dslreports logo

Review by mugurd See Profile

  • Location: Ottawa, ON
  • Cost: $68 per month
  • Install: about 20 days
Seemless transition from CIKTel to Start
None so far...but watchout :)
A bit pricey for the same speed/caps as others - hope reliability and support are making up for it
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

My Other Reviews

·Bell Fibe Internet
·Fido
So far so good...after a frustrating experience with CIKTel (see my review) I moved to Start (not soon enough I should add).
Despite being warned (standard disclaimer) that the service MIGHT be down for up to 48hrs, it only took 4 hrs to be switched from CIKTel to Start.
And a follow-up call ensured I was aware the move was successful.

Now obviously speedtests to start.ca show full speed (45/4) but I did notice a drop to OTHER sites (namely speedtest.net in Wash, DC) down to 12 Megs around 8pm.
Also I have an Obi110 running VoIP and while in the mornings I get zero packet loss, in the evening I was seeing 1-3%. Definitely I cannot draw any conclusion at this point, but something for me to monitor.

What did impress me so far is the communication with Start (I provided an example in the CIKTel review, when THAT ISP had no clue that Robbers had an outage in my area, but Start knew and informed me, despite me not being their customer yet).

I admit I have more stringent requirements than others, as I do 100% TV streaming and my home phone is VoIP - so don't be surprised if I update this review often.

member for 22.8 years, 2622 visits, last login: 15 days ago
updated 10.1 years ago

madchikun
join:2004-07-18
Canada

madchikun

Member

Careful with judging speedtests to other servers.

You have to be careful with speed tests to other locations. There could be a variety of factors that impact speed like the load on that particular test location, issues on hops outside of Starts network and control in between you and them. While Start cannot control the entire internet I have seen them do their best to ensure that the portions under their control and influence are working as well as possible.

mugurd
join:2001-05-24
Ottawa, ON
·Bell Fibe Internet
·Fido
(Software) pfSense
Netgear RAX50
Netgear R7000

2 edits

mugurd

Member

Re: Careful with judging speedtests to other servers.

Thanks for the insight...that thought never crossed my mind.
Can we STOP asking people to test to the nearest (ISP owned) speedtest server?

If I get 12Mbps to Wash, DC from my home connection at peak and 30+Mbps to the SAME server from my phone, then do you think it's is possible it's not the obscure and mysterious "Internet"?
Note I always pick the same Speedtest.net server, which provides consistent results - not the "University of Nebraska at Spooksville" one.
Last but not least, I am not doing speedtests because I'm bored, but because my streaming is buffering.

I work for a telecom mfg company, so I am not exactly ignorant in these things. If I state something, usually there is data to back it up.
Can you do the same? Do you have proof of a problem located upstream when shit goes downhill? Bottom line: it requires an investigation, and I clearly stated this is "something for me to monitor".

Sheesh.
mugurd

mugurd

Member

1 month in...everything looks OK

I thought I should post an update to my review, now that I have 1 month under the belt.

Night and day difference between Start and CIKTel in terms of consistency. Like I said, I do a lot of streaming and so far did not see the dreaded "buffering" issue except for one or two occasions - which could be anything.
While there is a slight drop at peak time, I do get >30Mbps 99% of the time - which is what I was after.

2/18/2014 22:34 EST 24.53.240.xxx 43.98 Mb/s 3.00 Mb/s 32 ms Washington, DC
2/17/2014 20:06 EST 24.53.240.xxx 4.14 Mb/s 2.88 Mb/s 57 ms Washington, DC
2/17/2014 15:50 EST 24.53.240.xxx 43.71 Mb/s 2.98 Mb/s 35 ms Washington, DC

(my upstream is limited by QoS in case you were wondering why I'm not getting 4Mbps)

I still wish prices were a bit lower (i.e. at 60$+tax/mth I hoped for unlimited) but maybe the old adage is true: "You always get what you pay for".

Happy camper...