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 Review by yoshamano 
Posted: 7 days ago
member for 7.5 years, 35 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Marshall,Calhoun,MI
 $50 per month (24 month contract)
 about 7 days
 "Fastest Internet in the Marshall, MI area."
 "Goes up and down like a....well, it goes down frequently."
 "Just Awesome Speed is right, Just Awesome Service, not so much."
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I've been using JAS Networks in one form or another for quite some time now, and it's always been more of an adventure than it needs to be. Currently, myself and 3 room mates are sharing their 5 down / 1 up plan for $50/month. For the most part, we don't have any problems with it, but it does go down at least once every few days for a few minutes at a time. If it's any longer than 5 minutes we restart the modem and that seems to fix it.
The only other options we have in the area are Broadstripe cable, which is garbage, and AT&T DSL. AT&T isn't too bad, but we don't have a landline and their top package is 6 down / .768 up for more than we're paying for our current service. So until something better comes along, we're stuck with JAS.
The install of the service this time around was a move from a previous location down the street. It took about a week to get the line moved/installed. Once that happened we had to switch to a new IP in our router and all was well.
Side notes, their tech support is hit and miss. I agree with the previous review that if you try to get support anytime after 7'ish your chances are slim and none.
I probably lived in that same apartment complex about 4 years ago, and the service went down all the time on top of us not getting anything close to our promised speed.
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Review by devomorph
UPDATED: 1.5 years ago
member for 1.5 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.5 years ago
Battle Creek,Calhoun,MI
$34 per month
about 14 days
"Cheap"
"Down frequently, horrible tech support,"
"Doesn't matter how much you're paying if it doesn't work"
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I will summarize my experiences with JAS Networks in one anecdote: In the time it took me to type this review, I was disconnected three times.
I have had JAS Networks for a couple years now, purely for lack of a better option (my apartment complex has some sort of deal with them, and doesn't have any other suitable high-speed internet options). Like clockwork, every 2-3 months there will be a week or so where connectivity is spotty at best. Their tech support closes at 10pm, and it always seems to start within 15 minutes of that time. On the off chance it does start earlier, tech support is no help at all. They've replaced my modem twice, replaced equipment in their satellite office out here three times (yet somehow they always seem to have the same equipment failure, hmm), and sworn up and down that it must be my router even when the modem is unable to connect to their service. I haven't heard of any router that is capable of interrupting the connection between the modem and the wall.
On one occasion, I had no service at all. I called them on a Tuesday, and after the standard "it must be your router" rigmarole, they promised to send a tech out the next morning. He never arrived, so I called back that day (Wednesday). "Yes, he will be there on Friday," was the answer. Friday came and went with no tech, so I called again. "Have you tried replacing your router?" Frustrating doesn't describe it. They ended up shipping me a new modem (which didn't arrive for another 4 days), which unsurprisingly didn't fix the issue, and then begrudgingly agreed to send out a tech. Turns out there was a bad port in their hub again. Funny how that same port always seems to go bad.
I love my apartment complex, but I have seriously considered breaking my lease purely to get away from this horrible internet provider. If you'd like to throw $35 away every month, just send it to me. At least I'll put it to good use.
As a side note, I noticed some of the older reviews give JAS Networks a very high recommendation. About a year ago (sometime mid-2007 if I remember correctly) JAS moved their offices from here in Battle Creek to Grand Rapids. That is exactly when the service and tech support went straight down the tubes. JAS was great until then.
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Review by linksbow
UPDATED: 2 years ago
member for 2 years, 0 visits, last login: 2 years ago
Battle Creek,Calhoun,MI
Contract price not specified.
 AT&T
"None"
"Service connection issues are a every day thing"
"don't trust them they are crooks"
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I had these crooks for a while and now I must say I will never come back again. I was forced to sign another 2 year contract with this company or they refused to turn my service back on even with my bill in good standing and paid in full. They down graded my service after they moved from Battle Creek to their Grand Rapids office. They will say any connection problems are on your end even after using another ISP and never having any problems. I switch from this company and went with SBC DSL and I have never even had any downtime. While I was Jas network I had paid for the phone lines to be redone, and replaced the network cards on the computers and it still continued to have connection issues while on Jas Network. just a word of warning to anyone planing on using them if you pay for there 5MB DSL service and only are getting a 1.5M down you are still in their spec for the speeds. they only guarantee atleast 1.2M.
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Review by lwizardl
Posted: 3.2 years ago
member for 3.2 years, 4 visits, last login: 3 years ago
Battle Creek,Calhoun,MI
$54 per month (12 month contract)
about 14 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Ameritech
"decent speeds when working"
"connection issues (lots)"
"going to break my 12 month contract as soon as I find another ISP"
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when connection is up speeds very from 84k - 364k download speeds which are nice for what i need. I get connection lost every few hours its about 10 times a day usually. And one of their main routers seems to have been down now for about 3 months. If you do a traceroute from any of the places online (google search) it times out on their route I have asked whats this ip (won't post the direct IP address online) and they said their main router and asked what I was doing to find that router IP. I'm currently calling around to find another ISP I'll probably go back to comcast cable internet. The tech support at JAS Networks is a joke you call for tech support and you get put to voice mail and have to wait for a callback, usually that is 7 calls from me to tech support before I get a callback. I've had the service since feb 2006 and will not finish my contract with them. Also its a $200 early termination fee for breaking a contract with jas.
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Review by hnj0059
Posted: 4.6 years ago
member for 4.6 years, 7 visits, last login: 4.5 years ago
Battle Creek,Calhoun,MI
$55 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
Southwestern Bell
CLEC party: Southwestern Bell
"Great speed, static IP, great customer support, home server friendly"
"high latency"
"Great service."
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I've been a JAS customer for almost three years now. I recently upgraded to their 5mb/512k ADSL service from their 768k/768k SDSL service.
I ordered the package and then went on a business trip - assuming that JAS would try to install while I was away I asked my wife to postpone installation until the week after I returned. When I returned from the business trip I learned all I needed to do was stop by their office and pick up a new modem, so I called them and then ran down there and got the modem. It took a couple hours to get the jumpers moved around to upgrade the service, but I'll take the hit for that since my wife had asked them not to install until the following week - they jumped through a couple of hoops to get me running and it was appreciated - they even called back to make sure I was connected. Anyway, after about two hours I was up and running 
Modem is a speedstream 5xxx series and there's a big sticker on it that says to let the thing run for ten days to get maximum throughput. Out of the box first speed test was 1800k down, 450k up.
JAS called me a bit later that afternoon and asked if everything was working - I said it was and that it'd take a bit of time to settle in so I wasn't worried. I did mention the less-than-optimal first speed test and the tech told me he was seeing a bit more than 5mb down/600k up to my modem. Unfortunately, sync speed and line speed aren't the same thing
After running the thing for a week I'm extremely happy. Best speed test to date has been 4300k down/500k up - which is well within spec.
The only real issue I have is extremely high latency - on the order of 170ms or longer. To be completely honest I haven't reported this yet - I'm waiting for the modem to bed in a little before I gripe on this as I am seeing latency drop a little as I use the connection. This problem isn't on my end as there's no house wiring involved. I have a direct twisted pair connection from the network interface on the side of the house to the back of the modem.
I too have a reverse DNS entry listed with JAS - I submitted an online support request to have the DNS entry changed to my new IP address but have not received a response yet, so I'm not sure whether it's happened. This is unusual, though - since customer service so far has been just great.
I could have had a bit better price break on the service if I'd opted for a two-year contract, but I figure 5mb will be slow in two years so I'd rather pay a little more and upgrade as things speed up.
So - to sum things up, service has been great, downtime has been practically nonexistent (one four-hour outage in almost three years) and they don't care if I run a server. I've been pretty darned happy with JAS - the only issue I have is the high latency thing, but we'll work on that after I've had the service running for a couple weeks.
I would like to see JAS stand up a speed test applet at their POP - they're not hard to get and customers could immediately tell if there was a problem. It's hard to tell whether there *is* a problem if you have to go through 15 hops to get your throughput tested.
But - all in all, I'm extremely happy with JAS Networks and will probably be a customer for as long as they'll have me
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Review by chosaru
UPDATED: 4.7 years ago
member for 7.1 years, 12 visits, last login: 1.4 years ago
Battle Creek,Calhoun,MI
$49 per month
about 10 days
"Extremly dependable!"
"Install takes some time."
"Very good upload speeds for the buck."
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It's nice to work with a local ISP. The tech support can all speak English so that's a plus. Down time? Non that I've seen! The only thing that bites arse is the install time but I think that SBC is taking their time when providing the copper. I'd say over all that the service is an A. Keep on doing a good job!
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Review by scottwn
Posted: 5.1 years ago
member for 5.4 years, 842 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Portage,Kalamazoo,MI
$36 per month (24 month contract)
about 14 days
Ameritech
"Only residential high-speed connection in Kalamazoo County that doesn't force bundle other services."
"Can only get 384k/384k at my house but that's not JAS's fault."
"Great service for people sick of dealing with foreign tech support and big conglomerates."
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Weve had JAS Networks since February at my fiance's apartment and then we moved into a house together in July and had the service transferred to this location. I had free ethernet at my college apartment so I couldn't justify getting JAS at the time. I had Charter prior when I still lived at home and it was ok.
Sales support for me was adequate but being a telecom major in college and been in the IT field for over 5 years so I already had a solid idea what I was getting even before really exploring their website.
Install coordination was good. SBC came out within a week to provision the circuit at the house and the installer got it up & running while I was at work in under two hours, if I remember right. They replaced the modem my fiance had at her apartment with a new one that had a built-in router in it (it's some no-name brand and the only documentation I could find for it was on a Russian website). Tech support says the router part of the modem essentially sucks so they sent it configured in bridge mode. More on this in a bit.
Connection reliability has been stellar. I have not noticed any down time in the past three months. We had one time where it went down in the apartment when I guess the DSLAM at the CO had some ports that failed and we happened to be one.
Tech support is great. They will help you walk through setting up an after-market router with their connection without charge. The modem was set on the same IP scheme as my router so once I figured that out, I changed the IP scheme on my Linksys router and now my two computers and Packet8 VoIP DTA work flawlessly. They also are American and in the area so that's a plus. I now work in tech support at a fixed-wireless high speed provider so I certainly know what they go through.
Services are good. I don't use their e-mail and I'm not into newsgroups so I really can't comment on any of that stuff. I can only get a 384k/384k due to how far we are from the central office but that's not their fault. I now work at an ISP in the next county over so I have access to a DS3 40 hours a week if I need to download anything insanely large.
The value for the money is good. You're paying a locally-owned company that has all of their staff in the area and when you call tech support, you don't talk to Hajib in Bangalore. a 384k connection could be a bit cheaper but they have to pay SBC the right to use the last mile copper so I understand.
Bottom line: If you want to support a locally-ownded company and not be forced to bundle cable tv or POTS service with your high speed internet, this is your best option in Kalamazoo County.
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Review by francishsu
Posted: 5.8 years ago
member for 9.4 years, 509 visits, last login: 140 days ago
Wyoming,Kent,MI
$50 per month
about 20 days
"static IP, high upload, competitive pricing, dedicated phone line, contract not required, allows servers"
"bandwidth cap, lacking 'value added' features"
"so far so good!"
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This is a preliminary review, based on my experiences up to my first day of service. I will update this as time goes on. While early, there are already things worthy of noting:
1. First and foremost, you do not need to have landline service to get their DSL! JAS provision a dedicated phone line for their DSL. Unfortunately, I had assumed I would need to have phone service to get DSL, so I already had it by the time I found out that JAS didn't need it.
2. 768/768 SDSL + static IP starting at $45/month. I know you can get this high upload at this price point in some parts of the country, but not in my neck of the woods. Since I run a mail and web server, this is a very good thing.
3. Published bandwidth cap. Bandwidth cap is obviously a negative, but at least they tell you what the cap is. My greatest fear will be that the bandwidth cap is too low for my needs. They do offer higher caps, for more $/month.
Anyways, I first contacted JAS around the holiday season. For some reason, I decided to call them to place an order on 12/24, when I'd expect sales people would be on holiday. I got a tech support person, who was friendly, answered my questions and actually able to put in the order for their 768/768 residential service @ $45/month. They give you the option to go month-to-month or sign a contract for 1 year or longer. They give you some financial incentives to go with the signing a contract; their promotions seem to vary periodically. I went month-to-month because I didn't find much information, and because I don't know if I'll be able to stay under their bandwidth cap. I opted to lease-to-own the DSL modem for an extra $5/month, rather than purchase it. They do not give you the option to use your own. I was told the provision/install would span around 10 business days. I was a bit skeptical, having gone through a couple of DSL installs in the past that spanned 1-2 months.
The dedicated phone line was run to my home while I was out of town. The note left on my door was a bit cryptic with no company or contact information, stating that "they" were able to complete some phone work to my home without needing access to the premises. A couple of days later, I got a call from someone at JAS to schedule an appointment to complete the installation. Installation was scheduled for 1/13, close enough to 10 business days after 12/24. On the morning of 1/13, someone called and let us know that they were running a couple of hours behind schedule. This was a welcome surprise, in that they actually took the time to call and let us know about the delay rather than just showing up late. The tech arrived, and the install was complete in all of 15 minutes.
I ran a couple of bandwidth tests and got around 740/720 on the first and 730/530 on the second. So far, I feel confident that I will be able to get reasonably close to the 768/768 in general. Latency is excellent, = 10ms to their DNS servers, and around 20-80ms to most of the sites that I commonly access. Reliability so far has been great, but really too short of a timeframe to pass judgement.
Now I will go into some of the bad points, which really do not take away from the positive experience I have had up to now. First, the DSL service includes 1 static IP, 3 e-mail addresses and some space on their Web server. I consider this to be minimal in terms of value added features. Keep in mind my previous DSL provider was Speakeasy, which provided much more in this area. I would like to see JAS make an effort to add the following features, at least as options for a small monthly fee if not standard:
1. Some dialup hours for when I travel, even if I have to pay long distance charges to dial their local number(s).
2. Usenet server access, either standard or at discount pricing
3. A richer Web site, more links to useful resources
My biggest gripe with them is related to the bandwidth cap. I'm fine with the existence of the cap, but they need to provide users with the tools to monitor their bandwidth usage. I've been told that I will get an e-mail if my usage gets close to the cap, but I'm up the creek if I get the notice half way into the month. I (and I'm sure other potential customers would agree) want to feel confident that I can do legitimate activities that consume bandwidth, like listening to streamed music, telecommuting/VPN, Voice over IP, and eventually serve content on my web server that could be useful to the public. Another issue is some contradictary information that I have gotten. When I first contacted them, I was told the bandwidth cap (for my price package, 40 gigabits) was for each way (so 40Gb up and 40Gb down). Later, another JAS networks person wrote on DSL Reports that only download was restricted, not upload. Finally, their Web site only says 40 gigabits, without any specifics. I guess that they may want people to assume the worst case, to keep their costs down and performance high for their entire userbase, but really information this important needs to be detailed, clear and stated officially.
My next gripe is related to this is their pricing tiers. They have two residential packages, one at $45/month and the other at $100/month. They should have a residential package somewhere between those. Now they do have business packages that start in the middle range, with higher bandwidth caps, but my current understanding (which is based only on the information on DSL Reports) is that you have to sign a multi-year contract with those. In fact, while they charge a reasonable $.50/gigabit in excess of the cap, they state that if you consistenly go over you will need to switch to a more expensive plan. Personally, if I cannot do the things I want, I'll have to regretfully sacrifice some upload bandwidth and go with another ISP in order to fully enjoy the Internet.
In summary, JAS Networks bucks the trend of the typical ISP that offers ADSL, dynamic IP, shared line install, etc. They are small, yet offer bandwidth and performance that you just don't get with most of the big ISPs. I think they are best in class in some of basic and most important areas. I hope they strive to improve in other areas, and that they expand their service areas and customer base (but not too quickly!)
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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 6.5 years ago
(review was emailed from domain SDMG-ncb.com)
Kalamazoo,Kalamazoo,MI
$130 per month (12 month contract)
"Jas is a pretty good company"
"I want one for home"
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I've been using a business DSL from Jas for about a year, and it works great. Downtime over the past year was less than 2 hours total.
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Review by blaze1968
UPDATED: 6.7 years ago
member for 7.6 years, 55 visits, last login: 4 years ago
Wyoming,Kent,MI
$45 per month
about 12 days
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JAS Networks
