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Review by jimemac51 
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4 years, 0 visits, last login: 4 years ago
 Jacksonville,Duval,FL
 $36 per month (36 month contract)
 about 1 days
 BellSouth
 "Great speed and less cost"
 "Rain affects it like sat TV"
 "Glad I got it and I am saving money and telling my friends about it."
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I got exactly what I ordered. I then upgraded because I was so pleased.
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 Review by Dark Fiber
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4.8 years, 122 visits, last login: 66 days ago
Boise,Ada,ID
$53 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Instant setup; Mobile service; High speeds; Affordable pricing"
"No NNTP; Expensive static IPs."
"If you think you need it, you probably do! Get it now!"
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My needs are atypical, so you need to put this in perspective. Most of my raves are good for everyone. Most of my gripes affect no one!
I wanted a backup route for when my Qwest DSL fails (as it inevitably does from time to time). I will save my comments on the Qwest DSL for a future review of their service (which is actually pretty decent for my needs, too, but my setup is atypical).
The ClearWire sales representative arrived at the scheduled time and was patient while I set up the CPE in my unique hybrid LAN environment. We verified the connection, and filled out all the "paperwork" online over the newly established ClearWire link. I do not intend to use them for email, but I did activate their web space for kicks.
The web space is easy enough to manage and can be done by web based tools or via ftp.
I don't use VOIP and haven't tried any Bit Torrents yet, so I cannot comment on the port blocking that others have mentioned. The TOS does expressly mention that web servers are not permitted, and that port 80 is blocked. They are sufficiently forthright about it, and with the limited upstream it isn't ideally suited for running a web server. Since I purchased this primarily for a secondary and portable connection I will likely not use it for more than a backup email route and light web browsing and downloads.
The service has been performing without issue and I tried a speed test from my office (which has a poorer signal than my home) with acceptable results.
My monthly bill covers 1500kbps down and 256kbps up with modem rental and 1 static IP.
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Review by Applebrook
UPDATED: 4.1 years ago
member for 4.4 years, 187 visits, last login: 2.8 years ago
Tracy,San Joaquin,CA
$15 per month (3 month contract)
about 1 days
"Portability, good alternative if you cant get DSL or Cable"
"modem resets on large downloads, VOIP services do not work"
"Horrendous ! Customer Service"
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It has been over 21 days Clearwire has still not refunded $ 11.50 that they debited my account even though i returned the modem in the required 5 days. I will call customer service today to see what happened to my refund.
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 Review by mrbreau
Posted: 4.1 years ago
member for 6.6 years, 367 visits, last login: 64 days ago
Midland,Midland,TX
$41 per month (24 month contract)
Southwestern Bell
"Fast fast fast!"
"odd drops at odd times."
"Best service I've had so far."
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I had heard about ClearWire from a friend and checked to see if it was available in my area. At that time it wasn't. I had been using a satellite provider and was so unhappy with their upgrade I quit them and ordered dialup. While talking to the local satellite installer to see if anyone wanted or needed a satellite sytem, he mentioned ClearWire. I asked him about it. He gave me the rundown in a few minutes and let slip that a new tower had just been put into operation near where I live. They recommend five miles from the tower and I'm three miles from it. I have heard of good performance from as far away as nine miles!
We set up an appointment to see if I had a good signal at my house and the man showed up on time. In fifteen minutes we discovered a great signal and I was sold. Okay, now about ClearWire.
Of the two plans I took the faster one, 1500kbps and have clocked speeds over 1600 twice. Upload is 90% of the advertised 256kbps at the worst times and a shade over at the best times. Stable is what I'd call the service. I went to the store and picked up the modem and plugged it in. That is all there is to the installation. Because of the high frequency the modem doesn't have to turn much to affect the reception. A nudge will boost performance without effecting the signal. The price I pay per month is $37.99 for the service but they charge $4.99 for the modem per month. I like the modem rental in case something goes wrong with it they will replace it. If the service is ordered for the two year contract the first three months are $17 plus the modem. Instead of the $100 deposit they put a hold on the money but don't take it. They only took $50 from me to get started.
This system will not work in a metal building unless the modem is right in front of a window. Some installations require that the modem be place a long way from the computer but a long RJ45 cord is an easy fix for that. IP is static for home use and dynamic for businesses. I spent a week on this site trying to find a way to tweak the system but I could find none. The modem is stand alone and the LAN it works through is beyond what little I know so gave up still satisfied with the overall service.
I am impressed with ping times and latency. Pings are 20 to 30 and latency is right around the same time zones, 20 to 30 ms, a lot better than the 2000 to 3000 ms with the satellite system. There are times, however, that site pages expire and have to be recalled. There are other times when the pages ordered won't arrive. Reordering the pages that don't arrive always fixes it though it is a nuisance. I am also impressed that weather doesn't affect the signal at all.
This is getting too long. Contact me if you have any questions.
Warren
..
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Review by krozareq
Posted: 4.1 years ago
member for 4.1 years, 4 visits, last login: 3.5 years ago
Abilene,Taylor,TX
$42 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Seems quite stable"
"Blocking ports, and has now blocked bittorrent in my area"
"Worthless, BT is the reason I have broadband!"
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The sales person didn't seem to know much about the sytem or Internet workings. He went on about 1.5 megs and I said.. yah divided by 8 is 187Kb/s maximum, he was clueless why i said divided by 8 *sigh*.
Apparantly clearwire thinks that the web is the only thing in existance, if all I did was surf the web I would not need broadband in the first place! Binaries my friend... BINARIES! BIG BINARIES even.
All I use broadband for is bittorrent, I found my upstream to be utter rubbish, 16Kb/s was the rate which only makes it HALF the advertised rate of 256kb. Then about 2 weeks ago (~September 20th) in my area of Abilene Texas bittorrent was blocked for good. One is lucky to get 2kb/s download now. So it's worthless until a workaround is discovered, and the smart coding prodigies friendly to the p2p world won't be revamping BT's limited and easily detectable operation until more ISPs block BT., I am an anime freak, and I need my fix. Direct downloads are going away as BT saves money and is fast for those who can use it.
Supply the internet (THE WHOLE INTERNET) or stop advertising that you are such a great service, you are not. In addition it was down for aprox. 7 hour just 2 days ago.
As for the costs, it is $24.95 for the 786/256 and $34.95 a month for 1.5/256 barring any special promotions your area may have. In addition I go beleive there is a modem fee, somewhere around $5, I wish I had a bill somewhere or I would say.
There is an evil contract, 1yr and you pay $50, but you might as well get suckered into the 2 year plan to save the $50. So much for "Freedom From Cables" as they say in bold print on their fliers, because they forgot to mention the cable they hang you with on the contract.
The good point is there is nothing else to buy, if I were to have DSL I would need to purchase a land line which are useless in this day in age. So I would need to pay $20 plus old analog 'utility' fees for something I would have no use for.
Cable is quite a bit more expensive, if the price is doable, then the modem lease will get ya! Seriously, get with the times, I never needed to lease a modem with my DSL, I was still suprised to find out they do that.
Overall... I miss my DSL. I am seriously going to break my contract and just forget about them. Contracts only exist to sucker people into a subpar service, I should have known. With my DSL I never needed to sign a contract until the 6 month introductory price expired, then I kept the introductory price for an additional 2 years with doing a contract, when i left my DSl providor they never gave me any lip about my contract and said "okay".
I have a feeling Clearwire will not be so easy.
-Angry Texan who needs his anime.
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Review by jlowens
Posted: 4.2 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 4.2 years ago
Sedro Woolley,Skagit,WA
$43 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Faster than Advertised Speeds"
"None"
"Great service for the money, especially when you do not have many other options"
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I ordered 1.5 download 256 upload for 37.99 a Month + 4.99 a month modem rental. When I First went to the local clearwire dealer ( cook road communications 2000) they told me the service would be avaliable in Sedro Woolley Soon, Within a few weeks. I went back about 2 weeks later and checked with them, they said that the Sedro Woolley tower was not up yet, but let me borrow a modem to take home and check if it was going to work at my house. I was skeptical because the closest tower was in Burlington, and I guess its not suppost to work that far away, but they said they have the burlington tower "cranked up" so it might work. I got home and plugged the modem into the wall, not into the computer yet and found that i had no signal at first. I moved around the house a little finding I could get 2-3 bars ( 5 max ) depending on my location. Eventually I ended up putting the modem in my front window, facing burlington and I got 5 bars ( max ) I have had the service for a few weeks now with no complaints.. I am getting faster than advertised speeds and have had no problems
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Review by jbgatzmer
Posted: 4.2 years ago
member for 4.2 years, 17 visits, last login: 3.9 years ago
Eau Claire,Eau Claire,WI
$42 per month (12 month contract)
"Great alternative to cable and dsl"
"Slightly higher pings than cable/dsl for online gaming"
"Competitive price, as advertised speeds, easy set-up!"
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In my area, cable internet is available through Charter and DSL is available through SBC/Yahoo. Charter Digital Cable offered 3 speed tiers of service for sometime, but settled on two - a 768/128 and a 3000/xxx. Once every couple of weeks our service would go down for a few hours and I would have to call tech support, often told there was an outage. I also disliked paying for digital cable television as a package deal, which was only slightly more expensive than the internet service itself. While I can't complain about their speeds & pings, all of the problems just added up for me.
When I saw a Clearwire kiosk at the local shopping mall, I was curious. I did some brief research on the technology and company history. I checked out the reviews from people here on dslreports.com. And I asked the salesperson a lot of questions.
He was up front with me about Clearwire blocking some ports. I don't particularly use file sharing software, so that wasn't an issue. I was told I would have 5 days to test the product and decide whether I wanted to keep it. I was given three speed tier choices. An entry level was something like 512/128. The next was "up to 1.5 mb/256" for personal use. And the last was a little faster for business use. I opted for the middle.
I went home with a wireless modem that evening, plugged it into my existing D-Link wireless router and was up and running. No software, setup or other modifications were necessary. I found a spot in a window where I got the best signal. Typically it fluctuates between 4 and 5 bars out of 5.
That first night I ran some tests and was concerned. I was getting speeds of no greater than 730 down and 120 up. I tried again every hour or so during the course of the evening and noticed the speed increased with each test. When I ran a test the next morning I was happy to see that it was consistent in the 1420-1460 down and 130-170 up range. Ping tests showed an average of around 75-80ms.
With an online MMORPG game I play I noticed slightly higher pings than I had with cable. Cable pings were typically around 170-180 and with Clearwire I average about 190-220. Not bad as far as I'm concerned.
I've experimented with moving the modem around for better and worse signal strengths. While upload and download speeds are not noticeably effected, ping times were drastically increased with less than 4 bars of signal strength. In the game I play, I would get consistent ping spikes of 700+ every 45 seconds or so. At first I contributed this to conjestion on the game servers, but after moving the modem back to the window, everything is cleared up.
I've yet to have any issues with connectivity, speed, or anything else. So all in all, I've very pleased. Clearwire is a fantastic alternative to cable and dsl in my area, both in speeds and price. When I signed up, I got my first three months for $19.99 a month, $36.99 a month after that. Modem rental is approximately $4.99 a month.
I'm satisfied.
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Review by Vector Prime
Posted: 4.3 years ago
member for 4.3 years, 3 visits, last login: 4.3 years ago
Odessa,Ector,TX
$42 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Reliable Service, Fast Connection"
"VoIP Blocked, File Sharing blocked(but File trading is illeal anyway)"
"Reliable Connection"
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I got Clearwire, wanting to avoid having to get cable, I do not qualify for DSL. I have absolutely no problems with Clearwire.
I have not had to contact support so I cannot comment on that.
I have read many reviews of several people complaining about clearwire blockin kazaa, winmx, etc sharing ports, well guess what, Those prorams are illegal in the first place, so get over it. As for the VOip, Clearwire will most likely unblock those ports later this year when they offer there own VOip service.
You have to rent the modems for the time being, but the sales rep informed me that is because the modes are going to drastically chane here in the near future to allow the Voip.
The signal strenght is not weather dpendent. Had a severe strorm go through the other night and I maintained full strength(5 bars) and great speed throguh the entire thing.
I am constantly gett 1600 on the speed tests. It works great with my wireless router(Us Robotics 8504).
I have noticed that they are using an SBC backbone in my area and the IP address is even registered as an SBC IP
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Review by paradigmfl
Posted: 4.3 years ago
member for 4.3 years, 3 visits, last login: 4.3 years ago
Daytona Beach,Volusia,FL
$38 per month (24 month contract)
about 3 days
"Wireless Freedom, Local presence, Price, 5 day return policy"
"Blocked VoIP, file sharing, and other ports, Contracts, Billing Mishaps, Cust Service, Speed very sensitive to modem location."
"Cheaper wireless - but better make sure they still offer the 5 day return policy just in case.!"
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I decided to go with Clearwire after hearing about them from others. I live in the Daytona Beach, FL area, I went with the $34.99 option for download speeds up to 1.5 Mbs known as their Premium plan. There was also to be a $3 charge extra per month for the modem rental/insurance. Under a promo, I was to get the first three months at a $10 discount. I was told that I could either go with a 1 yr contract and a $25 install charge or a 2 yr contract with no installation charge. I was to also be charged $9.95 for shipping. Modem delivery was supposed to occur the next business day before 2pm. I placed my order over telephone.
ORDERING AND SHIPMENT
After ordering i recieved a reciept via email. It erroniously showed a few things :
1. I was charged a $50 install charge (was supposed to be zero)
2. Delivery method was stated as flat UPS, up to five days (was supposed to be next day)
I had to call and get these straightened out. Indeed the modem was shipped next day air (it cam elate anyway though) and the email was just wrong. They did charge the $50 charge to my account which they later reversed after I told them I was told I would have no installation charge and how I never would have done the two year contract had I known of this.
SERVICE
I kept the service for one day before exercizing the five day return policy. Upon setting it up I found that the normal place where I had my cable modem only yielded a 115 kbps download speed (I paid for 1.5 Mbps!) so I had to relocate the modem to a window where eventually I recieved1 Mbps. My upload was around 115kbps after relocation. The modem is *very* sensitive to location, but has a signal strength meter to help you find a good location.
After hooking everything up I found that my VoIP [phone] service with AT&T Callvantage did not work. After contacting AT&T first, then Clearwire I confirmed with them that they blocked several posts that were needed for my VoIP phone to work (ports 5060 & 5061) and they told me that they would not be willing to unblock them. In addition to the VoIP problems I also noted that at least some filesharing ports also appeared blocked, such as those for kazaalite to operate.
Because of the VoIP block as well as the support issue (see below) I decided to exercize a five day return policy and turn in my modem to the local office they had here for a full refund. While I can't verify that the funds have been given back into my account yet, I did not have any problems with returning it and they were very nice about it.
TECH SUPPORT
I called them about the VoIP issue around 10pm ET. It took about 20 minutes to get to someone. This bothers me about them.
MISC STUFF
The CSR said that the $50 charge was actually just a hold that was placed on mty debit card and the wern't really going to charge it in the first place. However, later they told me they reversed it. So I wonder how it could have been just a hold then? That does not make sense to me.
The CSR's I spoke with for both the billing and port blockign issues were very nice and helpfu, which was nice. But I did not like the wait time at all.
BOTTOM LINE
I'd make sure they offer the five day return policy before going with them and getting locked into a contract. I noted that they also claimed a 30 day guarantee but from what I read apparently that only applies if you cannot get a good signal. I'm not so sure they would have let me return the service without paying a $180 early termination fee if I cancelled after that five day period but before the 30 day gauarantee. You might want to read up on that.
If you use VoIP or have certain ports that you use and are critical, I'd ask them specificaly about them and get an answer so as not to waste your own time like I did.
It is a great service if you can get a good connection at your location, not be subject to billing or order errors, and don't need any of the ports which they block (like VoIP). If it were not for the VoIP issue, I probably would have kept them.
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Review by keymo
UPDATED: 4.9 years ago
member for 5.1 years, 29 visits, last login: 4.9 years ago
Jacksonville,Duval,FL
$25 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Tiered pricing. Cheaper alternative to Comcast."
"Connection reliability extremely dependent on modem location."
"The service is decent, but has not been proven over the long haul."
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Here's my story from start to finish:
With the exception of price, I've been a happy Comcast subscriber for
the past year. $45 (if a current Comcast cable TV subscriber) and $60
(if not a subscriber) is just way too much.
So when Clearwire came into town with a $25.00 monthly package, I was
ready to give it a shot. Especially since it came with a 30-day trial.
After that, you are bound to either a one or two year contract.
Other than plugging in the power cord and network cable, there was no
setup. Turn your computer on, get an IP, and you're good to go. It
wasn't too hard to find a location within range of my desktop with
reasonable reception (consistently 3 or 4 bars).
After that, things went downhill. I had problems getting my wireless router working with the modem, so I called technical support. After long hold times, I was patched to a voicemail system. I left a message and never got a return phone call.
It took a couple other phone calls to finally get someone on the line to help with the issue. The second problem I had was the modem just stopped receiving a signal randomly. One afternoon it worked, the next the lights kept chasing each other. Basically the same scenario happened. I talked to a guy and was told someone would call me the next day with further information.
No phone call. Finally, some guy completely unrelated to the support request followed up days later asking if everything was okay. I had to tell him no one called me, so he arranged for me to take my modem in the next day. Fortunately, the next day the modem worked again. (this was after almost a week of not working)
Hopefully this doesn't happen again. The third issue I had was that I couldn't setup my email account. Again, more phone calls and more promises of a return phone call. None came.
So really my two issues are the hold times, typically 15 minutes and a support team which never returns phone calls. And it's not like I can stay on hold for awhile and be guaranteed to talk with someone. You're automatically transferred to a voicemail system after so long.
Keep in mind I have no problems with the support I've received. They've been good. Just not good at holding true to their words.
Another problem I have with the service is the connection reliability. It's just not there. I've experienced first hand that weather affects the signal. Yesterday afternoon everything was 3 to 4 bars, but then when the storm came in the signal dropped to 2, sometimes 1. The signal was so bad that my desktop internet connectivity was flaky and my laptop couldn't pickup a signal from the router.
Today with clear skies, I have consistently 3 bars. And yes, I could move my modem to a second floor and get better signal, but I am unable to because there's no location for my computer. I'd have to invest in a wireless NIC for my desktop if I wanted to do that.
And their online account management system is non-existent. I login and see my initial invoice. I can't pay bills, change billing addresses, or even change my password.
To summarize my issues:
1. Can't rely on any promises support makes to follow-up on a request.
2. Long support hold times.
3. Unreliable connections. Affected by weather or who knows what else.
4. Poor account management features.
Honestly, I would give Clearwire more of a chance to fix reliability and other issues, but the fact that I'm in a 12 month contract if I go past the 30 days is preventing me from doing so. I have no guarantees that it _will_ get better. However, if I could pay month-by-month I would be able to stop after I felt I'd given sufficient time to resolve issues, but seen no changes.
That's about the only way they'd keep my business. (at least for a couple more months to see how things go) $20 cheaper is a fair amount, but _not_ if I can't trust to have a connection when I need it.
-Alex
UPDATE: 10.07.2004
I got a call from the VP of Customer Service today who wanted to follow-up on my support requests and hear any comments/suggestions. I basically told him my issues as outlined in this review and he offered to extend my trial another 60 days (for a total of 3 months) in order for me to test the reliability of the connection.
Also, a tech is going to come to my house to see if he can optimize the modem for better reception. (not sure how that's going to work, but I'll go with the flow.) So we'll see how things go over the course of the next 60 days.
One more thing to note. They are changing the model of their support service. I guess they were not using dedicated support personnel, but that will change here shortly. That explains the long hold times and non-existent response times.
UPDATE: 10.12.2004
Some guys came over from Clearwire armed with aerial photographs of my area in relation to the nearest tower. With that, they determined the best tower to point my modem at and moved my modem upstairs by a window. Now, I would've done this before (move the modem upstairs) but the problem was I couldn't move my desktop as well. (no room)
The service guys were all over that though. They brought over some "HomePlugs" which essentially send the modem's wireless signal through your electrical system. So with that, I was able to leave my desktop downstairs. I guess normally these are an extra monthly charge but they were free in my case due to the past issues I've described in this review.
And again, I'll give it another two months to see how the reliability is. Apparently wireless is achieved through an RF signal which is affected by trees and other obstacles, but not weather. So on windy days, if trees are swaying back and forth they could potentially decrease your signal. (according to the Clearwire techs)
UPDATE: 01.01.2005
Well, looks like I'm locked into a one year contract. The past two months have seen a reliable connection versus what was posted originally. I haven't had any problems with the connection going out, which is the sole reason I'm keeping the service.
Tech support is still pretty sub-bar. I just called to reset my password (still no online account management) and I was on hold for about 15 minutes. The support guy wasn't all that great either. He reset my password (which I'm sure is an easy task) but didn't have any clue what was going on with Clearwire. I asked when account management features would be available online and he said he thought some features were already up. Which is not the case because I just logged in to find viewing my original invoice as the only "feature."
Anyway, I probably won't be posting an update again. But the bottom line for potential new customers. Take advantage of the 30 day trial. The location of the modem is _critical_ to your connection reliability. Talk to the techs and see where the nearest tower is so that you can position the modem accordingly.
Oh, and I guess I should note I'm on the lowest (cheapest) tier and my download speeds are approximately 60 kb/sec.
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