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Review by jay_rm 
UPDATED: 119 days ago
member for 7.6 years, 1811 visits, last login: 1 days ago
 Hampshire,Kane,IL
 $65 per month
 about 3 days
 "It just flat works - 24/7 !"
 "None as of Aug 2009"
 "It's all good - all the time !"
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AUGUST 2009 Update - Simply outstanding for a small ISP. No problems, no outages that have been an issue. FVI has modified it's downlink policy and removed the "burst" mode (so many MB at max speed, followed by throttling to your subscribed speed). Now, it's full bore DL for longer then I've ever transferred data (>200MB at a time for software upgrades).. I'm still running the ORIGINAL Canopy module first installed many years ago 
FVI gets max stars from this user !
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October 2008 update - Wow ! The service has been simply outstanding for the last 12 months. I can hardly remember any glitches or service issues that lasted more then a few minutes (and they've never been totally down except for a few summertime electrical outages that were area-wide). They evidently have the subscriber load under control. FOUR STARS + and I'm still cruising along on my ORIGINAL Motorola Canopy module that's over 5 years old !! I'm now using a Buffalo router running Tomato firmware, which has been 100% transparent and very effective for QoS control of the VoIP lines - *M*U*C*H* better then previous firmware loads.
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August 2007 update - All has been well with FVI since late Spring 2007. They seem to have their connectivity issues worked out and apart from a few weather related outages, they've been running along fine at their advertised speed. I had to go with a DDNS supplier since one of the summers hardware retrofit's bounced me off the IP I had since day one (2.5 years !!) and I found out that they never really set me up for a static IP even though they SAID THEY DID. Oh well - DDNS solved the problem because they now want $$/mo for static IP service. Guess margins are going down
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Jan 2007 update - well, it's been a tough couple of months for good 'ol FVI. Seems their success is finally caused them the trouble I was concerned about way back when I first signed up. They've had frequent slowdowns and outages caused by lack of bandwidth. Although they've been upfront about the issue and supposedly have a plan to grow their access to backbone fiber, they've taken a beating from some of the less informed customers. They currently are renting bandwidth from one of the competition, which has helped, but it has not solved the underlying problem.
I still recommend FVI (not a whole lot of other broadband choices here anyway) but you need to understand what you're getting and HOW you're getting it.
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24 month update - service availability has been outstanding since the last Motorola Canopy module firmware update in Oct 2005 - I suspect I'm close to telco FiveNine quality (99.999% up-time). Speed test still 3000 x 512 after accounting for router overhead. The FVI equipment is basically transparent.
Still highly recommended and now the CPE is free !
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OK, after 18 months, I think I'm seeing the results of a little over-subscribing. But, in general, service is still a B+. Since I'm 3 wireless hops away from fiber, I've got multiple chances of dropping service due to equipment or power failures. I'm running un-NAT'ed with a Sveasoft-powered, QoS enabled Linksys router and see typical speeds of 2800/475. I figure I'm down about 10% in speed due to my VoIP QoS parameters.
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I'm running a multi-user LAN behind a router, with 2 lines of VoIP. I'm getting advertised speeds on a 3500/512 5.7 GHz wireless link. After 12+ months of service, I'm generally pleased with the performance.
Customer service has always been fair to good.
Bottom line is that FVI wireless is the ONLY earth-based broadband service available at my location and they've down a much better then average job.
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Review by karlfollman
UPDATED: 326 days ago
member for 5.7 years, 32 visits, last login: 46 days ago
Hampshire,Kane,IL
$74 per month (24 month contract)
about 5 days
"Fantastic download speeds - hardly noticeable shared bandwidth"
"Small technical support department - can wait, but help is great"
"Best service available in Hampshire, IL"
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I began subscribing to FVI in Jan 2004. Because of my profession, I have to be hooked up to a fast ISP in order to support my remote clients (I consult in financial software and through VPN, I often download 3-4 M Byte files). Fox Valley touts their highest speed as 4.0Mbps down / 768Kbps up for $74.95 on a 24-month contract.
Recently, Mediacom upgraded their service in my area touting their Online Max service as "capable of download speeds up to 20 Mbps and upload speeds up to 2 Mbps" for $59.95 a month - no contract! Sounded like a great deal and at a $15 per month savings. So I called Mediacom and had it installed yesterday. It was time to do some controlled speed tests.
Using DSL Reports and two other speed testing tools, I performed several "controlled" tests to get a decent sampling. One series of tests were at 4:30 PM Friday, the others at 6:15 AM Saturday. Each series of tests took approximately 30 minutes. Results are as follows (Mediacom / FVI):
1.827 / 3.823 Mbps down; 1.022 / 1.047 Mbps up Friday
6.263 / 4.192 Mbps down; 1.087 / 1.080 Mbps up Saturday
As the results show, broadband sharing on Friday significantly impacts Mediacom's download speeds with FVI leaving them in the dust; on Saturday morning, with fewer people online to diminish broadband sharing, Mediacom does provide a faster link. Upload speeds for both ISPs are rather constant and differences are insignificant.
BOTTOM LINE: if you work from home like I do during weekday hours, FVI is without a doubt, the ISP of choice and worth the extra $15 a month (to make money you need to spend money). If you need occasional bursts of high speed (I noticed Mediacom did burst to 14.565 Mbps down for a couple of seconds whereas FVI maxed out at 5.143 Mbps during the Saturday tests), then save $15 and go with Mediacom.
Perhaps another deciding factor is technical support - whereas Mediacom has hundreds of technicians, they are not very knowledgeable and your luck must find you one who knows how to solve issues (word of mouth opinion from some other folks who have Mediacom - I have not personally experienced their technical support, yet); at FVI, though sometimes you need to leave a message since their tech staff is small, you get someone who solves the problem with the first callback.
Other notes - ratings:
Pre-sales: very little advertised information and web site is rather succinct, hence a 3
Install: I installed the transponder on my roof to save money but task was easy; had their tech guy installed (and climbed my roof), would have been a 5
Connection: I use a UPS on the FVI modem; only connection losses are when there are regional power outages but FVI has backup systems to get back on line - rates a 5
Tech: always knowledgeable; rated 4 because sometimes need to leave message, otherwise 5 for smarts
Services: 10 e-mail addresses rates a 5, but hosting and other services bumps to 4 (can't use MS Front Page to load content)
Value: with speeds like this, 5 stars
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Review by donutman
UPDATED: 1.4 years ago
member for 1.4 years, 2 visits, last login: 1.4 years ago
Lake In The Hills,Mchenry,IL
$24 per month (26 month contract)
"Quick feedback from Support"
"Throttling of some protocols, Somewhat unreliable service"
"Will stop using their service"
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Since I signed up, Fox Valley Internet has been a mixed experience. In the beginning it was ok, then for a long period, the reliability was absolutely horrendous, but lately it has improved quite a bit. Still not quite acceptable in my book though.
Once I finally started being able to use it on a regular basis, I noticed that I have problems running applications like NewsReaders, BitTorrent, Video Streaming etc. I'm not one of those people abusing the bandwidth with constant downloads, but once in a while there are things I need to get or see. Unfortunately, I was told that for News(NNTP) at least, they throttle all traffic (in my experience to 7-10KB/sec) regardless of whether you access their own server or any other commercial server.
Bottom line for me is that I now can join up with DSL (no service when I moved here) or ComCast, so I'll make a decision and switch in the next few days..
(PS: While the people have been great to talk to, I ranked the PreSales info to be worst, as there was no mentioning of throttling of speed)
UPDATE: Signed up with Comcast today. Painless to set it up myself. No throttling, and very nice speeds!
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Review by rp69
UPDATED: 4.5 years ago
member for 6 years, 19 visits, last login: 2.7 years ago
South Elgin,Kane,IL
$99 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"Fast Install, Reliable Service, Low Price, Great Speeds"
"None so far"
"Highly Recommend These Guys"
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I have been starved for 4.5 years in my area for high speed Internet. I have gone through every avenue possible in exploration of options. Fox Valley came to my rescue and alleviated me from a $120/mo IDSL line. (And No I don't work for them)
The installation team came to my house as stated and were courteous and installed the tiny antennae on my roof and were out the door within an hour.
They came to my area through a slick way of setting up a repeater so that my neighborhood can finally qualify for wireless. I have had it now for 2 weeks and I just tested it under some very nasty weather (hard rains & 45MPH winds) and there were no problems! I ran the speedtest from DSL reports and it is almost on par with what I subscribed to in terms of DL/UL speeds. They do not use any funky PPoE garbage like the other wireless ISP's out there which is a plus and I got a block of static IP's with a nominal charge.
I'm very grateful for their ingenuity in providing service in my area and I couldn't be more pleased with their service thus far. Great Job!
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*May 12, 2005 Update*
It's been well over a year now and the fact that I'm still using them says a lot. My area finally caught on with the rest of the civilized world and I now have multiple choices for ISP's. I now have options for DSL through SBC, I have Cable Modem options through Comcast and I have Fox Valley Internet.
First off I remain with Fox Valley for two reasons: First being that they maintain the true spirit of a real ISP. Comcast, and SBC they are NOT ISP's but are service providers that happen to provide Internet services as part of their portfolio. What's the big deal you may ask? Much. For starters not being true ISP's Comcast and SBC are more privy to rob you of your service liberties and filter services or hosting capabilities and limit your options in terms of netblock ranges etc. Comcast for example does not provide static IP's, which I happen to dislike as I host my own services as a hobbyist. Now granted many people abuse or neglect these services which is understandable to why they generally set restrictions. Providing that the customer is willing to be responsible, allow them to do it and perhaps charge a bit more, but the bottom line is that Comcast and SBC do not offer nor are interested in offering flexible solutions. If I were not a bit-head and did not want or need these services, I would most likely lean toward them as they are cheaper and offer comparable performance. But I like the small biz, I used to work for Ameritech.Net and I favor the small fry model as they are typically more focused to the customer and more likely to provide flexible options and service extensions which is why I'm staying with FVI. I like them they're a local company and I want to support them. I know DLS is a good service, they got too big too fast and never bothered to return my calls (too little too late, not looking back). Besides they only offer PPOE and I'm not at all interested in that. Unless FVI raises their rates or neuters their services or the support sours I will consider moving off them but the bottom line is they work, they're fast, reliable and affordable and I admire their customer focus. I'm staying my ground and remaining loyal to the company that took the risk to offer services first in my area. These guys rock!
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Review by firmie
Posted: 4.6 years ago
member for 6.9 years, 181 visits, last login: 102 days ago
South Elgin,Kane,IL
$34 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Fast, Reliable,"
"no VoIP package"
"Best bang for your buck"
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Ordered 3mb down and 356 up. I get it everyday! order/install was smooth. I have been using them for two years now...from dial-up to high speed.
Cable can't touch these guys.
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Review by mrjjman
UPDATED: 4.6 years ago
member for 5.7 years, 36 visits, last login: 4.5 years ago
Elgin,Kane,IL
$60 per month (month by month)
about 2 days
"None."
"Just about the whole deal"
"They bill it as better customer service, but I beg to differ."
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If you have cable available, go with that. I mean, come on . . . how long did everyone think this wireless business was going to fly? Here goes another provider down the tubes into the pit of terrible customer service and awful service reliability. I avoided SBC and Comcast because I had a chance of being a real person to FVI, but in the end it was even worse.
At first, the service interruptions were quaint and didn't bother me, mainly because customer service was better then anyone around (and it didn't cost much more then the other guys). Then, service got worse, support got worse, and everywhere else the providers were doubling and tripling speeds for the same price. Meanwhile good old predictable FVI was up to its old business. I'd rather have great reliability with bad tech support then terrible reliability with great tech support any day.
I think a metaphor involving money and a toilet would be the best way to describe wireless with FVI.
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Review by CompleteSpaz
UPDATED: 5.3 years ago
member for 7.1 years, 9 visits, last login: 5.2 years ago
Gilberts,Kane,IL
$40 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Knowledgeable service, painless installation, reasonable prices."
"None so far."
"If you live in the Elgin area, it's the way to go broadband"
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I've been using FVI for almost 2 years now and it has been very solid and reliable.
By default, FVI assigns you a NAT'ed IP address which is protected by their firewall. Perfect for the user who does not have the time or expretise to maintain their own firewall and keep Windows patched. To my suprise, when I changed out my Firewall box, I was automatically given the option to select an Internet addressable IP address the first time I started my browser*. This is ideal for the advanced user who wants to VPN to work or run their own Mail / Web server. Yes, it's a dynamic IP address, but it hasn't changed.
Did I mention that they do not use PPPoE? If you're not familiar with PPPoE, then take my word that a 'direct' Ethernet connection is a much better way to go.
FVI promises 3 Meg download speeds. My tests show that I consistently get 3.5 Meg. I went with the 385k upload plan and typically get around 365k. Can't complain.
* If you're still using IE and are concerned about your privacy and security online, hop over to www.mozilla.org, download, install, and use Firefox.
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Review by toolstud
Posted: 5.7 years ago
member for 5.7 years, 0 visits, last login: 5.7 years ago
Elgin,Kane,IL
$85 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Fast speed, reliable connection"
"None"
"Great!"
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Had FoxValley wireless for about 8 months. When FVI called after my site survey, I picked up the antenna and was up and running same day.
No major problems and only had two noticed outages, one was 20 minutes, the other about an hour. All ISP's have outages, but FoxValley has been minimal compared to my previous DSL line. Speed is awesome, although published as 2.5mps, I am usually over the 3.0mps mark. New upgrades are suppose to push it to 4.0mps.
Limited broadband access in my area made FVI the only reasonable choice. Cable has just become available in my area, and I plan on sticking with FVI even though the cost is more. Speed and reliablity make it worth the extra $.
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Review by frmr96
Posted: 5.7 years ago
member for 5.8 years, 46 visits, last login: 3.7 years ago
Harvard,Mchenry,IL
Contract price not specified.
"Is North Boone part of Fox Valley"
"Numerous Outages"
"scared"
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I've been talking to a few people around Boone County lately about wireless internet services up in this area, and one person I talked to told me they had North Boone at home and thought North Boone was part of Fox Valley. They were also telling me that they experience several outages a day. Now with myself considering possibly going with North boone, I'm kinda scared about this. I've also been told by someone that if I don't live within a couple of miles from their towers, then I can't get their signal... Is any of these facts true, or is it just rumors?
Thanks
TS
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Review by brianmav
Posted: 5.7 years ago
member for 7.7 years, 113 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago
Gilberts,Kane,IL
$59 per month
"leading edge technology, fast speeds (when up)"
"customer communication, network redundancy, poor maintenance windows"
"Another outage!!!!"
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I have been a FoxValley.net wireless customer for 2 years now, and I have been dealing with their off and on issues, chalking it up to the newness and leading edge aspect of their wireless broadband service. Today I am fed up with it. I need a reliable always on connection, all the time. I am experiencing ANOTHER outage today, due to what they describe as "An Upgrade". An all day outage to "perform network upgrades" is unacceptable. There have been too many of these types of days to deal with. A leading edge ISP needs to have redundancy built in to their service. For $59.00 a month, I expect nothing less. The maintenance window they use during the day is understandable due to the nature of the technology, but ALL DAY? I deal with computer upgrades all the time, they are the nature of the computer business, but they need to be managed better. Minimize customer downtime!!! Please think twice about getting service from this company, especially if you have the choice of cable Internet service in the area. Well, I am going to try Cable now.
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