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Review by bobrk See Profile

  • Location: San Jose, Santa Clara, CA, USA
  • Cost: $75 per month
  • No Cap
great support, fantastic reliability and speed, excellent spam tools
nothing is bad
as good as the reviews say
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

This review has turned into somewhat of a connection diary. Every 6 months, DSLReports asks me to update my review, so that's what I do. My original review is at the bottom, and each update is placed above it.

The straight summary here is that I have had this service since 2002 and love it completely. On this account I have gone from the lowest level of DSL to 10Gbps fiber. Quite epic.

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12/14/2022

Just got Sonic 10Gbps fiber. Squee.

Since I originally got my Sonic/AT&T fiber, I've become a work from home person, and having gigabit ethernet is gamechanging.

To now have the yoke of AT&T thrown off and now be connected directly to Sonic native fiber (and getting 10Gbps, which I can't even use!) is amazing.

There were two visits involved. The fiber guy brought the fiber from the pole to a box on the back of the house and tested the speed.

The inside installer guy brought the fiber from the box on the back of the house to the point where the interface box would be. The interface box has ethernet out and also pots out.

When we first hooked it up, the eero had some problems figuring out what was going on, and the guy offered to do an upgrade to the latest euros, which I went ahead and did.

Since then, everything has been working great.

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10/23/2019

There must be some little alarm in my head that makes me go back to these reviews. It's seems it's been about a year since my last report. I'm not even sure if DSLReports is really where people even come any more to find out about broadband service in their neighborhoods, but maybe somebody does, so I'll keep updating this.

So it looks like I've had this 1Gbps fiber for a year now, seems crazy but I guess it's true. It is so great not having to wait for anything to download any more.

I did solve my WiFi problems by going ahead and renting an eero setup from Sonic. I know it's a ripoff, but it's only $16/mo, and I just wanted to try out mesh networking. I got the base unit and the two beacons and distributed them around my house. My connectivity is a little better in the backyard, but everywhere else, I get great speed. It's not always 1Gbps, but 500-800Kbps is nothing to sneeze at.

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10/14/2018

Typically DSLReports used to send me a reminder to update my review. This hasn't happened in quite a while so since my service has now changes, I'll write about it.

A few months ago, AT&T strung fiber in my neighborhood. I posted on the Sonic forums to see if they would be able to offer a wholesale connection to this service, as they did for FTTN. Sure enough, they were working on it, and when the fiber went live in my neighborhood, I signed up for an upgrade to 1Gbps fiber. Sonic rolled an AT&T tech to come and hook up my service, and I can truly say it is amazing.

I may have to buy new WiFi hardware as the current system I'm using, an Apple Time Capsule, is not delivering full line speed. In addition, its Ethernet ports are not up to gigabyte speeds, even though they are advertised as such. Typically I will set the AT&T equipment to passthrough and let my ATC do the NATing and DHCPing, but I may move back to the Arris equipment supplied by AT&T, just because it's newer and on the Ethernet, I can get full speed.

I'm getting to the point where I will probably stop monitoring the connection all the time to see if it's up and working correctly. There is so much head room for multiple people using streaming services that you can't even tell if anyone else is on the internet. As always, I'm still using Sonic's excellent IMAP mail service and tech support on the very rare occasions that I need it is caring, thorough and courteous.

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1/15/16

9 months of FTTN have been awesome. No more buffering on HD TV broadcasts, and several devices in the house can stream at the same time with no issues. Connectivity has been great.

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4/12/15

Signed up for the new Fusion FTTN product, and porting my old ATT number over to Sonic's phone service.

1. They sent me a couple of emails, regarding my new service, a temporary Sonic phone number that would be used until my number got ported, and e911 service.
2. They sent me a phone adapter so VOIP would work off the modem.
3. An ATT tech came out, hooked me up to the VRAD a couple blocks away and installed an ATT UVerse modem. Voila, 22Mbps.
4. Only glitch was it took many hours for the phone number to start working.

Very happy camper.

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1/15/15

Still pretty awesome, waiting for them to start offering a new product in my area, essentially resold U-Verse. The moment that is available, I will jump on it.

Otherwise, day to day 6Mbps down, like a rock.

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8/28/13

Always available and always listening, this company rocks. If I wasn't behind a remote terminal, I would use them for Fusion and get my phone from them, too.

Rock solid in the modern era of streaming Netflix. And they waived my website fee. I guess it pays to be a long time customer.

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8/13/12

Steaming along perfectly still.

I also switched my account from Dynamic IP to Static IP to try out the IPV6 Tunneling which seems to work ok.

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10/7/11

The service is reliable like the water supply. With DirecTV disconnected, we have two HDTV's pulling numerous different feeds off the Roku and AppleTV with nary a hiccup.

As I stated last time, the only possible improvement that could be made would be moving to Fusion, which is impossible because I'm connected to a remote terminal.

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1/25/11

Still awesome. Still bummed I can't get the fusion service, though. I've just unplugged my satellite tv and need more bandwidth!

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7/7/10

Well, since I'm on a Remote Terminal, I can't get the Fusion product, which is now available in my area.

Good thing I'm still happy with my 6MB service and my 100% availability.

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1/1/10

Pretty much a perfect year. I don't think I had to call them once.

I am hoping that their fusion service will come to my neighborhood. It's bonded DSL lines that produce even more bandwidth.

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6/15/09

Service is so good that it is almost completely out of sight, out of mind. Even BT and Netflix traffic do not perturb its perfection.

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12/12/08

Same old, same old. I was just looking at my monitors here at DSLReports, and they are delightfully boring. The Zoom modem they setn me has been flawless with no rebooting needed at any time. The spam filtering on email is nearly perfect, maybe 1 or 2 spams get to my mailbox a week. People use my sonic hosted website as a test of their networks, since it's always up.

I would recommend Sonic to anyone in their service area.

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6/11/08

Not a lot new to report. My Meraki doesn't get much use from outside folks. I have a plan to reposition it, but I haven't done that yet. The Zoom modem is still working great.

I've begun using some of the other features of my account, using 4 real mailboxes, 4 mailing lists and 20 domain email addresses. It usually just takes moments to set something new up.

The spam filters catch between 5 and 20 emails a day, with only one or two hitting my mailboxes.

Otherwise, service is rock solid, with published service levels always achieved.

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12/6/07

Time for the 6 month checkup. I still have the high speed account. I still have dynamic IP, although it pretty much never changes.

I also signed up for the Meraki WiFi access point. They send you a tiny WAP, and an ethernet switch, and you plug it all together and if somebody uses it, either a freebie user or a Sonic customer, you get a kickback. No one's used mine yet, but hey, I'm giving it a shot.

The spam filters are pretty much perfect. I have to go save an email about once a month or less from the grey mail system, but other than that, it stops anywhere from 5 to 30 emails a day.

The network rocks. Super solid, and ping to first hop has been 8ms pretty constantly. Network issues are dealt with quickly and you always know what's happening there with an MOTD mailed to you whenever they come out.

So after all these years, I'd still recommend Sonic.

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6/6/07

Indeed, the connection is rock solid once again, and the speed is insane. I should have gotten a new modem right when this first started.

Anyway, much has been made of the fact that Sonic uses AT&T DSL to get the job done and that AT&T gives Sonic the run around. Well, I just have to say that it really isn't true in my case. I had an earlier incident right after Sonic started selling the 6MB service, and Sonic was able to get (then SBC) AT&T people out to check out the situation, where they did a very professional job of analysis. In this most recent case, the AT&T guy did a great job once again, and even asked me where I got my NID POTS DSL splitter--he'd never seen one like that before.

So I feel that the idea of AT&T giving Sonic the runaround is a myth.

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6/1/07

Well, it turned out that the modem was probably dying. After another month or two, the modem started dropping packets and losing sync all the time. I thought it was either the line or the internal network, but both of those checked out fine.

I asked for another loaner Zoom, which arrived earlier this evening. After a few hours, it seems to be working great. We'll give it a few more days, but I think it's going to work just fine.

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2/13/07

In one week, I had to reboot the modem twice. I went back to my good ol' Broadmax and everything is back to speediness.

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2/7/07

Just upgraded my speed. Took less than a week to do and the only hitch was they didn't tell me to reboot my modem, which would have been nice. Until I rebooted it, the speeds were funky, but afterwards they're great. They offered to send me a loaner Zoom modem to trouble shoot, with an option of upgrading to it for $50. I'm currently evaluating the modem to see if it's any better than the Broadmax they sent me back in '02.

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7/19/06

Still great. The network seems to just get better and better, and the attention to detail and service levels is astounding. I would recommend this company to anyone unequivocally.

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1/18/06

I moved. Sonic moved with me. Was pretty painless once I understood the system, and as always, the DSL synced before the due date.

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9/14/05

I decided to downgrade my service to save money. I'm now on the Pro DSL service. Solid 3Mbps service down and a lot less money.

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12/22/04

Well, it's been nearly two years since I signed up for Sonic, and I still can't believe how good the service is. You can read about most of it above, but I think the thing that really needs to be emphasized is the great customer service. From diagnosing a bad card in an R/T and rolling the SBC truck to fix it to telling me to reboot my modem in a nice way when my dsl dies, it's really a company that is a pleasure to deal with.

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6/16/04

Just added web hosting to my account. This involved moving my domain name from my last ISP, repointing MX records and signing up for the new service. All were accomplished using automated tools, and everything went quite smoothly. The web hosting is a little pricey at $20/mo, but I like having everything in the same place. Basic Hosting also includes 24 email aliases and 100MB of storage.

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2/21/04 update

Just received the 6000/608 upgrade service offered by Sonic, and it rocks. There were some problems with people that were on RTs, as I found out I was, with ratecaps being needed in the Redback routers to limit the amount of speed. This keeps the downloads and uploads very stable and gives the user the full experience of what can only be described as AWESOME INTERNET! I'm extremely happy with Sonic and would recommend it to anybody!

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8/5/03 update

sonic.net rocks. There are simply no problems. My modem always syncs now, the speed is decent, certainly what I paid for, although I think I can get it higher by installing a point-of-entry pots device, but I haven't made the time for that yet. The email is great, with built in spam controls, which are easy to configure, and there are 3 news servers available. When there are problems with the ISP, notices are sent out via email and newsgroups as well as being posted on the web page.

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12/30/02 update

I got the new modem and it acted just like the old one. I got a sync light, though, but I had to unplug all my phones to get it to come on. Plugging them all back in did not cancel the light, so i guess it does have something to do with all the filters. In any case, the speed is adequate, and the support great. I haven't phoned them at all, but they've followed up every email inquiry and even checked up on my situation several times.

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(Original review)

After years hearing about sonic net on ba.internet, I finally had the chance to give them a try. I was with DIRECTV DSL when they went out of business, so I ordered sonic.net on my other line. I tend to judge isp's on how easy it is to hook up on line, and within just a few moments, I had a username and a basic internet account on line. The DSL installation went smoothly as well, with a clear email telling me what was going to happen, when to expect the installer and when to expect the equipment.

The Broadmax modem came, I plugged it in, and I didn't see a sync light. It blinked a couple of times, but that was just the setup. When my supposed hookup day arrived, I went ahead and switched my router over from the DTV modem on the second line, to the new modem. Sure enough, I had traffic, and yet the sync light was not on. WAN and LAN told me that everything was ok.

I didn't know if the sync light was supposed to be on, and the modem was working fine, so I bounced this off the sonic.dsl newsgroup (one of many that are hosted there) and Dane suggested that I contact support. If you become a sonic.net customer, you will get to know Dane. He probably interacts personally with every customer. The support people offered to trade modems, to see if the modem itself was defective, and I'm now awaiting the new modem.

My only beef with the service right now is I'm getting slightly less on download then I was getting with DTV. It's countered by slightly higher upload speeds and a low 20ms ping.

I'll update this review when the modem situation is solved.

member for 24.1 years, 6736 visits, last login: 10 days ago
updated 1.1 years ago

Evil Furby
join:2002-03-08
Houston, TX

Evil Furby

Member

Ummm

So the connection was not 100% reliable yet you gave it 5 stars. I swear these sonic.net reviews get fishier and fishier every time. If i had to unplug ALL my phones just to get my dsl modem to sync i sure as hell wouldn't give the ISP 5 stars for "connection reliability" or "installation"...one or the other. Oh well sonic.net magically pulls in another perfectly, 100%, "i never ever have problems even though they over charge the sh*t out of me" customer....god even the price for that DSL sucks....Yet they get 5 stars down the boards hahaha.

bobrk
You kids get offa my lawn
Premium Member
join:2000-02-02
San Jose, CA
·SONIC

bobrk

Premium Member

Re: Ummm

said by Evil Furby:
So the connection was not 100% reliable yet you gave it 5 stars. I swear these sonic.net reviews get fishier and fishier every time. If i had to unplug ALL my phones just to get my dsl modem to sync i sure as hell wouldn't give the ISP 5 stars for "connection reliability" or "installation"...one or the other.
No, my modem syncs fine now with the phones plugged in. The reliability has nothing to do with that and you know it. The problem happens with any self install that includes microfilters.
said by Evil Furby:
Oh well sonic.net magically pulls in another perfectly, 100%, "i never ever have problems even though they over charge the sh*t out of me" customer....god even the price for that DSL sucks....Yet they get 5 stars down the boards hahaha.
IF you could get the service out there in Texas, you would know. WTF, anyway? You don't have anything to do but read reviews of service you CAN"T GET?
gusomaki
join:2002-02-01
San Francisco, CA

gusomaki to Evil Furby

Member

to Evil Furby
Hiroshima is a "funny guy" in that he apparently lives to respond bash any positive sonic review. I guess everyone needs a purpose in life...

Welcome to the internet. Out of all the people online, one of them is going to have nothing better to do than troll on DSL reports about a DSL provider 1000 miles away, thta they can't even get...

Reminds me of that hit song that launched Beck's career...

bobrk
You kids get offa my lawn
Premium Member
join:2000-02-02
San Jose, CA

bobrk

Premium Member

Re: Ummm

Thanks for the welcome, although you can find posts from me on USENET dating back to '93, and I posted on Compu$erve back in the '89ish time frame, so I've pretty much seen it all, including dudes like this.
russwong
join:2003-02-04
San Francisco, CA

1 recommendation

russwong

Member

Can't people just let them be happy?

I really don't see why all these people care if Sonic is getting good reviews, fake or real. If they are really a shitty isp, it will come out. If you guys are worried about people being mislead and ordering the service on false pretenses, it will also come out, since they must know about dslreports in order to see the reviews and if their experience sucks, I assume they will post about it and challenge all the reviews.

As for Sonic, I would take these doubters as a compliment. Kinda like when I'm playing an online game (CS) and I kick ass and people accuse me of being a cheater. I know what's real and that I don't cheat, so being called one is a compliment. So Sonic be proud and be happy and just remember, don't ruin a good thing and don't forget how you got to this point. Stay true to your roots.

Thanks again.

A Happy Sonic Customer

emjayef4
Mjf
join:2000-10-10
Pleasant Hill, CA

emjayef4

Member

Re: Can't people just let them be happy?

I like your post. You're right, and I think I will take your advice. Next time tex posts his delusional fantasies, I'll just smile and feel good that I have an ISP that is unbelievably good (at least to one troll)!

Almighty1
Premium Member
join:2003-05-14
San Francisco, CA

Almighty1

Premium Member

Re: Can't people just let them be happy?

russwong has said it very well indeed. Usually, you know something is good when there are some people who try to make it look bad because they couldn't get it no matter what! People are just jealous that we have a ISP that performs 6Mbps/608kbps with 8 static IPs while their dynamic IP connectio with slower guaranteed rates at more expensive prices can't hold a candle to us.
Expand your moderator at work
PSINHA
join:2007-02-08
San Jose, CA

PSINHA

Member

Sneaky...

Switched back to SBC Yahoo! after a year with Sonic.net. Got cheaper price and no contract for the same speed.

Sonic provisions through SBC and move to SBC Yahoo! was painless ... except, Sonic keeps charging me. They never returned calls when I leave messages, they have high call volumes and won't refund because they don't show the account as "cancelled". Sneaky little buggers...after I had talked to them a few times since the account got moved. Try to leave a message when their call volumes are high and they'll never return calls. They had removed my user-id the day account switched and say that they were charging for internet access - for what? - access the aether with no DSL? Morons...Never again. Sonic.net is a two bit player with no people to handle the call volumes.

Sonic.net totally depends on SBC for all issues...and SBC runs them around. 5 days to get a technician when SBC Yahoo! own accounts have tech onsite in a day...

Unhappy with sonic.net in the valley