 Review by toadlife 
UPDATED: 243 days ago
member for 4.3 years, 1013 visits, last login: 2 days ago
 Coalinga,Fresno,CA
 $24 per month
 about 10 days
 AT&T
 "Very reliable connection / no slowdowns / no caps"
 "meh"
 "No complaints"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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I ordered SBC's 3000/384 package for 39.99 back in Late April of 2004 and got myself up and running on May 5th (my modem's web interface tells me the first use date of my modem).
Before signing up I had a few questions about the pricing, and called SBC about it. Their support personnel were able to answer my question without much hassle. This is the only experience I have with their phone support, as I have never needed to call them regarding a service issue.
When I loaded up their CD, the first thing I noticed was the large amount of software they want you to install. I came to broadbandreports.com, and quickly found that NONE of this software is needed. This was a relief as I planned on using my connection from various UNIX operating systems (BSD/Linux).
One thing that annoyed me about the setup process was that there were no instructions for 'power users' like myself, who understand networking and don't need a ton of software to hold their hand. Upon visiting this site, I found that the only thing I required to get my connection going was the address of the signup page at SBC's website. The CD and accompanying instructions that came with the initial package had no mention of this.
After finding out that all you have to do is hook up your modem and go to a certain web address to sign up, I have to wonder why they don't at least include a small piece of paper with this information for "power users", or point you to this information when you sign up online.
After getting my connection going, my modem synced up at 1500/256. This apparently was normal and the instructions that came with the package mentioned that the speed would increase over the next few days. However my speed did not increase. I came to broadband reports and looked up information on line quality and speeds. My line quality was very good, so after 10 days had passed I contacted SBC via the forums here. Someone responded fairly quickly and within a few days my modem synced up at 3000/416 - the full speed I was paying for. This part was rather troubling to me, as someone who is less technically inclined might never realize that they are only getting half the service they are paying for. I have to wonder how many SBC Yahoo customers who bought the 3000/384 service are humming along at 1500/256 without even knowing it.
The equipment that was provided by SBC was a Speedstream 5100 modem. Being an IT person, I built myself a custom DSL router using an old PC and the FreeBSD operating system. It handles the PPPoE connection, DNS queries, NAT Port forwarding. SBC blocks a few incoming ports related to windows networking (135,139,445,1025), which is a good thing, but no other incoming ports are blocked. I signed up for a Dynamic DNS address, and using NAT port forwarding on my router, I am able to access my PC remotely (assuming my wife doesn't turn it off) from anywhere.
Since getting my connection speed situated, I have had absolutely no problems with my connection. My computers are on pretty much 24/7. I trade live concert recordings via bit torrent and often am using 100% of my outgoing bandwidth for days at a time.
SBC also offers a bunch of other add-ons tagged onto their packages, like email accounts with a large amount of storage, and dialup accounts, but I've never used them, as I have my own domain and plenty of space, but these services might be useful to others.
Bottom Line: A very reliable connection at a good price. just be sure and make sure you're getting the speed you pay for. I would recommend coming to the forums at this site for support instead of calling SBC on the phone.
UPDATE: Yesterday I cancelled my DSL and phone service from At&T. over the last year or so, we had completely stopped using our landline, and I was tried of paying upwards of $25-$30 for "nothing". I called them and found out that the express package for dry-loop DSL was 44.95, I had had enough.
When AT&T decides to step into the 21st century and offer dry-loop DSL for a reasonable price I'll be happy to come back as a customer. Until then I'll be using a local wireless ISP, which charges 19.95 a month.
UPDATED UPDATE:
I ended up not canceling my service. The reason is that I found out about metered phone service. None of the At&T reps ever bothered to tell me that I could get basic phone service for $5.75 a month. They were content to let me cancel all of my services. I switched to metered local phone service with no long distance and now my total bill from SBC is only around $30.00.
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