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 Review by powerspec88 
member for 6.2 years, 2982 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 7 days ago
 Overland Park,Johnson,KS
 $150 per month- (12 month contract)
 about 4 days "Amazing speeds and latency 24/7" "Amazing speeds and latency 24/7"
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May-15-2013
When first signed up, was in a 1 year contract for ~$140 a month, but after contract was up, price jumped to ~$260 a month. Called and signed up for a new contract plus ordered 2 more HD cable boxes and a newer DVR (with a bigger drive, 320GB now) for ~$150 a month. They have enabled whole home DVR which is very nice, but other than the main DVR box, they can't pause live TV like u-verse. Internet speeds are still amazing, still getting 50/5. Wishing for something faster still, 50Mbps with 3 roommates is not fast enough. User well over 1TB a month and never been told to stop as well. Got a few of my friends that can get Surewest to switch, and they as well say it is far better than TWC/U-verse.
Called the local Surewest office here in Kansas City to setup a time for internet. Wanted to get 50/5 but it was $210 a month, but if we added basic cable, the price dropped to $120 a month for 12 months. Called Monday afternoon and had a appointment for 12-5pm Friday. Guy showed up at around 1pm, ran some line test outside and the local loops inside the house. By 2pm, internet was setup and he stayed to make sure we got the full 50/5 service. Got a Cisco D3010 modem and used my own Linksys 4200 router. Modem connects using 8 downstream channels and 2 upstream. Speeds are 50/5 24/7 and have never dropped below it.
TV service is ok, not the greatest HD picture, it is worse than TWC which we had before. DVR only has a 160GB drive. They say home DVR service is coming soon but no dates yet.
Overall, Surewest has been great for us, internet is FAR better than the 15/1 service I had with TWC and a lot lower latency and less downtime.
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 Review by shinjuru
member for 12.5 years, 6221 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 169 days ago
- Carmichael,Sacramento,CA
- $68 per month
- about 7 days
 AT&T- "Super fast connection. Extremely reliable."
 "Unpredictable Tech Support."- "18mbps Up/Down 24/7."
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December 2012
This is the most dependable service I have ever experienced. I play several on-line games and always have the best ping response on the servers that I connect to. We also stream Netflix and other online services. Get the service, if you can. You will not be disappointed.
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Review by netobok
member for 230 days, 14 visits, last login: 15 days ago
updated 230 days ago
- Lincoln,Placer,CA
- $85 per month
- (12 month contract)
- "Never gone down, extremely fast, symmetric fiber"
- "Prices creeping up, have to threaten to cancel to lower them"
- "Great service if it's available in your area"
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I had no idea how good I had it until we started planning a move and I saw what things were like elsewhere. We started out with 15/15 3 years ago and now have 30/30 with fiber to the house. Our service has never gone down. We also have phone service with them and it's been rock solid. In addition, they host an annual barbecue for the community, where we've won things, and they even rented out a movie theatre to give their customers a chance to watch Up, and we won a free tickets to the Sacramento State Fair. Overall, I'm a happy customer.
The only negative is that they keep raising prices little by little - a few bucks here and there adds up. When the bill has gone up because our discount was up, I've called saying I was thinking of canceling (though I really wasn't) and they've always given me another discount for the next 12 months, though it's gotten harder.
I have no idea what their cable service is like - we've never used it.
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 Review by mob
member for 12.6 years, 5280 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 242 days ago
- Shawnee,Johnson,KS
- $65 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 5 days
- "Upload is better than cable modem based internet access"
- "Not always getting full upload speed"
- "Better than DSL or cable modem internet services"
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I moved to an area served by ATT, Time Warner Cable and Surewest. ATT offered capped Uverse with a contract, not much upload speed with a price that was not attractive. Time Warner wanted to sell me "all the best" however I was tired of their poor HD cable quality and slow upload speeds.
Surewest offered me digital cable, an HD DVR with dual tuners and 25mb symmetric internet service for a little over $101 a month after "fees" and taxes.
In most cases the connection is very speedy, with no problem getting the full advertised download speed. However when uploading it seems the speeds drop. I still get well beyond anything cable or dsl offer, just not the full speed I know the line can do.
Beyond that issue I am more than pleased with the stability of the connection. Ping times to various servers are usually below 10ms.
»www.speedtest.net/result/1327937818.png
September 10, 2011 - update
Solid, stable connection. Insanely low ping times to most servers and sites. Would love a free speed upgrade while maintaining current cost.
July 14 2012 - update
Dropped cable TV, DVR, etc since I barely used it. Switched over to 50/50 for $100 a month for a year.
»speedtest.net/result/2057520415.png
Do I miss cable television service? No. Nothing on was worth watching. Netflix and Amazon Instant Video both work very well on the higher speed service however.
Routing and latency are the same, and have been stable for the most part. I do not use their DNS however, it has too many problems. Virtually all other connection failures can be traced to my hardware, so once I got the DNS issue taken care of it's been very stable and steady with the occasional router issue that is solved by a reboot of the router.
September 23 2012 - update
Price was lowered to $59 a month plus fees and taxes. I'm able to go faster than many sites can handle, so if I have a download that is not at the full speed of the connection I am often not too worried about it. On most speed tests I am able to get over 50mb down and at least 48 up. I can now upload HD video to Youtube without spending 4+ hours waiting for the upload to complete.
Google Fiber is looming big in the area though....
Comments:
 | | | | Re: Ironic.... They don't see it as a priority issue because even though it bursts to ~75Mb/s, it averages to your advertised speed of 25Mb/s (+/- 5Mb/s). It has to do with how and where they limiting the upload speed, so it's just life until they decide to redesign and upgrade their internal network.
I as well hope they fix it eventually, since the heavy-handed upload limiting (i.e. hard-drop overflow packets) is horrible for efficiency and is basically just resulting in heavy packet-loss and re-transmissions on outbound traffic within the Surewest network. Not an issue for Surewest because of the immense surplus of available bandwidth within their fiber network, but it does cause minor issues when uploading to high-speed servers outside the network in terms of re-transmissions.
If we're lucky, it will all get resolved when they upgrade all their 100Mb/s fiber gear to 1Gb/s fiber gear in the future. Still a question of when (or if) Surewest is going to perform such an upgrade anytime soon. Fortunately, in the near-future we may have Comcast getting competitive on price/speed with DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding, as well as that 1Gb/s Google Fiber project near Surewest's other deployment in Kansas City to hopefully encourage Surewest to quicken adoption of 1Gb/s. | |
| | |  spewakR.I.P DadkinsPremium
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA
kudos:1 | Re: Ironic.... Would it be that they would upgrade from BPON to GPON? If so, is it just one piece of equipment at each node?
--
The weekend is here, grab a can of beer!
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| | | | | | Re: Ironic.... Surewest doesn't use Passive Optical Network (PON). In Sacramento at least, they use a Direct-Fiber Active Optical Network (aka Active Ethernet), where each customer has a dedicated fiber strand to the CO. In other words, no nodes like PON.
A change to 1Gbps would be done on existing fiber, and would require replacing ONTs on every house, and potentially extremely expensive upgrades/replacements of fiber routers and switches in their CO. The main issue right now appears the be the cost of 1Gbps fiber routers/switches/modules and the more pressing concern of availability of triple-play 1Gbps Active Ethernet ONTs with 1Gbps Ethernet Ports and POTs. Their current vendor for ONTs, Allied Telesis, doesn't make such an ONT yet. The hybrid 700GE-series ONTs from Calix (who is also a vendor for Surewest, but not for ONTs) appears to be the only decent option I've seen. The question then becomes, "Does Surewest have a contract which requires them to buy Allied Telesis ONTs for X years?". If so, that would be the biggest limiting factor in any switch to 1Gbps which could take place.
HDTV IPTV and internet sharing the same 100Mb/s fiber link, is why we are currently limited to an excessively priced 50Mb/s top-tier internet plan. Despite Surewest's CEO saying they would offer 100Mb/s internet if anybody would buy it, they would never do such a thing on their current 100Mb/s fiber, since it would mean loss triple-play revenues. Such a plan would need to cost more than triple-play combined to be economical to Surewest, but nobody except a business would pay such a high price. That said, competition with residential internet plans 50Mb/s and higher may be what ultimately forces Surewest's upgrade, in order to remain competitive. The problem is, as of yet, Comcast hasn't actively attempted to compete on price or speed with Surewest. | |
| | | | | spewakR.I.P DadkinsPremium
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA
kudos:1 | Re: Ironic.... Thanks for the insight cyber!  | |
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| | Contact Surewest to fix your upload speed Back on topic. mob, if you are only getting 20Mbps out of 25Mbps on upload speed, contact Surewest, they will fix it.
You're in luck that 80% of advertised speed is the magic number you need to hit before Surewest will attempt to resolve speed issues. If this isn't a router or computer issue, they will simply bump the upload speed limit on your fiber port from 25Mb/s to 30Mb/s. | |
| mobOn the next level..Premium
join:2000-10-07 | wow Holy crap, never know so many people read my review.
I will call SW up and see what they can do about the upload. Even on their internal speed test I am not hitting 25. I seem to top out at 20 no matter what. | |
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Review by spewak
member for 11.8 years, 5016 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 355 days ago
- Elk Grove,Sacramento,CA
- $120 per month
- "Internet"
- "Expensive IPTV/Cancelled it"
- "No longer doing TriplePlay/voice and internet only"
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• What other options did you consider for broadband
A) None. Always wanted Surewest.
• What SPEED/package did you order, at what monthly price?
A) Originally ordered the 10/10 but was informed that the 20/20 was available for $51 a month for the year. Of course, went with the 20/20!
• How was the order & install process?
A) Seamless. All the Utility companies marked their underground cables the same day that Surewest came out to bury the Fiber to the side of the house. Next day service was installed.
• What brand/model was the supplied equipment?
A) Residential Gateway and APC setup. House brand DVR.
• What good or bad experiences most struck you?
A) None really. Everything went smooth and service is well, fast! I realize it has only been a day, but I am excited like a schoolgirl!
*UPDATE* 11/16/08
All three parts of the Triple-play are going strong.
The DVR is functioning better than it was prior to several updates being applied.
The Tech support and Service reps are attentive to the needs of the customer.
*UPDATE* 06/25/09
Well, Surewest topped themselves by lowering the cost of their tiers and raising speeds.
I just got the upgraded 25/25 speed tier, it is fantastic! More HD channels being added soon.
*UPDATE* 01/15/10
Just had the new MediaRoom dvr and two STB's installed. The channel switching is fast. Watching recorded programs from other rooms works flawlessly.
Much better than old DVR.
*UPDATE* 5-19-10
Well, my time with the video portion of Surewest is at an end. I purchased an HD LCD tv and hooked up the STB with an HDMI cable only to have to go round and round with Tech Support and finally realizing (their engineers that is) that only Component cables will work as the STB does all the processing. I am tired of being the Guinea pig for Surewest video. The Tech support person said just wait, there are updates coming. Well, after hearing that for two years, I am done! Directv here I come.
I just made the switch to Directv and couldn't be happier.
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Review by (hidden by request)
(review was emailed from domain att.net)
lodged 1.1 years ago
- Lenexa,Johnson,KS
- $94 per month
- (12 month contract)
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I had Time Warner in the Kansas City, KS area a few years back. It
didn't matter what channel I'd be on, I would experience heavy
interference and pixelization. Even some of the on-demand was heavily
pixellized.
Calling customer service was a major hassle. With high
hold times and having to repeat my situation repeatedly forced me having
to switch to AT&T uVerse.
While AT&T uVerse services are more
expensive, the quality of service was much better than Time Warner. I've
been impressed by AT&T's customer service. It's improved several fold
since the Southwestern Bell days (which were hellish to put it mildly).
Unfortunately, it didn't warrant me paying $150 a month for 3Mbps
Internet and 4-way DVR through AT&T.
A few days ago, I switched to
SureWest (which bought out Everest Cable) here in the Lenexa, KS area.
So far, quality of service is far superior to Time Warner. I signed up
for the 15Mbps Internet and 2-way DVR for $94 promotional ($120 after
said period).
Both AT&T and Time Warner charge you rental and
equipment fees each month for the DVR and the gateway. However, SureWest
doesn't charge for equipment fees. They even provide you a router for
free. The only caveat is that the router is locked down tighter than a
chastity lock. The tech who set up me told me that they are coming out
with a different router that would be more flexible. In the interim, I
am still able to use my own router. The only port they block I'm aware
of is port 25 (to prevent spammers from hijacking SureWest's email
servers). I can still run my own personal web server.
I was up and
running within a half hour of the tech's arrival. I was able to get both
my laptop and iPhone connected with no problems. And very reliable thus
far. The Cisco 8652 HDC was easy to set up, the interface is clean. But,
the iTVi interface appears to be disabled (the yellow A triangle button
has no response).
Comments:
mobOn the next level..Premium
join:2000-10-07 | N/M N/M | |
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Review by ajnk
member for 4.2 years, 47 visits, last login: 346 days ago
updated 1.2 years ago
- Olathe,Johnson,KS
- $68 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 7 days
- "Really really fast both up and downstream and ah yes, no caps"
- "Not much really."
- "Prices could be better but its still an amazing service"
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Used to have AT&T Uverse internet and phone, 18/2Mbps. Now I have 15/15, an increase of 13Mbps in upload but a decrease of 3Mbps in download speed and their phone service. Once the one year promo prices is over I'd be paying about $61 for the internet alone. That's about $6 more than Uverse. So I guess in a way I hope that price would be a bit better.
Had no problems with the installation. The dude was really early and he worked fast. Since I had Uverse I had no router lying around so I opted to get their free Engenius ESR-1221 router. The router was pretty damn terrible. Kept on dropping wired connections once I start up utorrent or at least on some heavy load. Also they won't let you log in to the router's settings page to change stuff like the SSID or the default WiFi password so you need your own if you want to forward some ports and etc. Ordered a refurbished WNDR3700 that same day for a really nice price and it arrived two days later. Now ever since I switched the routers I have an extremely reliable and fast connection.
Update: 14 January 2012
Been having a few problems which started about a month and a half ago when it comes to streaming videos from certain sites. Video lag, stutter, choppiness, and etc. Sites this is happening are: Twitch.tv , Giantbomb.com , Justin.tv , and sometimes YouTube. Funny thing is I can stream (at least so far) Netflix HD and VUDU HDX flawlessly using wired or wireless.
Contacted them a few times now and they can't seem to find out whats the problem. They say its not my speed since I'm getting 15/15 from their speed tests. So, I really don't know what to do now.
For anyone in KC and has SureWest mind going to the following stream: »www.twitch.tv/peacefuljay and check if you get lag watching it on 480+ without stuttering?
Update: 6 February 2012
SureWest fixed whatever was the problem in my area early Thursday morning when they did their night maintenance. It has been five days since then and my internet speed has been solid. I can watch streams without any lag now.
Also, woke up to find news of Consolidated Communications has bought SureWest. I really hope this doesn't affect SureWest's service, while I had some problems with my connection, SureWest is still leagues better compared to other ISPs.
Comments:
mobOn the next level..Premium
join:2000-10-07 | No caps Surewest does not put caps on transfer - so you won't have to worry about how much you download or upload. Uverse does not match that. Also if you get their cable you will find the HD is far better quality than either Comcast/TW/Uverse. | |
| | | No problems here No problems here watching your stream, 50/5 cable here with Surewest. | |
| | | | Re: No problems here Hmm, I see.
Well, back to bashing my head on my desk wondering why whats wrong with my connection. | |
| | |  S3V
@cogentco.com | Re: No problems here It's most likely not your connection; rather, it's the connection of the sites you are visiting (along with everyone else streaming from them). | |
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Review by s10dude
member for 4.5 years, 288 visits, last login: 45 days ago
updated 1.3 years ago
- Sacramento,Sacramento,CA
- Contract price not specified.
- AT&T
- "great up and down....better than Comcast"
- "cancellation fee"
- "great deal as long as your not moving....lol"
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this is a great deal. HD tv is better than Comcast and internet is constant with great up and down . they all so give free router if needed and it work's very nicely . i'm impressed and will gladly stay a Surewest customer , better price and better quality than comcast in my opinion !.... i haven't found anything to complain about ....i had comcast at 30 meg's and HD tv at a higher price .i have 25 now and it the same to mewith better upload , i got 3.5 meg's at comcast on up and i get 22 meg's w/Surewest....install was clean and tech explained everthing and set it up ..
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 Review by Antony
member for 11.2 years, 1809 visits, last login: 20 days ago
updated 1.3 years ago
- Sacramento,Sacramento,CA
- $50 per month
- about 7 days
- "Speedy and Reliable"
- "Worth the Money!"
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1/2/05:
I ordered Surewest Fiber shortly after they installed the network in my neighborhood (East Sac). Their rep quoted $49.95/ mo., which was not much more than SBC DSL (but much faster and a more reliable connection). I ordered the high-speed internet and barebones telephone service. They came out 1 week later, installed the drop to my house and wired (cat 5) an outlet to the computer room in about 4 hours. I was up and running within the day....
The staff was very courteous and professional.
This is typical of my connection speed (The results are consistent):
2005-01-02 22:03:32 EST: 9141 / 4946
Your download speed : 9360805 bps, or 9141 kbps.
A 1142.6 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 5064972 bps, or 4946 kbps.
I highly recommend Surewest Fiber if you have access to the network. It's a little more money per month, but it is well worth it!
10/13/05:
Service is still working great! I can only remember a day or two when the email was acting flakey, but otherwise things are still smooth...
From their website concerning caps: "Up to 40 Gigabytes of unidirectional throughput monthly, calculated on inbound or outbound usage, whichever is higher." I have exceeded the cap at least once without being penalized. I think as long as you don't continually abuse the service, you won't get dinged as the users stated below.
8/18/07
Still going strong...
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Review by santasnipa
member for 7.8 years, 10 visits, last login: 2.2 years ago
lodged 2.2 years ago
- Sacramento,Sacramento,CA
- Contract price not specified.
- "From start to finish I have had nothing but a great experience so far. FAST!!! and No down time yet!"
- "cant change wireless password"
- "Buy this service if its available"
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I have had nothing but a great experience so far with sure west. We even helped surewest find a break in thier line. My internet speeds before with SBC were something like 768x300 now i get a constant 15000x19500 speed. The ping times are AMAZING especially for gaming. Before with SBC i got 40-200 ping to west coast servers and now i get 40-70 to east coast servers. The other day I played an entire game with 65 ping to germany.
They supplied us with a router and a battery backup system. The power went out during these last storms and my wifi still worked. Bad part about this router is that the wireless password is set by surewest and they wont give u the management password to change it to anything else. Not a huge deal as you can use your own router with this service also.
They setup times to come install everything and everything was installed where its not even noticeable. Guy even climbed under the house and ran CAT5/6 directly to my pc.
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