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Review by Smith6612 See Profile

  • Location: North Tonawanda, Niagara, NY, USA
  • Cost: $45 per month
  • Install: about 10 days
  • No Cap
  • Telco party Verizon
Reliability, Latency (close to FiOS)
Lack of maintenance and upgrades from Verizon
Works if you've got a good line. Prone to congestion and problems otherwise. Aging tech
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

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·Charter
UPDATE 12-18-2016: A Cable Internet installation has been scheduled. We are not replacing the DSL with it, but rather augmenting it. VZ does a better job at gaming performance whereas the Cable Internet will be used for its throughput aspects in a load balance configuration. At some point in time, I do expect the DSL to be phased out with FiOS, or just straight-up discontinued, if the age of the equipment (15+ years old) doesn't cause the service to straight-up fail. The Cable connection will be an insurance policy then.

I subscribe to the Enhanced DSL package and run with a FastPath profile. The connection operates at around 6.2Mbps down, 740kbps up, with first hop latency of 7ms. Availability wise, the service is always online. There have been only a few days of downtime from 2004 where I have been unable to get online. Support is often good, with most requests being handled within the first time of contact. For more complex issues (my particular-ness or Verizon messing with the circuit), it can often take weeks to come to a resolution. Gaming-wise, I often have pings of 15-20ms lower than those on Cable in my area, which is always a plus. The service at 7Mbps is fast enough to play 1080p60 video from Twitch and YouTube, provided only one computer is at it, but struggles at 1440p and beyond.

As time has gone on, the DSL Service has started to lose it's luster. The reasons for that include:

-Price increases for the same level of service

-Congestion at night

-Unstable CPE (Firmware issues with the modems unless bridged)

-No IPv6

-Degrading copper infrastructure (lack of investment in wireline)

-Automated provisioning/optimization systems creating problems for myself and others

-Internet services relying on connections faster than what ADSL can provide, especially with multiple users

-Increasingly regular periods of peering problems to many key points of the Internet, requiring a VPN or Proxy to work around.

-Most areas stuck at 3Mbps or less.

While I'm not trying to say the service is downright bad, it is definitely worse than I remember. A lot of these problems have started showing since Verizon ended FiOS expansion. Given how Verizon operates their network, I still plan to stick with them for the short term, but I have been looking around for alternate providers to suit my home. I feel that my DSL days are numbered, and the only service I plan to order from Verizon in the future is FiOS, if that ever decides to show up (stopped one neighborhood over).

member for 16.1 years, 8703 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 7.2 years ago


Mactron
el Camino Real
Premium Member
join:2001-12-16
PRK

Mactron

Premium Member

Works well when it works...

If not, your in for some really bad Customer service.
Glad yours works well.

"DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec) 864 160

Margin (dB) 22.0 26.0

Line Attenuation (dB) 40.5 22.5

Transmit Power (dBm) 4.5 3.0

"

Stats look good enough for 3/768 if you ever want it.

Have fun.

Smith6612
MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY

Smith6612

MVM

Re: Works well when it works...

Thanks. I have had plans to get 3Mbps for some time. I'm just waiting to see how long it'd be until FiOS arrives here, and if it'd be worth it for me to upgrade the DSL if FiOS is going to be a while.

TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA
Motorola MG7550

TIGERON

Member

better than comcast

I had their DSL product for years when I lived in Massachusetts. They were pretty good considering it's aging copper. It's too bad that eventually Verizon is going to sell their copper network to either Frontier or Fairpoint. From what I hear service is either ok or plain terrible from those two companies. That is way too bad. XGFAST is coming and is a badly needed DSL upgrade.

Smith6612
MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
·Charter
Ubee EU2251
Ubiquiti UAP-IW-HD
Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC-HD

1 recommendation

Smith6612

MVM

Re: better than comcast

I used to also use Frontier myself on that subject. Frontier I actually had less problems with for the longest time. Their real issues were not increasing speeds beyond 3Mbps/384kbps, and also congestion that started nightly when they began running all traffic through Ashburn. I don't recall being on with Frontier support more than twice, one to report an outage, and another to report really bad congestion.

swong9
join:2001-03-06
Rego Park, NY

swong9

Member

All verizon customers will eventually be "forced" over to FIOS.....

Like many others I was a long term Verizon DSL customer until they forced every one of us over to FIOS so don't be surprised when they eventually start mailing, emailing, then calling you after FIOS is wired in your area. I was just converted over to Verizon 50/50Mbs Double Play FIOS less than a week ago when they threatened to cut off services to my 20 year old copper landline and provisioned 7Mbs DSL services. I reside in NYC and prices continue to escalate. Prices for my DSL & copper phone line was $97/mo and it's now $49.99 for months 1-12, months 13-24 will then cost $69.99 Verizon waived both install and router charges because of my forced fios conversion. There are both good and bad results of my forced conversion ... ugly ONT's, lack of all services during a power outage, deceptive price increases however the voice quality and speeds initially make up for the inconveniences of my forced upgrade. My recommendations is to validate your provisioned speeds daily as Verizon deceptively throttles downward provisioned speeds eventually. It's not a question of "if but when"

Smith6612
MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
·Charter
Ubee EU2251
Ubiquiti UAP-IW-HD
Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC-HD

Smith6612

MVM

Re: All verizon customers will eventually be "forced" over to FIOS.....

If FiOS didn't stop half a block from me, I'd be happy to be forced onto it. I have many friends and relatives with FiOS who have nothing but good things to say about the Internet portion of it. Most have dropped TV and Phone at this point, but there were never any complaints about those two services, either.

Provisioning on the DSL is definitely something I've fought far too much of. FiOS is pretty sticky to say the least, always getting more than paid for. Hopefully the TWC connection I am getting installed on Thursday alleviates some of that babysitting...

As for the price, yeah. The cost of DSL has been skyrocketing. VZ charges something in the ballpark of $30 for 1Mbps DSL now, and $42 or more for anything higher. Not a bad deal compared to Cable in my area if you're lucky to get the rare 15Mbps plan, but I'm capped off at 7Mbps. No real reason for the rate increases it seems considering VZ hasn't upgraded any key equipment in at least a decade.

swong9
join:2001-03-06
Rego Park, NY

1 recommendation

swong9

Member

Re: All verizon customers will eventually be "forced" over to FIOS.....

Smith6612, you are just month's away before you initially get Verizon mailing offering you FIOS services. If you ignore these mailings then you will eventually get these threatening mailings giving you a date when your Verizon copper landline will be terminated. Don't be in a hurry to jump when you get your first offers...if you do you will incur installation charges (presently $80), router rental fee, line insurance, along with the upsell to either Double Play or Triple Plays. Wait patiently until they give you your date when your copper goes "bye-bye" then call and maker you appointment for conversion. Then watch as they reschedule you while you wait all day even though you requested a "first appointment for the scheduled day"..... talk about issue after issue. Once installed make speedchecks daily at least for the first few weeks as they will do something creative (on their end) to throttle your speeds..... don't believe me?....msg me when you are at your wit's end