

Re: Not offending

Centurylink used to be here until one day back a few years ago, they came by and ripped their infrastructure off the poles.

Here you have:
Cool Access/Tier One = See my review

Argon Technologies = See my Review

Cumby Telephone DSL = 1.5 for $60 and you have to have a house phone($13.00)

I am currently on a trial run with Enet/Koyote out of Commerce. $39.95 for 6mbps!!!!!!!!. Still having some interference issues but we're close to hammering them out. Best service I have ever had......when it's up!
25139889 (banned)
join:2011-10-25
Toledo, OH

25139889 (banned)

Member

Re: Not offending

Centlink is NOT just going to take down their network off the poles. And especially when you say they still of offer 1.5meg dsl for $60. Looks like they prolly put the lines underground and most phone companies did do that. YEARS ago. Hell ATT did that back when it was Ameritech.
w5nl0
join:2011-11-13

2 edits

w5nl0

Member

Re: Not offending

Dude. Did you catch my username? Google it. No idiot here. The cable infrastructure that was in place had been up since the 70's. The cable service was not even worth stealing. Our head in was small tin bldg. and our locals were being received on a RESIDENTIAL antenna with a preamp(70 miles from cedar hill). Cable internet was never offered. City hall says there was less than 30 legitimate subs, and over 200 illegal connections. Centurylink had to upgrade or cut bait. They cut bait. The 1.5 dsl comes from the Telco. Ya think I would have known if they dug up my yard.
Plus, I still have 80 feet of 75 ohm hardline they gave me when they made it down my street.
I should add that this is a rural town. POP 1200
25139889 (banned)
join:2011-10-25
Toledo, OH

25139889 (banned) to w5nl0

Member

to w5nl0
doesn't have to be in writing though. hey can say you should have assumed or post it on their website. But you do not mention anything about it saying "act of God or Nature". That basically would be "up to" and screw you any way possible.
w5nl0
join:2011-11-13

w5nl0

Member

Re: Not offending

People or businesses do not offer to let you out of a contract 4 days in if they didn't know they had a serious problem. The thing is, I'm one of those people who will screw back. You don't screw me and I just lay down and take it.
Expand your moderator at work
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog

Member

...

The only thing you accomplish by bumping your review is ruining what little credibility you have. You have nothing new to add to your review, you are no longer a customer of this company, you are doing nothing more than flaming them.
w5nl0
join:2011-11-13

4 edits

w5nl0

Member

Re: ...WIRELESSDOG IS A TROLL!

The reason this went to the top was because "coelhomc" wrote a pointless, childish, flaming comment about me and I replied pointing out just how bad he embarrased himself as a Greenville businessman. He further showed everyone the mind of the man in control of this orginization, and what an immature idiot he was by writing the comments he wrote. He has since deleted it with his head in his hands in shame one would gather. Mr. Dog, you are correct, I am no longer a customer of his but that doesn't mean that I'll stop "looking out for the folks", helping the uninformed customer so they don't sign up for this and be forced to pay for and suffer through it for a whole year.

Speaking of credibility, didn't YOU just bump this post? Why does someone in MARYLAND have so much interest about a discussion of an irrelevant ISP in rural north Texas? Don't see "moderator" anywhere in your profile, so what gives? A quick scan of your posting history proves you are nothing more than a forum troll. How much credibility is given to trolls? NONE!

Thanks for doing this though. It puts his reviews on the top of the homepage where it belongs. It should be a sticky.
w5nl0

4 edits

w5nl0

Member

Re: ...

Link to deleted post.
»Review of Argon Technologies Inc.