 Review by macyh 
UPDATED: 1.3 years ago
member for 8.5 years, 1138 visits, last login: 135 days ago
 Medina,Medina,OH
 $45 per month (12 month contract)
 about 5 days
 "OK but not great cable modem speed, but consistent quality a plus."
 "Some problems, complaints to mgmt eventually resulted in improvements."
 "Only broadband choice, overpriced compared to RR and VZ ADSL"
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Moved to a new Ohio residence just over the township line, so cable co is now Armstrong. Good order/install experience, but they had to leave a new drop entrance cable on the ground until they get around to burying it. (btw, can't get VZ ADSL at this house, Armstrong is my only broadband option.) Their basic TV service is decent, but not great. Monthly fees for digital cable boxes and cable cards are quite a bit more expensive than TW ($10/mo vs $5/mo) and add up fast if you have multiple flat screen TV's.
Armstrong's Zoom 500 cable modem service is typical dynamic IP, with a Motorola Surfboard 3100 modem. Stated speed is typical 5x512 In day to day use, it definitely runs slower download speeds than my previous RR cable modem. I'm also not impressed by the Armstrong mail servers, but I didn't like RR's mail servers all that much and I'm fortunate enough to have my own well connection mail server available in/out.
If I try to leave a VPN or SSH remote access session open for any length of time, it will be disconnected. (Definitely worse than my previous RR cable modem service at the old house. I never see SSH/VPH disconnects on my brothers VZ ADSL at all.)
So far, as an ex-ISP owner, I'm disappointed with Armstrong's Zoom 500 service. I find that Armstrong is more expensive, not as fast or reliable as my previous Adelphia/TW RR service or my brothers nearby VZ ADSL. Zoom 500 is faster than my VZ Wireless EVDO service, so I'll stick with it for the time being, but I still long for the grade of service I have received at my other locations.
In my opinion, Armstrong has a captive audience in this rural suburban area with many homes unable to get telco ADSL and they have become complacent, perhaps even arrogant about their cable modem service. They need to do better, but since they have limited competition, it's uncertain that will occur. (And as a result, I am now wary about subscribing to their phone service, so are many other area residents.)
Update July 2008: After I complained to the local general manager, Armstrong put some effort toward improving my service a few months ago and it did make a difference. Primary issue is cable signal strength, since I'm at the end of the local distribution cable. They added an amplifier for TV's, made other adjustments to improve phone and internet. Cable modem and backbone internet service is now solid, service is consistent, speeds are decent but not great. Most commendable is that the internet service is consistent even during evening busy hours. Phone service has also improved and is now useful, but still get the occasional call waiting type interruption. Though I'm not as happy as I was when I had VZ FIOS in FL, this is about as good as semi-rural cable gets.
(For the record, I had VZ FIOS at my Tampa home. FIOS is much faster, somewhat cheaper and far more reliable. At that location, FIOS is far superior to RR cable modem or VZ ADSL and flat out costs less. And FIOS seldom, if ever drops an SSH or VPN session on me. Sure hope VZ FIOS comes to my location in Ohio someday soon.)
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Armstrong Zoom Internet
