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Review by JoeyELP 
Posted: 5 years ago
member for 5 years, 2 visits, last login: 252 days ago
 Austin,Travis,TX
 $90 per month (12 month contract)
 Southwestern Bell
CLEC party: Covad
 "Faster than the previous service, much cheaper"
 "no useful smtp server, distance from telco dropped speed to barely competative levels despite what they said"
 "If you're within distance, and do not require a smtp or newsgroup server or extras, go for it"
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I begin by saying that based on most people's reviews, they're having excelent service and if you happen to be in the majority, I can understand why this would be an excellent service. However, we have had numerous problems with the internet, and have gotten very little help. Everything was set up and shipped very promptly, and we were very pleased. However, the router shipped with NAT off, and we were unable to connect for a few days. Lightning bolt seems to be comprised of one guy named B____, because each time we've called or emailed, he's responded. B____ refused to accept the idea that the router shipped with NAT off, because "none of the others did" but I personally have the box sitting in front of me and it WAS OFF. It's a minor setting and I didn't notice for days. A factory full-hard-super-mega reset defaults to NAT off. We were also promised that we could get their full 6.0/768 line, despite our distance. Every ISP we called said they could not give us more than 1.5 or 2.0, max, every website said that we were beyond range, and DSLreports.com agreed. B____ insisted that he was positive we would recieve a full line, and we believed him. We're now down to a very noisy 3.0/384 line, and may have to drop down to a 2.0. However, each drop in level barely reduced the price, and even at the level we're at a simple 4.0 cable modem would be cheaper, if not competative. I use various email addresses, many of which require you to use your isp's smtp server to send email. Lightning bolt will not let you send email from any email address other than XXXX@lbdsl.com. B_____ insists that this is a common security practice, but I can name 4 other ISPs that I've personally set up which did not have this restriction. They also do not provide a newsgroup server, which is not a large deal but was included by our past ISP (albiet they charged us lots more) and is also included by roadrunner. The wireless part of our router does not work, despite the fact that it thinks it's working, and I have no desire to even attempt to get B_____ to help us with it. I know he's not happy with us, but it may be because we went in with high hopes due to his high rating on DSLreports, and we were not expecting to have to deal with a new issue every couple of days. Bottom line... Don't listen to what they say about distance, be sure everyone agrees you can get that. The router they ship isn't very stable, it's had at least 3 little problems, two of which are still unfixed and we don't think calling B____ will help. We asked if flashing it with new firmware would help, but B____ said he didn't know what we were talking about. A quick visit to the router's website shows that there's a new firmware out, but I'm afraid to try it because if B_____ doesn't know what it is, then there's a good chance.... well, that something else will go wrong. I'm very upset with the whole process because B____ continually insisted and implied that WE were personally doing something wrong, but there's 3 of us here who are all very computer literate, have set up both wired and wireless networks before, and do not appreciate being insulted. WE know what we're doing. WE understand what a good ISP should and should not do and provide, and WE are not happy. YOU probably will not have these problems, but despite whatever B____ says in response to this, it does not change the fact that we feel lightningbolt's ratings are too high.
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Review by inc77
Posted: 5.1 years ago
member for 8 years, 1236 visits, last login: 3 days ago
Jersey City,Hudson,NJ
Contract price not specified.
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Everything!"
"None yet"
"No equal"
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I inquired about LBDSL on Sept 15 and threw a bunch of questions regarding their service. I got a response in less than 30 mins or so, with all my questions answered. On Sept 16, my order was put through for a new dry line DSL installation (6.0/768). On Sept 23, Verizon came and put in a new data line. On Oct 4 (the day of this review), Covad came and finished the installation. I was up and running without a hitch. Initial speedtests showing ~4300/630. AWESOME!
I was about to go to Speakeasy, but LBDSL is such a better deal. No hidden charges, very fast speeds, comparable (even lower!) prices to Speakeasy. And their tech support is top notch! They reply to everything so quick!
Since this is my first day on their service, I'll update again after a few weeks on the reliability of the connection and such. But so far so good.
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10-7-04 -- No internet for the past 2 days... Tech support has been great going through whats wrong though. Hope to have this resolved soon.
*Update* -- Looking good, actually looking better... speed test showing 4400+/633 now... amazing... Now I hope it stays this way 
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11-11-04 -- Nice speed and so far no downtime that I have detected, speed is incredible... go for LBDSL if you can
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Review by lacutah
Posted: 5.1 years ago
member for 8.4 years, 167 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Indianapolis,Marion,IN
$89 per month (12 month contract)
 about 18 days
CLEC party: Covad
"Great Customer Service, Outrageously Low Prices"
"Haven't found anything negative yet"
"Great Value for the Money, and a Staff that is Responsive and Cares"
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I ordered the 3.0/768 with 5 usable Static IP's package for 89.95 / Month. During instillation, originally scheduled to be within a week of my new phone line becoming active, it was found that there was defective hardware in the local Telco. Lightning Bolt DSL worked with Ameritech/SBC and Covad and kept on them until the problem was resolved, hence the longer install time. Lightning Bolt also kept me well informed when I asked what the status was of the install, sharing with me detailed logs of what actions they had / were taken and scheduling for follow-up. The hardware router provided seems to be stable, and establishes the PPPoE connection automatically (a pet peeve I've had with past hardware that would only re-establish a connection when one of my computers would make a internet request, bad for running e-mail and web servers...)
The only minor annoyance I had was that I had to ask what the status was (of the install) to get the detailed information, but the response was very quick and detailed. For example, they would tell me that Covad would be out at the local Telco to evaluate the problem on Wednesday, and on late Wednesday / Early Thursday I had to send an e-mail to Lightning bolt to find out what was going to happen next and when.
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Review by poundonu
Posted: 5.2 years ago
member for 5.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 5.2 years ago
Miami,Miami-Dade,FL
Contract price not specified.
BellSouth
CLEC party: Covad
"Great support, personal touch, speed as advertised"
"none as of yet."
"Great improvement over BellSouth FastAccess 3 Mbps DSL"
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I switched about two weeks ago from Bellsouth FastAccess Extreme 3m/384k and I have had a great experience so far. The gentleman who dealt with me answered every question I had, which was quite a few. He also wasn't afraid to answer my technical questions where other ISPs would be reading from a script (right down to wiring pin-out of the copper pair from the NID). There were also some issues with the speed of the DSL once installed and LB wouldn't rest until I not only had DSL but was getting it at the speed I was paying for. This meant a lot, as most ISPs would get you surfing and then figure it isn't there problem anymore, or that you should be satisfied with what you get. Here I was surfing at a slower speed and LB wasn't afraid to follow the troubleshooting process until completion to fix the problem. And, I'm happy to say, the glitch has been resolved (it was actually a Covad issue that was quickly resolved at the CO within minutes of its discovery). Compared to Bellsouth DSL, Lightning Bolt is faster and, unlike Bellsouth, LB does not block any ports (like SMTP, TCP 25) to external hosts. My speeds are 4-6Mbps down / 500-750k up on average, depending on the test-site. Because of people like the gentleman I dealt with, and the fact that LB is a smaller company than a monster like Bellsouth, you do get personal attention and that is something you can't put a price on.
Mike
PoundOnU
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Review by dingchavez
Posted: 5.2 years ago
member for 7.4 years, 289 visits, last login: 2.1 years ago
Hudsonville,Ottawa,MI
 Business customer
$64 per month (24 month contract)
about 3 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Covad
"Awesome Service/speed/everything!!! 1.5/768, actual 1.3/637"
"NONE!!!"
"Covad's service at below Covad.net prices!!!"
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I just have to say that LBDSL rocks!!! I was previously a Covad.net customer but I wanted to increase my upload bandwidth. I had Covad's TeleSoho 1.5/384 plan for $64.95/month and was very satisfied for two years. The speeds were great 1266kbps download and upload was 318 kbps--No complaints. Covad.net was a great company, but they did not offer the 1.5/768 service which I wanted. Over the past two years I have done plenty of shopping around (understatement)!!! The only place that I could find that sold Covad lines and offered the 1.5/768 service was Speakeasy! Speakeasy is extremely expensive! They resell Covad lines and their 1.5/768 service cost $89.95/month + TAX!!! (that is with the static IP address). $89.95/month + tax is kind of pricey for me. I called Covad.net and pleaded with them to somehow upgrade my 1.5/384 service to a 1.5/768 service, and they said that they "do not offer that prescribed speed". I said how can Speakeasy do it and you can't (Speakeasy resells Covad!)? They said that they couldn't, so I was forced to shop around. For years I could not find a company that resold Covad that offered the 1.5/768 service for under $90/month. Then, by chance when I was reading through Covad.net forums I saw something about Lightning Bolt Technologies. I did some investigation and went to LBDSL's website at »lbdsl.com and saw that they resold Covad's lines cheaper than Covad.net, and they offered the 1.5/768 tier (at an outrageously low $64.95/month for a two year agreement and $69.95/month for a 1 year agreement!)!!!!!!!!!! I almost dropped dead. I thought it was too good to be true. I e-mailed the LBDSL tech with a ton of questions such as:
1.) Would I be able to keep my Covad.net static IP address assigned through PPPoE if I switched to LBDSL?
2.) Are there any hidden taxes?
3.) Are there any dial-up options for when I'm on the road?
4.) Is it easy and seamless to transition from Covad.net to LBDSL
The answers came as:
1.) Yes, you would have the same IP information that you had from Covad.net, we would simply migrate you over to our control.
2.) No hidden taxes/fees
3.) Yes, 10 hours a month of free dial-up access
4.) The transition is quite simple from another Covad providor to our service. All you have to do is fill out a form on our website, fax it into us and within 2 weeks we'll have you migrated to our service with minimal downtime.
After I faxed the migration forms in on Monday 8/16/04, I was online with LBDSL Wednesday 8/18/04 with hardly any downtime. My service went out Tuesday night at 7:30 PM and was back up and running at 9:30 am Wednesday morning. My speed was then increased from 1.5/384 to 1.5/768 Wednesday morning, and by 11:30 am Wednesday I was cruising at a solid 1.5/768 for the same price I payed for Covad.net's service at 1.5/384 ($64.95/month)!!! Actual speeds recorded from multiple speed tests including »det.speakeasy.net average around 1266kbps on the download (same as Covad.net) and 637kbps on the upload, exactly twice the upload I was getting with Covad.net (318kbps).
To sum things up:
1.) I don't know why everyone who has Covad service does not immediately migrate over to LBDSL! They offer the same or more service options than any other Covad provider with lower prices accross the board. Here is their pricing scheme:
Residential ADSL service:
768k/128k - $39.95/month
1.5m/128k - $44.95/month
Business ADSL service (2 year agreement 1 static IP, other options available):
1.5m/384k - $54.95/month
1.5m/768k - $64.95/month
3.0m/384k - $64.95/month
3.0m/768k - $74.95/month
6.0m/768k - $84.95/month
2.) Tech support is awesome!!! The longest I've waited was 40 seconds to talk to a representative on their 800 # ((866) 241-9939).
3.) No down time on the switch!
4.) Same Covad service, at lower prices, with better customer service, what else could you want? Bottomline: Ditch Covad.net/Speakeasy/ any other Covad provider and go to LBDSL!!! Check them out for yourself at »lbdsl.com
Thank you so much LBDSL, YOU ROCK!!!
dingchavez
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Review by rgenova
Posted: 5.3 years ago
member for 5.3 years, 8 visits, last login: 5.3 years ago
Brooklyn,Kings,NY
$79 per month (12 month contract)
about 8 days
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Acknowledged that overhead on my service degraded performance more than usual with ADSL and adjusted contract and billing!"
"PPoE is used."
"Very good value considering inherent limits on ADSL; willing to work with customer to get it right."
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Ordered 6000/768 service ($99/mo.) but only averaged around 4000/550 in speed tests over a period of time. This is less than what LB 6.0 plus package customers usually see, so LB lowered my pricing accordingly. My service also includes 8 static IPs (5 usuable) and with better than cable broadband speeds, this is a nice deal for me. LB is a Covad partner/reseller with better pricing than Covad. Responded to technical inquiries at all hours of the day and night!
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Review by dgconnell8
Posted: 5.3 years ago
member for 5.3 years, 2 visits, last login: 5.3 years ago
West Chester,Chester,PA
$85 per month (24 month contract)
about 10 days
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Absolutely fantastic communication throughout process. Fast."
"Install is more expensive than some providers"
"Great latency, great speed and great support"
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After extensive communication with the owner and support staff of LBDSL, I have come away impressed. I am a high-end user with many specific needs that have all been met by this company. If you want full-featured service with low latency and multiple static IPs, this may be the place for you.
I have had DSL since it first became available. This was the first company with the answers I needed to make me switch providers and upgrade from 1.5/384. I originally ordered at 6.0/768, but my line won't quite support it at my distance. 3.0/768 is still plenty fast and my line should be reliable.
LBDSL will not try to sell you up to a higher speed package if your line won't support it reliably. These folks really do want you to have great service. I'll be back to update my review in a few months to let you know about reliability.
Note that many people complain about the Briteport 8120 router. This isn't the most intelligent device I've seen, but it gets the basic job done, and you're free to use another router behind it to create up to 5 networks.
Dean Connell
3.0/678 - 8 Statics IPs ( 5 useable ) - 84.95 / month with 2 year contract
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Review by bollocks7
Posted: 5.4 years ago
member for 5.4 years, 5 visits, last login: 3.3 years ago
Ann Arbor,Washtenaw,MI
Contract price not specified.
"No hold/wait when calling their 1-800 #"
"Took much too long to tell me they couldn't install service"
"Looked good from the reviews but I'll never know"
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I have had DSL service in 3 different cities. Installation was completed in 5 business days or less.
New phone service was installed 6 days before LB received my order.
LB told me that they would have to wait under SBC updates their database(s) before they could install the service. This was a new one to me but it was also the first time I ordered DSL on a new line.
A few days later they informed me that, as there was an alarm on the telephone line, the install would have to be done by a professional and there would be a $200 install charge.
I agreed, and have since discovered this is fairly standard.
Eventually (9 days after the initial order) LB informs me that they can not install the DSL service because my "line has electronics on it".
This is true; it has -
(1) a telephone.
(2) an alarm.
My main complaint is that it took 9 days to determine this. Their order response email promises that "[i]n the unlikely event that service is not available, you will be notified by us within 72 hours."
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Review by birdra
Posted: 5.4 years ago
member for 8.8 years, 80 visits, last login: 218 days ago
Detroit,Wayne,MI
$65 per month (24 month contract)
about 10 days
Covad
CLEC party: Covad
"Bandwidth is over three times faster than same offering from SBC"
"None so far"
"If you need a static IP and great bandwidth give theses guys a call"
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I had been using SBC static IP DSL package for a couple of years after losing my previous DSL provider to the Northpoint mess,but wasn't to happy with the upload speed. I host my own web and mail servers and also do some video conferencing, so upload speed is important.
Anyway, I was asking around on this site for a good ISP and got in contact with Brent from Lightening Bolt. He was able to answer all of my questions and put me at ease about any down time due to the transition.
The cutover went flawless about 10 days after I faxed in all the paperwork. The coolest thing is that while I was testing the connection that night I got an email form the LBDSL tech support group telling me that they noticed a problem with my upload (now that's service). All in all I'm very pleased over the service that I was getting with SBC.
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Review by slavik4
Posted: 5.5 years ago
member for 7.3 years, 226 visits, last login: 2.1 years ago
Brooklyn,Kings,NY
$49 per month (24 month contract)
about 3 days
Verizon
CLEC party: Covad
"Good value"
"NONE!"
"Best value through Covad lines."
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Saw the thread in Covad's forum and got interested ...
This service gives me one e-mail box and that's all I need (I have my own usenet access)
Statis IP - 1500/384 - 49.95USD/month (PPPoE though, but I don't care)
Can't get any better than this (Covad charges 64.95USD for 1500/384).
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Lightning Bolt DSL
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