how-to block ads
|
»next review in page
 Review by LiteOwl 
UPDATED: 41 days ago
member for 5.8 years, 64 visits, last login: 39 days ago
 Escondido,San Diego,CA
 $39 per month
 about 1 days
 SBC
 "none anymore"
 "Tech services sucks badly gotten worse in time, even worse now"
 "Even with 6mb,.the consistency and support just are lousy-moved to Cox"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
I say goodbye to Earthlink after so many many years its sad.. hoping somehow it would get better
.
Update 3/6/07
Tried to update to 6.0, many times , finally last week I got a go through..was told test passed, order put in..Week later nothing, they cancelled order no notification, when I called to ask why nothing happened, and why wasn't I at least told..as I check my status page, to find out..First told me, its was my circuit could not handle it, and I could lose DSL completely..
But tech support, then telling me they could re-provision for 6.0 MB.. I would be without service for two weeks with no guarantee I would even have DSL after they tried that, so I told them finally don't bother..For at first I am told I could not have it, because of my circuit, then..I am told this..it did not make sense to me..
They are now giving me the run around, it seems , also the tech from wherever could not understand him, with a hearing loss, was polite asked him to talk slower please, when I told him, I could not understand his accent, he got rude with me.
.Now all I get is the run around..Covad tested my line a while back, through Tron, when I just got new modem, the problem, and lines were fine..
I don't know, I have mixed feelings customer support has always been good to me, resolved things..till lately..
Trying to go through their tech outsourced service and now even customer outsourced, and with no concern about my hearing difficulties with accents, is no reason to be rude to me..when I remain nice always have , and have gotten mostly always nice in return, but lately..the rating is losing its high once standard in my eyes..
UPDATE 3/9
That upgrade to 6mb that I fought long and hard for, since 9/9 ..kept being cut back to 3mb.. 5 times I called and they fixed it, temporarily ,..From 9/09 till now 3/09 i have nothing but headaches..
Then over billing, 3 more calls for that..The the speed issue..being constantly dropped back down to 3mb, day or night time did not matter..
7 or 8 I lost count in total from then till now, not to mention hours of transfers on the line waiting for someone who knew something...3 times I was hung up on.. The last problem after hours, of one tech undoing what the one before then doing and the last one redoing it..and still no fix.. they could not figure out..was exasperating..
So as a last resort they made me, disconnect the means by which I communicated with them, my video phone for the Deaf that's connected to my DSL, they said that was the speed problem..guess what shortly after they made me do that, I could not get connection at all, and they could not figure out why..I had to have a friend call for me..
I found the problem it was a setting.. , after a long look at all my tech notes..and a bit of common sense.. I rectified the problem..when the client knows more at times then the techs its time to go..
AS I said .I used to love EL.. the tech service has slowly gone downhill sadly though..The Techs suck mostly..as does CS now..
Most of the help I have gotten was here, and reading here..at this site which I am glad I found..and I thank all here, but sadly it is time to move on..to Cox cable..
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
 | »next review in page (previous review)
Review by zapatasghost
Posted: 116 days ago
member for 136 days, 10 visits, last login: 65 days ago
Wheat Ridge,Jefferson,CO
$39 per month
Qwest
"reliable connection, relatively quick response on tech support. Not Mac-phobic."
"Slow speed for relatively high price."
"I guess like any evil corporation - they'll take your money if you let them and sometimes even when you don't."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I'm supposed to get 6Mbps for $39.95/month. I only get just above 1.5Mbps download. Thanks to this website and forum - I'll be demanding faster service and lower price or switching to another ISP.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by rshores
UPDATED: 140 days ago
member for 8.4 years, 282 visits, last login: 57 days ago
Nashville,Davidson,TN
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 10 days
BellSouth
"Free Modem - No Installation Charges"
"Terrible Tech Support"
"Do Not Bother!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
I received the email from DirecTV DSL that they were discontinuing service and I decided to disconnect before the service went down. I submitted my request via their web page to disconnect service on 12/19/02.
On 12/23/02, my connection to DirecTV DSL was discontinued. The power light on their gateway started flashing on 12/31/02, so I assumed that BellSouth had cleared the line.
After shopping around on broadbandreports.com for a new DSL provider, I decided to order DSL service from EarthLink. I placed the order over the phone on 12/31/02. The customer service representative said that the connection speed would be 1500/128 and a PPPoE connection (the 15.00/month static IP option is not available in our area yet). The EarthLink rep stated that the speeds that he quoted were not guaranteed.
The fact that EarthLink rep was offering a free gateway (without a mail in rebate), free installation, and 21.95/month for the first three months were factors in my decision to go with EarthLink. As when I signed up for DirecTV DSL service, I have a 12 month commitment to keep service with EarthLink or pay an early termination fee. Some people may not want to make this commitment, so I would advise anyone who is considering EarthLink DSL service to keep this in mind.
Orginally, my phone line was to be provisioned on 1/6/03, but BelllSouth encountered some problem on my phone line and was working to fix the problem. I received an email from EarthLink regarding this problem and I was promised that they were working with BellSouth to get the problem taken care of. Being a curious person, I decided to call the EarthLink DSL support line to see if I could get details on what was the problem with my phone line. I was on hold almost an hour before I was able to speak with a representative. After being put on hold several times, I was sent to another rep who told me that there was something on the phone line causing a problem, but the rep had no more details.
On 1/9/03, a BellSouth technician came to the premises and discovered that my DSL connection plugs into a BellSouth installed ADSL filter (installed several years ago when I had the BellSouth FastAccess Service) at the point where the phone line enters the premises. This device filters the other phone connections in my residence from ADSL signals. The technician plugged his test set into the DSL jack on the ADSL filter. After the technician ran the tests, he said the line was fine and that the provisioning would be completed later that day.
I received the EarthLink install package, which included the gateway, on 1/10/02. I installed the gateway, and configured my Linksys DSL/Cable router and on the internet once again. It is too soon to give any type of review of connection reliability. So far, the speeds have been 1024/122.
The whole process of transitioning from DirecTV DSL to EarthLink DSL was much smoother than I expected. There may be better DSL providers with better prices out there, but not having to wait for mail-in rebates, and a discount on the first three months service make EarthLink DSL a provider to consider seriously. I hope they can make improvements in how long it takes to speak to a customer service representative.
*** Final Update 7/27/05 ***
Ditched Earthlink after one year committment expired (2/1/04).
*** Update 2/16/03 ***
Frequent disconnects started occuring again on 2/11/03. Earthlink had Covad do a loop test and found problems on the line and sent a trouble ticket to BellSouth. Apparently, the "problem" with my phone line that was discovered during provisioning to Earthlink wasn't taken care of. A BellSouth technician found problems at the wiring entering my residence and made repairs. The downstream and upstream capacity occupation and noise margins improved dramatically and I now have the advertised speed of 1500/128. The disconnects have vanished.
*** Update 2/9/03 ***
Connection problems finally resolved. I was fortunate to speak with a knowledgeable Earthlink tech support rep, who spent well over an hour with me to troubleshoot and find a resolution to the frequent disconnect problem. I have an INI with an integrated ADSL filter to filter the red/green pair of phone wires in my residence and an unfiltered connection on the black/yellow pair of phone wires, that are running to a phone jack in another room for the DSL connection (this was installed by BellSouth in 1998 when I had their FastAccess service).
The tech support rep suggested installing the filters that are part of the Earthlink self-install package on the phone connections in my residence that had telephones and DirecTV satellite receivers plugged in, even though those lines are already filtered coming from the integrated INI/ADSL filter.
After installing the filters, the disconnect problems went away and my downstream speed is at 1284. I was impressed that the tech support rep called me back the next day to see if installing the filters solved the disconnect problems. He told me that the phones and the DirecTV satellite phone line connections on the red/green pair could be "bleeding" over to the black/yellow pair causing noise. He suggested having BellSouth remove the integrated INI/ADSL filter and install a regular INI, since the Earthlink supplied filters are already in place. Since the disconnect problems have dissapeared, I decided not to go through all the hoops to get BellSouth to replace the integrated INI/ADSL filter with a regular INI.
It took eight calls and a bit of luck before I was able to speak with a tech support rep that was willing to go the extra mile to help diagnose and solve the disconnect problems.
*** Update 1/31/03 ***
For the last two weeks, I am losing sync frequently. Calls to Earthlink for resolution of problem "...we can't do anything unless the problem occurs while you are on the phone with us." Well...with the long wait times to speak to a representative, the problem usually clears up. I am not happy now as I was when I first started service with Earthlink. I never had these issues when I was with DirecTV DSL.
*** Update 1/17/03 ***
After one week of service, I haven't had any connection reliability problems.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by Digital07str
UPDATED: 144 days ago
member for 1.4 years, 56 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Ypsilanti,Washtenaw,MI
$54 per month
about 18 days
Covad
"Its internet? If you want to be run in circles and love to pay more than what you should."
"Failed to lower my 6.0Mbps DSL to 35.95/month when told they would. Failed to lower a second time too."
"Completely abysmal company."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
Omg! AT&T offered a better price, so I contacted Earthlink, and we where able to come to an agreement that satisfied me completely, until that is, they didn't come through on the deal. The first time I contacted Earthlink, I was told I could get 35.95 a month down from my current 54.95 a month and 1 free month of service. When my bill came around, I noticed I got the free month, next month, my bill was still 54.95. I contacted Earthlink. I was told they couldn't lower it to 35.95 because there billing system wouldn't accept anything that low, and that they could lower it to 45.95. Still better than 54.95. One month later, still my bill was 54.95. Contacted them again, and this person told me I could get 35.95. The next billing cycle is coming up in less than a week. If it is not 35.95, I am canceling and going to another provider. I have been with Earthlink since 05/05/00.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by Cookiecat
Posted: 186 days ago
member for 186 days, 2 visits, last login: 185 days ago
The Colony,Denton,TX
$41 per month (36 month contract)
about 4 days
AT&T
"It's available in my area."
"Just about everything."
"A real ripoff."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
In 2006, after wasting a month trying to get AT&T cable to actually work, I signed up for Earthlink DSL. It was great--for the first year: fast and reliable with knowledgeable support. Then, in 2007, everything began to deteriorate, gradually, but noticeably. Last year I began keeping a log of all the times I was unable to connect to the internet, the times I called support, how long I was on hold, etc. I now am unable to connect over 70% of the time unless I go through the initial setup process which takes 20 minutes to half an hour. Most, but not all, of the support staff are extremely rude, condescending, and too obviously wishing they were somewhere else. I memorized their routine a long time ago, but continue to call just so there is a record of the problem. I am counting the days till my contract expires.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by smithers9087
UPDATED: 193 days ago
member for 8.1 years, 6 visits, last login: 193 days ago
Los Angeles,Los Angeles,CA
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 12 days
Verizon
"This review has been deleted."
"This review has been deleted."
"This review has been deleted."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
This review has been deleted.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by seattle8888
UPDATED: 248 days ago
member for 248 days, 1 visits, last login: 248 days ago
Seattle,King,WA
Contract price not specified.
"none"
"outages multiple times daily, rude customer service, painfully slow connection speed"
"If you want to experience what telecommunications services in the third world are like, sign-up for Earthlink."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
After signing-up for Earthlink DSL + Home Phone I experienced, in the first week of service, painfully slow connection speeds barely above 56K (on 8MBPS service). My phone service would frequently go out - in one case three times in a day. When it would go out, phone service would not default to my voicemail, it would simply tell inbound callers "this phone number is no longer in service." When phone service would eventually come back on all of my previously saved voicemails would be "gone" / deleted.
I called to cancel my Earthlink service and, in violation of the contract terms, they canceled it THE SAME DAY! (The contract specifies cancellation occurs at the end of the billing period, which was required for number portability so I could keep my phone number and move it to a new carrier.) I spent 3.25 hours on the phone with overseas customer service, being disconnected on three separate occasions.
End of the drama, I lost the phone number I'd had for 4 years. I had to reprint all my business cards to accommodate the new number I'd been assigned by my new service provider, I likely lost many personal contacts who were left with a disconnected number and no forwarding number.
If you want to experience what telecommunications services in the third world are like, sign-up for Earthlink.
Followup comments:  
Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
clubs:
| Were you using this for a Business? »www.earthlink.net/about/policies···ne.faces
said by EarthLink :
The Service shall be used in a fixed location in qualifying areas of the United States and is for residential purposes only.
The Service quality can vary depending on location, line quality, inside wiring, Internet traffic, and other factors beyond the control of EarthLink. EarthLink does NOT guarantee call quality or upload or download speeds and your sole remedy is to cancel the service.
Do you have a Alarm System? Did you bypass the inside wiring by testing out at the NID? Were Filters used on every single device plugged into a phone jack except for the ADSL Modem? Did you not request Earthlink to check the signal at the NID?
said by EarthLink :
The Service may not be compatible with home security systems. You are responsible for contacting the alarm monitoring company to test the compatibility of any alarm monitoring or security system with the Service.
Did you not read the Terms before buying the service?
said by EarthLink :
10. NUMBER TRANSFER ON SERVICE TERMINATION.
Upon the termination of your Service, we may, in our sole and absolute discretion, release to your new service provider the telephone number that you ported (transferred or moved over) to us from your previous service provider and used in connection with your Service. EarthLinks number porting policies and procedures will be consistent with the applicable laws and regulations.
If you want to keep your number, do NOT cancel the Service until you have made arrangements with another provider to transfer your number first.
It sounds like you did not understand the product and have bad wiring at your residence and that the service was not made or meant for Business use. Plus you (or a contractor you hire) must repair and maintain wiring in the residence as that is the homeowner's responsibility. However, you are allowed to retain your number by following the published steps on the Terms and Conditions page.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by HadItinSF
Posted: 294 days ago
member for 294 days, 0 visits, last login: 294 days ago
San Francisco,San Francisco,CA
$53 per month
"Connections became spottier, speeds slowed, they charge you even after you cancel"
"Not a good value"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
After 10 years of being nickel-and-dimed (not on auto-pay? that's a $1. paper invoice? another $1 etc.) and getting run-arounds by support for our twice-yearly major service disruptions (and regular, brief, dropped connections), we decided to switch to cable (Comcast). Connection is much faster and I only wish we had switched sooner.
Word of warning: If you're an EL customer and you want to switch, be sure to do it before the end of your billing cycle or pay a full month. When they told me this I was incredulous -- when I cancel my newspaper, they don't charge me for the next month of papers I won't receive. But that's EL policy.
On principle I escalated to supervisor and then manager level to complain, but their scripts didn't seem to offer any explanation other than "their protocol doesn't allow for pro-rated billing after a cancellation." After an hour and a half on the phone, an hour of it on hold, the manager finally said she'd put in for immediate cancellation and pro-rate my bill for the month, but "the computer" calculated the total to be only $15 off, about a third of what it should have been
At this point, it's not about the money at all but about shoddy and shady business practices. EL will delay, parry, stretch the truth (there's no one else to escalate your complaint to, until there is when you don't give up) and do basically anything to extract as much money from you as they can. Knowing that others have been paying significantly less for the same service we've had for years makes me even madder. Says a lot when you see how they treat long-time customers.
Even if cable doesn't work out in the long run and we go back to dsl, I will never go back to EL.
Followup comments: | | 
jimbo48
join:2000-11-17
Hayward, CA
 ·AT&T DSL Service
·EarthLink
| Re: Huh? You never called for a Price Match ever? Dr Olds,
I have absolutely no faith in ELNK sales due to their less than upfront sales techniques. I've found that they will "tell" you anything to get you to agree to a commitment. You have absolutely no recourse except to discontinue services with ELNK.
I signed on for a speed bump 2 years ago after being "assured" that I qualified for their 6.0 /768 speeds, paying for this speed bump with a 1 year commitment only to experience a slow and painful return to my current original 1.5/256 speed yet paying for the "premium" speed. I can't afford to just cease service because I work from home (the reason I opted for the speed bump) and if I have no internet I have no job-brutal but true. To their credit, ELNK seems to have really "improved" their technical support and I actually spoke with people that didn't try to blow smoke up my a$$. When you have little or no options for internet, you have no bargaining power. May I say that it has been your very knowledgeable posts that have allowed me to deal with the various issues that ELNK has presented me so a BIG thank you for your help. I wish that ELNK could deal with all their issues but after learning about all the nuances, their situation is rather hopeless. They can do only so much as a broker. The local Telcos can really mess with them and the infrastructure that they lease access cannot be fixed by ELNK. 2 years later, I'm a much wiser person and don't go to ELNK sales anymore- | |
| | |
Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
clubs:
1 edit | Re: Huh? You never called for a Price Match ever? said by jimbo48 :Dr Olds, I have absolutely no faith in ELNK sales due to their less than upfront sales techniques. I've found that they will "tell" you anything to get you to agree to a commitment. You have absolutely no recourse except to discontinue services with ELNK. You are sounding confused. 
Earthlink Sales (independent contractors on commission) is only for *NEW* customers that do not have DSL service. Existing customers use Customer Service.
If you read the Topic Link I posted, you will know what phone menu choice to pick and it has nothing to do with the Sales Department for new customers.
I currently have only AT&T for my other option and since I'm in a former BellSouth Region their DSL prices are actually higher than ELs prices. I called in for my most recent Price Match and after getting the right Customer Service department, I was given $35.95 for the next 12 months, a new Router/Modem and a free month of service for my 6.0/768 connection. For the similar 6.0/512 AT&T service in my area it is $42.95 at and AT&T charges a extra $5.00 non-fee administration fee that makes AT&T DSL $47.95 per month. Plus you cannot run personal servers on AT&T which I can do on EL since it is allowed.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by lavs
UPDATED: 316 days ago
member for 8.8 years, 59 visits, last login: 312 days ago
Costa Mesa,Orange,CA
$39 per month
AT&T
"Email protection features"
"Technical support is pathetic"
"Stay away...far far away"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I have been a loyal customer of earthlink for close to 10 years and have been paying the $39.95 because I felt the Technical support was worth it. Well when the support was in the states I spoke with knowledgeable technicians, even techs that did not know how to help me transfered me to a more technical person.
The support I got from my last 2 modem issues was awful. The people (if you can understand them) have no idea what they are doing. They read from a script and will not transfer you to the high tech people. Bottom line it has taken 3 days and over 5 hours of wasted time. I asked for a new modem the 2nd time I called and they would not send it. So now after all of the climbing around my computer and connections I finally got through to the high tech dept. the person told me I need a new modem and would send one. She then told me what to do to get my connection in the mean time. I did that and now all of my windows drivers are gone and i am unable to print, create a new connection I have to pay for someone to to come and fix the issues.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
| »next page (previous review)
Review by chewy106
UPDATED: 338 days ago
member for 5.4 years, 63 visits, last login: 338 days ago
Round Lake,Lake,IL
$45 per month
AT&T
"It was cheap before."
"Absolutely horrendous customer service. Good luck :("
"Probably better off with some other DSL ISP"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
Have had DSL since 2003. Everything but the Sales department appears to now be outsourced to India. Good luck in ever getting support to deviate from their scripts. You'll be told to power on/off the modem for all connectivity issues multiple times even if you already have. Tech Support generally isn't even aware of outages. Plus they can't even get their phone systems working as I've been told that the hang-ups by reps are "phone issues". Randomly have received new modems with no documentation as to why, and support had no clue it was even sent. Found out recently they've been charging me for 3.0mbps service and not 1.5mbps, even when for the last year my line could only support 1.5. Billing plan simply says "ADSL" and has no additional information. Not even basic support for home networking unless you pay them $10/month for their equipment and support. Looking to change ISP, it's not worth the hassle.
Followup comments:
Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
clubs:
| Normal and better than some ISP that don't let you run a LAN quote:
Not even basic support for home networking unless you pay them $10/month for their equipment and support.
Most all ISPs are the same, they will not help you setup a Router as that is 100% your responsibility to setup your network if that is what you want. At that point you have two choices:
One - you set it up yourself while teaching yourself how to do it or reading guides free on the Internet for the low, low price of $0/month extra in fees.
or
Two - You don't want to be bothered with teaching yourself or reading guides on the Internet so you pay them to help and hold your hand walking you through setup using a standardized single Router that you get for Free After Rebate in their kit and that has a price of $10/month extra in fees.
EL only supports one Router that is in their Home Networking Kit for a good reason. Trying to support two or three dozen Routers would be a support nightmare.
»EarthLink DSL FAQ »What is Earthlink's policy on networking and sharing an internet connection
At least they allow you to run your own Private LAN Network as some ISPs either don't allow it or they charge you for each PC you hook up.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? | |
| | chewy106
join:2004-06-25
Round Lake, IL
·EarthLink
| Re: Normal and better than some ISP that don't let you run a LAN They support 3 different versions of my router per their support site (WRTP54G, WRT54Gx2 and WRT54G). The GS is just the "speedboost" model, practically the same in all ways to the G. They told me they don't support Linksys at all and I had to point out they have nearly 50 pages of FAQs for them.
Besides, I'm not asking for them to set up my router. I pointed that out due to the fact they've randomly once again sent me a new modem (P-660R-D1). Then this past Sunday, my old Zyxel stopped connecting. I've been struggling for 5 days now with them. This new modem only connects through PPPOA, not PPPOE. No one at Earthlink (and in 5 days I think I've talked to now about 45-50 people, all purporting to be "Tech Support") can tell me why, other than they have a "major ticket" in the area open. Last night they told me it's closed, yet the modem still only connects and maintains a connection in PPPOA.
To me, that's shady practices. My Linksys is older and only supports PPPOE. They first tell me their network is PPPOE, then when I say it's not working that way, they say if you buy our Home Networking it'll work. On par with the fact they've been overcharging me for a year since the last time I called and complained about a long extended outage and they gave me a "credit" for it. I received no notification of the price change after the "credit" price they gave me was over, just again paying for (per the bill) "ADSL Service".
And I'm STILL dealing with them 5 days later, with little updates or support for just my connection Yesterday I received a callback as promised, yet the person on the other end insisted I just called them and had no clue what was going on, and I was told to call back in a few hours. Reeks of major incompetence for supposed "Tech Support". Their own modem reported my "3.0" speed as 928kbps and they told me it's a browser issue with the speed test. I had to argue with them for 10 minutes that it was the Zyxel modem they sent reporting the speed, not some random online speed test. And they still insisted I clear my browser cache and run anti-spyware and it would fix the speed before they hung up. Again.
I take it from your reply though there are no arguments with any of my other issues? Seems like a very minor point to disagree with considering the gravity of the other issues. | |
| | |
Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
clubs:
| Re: Normal and better than some ISP that don't let you run a LAN said by chewy106 :Besides, I'm not asking for them to set up my router. I pointed that out due to the fact they've randomly once again sent me a new modem (P-660R-D1). Then this past Sunday, my old Zyxel stopped connecting. I've been struggling for 5 days now with them. This new modem only connects through PPPOA, not PPPOE. No one at Earthlink (and in 5 days I think I've talked to now about 45-50 people, all purporting to be "Tech Support") can tell me why, other than they have a "major ticket" in the area open. Last night they told me it's closed, yet the modem still only connects and maintains a connection in PPPOA. To me, that's shady practices. My Linksys is older and only supports PPPOE. They first tell me their network is PPPOE, then when I say it's not working that way, they say if you buy our Home Networking it'll work. Even a BRAND NEW Linksys does not support PPPoA so I don't see how that is shady in any way, shape, or form as even the EL Linksys Routers are the same way and only support PPPoE or DHCP. Try and find any Ethernet to Ethernet Router with PPPoA support. You have a Working Router in the ZyXEL as all the P660R versions are full featured wired Routers that support 32 LAN clients out of the box via DHCP and can be configured to support up to 253 LAN clients if you buy a large enough Multi-Port Switch and increase the DHCP pool size. You can even use your Wireless Router if you connect the ZyXEL to a LAN port instead of the WAN port and then turn Off PPPoE and Turn Off DHCP in your Router so the ZyXEL hands out IPs to all clients Wired or Wireless.
PPPoA can only be done in the DSL Modem/Router. A Bridge only Modem does not support PPPoA. Only some areas of EL coverage support PPPoA and PPPoE while other are PPPoE only. DSLAMs that support both PPPoA and PPPoE are in the dual protocol areas.
I don't know why you are able to connect with PPPoA and not with PPPoE in the ZyXEL, as that would cause all the people in your area that have older PPPoE only Modems or older Bridge Modems with only PPPoE support through them with a Router or a PPPoE client to not have any Internet access which you do have. There is something going on, but I don't know what it is as it is not in my area and I've not seen any other posts about it in the Earthlink DSL Forum yet so far. Are you using IE 7 to set the ZyXEL into Bridge Mode? That is the one thing I just remembered that does not work and requires either IE 6 or Opera or Firefox instead and that would stop PPPoE in your Router from working as the ZyXEL Wizard for Bridge Mode does not work with IE 7 as it is not a supported Browser.
Linksys is one Brand and the three Models are nearly identical in setup which makes it their one supported platform to deal with.
Yes, I know very well that support is bad at Tier 1 as they only read scripts. You would need Tier 3 to get non-scripted help, but if there is a major issue in your area (I don't know if there is or if there isn't as I have no clue what your area is) then no calls to support (even 40 or 50 of them) will help until that is cleared up first. That is pretty much common sense.
I didn't address your other points as I can't help with EL Support as I don't work for them, I can only try to help you with things that I personally know to work and share that.
Enjoy.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of EarthLink |
|
|
·
