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Review by RedRSX04 
UPDATED: 331 days ago
member for 1.1 years, 5 visits, last login: 251 days ago
 Erlanger,Kenton,KY
 $38 per month
 about 8 days
 Cincinnati Bell
 "Easy to setup and install"
 "No where near the advertised speed of 5Mbps"
 "Not the best value considering cable options regarding speed vs price"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
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We live in NKY in the Erlanger area. Recently we decided to switch from Insight cable TV/Internet to Direct TV due to more sports programming options. With Insight, we were recv'ing a SOLID 10Mbps down on our Internet connection (any machine in the house) for approx $30/mo.
Once DirectTV was installed, we contacted Cincinnati Bell to have their highest speed DSL package installed as well. Cincinnati Bell (Zoomtown or Fuse.net) offers users two packages:
1) 768Kbps down for $15/mo
--or--
2) 5Mbps down for $30/mo ($25 if you bundle)
Additionally, we had to pickup land-line telephone service in the house for DSL to work (we've not had/nor needed a land line in our house for several years as everyone has their own cell phone.) The total monthly cost for the DSL service and land line is $38/mo plus taxes and fees.
Our house is located less than a mile from the switching station.
Unfortunately, the most we've been able to pull from the new DSL service has been approx 1.2Mbps - which is nowhere near the advertised 5Mbps - even after tweaking (on any machine in the house.)
We contacted the Cincinnati Bell (Zoomtown) support department who provided every excuse under the sun as to why we may not be able to pull the advertised speed of 5Mbps -but- no solution to our issue. I complained as to the price vs. speed, noting that basically I'm not pulling much more than their 768Kbps service, but paying for their 5Mbps service - the rep offered to discount our service $5/mo.
I'm thinking seriously that I'll switch back to Insight cable - the speed/price value of DSL vs. cable in this area just isn't in the same ballpark.
Followup comments:  
Anon1
@fuse.net
| Speed & Wiring I think there are two leading culprits to low bandwidth results...
The Zoomtown modem will train itself to the highest possible sustainable speed. Based on your 1Mb comment, there are two probable culprits:
1. House wiring.
- Either the wiring connect at the demarc box outside your home has a "incomplete connection" or the wire within your home is spliced, respliced, twisted and taped together - creating significant signal loss and the net result is the speed you are seeing. My experience has taught me that all of the copper on the wires coming from your house needs to be connected at the demarc. With a voice only connection, a lousy splice is no problem. Lousy splice being where the wire jacket is removed, and along with it a fair amount of the copper inside.
- Your distance to the Cincinnati Bell phone cabinet / central office. DSL is design to work best within 18,000 feet of the central office. Distances beyond that can create bandwidth constraints.
Check and fix the outside box wiring and rerun a dedicated wire for the zoomtown modem. If that doesn't do the trick, the ball is in bell's corner. | |
| | ShawnJ
join:2009-01-20
Louisville, KY
| Re: Speed & Wiring I have done online speed tests for Insight and Zoomtown. The tests tell me that Zoomtown has a 15Mbps Download and 12Mbps Upload that is compared to Insight's 10Mbps Download and their 1Mbps Upload. With that said then Zoomtown is the better choice. I used to live in NKY and i had Zoomtown an it blew Insight outta the water for speed. | |
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Cincinnati Bell
