Review by devilsgrin_6 
UPDATED: 243 days ago
member for 243 days, 3 visits, last login: 164 days ago
 Mercer,Mercer,PA
 $40 per month
 "Reliable for regular internet use."
 "Terrible price packages, HORRIBLE for online FPS gaming!"
 "I would switch in a heartbeat if there was another ISP available..."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
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Let me start with the good: If you're a regular computer user who just downloads medium size files, videos, emails, etc. Armstrong Zoom is fine for you. I have to give them props for their reliability. Our internet has only gone down a couple of times in the three years they've been our ISP. The issues after that were pretty quickly resolved as well. The basic package is an ok package for most users.
If you're an online gamer of fast first person shooter/competitive type games, STEER ABSOLUTELY CLEAR OF ARMSTRONG. This has been the most aggravating experience of my life honestly. There is some apparent issue either with their cable lines or infrastructure. Every first person shooter game I've played, no matter what, there is a lag in the line. Your bullets will never hit at a distance. Also, no matter what you do, the enemy will ALWAYS kill you faster. It's like their guns are twice as strong as yours. The game slows down as you connect to more and more people. The only time it feels close to normal is when you are host yourself. (but you'll hardly ever get host with Armstrong anyways!) You don't know how aggravating it is to shoot somebody with your whole clip of ammo in their head and they still don't die! They turn around and pop you four times across the map and you're dead! It's like your hitbox is five times bigger than theirs. Frag grenades? Forget it. Any grenade anywhere near you will kill you in one hit. Meanwhile you toss 2-3 in at their feet and it does absolutely nothing...
I wrote to customer support a number of times. They deny any problems. They won't listen to you. They installed our internet even though they said it was so close to being "not able to install" because the rate was so low over the lines. Yet they won't fix the problem or connect a booster of sorts, when it's their mess up. They also have the worst pricing I've ever seen.
The basic 8 megabit down/512k up package is $40 a month. Their only other higher speed package is 10 megabit down/1.5 megabit up for a full $60 a month. I've tested their higher speed package and it was only averaging 1 megabit more down/up in each category over a number of tests! Basically you are paying $20 for ONE MORE MEGABIT! Meanwhile, the whole rest of the country is getting way more speed for LESS MONEY. Whether it's Comcast, Time Warner, Fios, etc. they are all offering 15-20 megabit down with 2-10 megabit up for less than Armstrong's $60 slow/laggy package! You can write or call the company all you want as well, they simply don't care. They will act like they are doing you the favor by charging you $60!
As far as HD programming over the lines as well...NOT BY A LONGSHOT! If you want pixelated, highly compressed, artifacting "HD" that looks more like a compressed 320x240 flash video you'd watch on your computer, then go for it! (sarcasm)
I'm not impressed with Armstrong in the slightest and I'd switch in a heartbeat if anything else was available. They honestly said to me, "We don't have a monopoly here (which they do), why don't you switch to satellite?" This just shows their limited understanding of the internet. Yes, satellite internet is really going to help me for even more money and SLOWER UPLOAD for gaming. Why can't Armstrong just "man up" and offer some real value to their customers and fix the issues with their servers. Is that too much to ask of a company, to provide for it's actual customers that are being overcharged as it is? Thanks, but no thanks. "Can't wait for fiber."
Followup comments:  subzero12180
join:2002-11-20
Scottdale, PA
 ·Comcast
| I am using them. I have had them a few months now that i cannot have my FIOS connection i used to have right after i got rid of my DSL from verizon before i moved now i am living in Scottdale pa and i have Armstrong and am happy with there service. Speeds are constant with absolutely no problems with anything accept there VOIP where i cannot access my online account to see calls in and out but whatever. The service for internet is fine for me and i play non stop online gaming with my 360 hosted a match tonight with 12 or so players in Call of Duty 4 no lag no complaints, I run the full host matches of Rainbow six Vegas 2 and Graw 2 no problems either so i just think it is your location and all.
Xbox Gamertag: XboxDetective28
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Hope My $0.02 Helps. | |
| devilsgrin_6
join:2009-04-05
Mercer, PA
·Armstrong Zoom In..
| Not sure... Maybe it is just our area, but everybody around me that I game with who has Armstrong as well (two of my best friends do who have 360's) also have the same issues. My best friend lives about two minutes from their main facility in our area and it's the same issues there. =/
It is fine for hosting matches, everybody is green bar and a good number of people can connect. I'm talking about how big your hitbox is compared to everybody else's. Your shots won't hit at a distance. It's like they have a tiny hitbox and yours they don't even have to hit you and it still hurts you twice as badly. Very frustrating.
Maybe you won't notice it if you're playing average or below people, but I've gamed for over 20 years. I was in the top 150 people in the world in kills in Call of Duty 4 out of around 7 million people. When you're playing people with a higher skill level, you notice it all the more! I could probably post some YouTube vids of me playing in the future to show you the B.S. that goes on with Armstrong Internet. It's a fine service for everyday computer use, for online gaming at a high skill level...no way! I wish they'd fix their infrastructure. | |
|  | dodgetech
join:2002-02-10
Forest Hill, MD
 ·VoicePulse
·Armstrong Zoom In..
·Comcast
| Re: Not sure... I work for Armstrong and something sounds messed up to me. Your HD should be crystal clear without any tiling or pixelation etc. The Internet should be fine for fps gaming. Either there is some bad cable somewhere and or your node is maxed out for # of subs it should have on it.
I would call and complain every week until it is resolved. Sooner or later they will have to do something and fix it to make you a satisfied customer. | |
| | | devilsgrin_6
join:2009-04-05
Mercer, PA
·Armstrong Zoom In..
| Re: Not sure... Yeah, well good luck with that. I've sent them at least five different emails and called a number of times. All they try to do is offer me the higher speed package. The higher speed package has the same issues. The church I attended was right next to their main office in Grove City. I would take my 360 in there and have the exact same issues. Not to mention they charge $60 a month for a 10 down/1.5 up package. That is ridiculous. Their base package is $40 for 8 down/512k up. I tested the 10 megabit package at our church and it was averaging about 8.8-9.0 megabit. You mean to tell me they are going to charge me $20 a month more for 1 more down and 1 more up? Meanwhile Comcast gives PowerBoost speeds in the first minute of downloads and a full 2 megabit up in the base package. Fios is fiber and 20 down and 5 megabit up for $55 a month with free local phone!
I've written to Armstrong a number of times. THEY DO NOT CARE. It's as simple as that. They are probably maxed out on the node like you said. I can only speak for my area, not Armstrong full-Pennsylvania wide. I just know that gaming stinks on it. The single-shot kill games like Team Swat in Halo 3, where one shot kills, you have to shoot them 3-5 times in the head! Good luck hitting a headshot across the map too. | |
| 
rawgerz
In Debt we trust
Premium
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Try figuring it out »myvoipspeed.visualware.com/
Try a few different servers, as a comparison, my dsl is 0.2-0.3ms jitter and when I was on Sprint, it was 12ms.
Poor for gaming obviously.
You could also try Ping plotter or running some of the site tools here like the line monitor or a line quality. In all probability you have something wrong just in the home, bad modem, bad coax, poor router, etc. If something showed up on a test I would start by directly connecting to the modem and trying it again to rule out a router as the problem.
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You can't make all the people happy all of the time. But it should be common sense to shoot for the majority. | |
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