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As a new resident in the St. Charles/Elburn/Campton area the reality of being outside of the telecommunications infrastructure became immediately apparent. Dial-up or satellite were the only two options until my wife read an article in the Elburn Herald about this small company called MCC (a.k.a. Data Moving) that was applying to lease space on the Elburn water tower on Keslinger Road. From a small business perspective I really liked the idea of a group of local entrepreneurs taking on the big guys and offering internet access to those of us who are “not yet in their service area”. I called them and spoke to Mat Mingl and he outlined the service and, within about 2 days, came out and did a site survey. Within a week he returned and installed a very small and unobtrusive antenna (our sub-division has some strict covenants) which he connected to a small peer-to-peer network that I have running in my home. After a quick configuration of my router I was on line. To test the bandwidth I logged on to Speakeasy.com and was surprised to find out that I was getting 3768 mbit down and 3151 mbit up! This was obviously better than the T1 I have at work. The price--$70.00 for 12 months, and I am using a system that is at the 3 mbit barrier. After 2 months on the system I am still getting the same results. Don’t get me wrong I don't expect this to go on for long--but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. It's a fact that the speed will go down related to usage factors (more users, time of day, etc.). Regarding service remember this is a small business and the people that can give you the technical support are usually out installing antennas on homes, businesses, and water towers. When you do get them on the phone they are very friendly and helpful—but you have to be persistent. A case in point: I just got a Handspring Treo 600 that has email capability through Cingular that is compatible with any POP3 email system. Wanting to use my Data Moving email on my new Treo I was able to work through a complex configuration with the folks at Data Moving. The bottom line is that they got it to work and it was well worth the time and effort (about 2 weeks). Again, you have to be persistent and do some of the background research yourself. If you like voice mail hell, finding out that you are outside of the service area; are satisfied with dial-up or satellite speeds; think that customer service of ComCast or SBC is high quality, then by all means call them. If you want speed, reliable service (good up-time) can accept the customer support that you will get with any small start-up then I will give the folks at Data Moving a call. Mat, John, Mike, and Jim (the email guy) have all earned my business. Could their service be better? Yes. But, if that means they turn into a mini SBC or ComCast I am willing to engage in exercising patience that has an expectation level set by the reality of a small business environment. member for 19.4 years, 3 visits, last login: 19.4 years ago lodged 19.4 years ago
I ordered the servive with 256/256 for I beleive 69.00 per month. The order process was simply you pretty much tell them yes you want it and they came out and did a site survey in about 3 Days. The install was professional and they did in freezing cold weather in about 8" of snow. The equipment has a very small footprint (a little smaller than direct TV). I have to say I beleive in the area now they offer other forms of Broadband for a lower cost but what I have found out over the years is cheaper ins't better....... I have been with them for about 2 years and I could count on 1 hand how many times I have had an outage, which generally lasted less than a couple of hours. The reason I am writting this post is the big players are trying to get into this market and I feel that this company performs circles around the big guys. I am a high end tech guy and require almost 24x7 up time with LOTS of VPN traffic. I have found that my service in a lot of ways has out peformed some t-1's I have had to deal with. When I have had to contact them which I think has been 3 times one was because I lost my wallet and had to change my auto pay. They have had me up and running almost instantly. I have freinds in the area that have service from others, and they brag about how they downloaded something the other night at 3megs, only to find them complaining that their service is off the next day or very slow. My service has alway ran at higher speeds than what I signed up for I am guessing if the bandwitdh is available you can have as much as you like. So in short the people behind the company take great pride in their work and the community. If you rely on service to complete your Job or don't want to hassle with annoying outages and long waits on the phone then I would tell you to forget about the difference in price and go with them. One thing I am truly happy with is I believe my telecom costs are the same as anyone elses. The one thing people forget it the wireless service has given me the freedom to change my TV from Direct TV to Satellite and visa versa and has given me the ability to select the phone company that can provide me the best rates and service without worry about lossing my internet. On another note I had lightning hit my house last year which fried the radio for my service they were out the next day and got me up and running with no charge. Here is the real kicker I don't know them and as you can see I only had to call them a few times. I had full intentions on paying for the new Radio as I could claim it on my insurance. I explained that to them and they refused payment for the item. It is nice to know that some business can still be conducted on a handshake and trust. I would whole heartedly refer them to anyone that is in need of Broadband. member for 19.5 years, driveby review (so far) lodged 19.5 years ago
I had contacted Data MCC for wireless concerning my home and office. I initially got a quick response and was glad to hear that they could cover both. While the price was a bit high, I was willing to help a local company rather than pay for a corporation from out West. Additionally, they had a local coffee shop offering thier product for users to test. When it worked (turns out it was down at least once a week) it was very fast. I sent some further requests and haven't recieved any replies. I checked with coffee shop owner who said they came and took her access point without telling her. I figured they went out of business. Bottom line, I can't comment on the install and overall uptime, but their price is a bit high (particularly for web hosting), and thier customer support - on this occasion - cost them at least two clients. member for 21.5 years, 11 visits, last login: 21.4 years ago lodged 21.5 years ago
I had MCC install business class service at my home. They delivered everything they promised, from install to connection and throughput. I would recommend this service to anyone in the Wasco/St Charles area. The last 3 months there has only been 1 scheduled outage, that lasted for a couple of hours. Their staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. They even came to my house and climbed a 45 ft tower to place the antenna, when the installer was finished he told me it was his birthday, - how's that for service! If your looking for High speed access and no problems, this is the way to go! member for 21.7 years, driveby review (so far) lodged 21.7 years ago
Just moved to Geneva, IL from an area with DSL and Cable and was disappointed to find these were not really available in my area. Contacted several DSL providers who claimed service was available, but, in the end, each could only deliver 144k/144k at costs of at least $90/month and install around $500 and 3-4 week install. Saw MCC reviews on this site so sought out information and determined I qualified, could get install for $499 (same as DSL) and for $149/mo could get the business package with speeds up to 1.5/1.5 (still better than DSL) - called on Tuesday, received paperwork that day, returned everything by Thursday morning - they were out on Friday to inspect the site and install my antenna - then returned Saturday to complete the install. From paperwork drop off to live - 3 days! So far everything is rocking - I have the business package, so get speeds over 1M/1M - connection testing confirms I'm actually getting this. One statice IP - eventually there will be four computers networked on site, although currently only two are connected. Home equipment is a small radio and a roof-top antenna - my line of site to one of their towers was blocked by other buildings, so the install had to raise the antenna above the roof by about 5 feet. The installer did a nice job - so the hardware and cable are no more noticeable than all of the DirecTV dishes in the neighborhood. Since going live, I have been coordinating a project deliverable with our offices in St. Louis and Phoenix and have had no problem sending/receiving very large files. member for 22.1 years, 15 visits, last login: 22 years ago lodged 22.1 years ago
After moving in to our new home -- near Campton Hills and Peck in St. Charles -- I began searching for broadband access. I was surprised to find that my only apparent options were dial-up (way too slow) and satellite (too pricey and horrible latency). Then I stumbled across a single glowing DSLReports review for MCC and decided to check them out. The web site is a little lacking in detailed information about the service, so I contacted them directly several times by email and by phone. Bob Roitblatt and John Kunzer were both very friendly, helpful, and knowledgable; together they answered every one of my questions completely. In my mind, this more than makes up for the lack of info on the web. These conversations convinced me that this really was a good company to do business with, so I ordered 256/256 residential service. Except for some very minor miscommunications about installation dates, the install went perfectly. Less than two weeks later I was up and running. For the few weeks now that I have had the service, things have been going great. Thanks to Bob and John, I have no reason to expect that they won't continue that way in the future. As for the "bad" point about the price -- this is a somewhat pricier option than DSL or cable modem, substantially pricier if you factor in the up front cost of equipment. But the bottom line is that is is available today, and the level of service I've received so far has easily surpassed the stories I've heard from friends about their DSL/cable modem access... I would not hesitate to recommend MCC to friends in my area. UPDATE -- 2/18/01: I've received several emails from people reading this review wanting to know if I'm still happy with the service. My answer is absolutely YES. In fact, given the stories I continue to hear from friends about their cable and DSL access, I'm upping my rating on "value for money" from 4 to 5 stars. Unlike them, I actually DO get what I pay for, and there is DEFINITELY value in that. Speed: It's every bit as fast as they say it is. I have downloaded several large software patches (100Mb+) and the throughput is everything it should be. I've also done some online gaming -- Half-Life, Counter-Strike, etc... -- and the latency is as low as anyone with a land line. Reliability: It's always on. Two months and I haven't noticed a single service disruption. (Disclaimer: I DON'T actually monitor my connection 24/7 -- I'm basing that statement on the fact that the service is up when I want to use it.) Availability: Still my only option besides satellite. Bottom line -- I'll stand by the last line of my review: I would not (did not, actually) hesitate to recommend MCC to friends in my area. Finally, I have to chuckle a little at the "Warning" below my name on the review page. Registered 1/4, and only been here 8 times as of 2/18. LOL. Eight times in a month and a half sounds like a lot to me! I don't live on this site -- I came here to look for what was available in my area, and got what I came for. If anyone reading this has other questions, feel free to email... I do respond. -K member for 22.2 years, 18 visits, last login: 21.1 years ago updated 22.1 years ago
OK, let me start by saying that I moved to Geneva from a place that had both DSL and cablemodem service available. I had cable and good luck with it. Then I move to Geneva, which (my little section, anyway) has neither. So I examine my options. Dialup is making me go grey faster than I can stand. Satellite is either slow uplink or a little faster for a lot more money. The IT Director for the City tipped me off to the wireless option. I contacted four companies that offer it in Geneva, and two were able to evaluate my location. MCC Technology hooked me up. John and Bob were quite nice to deal with, and the installation was done in a morning. It involves a small tripod (other options are available, but my particular home required the tripod) with a short mast and a small directional rectangular antenna up there. The coax was easily fished thru an existing vent opening, and since I had the forethought to have a wire chase put in to the basement, the cable went in quickly. It plugs into "the radio" (Breeze Access IP Broadband Wireless Local Loop), which goes into my firewall / router. A static IP address, and away I go. I'm getting consistently equal to or better than the speed I paid for ($69/month for 256K), and there has been minimal downtime (about two hours in two weeks.) Again, however, there was a $499 up front equipment and installation fee that I paid. However, considering there was no alternative that had this speed/cost ratio, I'm living large. Very happy so far, and I recommend this option to others my situation. member for 22.2 years, 70 visits, last login: 3.7 years ago lodged 22.2 years ago
I own a small business and had been persuing DSL for 10 months but Covad was always disqualifying the line as being too far from the CO (16,100'). After I received a telephone sales call, a rep from MCC Technology visited my office and did a quick site inspection on a Friday. On the following Tuesday, I had high-speed broadband service to my 4 PCs in the office--incredible! And they let me use my own Linksys 8 port router/hub, a big "plus". I have a static, private IP. My cost per month is slightly lower than the normal $149/mo. as I'm in a multi-tenant business building, so the install and equipment costs were shared (currently 3 or 4 users on the system). Performance has always been very good, with only one or two quick 5 minute losses of service that I know of in the 4+ months we've had service from MCC. Even though we're on a multi-user system, the speed is very impressive. Service speed as reported by DSL Reports is usually 5-10 times the speed of a 56k modem; current test gave "** Speed 358(down)/339(up) kbps ** (At least 7 times faster than a 56k modem)". They're expanding in the Fox River valley, and soon service will be available at my home; I'll be getting service from MCC there, too! All in all, excellent service, prices, and technical support. (Note that we do not use them as an ISP, so do not get email or news through them). member for 22.9 years, 35 visits, last login: 16.7 years ago lodged 22.3 years ago
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