 Review by nwrickert 
UPDATED: 29 days ago
member for 3.8 years, 2623 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Geneva,Kane,IL
 $20 per month
 about 10 days
 Ameritech
 "Steady improvement in system reliability and throughput"
 "(prior bad point fixed) Intermittent disconnects appear to have been fixed"
 "Great support on SBC Direct"
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Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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update - June 2008: Things have been relatively uneventful since my last update. I have had continued reliable service. I did switch to a Westell 327w modem (verizon version) purchased on eBay for a modest price. That reduces the number of devices plugged in, since it does more than the previous modem. However, it has twice lost sync during a thunderstorm (no big deal).
I keep waiting for word on uverse. We are getting near the deadline on digital TV, and I'm not sure whether signal strength will be good enough for over-the-air broadcast service. Say, AT&T, how about you sit down and negotiate with the City of Geneva, instead of trying to force them to do your bidding.
update - Dec 2007: Continued fine service. Since that bridge tap removal in 2006, everything has gone very smoothly. Now if only they would install a nearby RT so that I could get a higher speed.
update - May 2007: Continued reliable service.
update - November 2006: Last summer I had a little problem with noise and worsening attenuation. The repairman checked the line. The apparently he cut off unneeded segments of the wiring (i.e. removed bridge taps). He described this as "dedicating the line to me".
Wow, what a difference. That shaved several db off the attenuation. Reliability is better than ever.
------ end-of-11/2006 update -----
This is a major rewrite. My original review (about Sept 2004) reported problems and frustration that turned out to be due to a problem in the house wiring. After correcting that problem, things have gone smoothly.
I am near the maximum distance from the CO, so am limited to 1536k speed (downstream). Attenuation is near 60db. I switched to a Westell 2200 modem, purchased on eBay. I had heard that the 2200 is particularly good for handling weak DSL signals. And indeed, it was a big improvement. I haven't tried the Speedstream 4100 that SBC is currently using, but that also has a good reputation for handling weak signals. With the Westell 2200, service has been very reliable. For example, it kept a solid connection continuously from November 2005 till mid March, when SBC routine maintenance briefly interrupted the connection. I have come to expect almost continuous service.
When I started service in 2001, there were often periods where the network routers were overloaded and traffic was noticeably slow. That was before the merger of Ameritech with SBC. Since then service has improved greatly, and slowdowns are rare. Overall SBC (now AT&T) has provided excellent service. But they did screw up in April, when problems with a network upgrade left many Ameritech users offline for half a day. But the good news is that they are continuing to upgrade their networks.
Telephone support can iffy, but fortunately I haven't needed any recently. Support through the AT&T Direct forum has been excellent.
Kudos, too, to dslreports. The AT&T forums are great resources for mutual help and for sharing information about how to make the best of your DSL service.
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