 Review by KA3SGM 
UPDATED: 123 days ago
member for 2.3 years, 771 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 West Chester,Chester,PA
 $325 per month (24 month contract)
 about 14 days
 "FAST-FAST-FAST. The Internet service is Awsome. Would be better if Verizon stopped the discriminatory speed tiers between states"
 "Beware of their Sub-Contracted installers with the Ditch Witch. Still have not fixed my fence."
 "INSIST THEY LEAVE YOUR PHONE LINE ON COPPER--TV Picture Quality IS NOT UP TO PAR, Internet works BETTER than advertised."
| Pre Sales Information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Ordered 15/2, I get 15.5 / 1.8 pretty reliably. Still waiting for 20/5 upgrade promised by end of 2005.
Internet installed 9/2005, 2 weeks after order placed. Subcontractor burying conduit made my front yard look like a "Monster Truck Mud Bog Shootout Event!" They took down a section of the fence in my side yard to get the Ditch Witch through, and still have not fixed it
Verizon will fight you the worst if you try to leave ANY OF their services.
By all means, If you want FiOS with any degree of reliability, insist they they leave your copper connection intact. Don't let them switch their voice service over to fiber.
If your Copper phone connection has not been any problem, follow the old adage, if it ain't broke, don't F' with it.
I have been through 4 FiOS ONT's in 7 months.
Believe me, you really want to keep that Verizon copper phone line, the FioS phone reliability completely sucks.
Verizon needs to hold their hardware suppliers to a higher level of quality.
Their current ONT supplier, Tellabs, has abysmal quality control issues, maybe if they get a few other manufacturers on board the price will drop and the quality will improve too.
Once they switch you, they are required by PA law to restore the copper if you request it, but they will fight you tooth an nail to make it ever happen.
But I am keeping my Excellent Fios Internet Service, and problematic, but better than Comcast, Fios TV service. For now..
It's still the best bang for the buck for Internet, and needs some help for Picture Quality for TV, but is still the best deal in town.
I keep a reliable Verizon Wireless cell Phone as a backup for my voice service, as my Wife has some health issues that require a 100% reliable phone connection.
FIOS Internet, If it's available to you, Just Do It!!!!
OT but I recommend Verizon Wireless here too as part of Quadruple play service.
OK, My original Fios Phone+Internet Install was on 9/30/2005. Now moving into FiOS year 3.
This marks my 2 year Anniversary review of having Verizon FiOS service.
From 9/30/2005, my original install date, moving everything on fiber was great, Phone and Internet, until they installed the TV service on 12/08/2006.
Verizon's reps outright lied repeatedly about their 20/5 upgrade coming to me in 10/2005, I am still stuck at 15/2 to this day.
The nightmare began 2 months later, in February 2007, when I completely lost all Fios service.
It took Verizon over a month to restore me to where everything had been before, but I also was forced to loose any prior service credit, and grandfathered pricing in the process.
Since then, the TV service has been an abysmal mess, and the Phone and Internet has greatly suffered from outages during that time period.
Would I recommend Fios to anyone else???
Phone= Ask them to keep the copper first, proceed with fiber optic phone service with caution. Fios phone reliability depends on a battery backup, dead battery=NO phone service.
Internet=Definitely
TV=PROBABLY NEVER AGAIN. Verizon needs to call Comcast and ask them how to be a REAL cable TV provider. (Less the regular price increases though)
UPDATE- 11/2/2007- They installed the 5th ONT today since this past February, and confirmed that there was a bad tap at the street.
That in an underground service vault, which fills with muddy water when it rains heavily.
Might be an answer to much of the service problems I have been having.
I had a 3+ hour outage last night of all Fios services, and that might be the cause.
A Verizon Line crew is supposed to check/replace it next week.
After 9 months of aggravation, it may end up being their Fiber equipment supplier, Corning, that is the root of all the problems I have had....
It makes perfect sense, the same company that made the plate you ate your dinner off tonight, also makes most of the plant equipment for Verizon's FiOS network.
Corning needs to stick with dinnerware, and leave the fiber optic business to another company.
WOW, FiOS has finally become stable here, this on the evening before the new IMG software rollout.
Their billing department still has my account screwed up, I have 2 Wireless lines with Verizon now added to the same bill, a practical Triple-Play if you will, but they are now double billing me on the wireless end.
Thank god I have my 4 most important wireless lines still with T-Mobile.
They still have not provided the 20/5 option that I was promised when I had FiOS installed back in September 2005, so I still rate their pre-sales information as a complete lie.
Tech support has stabilized, but I still have a semi-regular picture tiling on various FiOS TV channels, so i can't rate them any higher than middle of the road .
The $325/mo cost is for all 4 Verizon services, about $80 is for Verizon Wireless.
My only reason for even considering Verizon for Wireless service is tied to the ON-STAR phone built into my car, that only works with Verizon....
I will follow up this review as conditions warrant.....
Followup comments:  
get a life
@verizon.net
| simple minded ka3sgm posted Actiontec Firewall "HIGH" Setting Disables VOD
on 2007-02-11 13:24:36
"I was checking the security settings on my Actiontec on Friday, and moved the security setting from Medium to High. This morning my kids tell me that there is something wrong with the cable box in my living room, the on demand had an error that it could not receive on demand at this time. I checked my other 2 boxes and they have the same problem. I thought about it for a while before I was going to call the FSC and open up a trouble ticket, because the guide was still working. I almost ruled out problems on my end. On a whim, I went back to the router and moved the security back to medium(I have separate firewall software on my PCs anyway), and BAM, the on demand was working again. I can't understand why Actiontec would design a security feature that disables one of the prime functions of the router. Anyone else see this problem? Maybe the new .126 firmware corrects it?" »Actiontec Firewall "HIGH" Setting Disables VOD Function???
Sounds like to me you should not be touching something that you have no clue about. The actiontec router is not your property and should be only accessed by verizon techs. I only wished that they offered it in my area. You have no idea how lucky you are. | |
|  |
KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Re: simple minded Get A Life, really, please get a life yourself. Why would Actiontec include a customer accessible security feature that would cripple one of the primary functions of their router??
It does not make any sense. My home network is MY network, and keeping scumbags out is a foremost concern!
May future firmware fix this problem? I can only hope, as I don't want to have to launch DOS attacks on individuals that try to infringe on my personal web traffic, but I am fully prepared to do so if necessary ! Add a little Muguito and some bandwidth, and they can bring it on! I am ready !!!
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FiOS, So Easy A Neanderthal Can Do It! | |
| 
Jerm
join:2000-04-10
Richland, WA
 ·Charter Pipeline
| Ignore the troll... Just FYI, I wouldn't run the Actiontec on 'high' for a very different reason: it's a worthless setting.
It unduly restricts traffic, causing all kinds of problems. Additionally the CPU can't handle the load and you'll likely get router lockups or bandwidth issues when running some high packet count applications (ie P2P).
You would be much better off running a software firewall or using a real hardware firewall that can handle SPI with high traffic volumes. | |
| showpeople
join:2007-08-08
Auburn, NY
·Verizon FIOS
| Security settings Fios does not play well with Windows Firewall (in my opinion). Suggest (ok, now don't start yelling just yet) you disable the firewall completely. Use a good virus program and have a couple good spyware and registry cleaners up and use them EVERY DAY when you boot up or when you close for the night (if you do) or if you must feel secure then find a good firewall other than Microsoft. Personally, I am not a big fan of the firewall technology and think it is overkill, anyhow. I am on every day for 15 hours or so...sometimes all night, also and by cleaning and organizing daily I never have a problem. Most folks end up with these problems because they ignore the hard disk when you really have to treat it as a member of your extended family. | |
|
mrtech
@verizon.net
| Light Level If you have had 4 ONT's you probably have a light issue. If/when a tech comes back out ask him to monitor the light level and call in to check the logs for your piece of equip. It's not common to replace the ONT 4 times - the fios tech in your area are new and may not be looking at the big picture.
Also, the actiontec belongs to the customer: you paid for it. You can even use a different router if you want, all you would need is a NIM to convert the cat5e ethernet cable to coax for the settop boxes. | |
|
SY SHAH
@baesystems.com
| Verizon Fios Triple Play I just got verizon TV, Phone and Internet installed. i have gone thru nothing but trouble.
for TV they had to bring HDTV receiver to get rid off pixelizing while you change channels. they are going to charge me for regular receiver.
phone has static plus couple of my buddies can't call me. verizon says it is COMCAST Digital switch they have is problem.
they end-up calling me on my cell. I don't know what to do? you can not cancel Verizon as of two year contract
| |
| | RC4
join:2007-11-29
Gresham, OR
| Re: Verizon Fios Triple Play I've had fios internet for about 4 months and i have to say I HATE IT!..First off, i told them i wanted the 15meg package... Well they gave me the 5meg and charged me for the 15. Go figure.. Next they made like 2 large sized holes in my wall and never cleaned anything up..When i called about the 15meg only being 5 they asked me to run a speed test to make sure i was right LOL..This all coming off after having dsl for 1 year and comcast cable before that..Well they finally got my speed up to 15megs, it only took them 14 days after they installed it..Next, One night i was sitting in my living room drinking a beer and noticed a weird cable running from my router to the back on my cpu..WTF I ASKED MYSELF! This is suppose to be wireless right? That's what they told me not to mention there is a 6inch antenna sticking out of it..WTF i ask you? Oh but it gets better...My speeds say its 15meg but it sure doesn't dl like it..Browsing is slower then dsl and my pings are HORRIBLE..So i said FTHIS! I called them and asked to be put back to the 5meg package and sure enough that took 14 days as well..While dling with 5meg i noticed my speeds said 5megs but I'm still downloading the same as i was with 15..IS this a joke? My games lagg, My pings suck, i got holes in my wall, Weird looking boxes with lights all over them in my bedroom and i got a 30 foot cable running around my wall..F FIOS! My pings were 100 times better with cable so, IM GOING BACK! FU VERIZON! CU IN HELL | |
| madrhino
join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
edit:
January 15th, @09:57AM
| How can they get away with this stuff? "It took Verizon over a month to restore me to where everything had been before, but I also was forced to loose any prior service credit, and grandfathered pricing in the process."
What they did to me was not show up for the initial install.Then their computers couldn't agree on the order# , so they placed a new order.Then I had to fight them on the bundled billing price, they charged me for outlets they didn't install and they screwed me out of a $100 American Express gift card I was supposed to get for signing up.
One sick, sick company.
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Get Verizon FIOS,The Anti-DIOS | |
| | Thespis
join:2004-08-03
Keller, TX | Re: How can they get away with this stuff? I've had four installs at three different addresses.
All have gone without incident and have happened at the scheduled time.
All my bills have been correct. | |
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