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 Review by Zaber 
Posted: 207 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 1935 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Cleveland,Cuyahoga,OH
 Business customer
 $500 per month (36 month contract)
 "Cheap busness grade service"
 "no end user account administrative tool"
 "Good company to go for"
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We had Expediant's Ethernet anywhere service installed about two years ago. It has worked flawlessly since then. The connection was simple, they installed a bonded T1 and a bridge device and we simply connected to it with Ethernet. Any time I needed support I called the NOC and within minutes it was done.
This is what to me a business grade connection should be.
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Review by cpeters4
Posted: 2.6 years ago
member for 2.6 years, 0 visits, last login: 2.6 years ago
Akron,Summit,OH
$63 per month
 Verizon
"Historically Strong ISP"
"Rapidly going downhill under new Expedient management"
"Currently Entertaining New ISP Service..."
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Originally ordered in 2001 when this was still APK, who had been my dial-up ISP. Very good installation process, well-coordinated,excellent support. During APK's tenure, I had only one major service outage (due to Verizon). APK went above and beyond in that particular instance to resolve the issue and apply what pressure they could to Verizon to make things right.
However...
Since Expedient took over in 2004 (late 2003? Can't remember exact date), service has continually degraded. I marked at least 4 major service outages in 2005 with tech support being of very little assistance and providing no feedback. Problems just seemed to be resovled with little understanding of what may have occurred. DNS services for the APK DNS servers seems to have recently been discontinued with NO notification to the customer base. Poorly organized support site, discontinued APK services with no notification (SpamAssassin mail integration, personal webpages, shell accounts).
From the looks of the Expedient website, I don't think this ISP is interested in residential customers any longer. Their focus seems to be entirely on the business market now. From feedback within this review it seems like they may not have kept enough APK staff to fully transition, so it will be interesting to see what happens in 2006. I did just have a billing issue resolved politely & quickly, so I'll have to see how things progress.
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Review by yawarakai
Posted: 2.9 years ago
member for 2.9 years, 0 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago
Berea,Cuyahoga,OH
$61 per month (12 month contract)
 about 12 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Ameritech
"E-mail scanning (For a cost of $5 a mailbox)"
"Their service sucks, I could not connect to my mailserver as their dns was always down."
"I would not go with this ISP"
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I started out with APK many years ago when it was nothing more than a BBS. I had a shell account with Zbig.
Expedient took over the company and the service went downhill from there. I could not view atom films aat DSL speeds as my connection was slow, every couple of days the DNS servers went down dso I could not find the websites I wanted. Outlook could not send or receive my e-mail because the mailservers would be down.
I was paying $61.95 for limited access. They charged me $5 a month to scan my e-mails for virus. When I would call customer service I would be put on hold for long periods of time and then they would not know how to fix the proiblem. Basically this ISP NOW SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!
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Review by tribefan
UPDATED: 3.2 years ago
member for 7.7 years, 423 visits, last login: 286 days ago
Cleveland,Cuyahoga,OH
$60 per month (12 month contract)
about 7 days
Ameritech
"Solid connection, great speed, and fast pings"
"None"
"Best ISP in N.E. Ohio"
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Over a period of a month or two, I had emailed APK with my interest in their DSL service. It was refreshing to see responses in minutes rather than hours or days. All of my questions were answered fully and to my satisfaction. Finally, I decided to drop my old ISP (who couldn’t keep my circuit up) and switch to APK. I ordered the 768/128 package with a static IP address.
On Thursday, February 14, 2002 APK had my application (I faxed it over the previous evening). On Friday (2/15/02) at noon, I received a phone call from APK with an installation date of my circuit (3/1/02). The next day, I received my packet containing my user name, password, DNS Servers, etc. To my surprise, Ameritech (LEC) called on 2/20/02 and said your service would be completed tomorrow. Sure enough, I turned on my equipment (I used the same equipment that I used with my previous ISP) and the circuit was up. My service was up and running on 2/21/02 – one week after APK started processing my application!
Three and a half weeks later, everything is still running fast and smooth. I am getting 650+ KBPS down with sub 20 ms pings to my DNS Server. With the same equipment (Efficient SpeedStream 5260 ADSL modem and Linksys BEFSR41 router), my connection is rock solid. I have yet to see it go down (which got to be a nightly occurrence with my old ISP).
The only problem I had was in sending email. Messages would get stuck in my outbox. I called customer support (hold times are only a few minutes at most) and they were very eager to assist me, but could not find the solution. I had stumbled across some threads at DSLR about using PPPoE and the MTU setting. After making a change to the MTU in my router, email works great. I didn’t know this setting had to be changed because my previous ISP did not use PPPoE. I guess I was slightly disappointed that the APK tech support did not mention this setting needed to be updated for PPPoE.
Overall, I have been extremely pleased with the performance and service that APK has provided. The price ($60/month) is a little higher than some, but it’s worth it for the reliability and stability of the service. If you are in NE Ohio and are searching for an ISP, your search ends here.
UPDATE (5/31/05) - I am still very pleased with APK. The service has been extremely reliable. The price of $60 per month is higher than many other ISPs, however. For that price, I would like to have more bandwidth than 768 x 128.
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 Review by trowan
UPDATED: 3.4 years ago
member for 8.3 years, 2291 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Mentor,Lake,OH
$59 per month (12 month contract)
about 25 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Ameritech
"Great speeds & pings, great tech support"
"Price"
"Can't compete with SBC's prices"
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768/128 ADSL
Static IP
5 email boxes
Free dial-up backup (I'm not sure if they will still do this - I was going to be charged $10/month for this until I mentioned the APK Net page on DSLReports advertised it as being free - that page does not list it anymore)
I was very hesitent leaving my former ISP because I thought I might be better off with the devil I knew rather than the one I didn't. However, I couldn't justify paying for a service that I was not happy with. I am extremely happy that I decided to make the switch to APK Net.
The salesperson that I had (Chris Stefan) was excellent; he answered my many questions in a timely and intelligent manner. I also received help and information on using my current equipment (Efficient 5260 modem & Netgear RT314 router) from the apk.dsl newsgroup. I point this out because the CEO (Macy Hallock) of the company was contributing to the thread in helping me solve my problem - I was very impressed with that.
Tech support was excellent also; I had to call them because Ameritech didn't have me in the network correctly after my install date - hold times were less than 5 minutes during peek times.
My speeds have been averaging about 610/128+; pings to the DNS & gateway are below 20ms. It's nice to actually be competitive (not necessarily good) on CTF UT servers; I'm pinging on average between 50ms - 75ms to UT servers.
I would highly recommend this ISP to any user in Northeast Ohio.
*** 11/05/2002 Update ***
I have had APK for a year now - they are still a great company. I haven't had any problems with them at all. Don't waste you time with other ISP's that try to lure customers with free crap; I was with one of those previous to APK, and the service was nothing but a headache with all the excuses as to why speeds were down, why the network was down, why you are routed cross country, excessive hold times on the phone, etc. If you live in Northeast Ohio, you can't go wrong with APK.
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*** 03/29/2005 Update ***
I really liked APK/Expedient, but I couldn't justify the price anymore. I'm paying $40 less for SBC starting on 3/30/05 for the same speed.
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 Review by Pope Poitin
UPDATED: 3.5 years ago
member for 8.3 years, 636 visits, last login: 2.5 years ago
Willoughby,Lake,OH
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 20 days
Ameritech
"Excellent customer service, got the job done timely and with no hitches!"
"Some initial confusion regarding which co I am out of."
"If you live in NE Ohio, these are your guys!"
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I moved from Houston to Willoughby on August 11th and gave up an excellent SW Bell dsl connection in the process. After much research, I decided to go with APK.Net as I prefer to deal with a local company. Bob W. (Lake County rep) was extremely helpful in getting me started. There was some confusion as to which co I had as my phone # indicated a closer office but my address indicated a further one. This would have been the difference between SDSL and IDSL for me. After further research, I convinced them that the local Northpoint Rep was wrong as was confirmed by the main NP office.
Once we agreed upon a CO, the wheels really began to turn! I received regular emails from Alice L. with APK as to where I stood. The line check by Ameritech was done on time and as scheduled and the installation by NorthPoint went well, though there was a bit of confusion regarding the install date. By applying a bit of resolve to NP, they were most accommodating to me and got to me on the promised date. The CopperRocket 201 modem arrived right after the line check and seems to be running fine.
I found that APK.Net keeps it's customers informed through messages on the usenet and customer comments are read and responded to usually within 24 hrs. I've never had more than a 30 sec wait on hold when calling and I was informed by the NorthPoint tech who installed my system that it isn't uncommon for the bosses at APK.Net to personally visit their customer installations.
All in all, after reading all the horror stories regarding DSL install and customer service, I'd say these guys (and gals) do it right! Then again, I may just be lucky. After all, my experiences with SW Bell in Houston went smooth as well!
Update 1/29/05: APK.Net was bought by Expedient.com about a year ago. I can't judge their installation process but their customer service, while decent, isn't the stellar service that made APK so great. They aren't bad by any means, just not as good as they once were.
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 4.5 years ago
(review was emailed from domain apk.net)
Mentor,Lake,OH
$40 per month (12 month contract)
Ameritech
"Outstanding post-install service"
"Delay in installation because critical staff out with flu"
"I love these guys!"
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I chose APK as my ISP based on reviews in GBU. They've lived up to every
good rating. They're not perfect: things go wrong, human beings make
mistakes. But they have, without exception, solved every problem, walked
me through countless procedures, provided reliable 24/7 connectivity --
I knew they were slightly more expensive than the SBC/Yahoo special
offer available when I contracted for DSL, but my experience with APK in
dial-up had told me I could count on them. And I can. I'm a dedicated
fan.
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 Review by macyh
UPDATED: 5.2 years ago
member for 7.3 years, 1090 visits, last login: 4 days ago
Medina,Medina,OH
$59 per month (12 month contract)
about 12 days
Verizon (ex GTE)
CLEC party: Verizon (ex GTE)
"Great support, smooth install, consistent speed, VPN not blocked"
"Telco had problem with wiring inside, worked with APK tech to fix it."
"Much better than dialup or cable; it hurts to use dialup now when I travel."
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Lots of effort to get ADSL at this location, it's a long distance from the CO and did not qualify for a long time. It took some effort to get Verizon to install ADSL due to a bad cable pair on the cable going into the residence. But it's done and it works. We foundd a minor problem with wiring inside the house, an APK tech solved that with a premise visit.
We installed the Zyxel P645R router, it's a real router that works well, easy to setup with APK support. This setup has a static IP to make my VPN to the office firewall work (At last!, I couldn't do that with cable, no static IP's and the blocked ipsec VPN).
It's great to finally get ADSL, speed not quite as fast as the cable modem on a good day, but ADSL is much more reliable with no slowdowns and pauses. Best of all, I can use a VPN client to the office net now This is even better than the wireless connection back to the Medina POP I had used previously.
Disclaimer: I own APK Net. I'm also an ex-telco engineer who should know better than to buy a house in a rural area a long way out from the CO. We finally got ADSL installed here with a lot of effort with Verizon's assistance. Anyhow the popup on the DSL Reports site has been bothering me to post an ISP review for some time; I finally went ahead and did so.
Update 06/05/2003 Still works fine. And APK has now reduced ADSL prices in the meantime.
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 5.8 years ago
(review was emailed from domain earthlink.net)
Brunswick,Medina,OH
$60 per month (12 month contract)
Verizon
CLEC party: Verizon
"Superb Service in every department"
"Eight letter limit on e-mail names"
"Exceptional service and great value for the money."
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I LOVE APK.NET DSL SERVICE!
Very fast set up time, very smart phone support. I smile when I see their
bill every month, instead of grimacing. We've had two outages in six
months, both caused by Verizon doing upgrades. The solution? Reboot my PC
and DSL modem, and all was well. Speeds on my 768K circuit are ALWAY in the
500-600K range, never a complaint about getting good value for the money.
They ANSWER THE PHONE, never more than a couple of minute wait for a tech.
Sunday afternoon I was trying to get my laptop to work on the DSL circuit,
and two minutes on the phone with the tech made it happen! Couldn't get
mail through Earthlink on the laptop? Fixed it in 30 seconds.
The only real complaint is that their mail system won't allow an address
longer than eight characters. I want my full name on the e-mail account,
not a contraction. Get it fixed, dudes...you do everything else so well!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert McClain
Carparts Technologies
6779 Engle Road Suite I
Middleburg Hts., OH 44130
Phone: (440)239-1988
Fax: (208)955-3455
Cell: (440)725-7077
www.carpartstechnologies.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Review by grantb
Posted: 5.9 years ago
member for 7.1 years, 156 visits, last login: 14 days ago
Willoughby,Lake,OH
$79 per month (12 month contract)
about 7 days
Ameritech
"APK is hot shit! They're that good. Been with them for 12 yrs."
"They _refuse_ to wash my car."
"The only way they could make it better is to make it free "
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Since I've been with APK for around 12 years or more, I expected my foray into DSL to be painless and I wasn't disappointed. _Seven_ business days after they received my paperwork, I was connected. I really don't know what else to say, it was as painless as turning on my TV. I connected the splitter, connected the DSL router to my Ethernet router, and 5 minutes later I was enjoying 1.3mbs. on all my client machines. I checked in with tech support just to make sure I chose the proper selections in the DSL router, they concurred that I was set up properly. The thing I like about APK is that they keep ahead of the curve wrt capacity. They don't wait until everyone is slowed way down or (in the case of dialup) keep getting busy signals. _Every_ time I've spoken to tech support over the years, I have always gotten an intelligent human being who either knew the answer to my problem, or tracked someone down who did. (As opposed to a lot of other support staffs where you hear the sound of pages turning in their 3-ring binder as they read their scripts to you. "Ummm - have you tried re-installing Windows yet.")
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