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Review by MonkeyLick78 See Profile

  • Location: Hixson, Hamilton, TN, USA
  • Cost: $58 per month
Fast, reliable connection.
Nothing so far.
Great service that delivers speeds faster than I'm paying for.
Pre Sales Information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:

*Update* 9-12-12

Service is still 100% rock solid. I did a speed test today and found out my 30/30 package has apparently been increased to the 50/50 package at no additional cost. It's odd to actually have an isp that surprises you with something you actually want rather than another price hike.They still offer the 30/30 package on their site but I'm unable to check their pricing since that part of their site is down at the moment. They might have lowered the price of their 30/30 package and just moved all of their current customers to the higher package. Either way, I'm more and more impressed with every passing year with what EPB offers.

*Update 9-30-11*

It's been almost a year and a half and the service is still rock-solid. It feels so nice to have a service that you can completely rely on with no worries of bandwidth caps. I do 0 torrenting but still use plenty of bandwidth with legal activities.

So far the service has been rock-solid and made me a firm believer that FTTH should be available to all asap.

»speedtest.net/result/150 ··· 6410.png

I've had the service for about a week and I'm very impressed so far. I ordered their 15/15 service with FiPhone basic for $68.83 a month. That price includes a free install and doesn't require a contract. They did say that if I cancel before 1 year I would have to pay $75.00 for the install fee. When I called to order it took literally about 5 minutes and that includes having my existing phone number transferred to my EPB account. I had to wait a week for the final step of the install (actually installing it inside your home) but I was fine with that since it was free.

The day after I ordered they ran the fiber from the pole and attached it to my house. About 2 days later, they came and installed the ONT and backup battery beside the power meter on my house. It was a nice and clean install with everything level and all wires neatly tucked away.

I was given an appointment between 8-9 AM on a Friday for the final step of the install. It was about 8:45 when he arrived, so they were right on the mark and respectful of others people's time. The installer was nice and answered every question I had for him. I'm a tech head and was glad he was willing and able to talk about the technology and products in such an informal way. I asked about replacing the backup battery if it were to go dead, and he told me that it has a sensor on it that alerts them in the event of a failure. They will come out to your house and replace it for free. I told him how I wanted my CAT5 cable ran to my router and he was happy to do it just how I wanted. As we were talking while he installed, he told me that EPB was the first company he had worked for that actually had briefings when he was hired detailing the level of workmanship they expect out of their installers. He said they're very strict and I would get a visit by an EPB representative in the coming days checking out the install and asking question about how satisfied I was and how courteous he was.

We did a speed test and got about 19.5 down and 14.5 up. That's pretty good for a 15/15 connection.

He cleaned up his mess and had me sign off on the job.

*EDIT* I just wanted to add that even though it's called FiPhone Basic, it's not basic phone service at all. It has Call Waiting, Caller ID, Call Waiting Caller ID, 3-Way Calling, Call Blocking, Voice Mail....a lot more than you would expect for only $10.84 more a month bundled with internet access. I get more features with this phone service than I did paying almost $40.00 a month to AT&T.

*EDIT* (7-30-10) EPB just doubled my speed from 15/15 to 30/30 at no additional cost. EPB impresses me more and more as time goes by.

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 0947.png

member for 22.1 years, 1081 visits, last login: 7.4 years ago
updated 11.5 years ago


FTTC
join:2008-10-01
Mount Rainier, MD

FTTC

Member

hmm

hows the latencey?

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: hmm

About 24ms to Yahoo.com.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Re: hmm

Traceroute?

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: hmm


Tracing route to any-fp.wa1.b.yahoo.com [67.195.160.76]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms 192.168.1.1
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 * * * Request timed out.
5 5 ms 7 ms 3 ms 12.91.215.185
6 26 ms 27 ms 27 ms cr81.atnga.ip.att.net [12.122.117.86]
7 26 ms 27 ms 27 ms cr2.attga.ip.att.net [12.122.1.221]
8 26 ms 27 ms 27 ms cr1.attga.ip.att.net [12.122.2.133]
9 25 ms 27 ms 27 ms cr2.wswdc.ip.att.net [12.122.1.174]
10 28 ms 27 ms 27 ms cr84.wswdc.ip.att.net [12.123.10.250]
11 24 ms 27 ms 27 ms 12.122.134.41
12 26 ms 27 ms 28 ms 12.86.111.22
13 25 ms 27 ms 28 ms xe-4-0-0.msr1.ac2.yahoo.com [216.115.108.139]
14 28 ms 27 ms 27 ms UNKNOWN-72-30-96-15.yahoo.com [72.30.96.15]
15 29 ms 27 ms 28 ms te-9-1.bas-a1.ac4.yahoo.com [76.13.0.177]
16 26 ms 28 ms 28 ms ir1.fp.vip.ac4.yahoo.com [67.195.160.76]

Trace complete.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Re: hmm

Impressive. Thx

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: hmm

You're very welcome.

FTTC
join:2008-10-01
Mount Rainier, MD

1 edit

FTTC

Member

hmmm

Click for full size
im getting there pretty fast! i was wondering how good the overall latency was. i swear mines terrible.

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

2 edits

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: hmmm

It's not physically possible to get from Maryland to California (yahoo.com) and back in just 5ms. Your router must be giving inaccurate results. Do a trace route if you're having lag problems and see if any routers along the way are slowing you down.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx to FTTC

Member

to FTTC
ry a traceroute...Yahoo has servers in Atlanta but that's still a crazy low ping.

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: hmmm

I guess I was wrong. I did a tracert to Google in California and got this..

Target Name: www.google.com
IP: 74.125.65.99
Date/Time: 8/3/2010 12:00:10 PM

1 0 ms [192.168.1.1]
2 * [-]
3 * [-]
4 5 ms sl-gw27-atl-1-0-1.sprintlink.net [144.223.46.121]
5 6 ms sl-crs1-atl-0-4-0-2.sprintlink.net [144.232.12.117]
6 6 ms sl-st20-atl-1-0-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.18.133]
7 6 ms [74.125.49.222]
8 5 ms [72.14.233.56]
9 6 ms [209.85.254.247]
10 7 ms [209.85.253.214]
11 5 ms gx-in-f99.1e100.net [74.125.65.99]

Ping statistics for www.google.com
Packets: Sent = 1, Received = 1, Lost = 0 (0.0%)
Round Trip Times: Minimum = 5ms, Maximum = 5ms, Average = 5ms

I guess his results are accurate. I stand corrected.
I did notice something odd. If I ping www.yahoo.com, I get about 24ms average but if I ping just yahoo.com (without the www) I get 87ms average. Is it normal for them to direct you to a completely different server if you leave off the www.? I know it's probably a dumb question but I've always found it odd.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Re: hmmm

In some cases www and non-www will go to a totally different server.

In your case, you're going to Google in Atlanta, not Google in California. Not even light can make it all the way across the US in five milliseconds.

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: hmmm

»whatismyipaddress.com/ip-lookup
shows the last hop (74.125.65.99) as California. That was what seemed the most confusing.

Either way, thanks for the info.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

No contract?

There is a contract; it is implied with the $75 ETF fee.

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

Re: No contract?

It's $75.00 for the first year with no fee or renewal necessary after that. It's such a small amount it's not even worth mentioning.

»EPB

We're still waiting for Comcast to "flip switches and push keys" and run EPB into the ground. They just increased the 15/15 folks to 30/30 and the 20/20 folks to 50/50 at no extra cost.
The 50/50 package with EPB is $69.99. Comcast charges $99.95 for 50/10. For $168.00 you can get 100/100 and FiPhone basic. That kinda makes Comcasts 105/10 for $199.95 seem overpriced and slow.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: No contract?

No, it is worth mentioning. Otherwise you're claiming something that is not true. They hold a 1 year contract or you pay $75 for the install. That is a contract due to they get $$$ if you break service.

And to claim $75 is a small amount. Hardly. $75 is $75.

And Comcast will flip that switch and run EPB in the ground. They must not see many people switching due to people don't switch due to speed and price. they switch due to service quality, but MOST people don't even bother due to they don't like change and would rather keep the company they've dealt with for years regardless.
Expand your moderator at work

rob_in_chatt
Premium Member
join:2004-09-17
Chattanooga, TN

rob_in_chatt

Premium Member

speeds

with the national attention EPB has been getting with the 1GBPS speeds, do you still honestly think comcast can bury them? hell comcast can hardly bury a ground rod for a simple cable TV install.
rangband
join:2010-11-18
Hixson, TN

rangband

Member

Re: speeds

yea from what i've heard comcast has had a 1/3 abandon rate in chattanooga due to EPB.

EPB does need to offer a lower end package for the older folks that don't need 30meg, 1-5mbps for $20 or somethin

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

..

I guess Comcast hasn't found that switch to flip yet to run EPB into the ground. 2 years later and it's doing better than ever.
Malor
join:2011-09-26
Chattanooga, TN

Malor

Member

Re: ..

Yeah, I just remembered to come back and update my earlier review. I have two hundred and fifty megabits into my HOUSE. My house! And it's symmetric. Comcast just can't compete.

As far as I know, in the entire country, if you want speeds like this to your house, you have to either be in Chattanooga, or in an area of Sebastopol, CA that's a few blocks wide, served by Sonic.net. (which is an awesome service; I actually slightly know the owner. One of the best ISPs in the country, no joke.)

In the whole country, two spots, and Chattanooga is a lot cheaper and easier to get into than Sebastopol.

Kansas City will eventually be hooked up by Google, but that's still a ways off yet.

rob_in_chatt
Premium Member
join:2004-09-17
Chattanooga, TN

rob_in_chatt

Premium Member

EPB

how is the HDTV service? i still have that from comcast. i know when the tv part first went available, the channel selection sucked.
Iceylinux
join:2003-06-13
Lockport, NY

Iceylinux

Member

Lets see some 50/50 Speedtests!!

As it says, lets see some 50/50 speed tests!!

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

..

»i46.tinypic.com/bey3h5.png
dbyrd25
join:2012-10-28
Hixson, TN

dbyrd25

Member

heres a link to 100mg service at a cost of 69.99

»speedtest.net/result/228 ··· 2527.png