how-to block ads
|
»next review in page
Review by douggrif 
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 2.5 years, 5 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago
 Sulphur Springs,Benton,AR
 $45 per month
 about 1 days
 "Performance as advertised, Reasonable DSL Cost"
 "None"
 "Moved from Wildblue Satellite to DSL and I am very satisfied"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
I live in a rural area and years ago had CenturyTel service. I left CenturyTel to use an AT&T cellphone with 3 watt amplifier and Yagi antenna for home use and I signed up with WildBlue Satellite for Internet access. I was paying $55 per month for the phone and $80 per month (plus tax) for the highest speed Wildblue access (varied, but speed around 1.5 mbps to sometimes much lower). When I found out CenturyTel was now offering DSL I signed up. Now I pay $81 (plus tax) for an everything package for land line (Unlimited, Nationwide calls and every add-on package available) and including the DSL service (about $45 of the $81 total). In our rural town the best Internet connect speed advertised was 1.5 mbps, but I generally average better than that, up to around 1.7 mbps. Upload speed is around 280 bps. The service has been very reliable and I am very satisfied.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
 | »next review in page (previous review)
Review by mikehd
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 9.4 years, 2179 visits, last login: 8 days ago
Lebanon,Linn,OR
$45 per month (month by month)
about 15 days
 CenturyTel
"usually always on, usually dependable, local techs are excellent"
"EXTREMELY spotty CSR competency - it's a roll of the dice (loaded against you)"
"Still no other choice in our rural area. Lucky to be in the magic radius of the RO."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
CenturyTel now offers its ADSL service in rural Oregon. I lucked out when they pushed it out to a remote office (blockhouse) about 2 miles from my house. Only one speed available (512/256) for $49.95 per month, no limits on usage. VPN fully supported, dependent on home hardware. No home networking supported. Westell Wirespeed DSL modems used ($120 from CenturyTel), and they allow you to spread the cost over 12 months if you like. Order process was a bit confusing in that the hardware came but no notice what to expect next. Service was delayed 2 days past the promised date due to inexperienced field techs (finally found load coils on my line at the RO). PPPoE with DHCP is used. Actual speeds are typically 450/220. Very happy to have a stable broadband service.
***
Update Jan 31, 2002 - since my first signup with CenturyTel I have experienced about 5-10 days of service interruptions, mostly due to loss of their carrier out of the state. Some troubling tech support issues occurred during the most recent service "brown out" (not gone but slowed way down). I got one tech to tell me that they were having problems on their network, but the second time I called the tech just said that my Netgear RO318 router was the problem. The symptom was slow connection and IP address expiring every 5-10 minutes.
Also, if you check out community.centurytel.net you will see that they are running a promotion where you get your ADSL modem for $49 (regularly $120) and first month of service free if you commit to a year service.
***
Update July 7, 2003 - Service has been very steady and reliable over the past 18 months. Some slow down issues lately where a reboot of the Westell was required to get full 450Kbps speed (512Kbps advertised). Not clear to me why they don't offer higher speed service - is it their hardware? infrastructure?
***
I've been using the news service and their website more often lately and am a bit disappointed to how weak they are in those areas. The news has a very low retention rate, and their website just repeats the same info available everywhere.
Oh well..
***
July 15, 2003
Thought I would take the time to report a rarity with our ADSL service: an outage today! It may have been foreshadowed by increasing frequency of disconnects over the past few days. Today we could establish synch with the RO, but couldn't find a PPPoE server to get our IP. Just talked with a local field tech who was on his way to the Lacomb RO to turn things back up.
I had contacted the CT 800 number on Sunday (July 13) night to let them know things were starting to have trouble. Monday afternoon (July 14) we got a message from a local field tech to discuss the issue. Today (July 15) we get contact with the same field tech who is going out to fix the problem, and said that he would call back to the house to verify that service was re-established. I'm impressed.
****
More good news on the CT front: they will be offering higher speeds very soon. They have the network capability and have made the business decision to become more competitive with cable (Comcast in Lebanon, OR).
****
Aug 1, 2003
No news yet as to when CT will roll out the higher speed packages.
****
June 17, 2004
CT has been offering 512/256, 768/256 packages for a while now. For the same price that used to get you 512, you know get 768.
They also switched to Giganews for their newsfeeds, which has been a big improvement.
Stability has been excellent. Their web-chat CS is not usually useful for me. Their 800 number CS typically results in the problem really being solved.
Bottom line: CT aDSL still delivers.
*****
December 31, 2004 - Happy New Years!
The last six months has been the worst in terms of network stability with CT. Numerous calls to the 800 number result in the usual "all ok up here" and "reboot the modem, disconnect your firewall" routine. Most problems peaked in September, and have again smoothed out in the past month or so. I'm downgrading my rating of CT based on the past 6 months to average overall.
In an attempt to resolve the connection stability issues, I purchased a next generation Westell dsl modem (6100) to see if it's vaunted and hyped technology would enable more stable connects at higher speeds. No help.
I'm back on our old 356 and haven't had to power cycle it in weeks. Service is set to 1500/256 and typically we get 1200/220.
****************
September 5, 2006
CT has upgraded our local RO to be fibre fed. Must say that this is the most exciting development in the world of CT since they discovered aDSL technology. They are apparently now offering 3Mbps and 6Mbps packages but I don't know pricing yet.
Their website portal is still pretty clumsy and hard to find info. Looking for the latest offerings? can't find it here, gotta call them. Their 800 number tech support has been reworked to be more responsive and human, feels like you're working with someone that cares about the issues not just a drone. They still have that delightful southern accent.
Local tech support continues to be strong. Although a recent RO upgrade resulted in our service being left at 512/256, a call to the 800 line got a ticket opened (after the typical modem reboot, no router troubleshooting steps). Got a return call from the local tech who validated our MTU didn't change then set us up the bomb to 1.5/256 again.
Need to see what the line conditioning steps are to get to reliable 3Mbps service.
*******
November 5, 2006
We got 3/512 service this past week. Been very steady. Replaced the 5 year old modem with a new 6100 series. $50/month for the 2x faster service.
********
March 8, 2007
Another round of calling CT's CSRs to get some resolution on our periodic synching issues has concluded. Resolution was attained by insisting they open a repair ticket and having the local tech see the issue from his gear in the Lebanon office. A field tech was sent out to troubleshoot the cable pair. He found a bad splice that was grounding out the pair during wet weather (which we have a bunch of during the winter). Having the local phone number for a sympathetic tech is invaluable, but it is also a responsibility to not abuse the relationship. I still call the CT CSR line to open tickets, but it is good to know I can call (and I get calls from) the local tech for issues such as this.
************
Sept 26, 2007
Further issues with unsynching and speed degradation over a 24 hr period forced me to call in the CT CSR center again. Took a few tries as one of the CSRs wouldn't open a repair ticket if I could reboot my modem to restore speed. Another wanted me to put my netgear router back into service to address the PADT disconnect issues. Sigh. Eventually I got a repair ticket opened and the once again excellent folks in the Lebanon Oregon office were able to track it down to the last piece of hardware: my Network Interface Device. They upgraded it to a new one that uses a whole house splitter/filter. I did three home runs to it: one for data, two for phones. The dsl tech did the final tie in and an excellent job of dressing the cables down to the house. We went a record of 90+ hours without an unsynch or disconnect. The record was broken due to a power bump that reset the modem and router.
Summary: CSRs... meh. Local techs... EXCELLENT!!
***
Update 10/8/08
August was a month or more of 'nightly slowdowns' where our 6Mbps service would magically drop to less than 1Mbps, then restore back to 6 by morning. Of course there were no issues at CT's end . Noticed a post in the new dedicated CT forum by another local CT user in Lacomb with the same issue. Luckily CT techs are now participating in that forum and were able to investigate a bit for us folks. By mid-September the problem was resolved.
Once again, I am very grateful that CT has invested in our rural community in the technology needed to provide HSI access. I just wish they would upgrade their CSR group and provide them with real tools and real info on the true status of the network.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by BoycotCTL
UPDATED: 1.2 years ago
member for 1.2 years, 5 visits, last login: 11 days ago
Sarepta,Webster,LA
$29 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
CenturyTel
"They do 'offer' internet"
"Support nonexistant, inflexible, run by inbred rednecks"
"They know the're the only JACKASS in a 1 horse town !"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Have been a $ donor to Cenurytel.net for 9 years, they offer existing long time customers NO deals; the support line is of no use to anyone who has any experience whatsoever with using/maintaining computer.
Here in the boondocks ( N Louisiana- Centurytel's backyard) - they are the only telco, the only broadband ISP, and they treat customers like feces - "Here's what we got, if ya want it, pay too much and don't expect any help, if not; use tin cans or smoke signals "! They offer great specials - but only for new customers; who the hell does that apply to when anyone that has a phone line is by definition a customer of theirs !!
Recently I saw on the web that Centurytel was offering Pure Broadband; I checked availability ( using legit personal info), was qualified, placed an order and was promptly refused. Here is their reply:
"Thank you for your interest in CenturyTel as your service provider. Unfortunately you are not eligible to get pure broadband due to you already having service with us; however, you do qualify to get up to 10.0 dsl .You may respond to this email as adequate communication to send in this information or you may contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-201-4099, Monday through Friday, 7am-7pm CST/EST/Pacific for any inquiries. Should you contact them, your account number is 300155419 you will need this when you get the representative on the phone. "
If you have any other viable options RUN LIKE HELL !!!!!!
We recently had a severe lighning storm, one bolt hit the transformer on my block - the only damaged equipment ? Anything connected to Centurytel's landlines ! Had to buy a new computer - they wouldn't even cut me a deal on a new modem.
But, in all fairness, the local service guys are top notch !!! Courteous, helpful, offer insider advice to customers, and some have even helped out local residents while off the clock ( somehow a used modem/router appeared at my doorstep shortly after mine got fried... THANKS DUDE !!!! ) Hopefully some of these guys might eventuall get promoted to upper management - if they can stick with this bloodsucking outfit long enough !
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by blazecom
Posted: 1.3 years ago
member for 4 years, 133 visits, last login: 97 days ago
Columbia,Boone,MO
 Business customer
$54 per month
about 5 days
CenturyTel
"Service, 5 free static IPs, High Uptime, Get more than I pay for"
"none"
"Get it if you can!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
Had a rough start because we had a major storm and they were backed up with fixing that, so my line was delayed a bit, but my line has been solid, since I have the business package I got 5 static IPs for free (you have to ask for them) although my rate is higher than for a residential line (I needed the IPs). CenturyTel only blocks around 6 ports and they are not commonly used, my webserver runs fine.
I have 10.0/768 dsl and I constantly get 11-11.5 down and 750-770 up, my pings are very low, around 39ms during the height of the day. I have the wireless Westel modem and have never seen a drop yet when it comes to sync....
The bottom line is they are the best carrier in my area when it comes to cheap Business Grade DSL.
The other companies in my area only carry SDSL for Business Grade and right now I just don't need that.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by casmith
Posted: 1.3 years ago
member for 2.9 years, 465 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Salem,Fulton,AR
$110 per month
CenturyTel
"Good most of the time"
"Lately bad latency issues (intermittent)"
"No other options available otherwise I would rather have another provider."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
As there are no other viable options for a high-speed streaming type of connection, I am stuck with an overpriced service. I am required to have telephone line even thou all I really need is their DSL, which when it's working properly works pretty well, but lately (past 3-4 mos) there has been bad latency issues.
Followup comments:  
dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI | Latency What kind of ping times are you getting? What speed are you supposed to have? What are your actual speed results?
Thank you. | |
| | | | |
dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI
 ·CenturyLink
| Re: Latency Ok, well according to your test results, there is obviously an issue going on in Mountain Home. What have they told you about this when a tech was sent out? Do you know if anyone has contacted our Network Support Center to see what they show on their end versus yours?
--
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
- Abraham Lincoln | |
| | | |
casmith
join:2006-12-27
Salem, AR
clubs:
·CenturyLink
1 edit | Re: Latency Ya I called support 3x tonite as I'm basically fed up waiting on them to notice the issue after there was a line cut causing an outage about 2-3wks ago, but this seems to be system problem with their equipment in Mt. Home. Waiting on a call back from Tech Support from Team Leader asked to have the call escalated for complex issue. The other 3 people didn't even know what latency is :/ Scripted Tech Support is sometimes a problem.
Also, a tech is supposed to be comming out to do a line check tomorrow, but I don't believe that is the problem as Mt. Home is a problem when comming from DSLReport to ME, and they get same type of high latency at the same location as I do. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by netlive
UPDATED: 1.4 years ago
member for 1.5 years, 9 visits, last login: 1.3 years ago
Plattsburg,Clinton,MO
$60 per month
about 75 days
CenturyTel
"None - Not a single one."
"Too many to list - read full review for details."
"There is something very wrong with this company. Avoid at all costs."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
I was promised numerous times by their customer service before I purchased my house (a mere few hundred feet from the aggregation point) that they could provide me 3.0Mb DSL service with static IPs. Turns out they do not offer static IPs, but "sticky" IPs through "dial-up DSL" technology - using the old dial-up modem PPP technology. I made numerous phone calls to CenturyTel complaining about this, only to be told every time I call that they have no record of my previous calls indicating promises made or any dissatisfaction with my service. This is either the pinnacle of incompetence or I am being flat-out lied to.
Then when I find workarounds for their lack of true static IPs I find out that they have so severely oversold their backhaul that the most throughput I can get is 20-25% on average, with a low of 7% in mid-afternoon when all of the kids get out of school and start logging on. How is someone who works through the internet supposed to conduct business when the network chokes in the middle of the workday?
CenturyTel's response? "Perhaps you should consider our T-1 service for $450 per month".
My response is not fit for print.
I moved to my current location based on the false promises that CenturyTel repeatedly made to me only to find out they are a den of incompetent liars. They have a complete monopoly on broadband service in this town of ~2500 people and they are using it to cheat and abuse their customers. If there were any viable alternative at all I and others here would be gone in a heartbeat, but instead we're forced to suffer under the boot of CenturyTel.
If anyone from CenturyTel sees this, I would love to post a follow-up about how you promptly fixed this huge mess in Plattsburg, MO and how everything works wonderfully now, but until then I will continue to spread the word loud and clear about how you are treating your customers here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
UPDATE on 6/9/08:
I have successfully switched to Socket DSL services (socket.net). After more than a week of tests and activity I can confidently say that they are providing exactly the DSL service that I expect from a 3Mb DSL connection with static IPs. And yes, they are REAL static IPs over a fully-bridged connection, not the mis-labeled crap CenturyTel tries to pass off as static IPs - using a PPP connection and DHCP server to re-issue the same IP. Sorry, but that's not a static IP, and no amount of ignorant double-talk from CenturyTel will ever change that.
I still have not received any reply from CenturyTel regarding any of these problems. In fact, every business in town that relies on their DSL connection has had the same problems I have, and the issues have become so severe that City Hall has gotten involved and asked me to assist in finding alternatives to CenturyTel. Well, I found one in Socket and I'm going to make sure everyone in Plattsburg knows that a viable alternative exists. From what I've been told the business community here is ready to lynch CenturyTel, and I can't blame them. I'm ready to lynch them myself.
I don't understand what CenturyTel's problem is. If you have so much contempt for your customers why do you even bother? Why not sell your assets to another business that's actually interested in the products and services they are offering? I've never in my life encountered first-hand the kind of contempt, apathy, rudeness, and just plain ignorance that I have encountered with CenturyTel. If the Public Service Commission regulated DSL like they regulate the phone lines CenturyTel would be black-balled from ever providing service to anyone.
If you're an investor in CenturyTel I would get out immediately. There is something definitely very wrong with this company.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
UPDATE on 7/15/08:
After being ignored in every other avenue of communication, I sent CenturyTel a registered letter demanding that my DSL service with them be discontinued immediately. Well guess what, THEY COMPLETELY IGNORED THAT TOO.
I have no words to describe how awful CenturyTel is. I have now sent all of my information to the Missouri Attorneys General office, the Missouri Public Service Commission, the FCC, and the FTC. If they won't respond to me, and won't even respond to our city government, then perhaps they'll find it necessary to respond to one of these organizations.
I simply cannot stress hard enough how utterly terrible CenturyTel is. There is absolutely no excuse for this, and this company should not just be avoided but should be dissolved altogether.
Followup comments: chelpt
join:2008-05-24
La Crosse, WI
·CenturyLink
| Update? So I don't get it. My connection is exactly what I expect. Mind, I have high tech support standards, so I don't talk to them.
But your story sounds like a torrential rain of BAD... and at the end you said it was promptly fixed. Does this mean your connection works?, they gave you a discount?, you actually found a good tech support person?, the Area Plant Supervisor called you?
I feel the story is leaving us hanging. | |
| | netlive
join:2008-05-14
·CenturyLink
| Re: Update? No, it was never fixed. I said that I would be happy to report back here if it *was* promptly fixed, which it has not been. In fact, I have submitted requests for a technician to come and review my connection and its myriad of problems, and CenturyTel DID NOT EVEN RESPOND to my request. At this point I feel that I have been sold a fraudulent service by a company who has now disappeared.
Fortunately, after months of searching, I have found a competitor in this area and am in the process of setting up the same DSL service with them. Once that service is online I will post back here with another update, but I can tell you that so far the technical knowledge, responsiveness, and customer service with this new company has been absolutely the polar opposite of CenturyTel. At this point I just could not possibly think any lower of CenturyTel, and they apparently aren't even bothered enough to care. | |
| | netlive
join:2008-05-14 | I have updated my original review. | |
| | | chelpt
join:2008-05-24
La Crosse, WI
·CenturyLink
| Re: Update? Ok, I'm sorry to hear that it was so bad in Plattsburg. I'm not sure if Centurytel just act differently in La Crosse (maybe it is because they have the Midwest headquarters over here) or what. But I do have one thing to ask of you...
Your Static IP. Were you paying the extra $20 to get this? I do, and I get the static IP just fine. Sure the modem needs to log in and such... but getting that static status makes certain that it is that ip address all the time. Did some one in their customer service tell you that it came with static ip? That would have been wrong. Also, did your system just not understand how to use the 255.255.255.255 on a single static ip? | |
| | | | netlive
join:2008-05-14
·CenturyLink
| Re: Update? Yes it's bad in Plattsburg, and it's not just me. As I mentioned our city government has been receiving fierce complaints and they have also been unable to get any kind of response out of CenturyTel.
Yes I was paying the extra $20 for an 8 block (5 usable) static IPs. However, static IPs must be served over a fully bridged connection as described in RFC 1483. CenturyTel uses a DHCP server to re-issue the same IPs over PPP, which means to the outside world your IP address is still a dynamically assigned IP. If you only need a static IP for game playing or other casual use then that's fine, but when you're trying to run a business this just doesn't cut it. The static IP *must* be visible to the outside world as an actual static IP, not a dynamically assigned IP controlled by the upstream provider. The generally accepted term for this arrangement is "sticky IP", and it is fundamentally different than a static IP.
Furthermore, by issuing these sticky IPs with a DHCP server, it makes the other 4 usable IPs worthless. How am I supposed to set up 5 routers - one on each IP - when the IPs are assigned in the order of request? Every time my power goes out or I lose DSL synchronization it becomes a race condition for each router to log in and obtain an IP, which means there is no guarantee that the same router will end up with the same IP from the sticky set. As I said before, this just doesn't work for actual business use.
The amazing thing to me is that CenturyTel doesn't even realize this. It's not that CenturyTel understands and just accepts it as a shortcoming of their service - they actually believe they offer static IPs. Their website even states that they offer static IPs. I'm still considering whether or not I should report them for false advertising. If there were an agency for reporting technical incompetence I would have reported them for that long ago. | |
| | | | | 
GeekJedi
RF is Good For You
Premium
join:2001-06-21
Mukwonago, WI
clubs:
·CenturyLink
 ·VOIPo
·Vonage
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Update? First, if you're running a business, then you should pay for a biz-class service, or be prepared to deal with the issues.
You are paying residential prices for a residential service, with no speed or uptime guarantees. It seems that the T1 offer is entirely appropriate for someone who needs biz-class service, or at least calls an complains about issues when you haphazardly decide to run your business on a residential connection.
It's unfortunate that you're having those sorts of issues. It seems to be the exception, rather than the rule.
I'm not sure what you'll achieve with your "reporting" about their advertising. A static IP is a static IP - and I use CTL as a backup connection at my office (a backup to a T1, since I wouldn't trust my business to a DSL connection) and I can access my stuff through a static IP. It may not fit YOUR definition, but it fits THE definition.
Anyway, it sounds like you found a provider that better suits your needs. I think you're probably better off looking at them in the rearview mirror. As for me, I have 10000/768 through them and have had nearly zero problems in two years.
--
The goal of the broadcast engineer is to get all the meters on the transmitter to go as far to the right as possible!! | |
| | | | | | netlive
join:2008-05-14
·CenturyLink
| Re: Update? I was paying for biz-class service. I've been doing this long enough to know exactly what service levels I need in order to run my business. I never expected SLA guarantees or dedicated circuits like you would get with a T-1, and that's not at all what I'm complaining about anyway.
There is a certain level of expectation for a business class DSL connection, and getting just over 20% of the bandwidth, being sold one product and receiving something entirely different, and being treated with such contempt and eventually being ignored is absolutely unacceptable.
As I said before, the entire city is ready to lynch CenturyTel and not even our city government has been able to get them to respond. Does this sound like an exception to the rule? Does this sound like someone who is just ignorant of what they really need? Does this sound like just one unhappy customer with an axe to grind?
And CenturyTel's rate of $450/month for a T-1 circuit was with a 3 year contract. So you're basically saying I should fork over a no-bid contract worth $16,200 to a company that can't even get the simple details right? A company that is so rude and technically incompetent that they have an entire city upset with them? A company that won't even respond when the problems are so bad the city government has to get involved? And I'm supposed to put trust in any SLA they provide for the more complex services?
And I have to fervently disagree - a static IP is a very specific technical setup that is very important to the business class users who really need them. A sticky IP is technologically very different from a static IP, and if you really needed a true static IP you would understand that the two are simply not interchangeable at all. | |
| | | | | | netlive
join:2008-05-14
·CenturyLink
| I just have to follow up again on the static IP issue because it's really becoming a pet peeve of mine.
A static IP is *not* defined as an IP that doesn't change. It's defined by the way the IP is assigned - ie, statically. If a DHCP server is assigning the IP then by definition the IP is *not* static. It makes no difference at all if you receive the same IP from the DHCP server or not, it's still being dynamically assigned.
Static IPs can be delegated to independent name servers for reverse DNS resolution, which is critically important for real business class use. Sticky IPs cannot be delegated which makes them no better than using third party dynamic DNS resolvers with a non-sticky IP.
Static IPs are also assigned - statically - at the node consuming the IP. That guarantees that the node will maintain that same IP if the connection is ever lost or reset. Nodes that request their IPs from a DHCP server are *not* guaranteed of receiving the same IP address if there is more than one IP in the sticky set.
This isn't directed at anyone in particular, but anyone that thinks that "static IP" simply means an IP that doesn't change then please stop talking about it. That's *not* what static means, and by propagating this misinformation it only serves to make it harder for the people who need real static IPs to get what they really need. | |
| | | | | | | myriad
join:2008-07-27
West Monroe, LA
| Re: Update? I just found this entry and wanted to clarify some things. Using your description, CenturyTel is using static IP addresses. When a static user connects, their IP address information is associated with their account; it only tries to perform allocation from a dynamic pool if the account is set up as a 'dynamic' account. Because the connection is a Point-to-Point connection, the first IP address in the range is given to the router and the other IP addresses are then routed to the first ip address since this is the gateway. By statically assigning IP information on the servers a user sets up, something which is good practice in server administration, you never have the issue of servers 'battling' for the ip resources.
Also, you should be able to contact the support team for your ISP if the reverse DNS records are incorrect and ask them to fix them for you. | |
| | | |
| Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by jood
Posted: 1.4 years ago
member for 3.2 years, 59 visits, last login: 1.4 years ago
Pine Prairie,Evangeline,LA
$59 per month (24 month contract)
about 4 days
CenturyTel
"None"
"Absolutely horrendous service. Massive packetloss. Overloading of badnwith. Price is horrible for the speed offered."
"Not even worth being called a broadband connection/internet provider."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
First off, I'll start with I've been a CenturyTel customer for over 6 years now. I live in a small village called Pine Prairie, Louisiana, which basically has a population maxing at 1,000 due to a large prison facility being within the town limits. We have no other options here for phone service/internet service other than CenturyTel. 59.99 a month package for 1.5mb/256up.
Well, the first year that we got it, it was fantastic! I had 56k for 1 year before getting broadband, and I was absolutely amazed.. Boy was I happy.. then, about 6 months later.. it was like I was playing on a 56k again. I am an avid gamer, who depends on quality of the service... packetloss being my main factor, secondary comes speed.
Well, repair ticket after repair ticket, my problem has never been solved and they always tell me it is fixed. As of about 4 years now, I've been getting packetloss of 4-5% from the hours of 6-11pm. On top of that, the speed slows to about 700kbps down (which isnt that bad). 4 years I have called and talked to technician after technician about the problem.. them telling me it's something wrong with the lines, they check my lines and everything is fine on my end.. Then the other day I finally had it. My packetloss had sky-rocketed up to 39%. It stayed like this for a solid week. Well, the night it happened, I called the hotline and talked to a tech. They set up a repair ticket and when they couldn't figure out what the problem was, they told me "Sorry we don't know what's wrong. But to tell you the truth, we only offer internet service. We don't guarantee quality."
This has to be truely one of the worst internet providers out there. Don't even waste your time bothering with this company. You are better off settling with 56K from another company.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
 Review by grunt9800
Posted: 1.4 years ago
member for 7.4 years, 2585 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Fort Rucker,Dale,AL
$92 per month (12 month contract)
about 7 days
CenturyTel
"Stays connected when good weather"
"Intermittent connection during bad weather/Speed not as advertised"
"Good when connected"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Get disconnected for a minute or so whenever there's thunder and lightning. Currently only 3 Mbps of the advertised 6 Mbps (waiting on resolution)
Price is bundled with landline
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by mmccrore
Posted: 1.4 years ago
member for 1.4 years, 0 visits, last login: 1.4 years ago
Lapeer,Lapeer,MI
$49 per month
CenturyTel
"Consistantly reliable, well priced, well supported"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
have provided great service for years.
have had the same price plan since the first packages were offered in my area, and have been automatically updated as service became available.
49.95 when 256 became available
49.95 up to 768
49.95 up to 1.5Mb
49.95 next week up to 10Mb
Within a month or two of availability, upgrade notifications came from CenturyTel via email, or local technician (which was nice) and performed without headache.
Service disruptions (on only a few occasions) in the past few years have always been met with good customer service, and have even been credited toward my account for time of service disruption.
I noticed that 15Mb is now available through centurytel, but I would imagine that fiber is required up to the house for this. I live far from the road, thus only having copper up to the house, so this will have to suffice for the time being. At least until cable or 802.16 are available locally. Nice to see that centurytel and my satellite provider have combined forces, however!
F* the cable monopoly in this neck of the woods! Haha!
Pre Sales information: 4/5 Decent enough website, but phonesales staff is not informed
Install Co-ordination: 5/5 Customer support++, and great local (inhouse) support!
Connection reliability: 5/5 Only a couple disruptions in several years
Tech Support: 5/5 Notification and usage credit!!
Services: 4/5 Would like to see better discounts in Dish service
Value for money: 4/5 Only free wi-fi gets 5/5
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
| »next page (previous review)
Review by swineyjs
UPDATED: 1.4 years ago
member for 1.4 years, 0 visits, last login: 1.4 years ago
Troy,Lincoln,MO
Contract price not specified.
CenturyTel
"DSL in Rural Missouri"
"Installation has not been smooth"
"To Early to call"
| |
We just bought a new house. Called CenturyTel and ordered Phone and 3mbps DSL. Install was set for 7/26/08.
Why am I writing early? Well...Because we called to get status and someone closed the work order saying it was done on 6/16/08. We drive 1 hour to the house and find that indeed a contractor showed up on 6/16/08 and did the install to the house. He used, are you ready for this, Orange 18 AWG UTP in thin PVC that he ran on top of the ground and tied in a knot to the house and then closed the work order. Even if someone comes behind this guy and uses this cable, I will have tons of trouble. First the run should use 24 AWG Direct Burial cable...I think we can all agree that indoor cable under the ground is a bad idea. Second the signal loss using the wrong cable will cause DSL issues.
So far I'm not impressed with CenturyTel. I'm waiting to hear back from the account folks. I'll keep you posted.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of CenturyLink |
|
|
(12)
