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 Review by dslwanter 
UPDATED: 9 days ago
member for 6.9 years, 3155 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Lowellville,Mahoning,OH
 $39 per month
 about 23 days
 "Fast, low pings, consistent downloads, reliable"
 "It couldn't get here sooner!"
 "Simply the best"
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***UPDATE: 11/14/09***
Well I said I would update this past summer during my spring review but...there is simply nothing to review. It is by far the best possible service in this entire area. This township went from no broadband to the best in the entire area. My speeds are constant, I'm on the 5000k/500k (Zoom 500) package and my speed tests are consistently around 5000kbps and 500kbps.
I haven't experienced a single outage since my last review either, in fact, I don't think the modem has been power cycled nor has my IP address changed.
I've been hearing rumors of a speed increase towards the end of the year, so we'll see what happens over the next month. If they do so, I'll review to reflect those new speeds.
Cheers to your Armstrong and thank you for seeing the potential in Coitsville Township!
***UPDATE: 3/24/09***
Well, there's really not much to say other than…it works! Speeds remain constant between 4500kbps-5000kbps on the downstream and 400kbps-500kbps on the upstream. I run my internet radio station with no interruptions related to my internet connection at all...period. The modem has only been off once and that was when we lost power for about 12 hours due to a wind storm back in September, the weekend I got service, and finally after about 8 hours the back-up battery built into the modem (since it's for both internet and phone) went dead and the whole thing went dark. But since coming back up...my IP address has not changed. We had another wind storm beginning of February that knocked power out, but everything still worked because 1. They have good back-up power to the node and 2. My UPS and modem stayed up and I never lost internet connectivity so I used my wifi and battery on laptop whenever I wanted!
TV service is also great from them. Attached to this review are some pictures of the set-up to show the difference between standard cable and FTTH cable. What I have is actually very similar to Verizon FIOS, structure wise.
Here's to you Armstrong and to the future and DOCSIS 3.0 when it comes out! I'll review again this summer. Thank you for everything!!!!
***INITIAL REVIEW in September of 2008***
Well, what can I say, I finally have true broadband! For several years, we were tossed around from small cable op to the next which was nothing more than a group of greedy investors. This coverage area became the only one in the area that had never been upgraded to anything beyond basic cable. When surrounding areas were first introduced to broadband & digital cable 1996-2000, we were left in the dark, and remained so until now. It wasn't long however until Armstrong realized the market potential here and soon added us to their Boardman, OH system. They started about this time last year surveying the area and started hanging support wire to hold what was going to become fiber optic cable running from pole to pole. Finally in August, the project was completed. They run fiber optic cable straight to an omni box which is mounted at the premise and then coax is run into the house from there.
Now onto the service. Install took about 3 hours because we had them wire 6 TVs and plus the area of the main PC for Cable modem. Technician was very nice and knowledgeable, knew exactly what he was doing. Many may think a 3 week wait for an install is unreasonable, but considering they just turned up service here and everyone, and I mean everyone flocked to the sales personnel when they came around, they can only do so many installs a day. Plus I had to opt for a Saturday install to be here so that's pretty reasonable.
Speeds are pretty consistent. I'm on "Zoom 500" advertised as 5mbps/512kbps. I get around 4.5mbps/500kbps on a speed test which I consider reasonably competitive to the fact that with DSL you only receive about 80% of throughput. So my speeds compare to someone on a 6mbps DSL line.
Bottom line though, I finally have true broadband. No more crappy DSL because I'm "too far out" and no more waiting for a cable system to be upgraded. I've bitched and moaned for years, but I have nothing to complain about anymore!
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 Review by jonnyz
UPDATED: 155 days ago
member for 6.6 years, 2424 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Canfield,Mahoning,OH
$39 per month
about 2 days
"Clean cable line & modem install, no caps, well-trained technician, good website FAQs"
"No free port 80 web hosting, confusing webmail, occasional cable outages during storms"
"A solid choice for cable internet in Northeast OH / Western PA"
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The rundown:
Zoom 100 - 756k down / 256k up, 50 MB storage on Zoom's FTP server, 3 email accounts - $26.95/mo
Zoom 500 - 5000k down / 512k up, 50 MB storage on Zoom's FTP server, 6 email accounts - $39.95/mo - My service
Zoom Pro - 10000k down / 1500k up, 50 MB storage on Zoom's FTP server, 10 email accounts - $59.95/mo
Zoom Small Business - 10000k down / 1500k up, 30 MB storage on Zoom's FTP server, 15 email accounts, internal email & web hosting, remote email access, dynamic IP - $59.95/mo
Zoom Business - 10000k down / 3000k up, 50 MB storage on Zoom's FTP server, 15 email accounts, internal email & web hosting, remote email access, dynamic IP (static IP available upon request for a fee) - $119.95/mo
*All prices are with Armstrong Cable TV, prices are higher for standalone internet without it
*Extra email accounts, remote access, private FTP, (additional) static IP(s), and domain/web hosting are all offered as extras for various prices
-Installation was fast, with an installer that seemed to know at least a little bit about Macs, a plus
-The provided modem is a Motorola SB5200 or better.
-IP addresses are supposedly "dynamic" for the non-business class services but my IP address hasn't changed in 4 years on Zoom 500, so I'd say that they are really static.
-The FAQs on their website are very helpful and thorough, and their phone tech support is also good. If they cannot understand the problem, or if the problem is bad and their fault, they will send a tech out within 1 or 2 days to look at the problem.
-Main internet site is »internet.agoc.com/sitemap.asp (thanks rawgerz)
**Ping times are as follows from my tests on OS X 10.4.11, Terminal 1.5.1, "ping -c 25 testsite.com" :
--- apple.com ping statistics ---
25 packets transmitted, 25 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 85.376/88.255/91.086/1.671 ms
--- nac.net ping statistics ---
25 packets transmitted, 25 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 38.379/40.920/44.218/1.801 ms
--- bbc.co.uk ping statistics ---
25 packets transmitted, 25 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 102.956/105.232/113.910/2.039 ms
--- google.cn ping statistics ---
25 packets transmitted, 25 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 115.455/122.112/128.488/4.522 ms
Followup comments:  
jrjan1
@cmu.edu
| Armstrong I had Vonage using Armstrong Cable for over a year, I pay for the zoom 500. It worked great until about 6 months ago when they started offering their own version called zoom phone. My VOIP went from working great, to not working at all. After much frustration and angry phone calls, I finally ended up signing up with their version. It cost an additional $10.00/month over VOIP, plus I had a second line with the VOIP that I used for my fax machine that I lost. That service from Armstrong would have been an additional $35.00. They basically forced us to buy the phone service from them. | |
| 
Toadman
How do you like these Apples
join:2001-11-28
Medina, OH
| Modem rental fees I never thought Armstrong charged for the modem I pay $39.99 a month for Zoom 500 and that includes the modem. I even called Armstrong and they told me that I had to use their modem, that I couldn't purchase one (and they were a little confused as to why I would want to buy one). You may want to revise your review. | |
| | robb
join:2003-07-25
Youngstown, OH
| Re: Modem rental fees Got zoom reinstalled after numerous price increases and connection problems with SBC.
Did not charge me a rental fee for the modem Zoom 500 $39.95
good value and great service for the buck you won't realize it until you try SBC
Trust me!
BTW I run Vonage through a Netgear router works perfectly! | |
|
Zoom user
@zoominternet.net
| Great service I have Zoom 500, and I use Vonage. No problems at all. Bandwidth is always there when I need it. Once my modem was damaged in a storm, and they came out a 9:45pm on a FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!! I didn't think service like that existed any more. Great product, great service. I always sing the praises of Armstrong | |
| wolrah
join:2005-12-29
Medina, OH
|  Always reliable
We have a T1 in our main office, but only the servers sit on it. We run our phones and day-to-day data on the Armstrong line. | |
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Review by Spygame
Posted: 241 days ago
member for 2 years, 92 visits, last login: 25 days ago
Cranberry Twp,Butler,PA
$59 per month
about 2 days
"Great customer service, fast speeds, no outtages"
"No idea if there is a limit? Smaller company, could be in jeopardy of getting bought by suck-cast"
"I love it, it's faster than advertised (it advertises 10Mbps, but I download at up to 1.3MBps), no problems"
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They're great. They're too friendly (probably not, I'm just from Philly so I'm suspicious of friendly people), its fast, etc etc.
They don't take online credit/debit card payments, gotta pay the 3.50 charge to have some other company do it.
I love them, if somehow you have a choice, rock Armstrong.
Odd thing - they claim I *have* to use their cablemodem. I haven't tested that theory yet.
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Review by dodgetech
Posted: 359 days ago
member for 7.7 years, 169 visits, last login: 34 days ago
Forest Hill,Harford,MD
$79 per month
about 5 days
"Fast Reliable Connection. Great Customer Service!! A+++"
"None yet. Cannot own your modem."
"Great Value!"
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Armstrong had bought out Clearview Partners and since then they have been expanding their services. Internet is rock solid. I have the 6Mbps down and 3Mbps up package with static IP and 5 email accounts. This the commercial package but it will be changing to a much faster package in January 2009 when DOCSIS 3.0 comes online.
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 Review by jode67
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 55 visits, last login: 48 days ago
Connellsville,Fayette,PA
$145 per month
about 1 days
"connection solid; very stable & consistent"
"time line for installation is deadening, you have to call off all day for the wait"
"quanity & quality everyones dream, integrity"
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I had DSL at 768 Kbs at $19.00 monthly & bumped up to 1.5 Mb at $30 & some change, then back to zoominternet 100 at $26.00 for price & quality. DSL offered consistent problematic nightmares, reboot & loose connection ect. then I went to zoominternet 500 5000Kbs at $35 that came with more e-mails & stability the modems are generally motorlola & the installation process is quick, clean & knowledgeable staff to set you up, i ask for anything to make my home business faster & more reliable & now I run 10000Kbs zoom-business at $55 monthly with digital cable & I opted out of the phone I like my hard line. all in all there it. I have downgraded to zoom 500 & I finally have gone with the phone service, that proved to be financially sound & the quality is outstanding, with this package of T.V. Internet & phone has come to be very manageable & smart, especially with the state of the economy. I'm very plesed with all the services & I fell they should be recognized with the big boys. Good luck Armstrong Cable!
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Review by criminis
Posted: 1.3 years ago
member for 1.4 years, 40 visits, last login: 328 days ago
Youngstown,Mahoning,OH
$40 per month
"Top reliability for a res. service, 6+ years no perceived outages"
"Cost/mbps is higher then the big players, top tier res. service slower"
"Great value and service for residential broadband"
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Package is called Zoom 500, 5/512 at the ~$40 price point. Service/Support and Sales are all above average for a cableco. in this area. Original modem was a Moto SB4100 now a RCA eMTA w/ digital phone service, both CPE's were provided in new or like new condition. Recently implementing new throttling techniques and capping. Have noticed a ~20GB/day cap on NNTP, perhaps only triggered during peak. Only hit it once, not too much of a hindrance so far, but shady nonetheless. At these low relative speeds, they should not be hitting node saturation, and if they are they need to keep up w/ breakouts. So far I have never noticed any peak slowdown whatsoever in this node.
They run a low freq. downstream at 117MHz, which helps avoid high end rolloff outages, and makes for excellent SNR even on long drops. Beautifully engineered system, I am sitting at 41 SNR (modem) as we speak. Local TWC runs at 669MHz and is lucky to top the requisite 32 SNR for 256QAM in many cases. We are running QAM16 return path here, so no QPSK, good sign and I imagine they keep UBR SNR at an equally impressive number. Modem uptime 325 days 10h:12m:57s, that is since I was installed with the new modem last year. Speaking as a cable tech. for a competitor, this system CAN NOT be beat on a technical level.
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Review by djchatlos
Posted: 1.4 years ago
member for 6.4 years, 10 visits, last login: 289 days ago
Wexford,Allegheny,PA
$109 per month
"Continually upgrades"
"Slow on weekends"
"Good value for money"
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Started as a Zooom 100 user but now have Cable, Internet, and phone service. Download speeds have increased from 100 Kbs to 3+ Mbps
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 Review by leadheadcomp
UPDATED: 1.5 years ago
member for 6.6 years, 2034 visits, last login: 25 days ago
Scottdale,Westmoreland,PA
$50 per month
about 2 days
"Speed as advertised"
"Outages in the evening on a regular Basis"
"Not bad for the money and they work to make it better"
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Speed as advertised
Outages in the evening on a regular Basis
Not bad for the money and they work to make it better
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Review by jhayann1
UPDATED: 1.5 years ago
member for 1.5 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.5 years ago
Conneaut Lake,Crawford,PA
$100 per month (month by month)
about 7 days
"reliable, cheap, works great"
"none"
"excellent service for a low price"
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We've had Armstrong for over 5 years and they gave us excellent, reliable service -- even out in the schticks (amish country in PA)! I did not give the highest rating for customer service, simply because I've only had to deal with them once, and the support rep did not seem knowledgeable. I fixed the issue in 5minutes, when it took the rep 30 minutes of not knowing what to do over the phone. But then, the support rep didn't matter as much because when your service works as expected -- you rarely need to talk to tech support!
The technician who installed our service even gave us extra-long cable in case we decided to move the tv or computers around. We had 2 tvs connected, 1 phone, and 2 computers. He even told us how easy it was to convert our 2-prong outlets to 3-prong, and basically kept a friendly conversation going while working. He wore those shoe covers every time he came into the home, so we didn't have any dirt tracked onto the carpet.
Once they began offering phone service, we had our cable & internet bundled with the phone. Everything worked great! You can access your entire account online too. For a small/local company, their service excelled compared to the big-name ones out there. I only wish they had service in the area I just moved to (Ohio), because now we have Time Warner, and they suck!
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Review by Was64
UPDATED: 1.6 years ago
member for 1.6 years, 107 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Medina,Medina,OH
$59 per month
about 3 days
"Always connected and excellent speeds"
"Havent had any yet"
"I feel I am getting what I am paying for"
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I looked at roadrunner before I decided to go with Zoom. I have a excellent package its 10mbps down and 1.5mbps up.. I love the service and plan on keeping it as long as I live in Medina. I called for new service on a Monday and on Thursday they were there installing it. I haven't had any bad experiences with the service and have had it for almost 2 years.
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Armstrong Zoom Internet
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