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Ordered the Express plan on August 26, 2005, recieved the package (with Speedstream 4100) on August 31, and was up and running September 1st. They activated my line one day before the stated activation date. The ordering process went as smoothly asI hoped it would go. When i first got onto the internet, i tested the connection and was clocked at 1215/235. Since I live pretty close to the CO (about 6000ft) i was hoping to get closer to 1300 up, but this is all before the 10 day ramp-up period, so im pretty happy about the speed. The best thing about this is the price. At $14.95 a month, it beats my previous dial-up price of $21.95 with earthlink. Not only was my price cheaper, but im also going faster. member for 11.8 years, 25 visits, last login: 10.8 years ago lodged 11.8 years ago
Only in the first couple of days so far. Service is working. Surprised at how easy it was to set up and get working. Speed isn't what was promised yet. But, they said to wait 10 days. Got a 2Wire home gateway (modem plus router) with order. All seems to work fine. Currently chatting on IM with friend, listening to 128Kbps streaming radio and surfing net. Sales lady was helpful. Equipment came on time. So far so good. *** After five days, my speed is 1.2 mbps down and 330 kbps up. That's definitely faster than a few days ago. So far, no interruptions. I think it's important to note that I have had pretty smooth sailing so far. So many only post when they have problems that I think it skews the overall scores. People like to slam SBC Yahoo, and maybe rightly so, but I'm happy right now! *** Update August 31, 2005 *** I'm still basically happy with my DSL service. I haven't had any problems to truly speak of. There haven't been any interruptions that were significan't. I can only think of two times where I was trying to access the internet and I lost service and it was restored in less than 15 minutes. Like I said above, people talk smack about SBC Yahoo! but I haven't had any problems. I would recommend using the service, if only because I can't think of any reason not to. Hope that helps! member for 12.3 years, 91 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago updated 11.8 years ago
service was ready a day before it was due. did not use the sbcyahoo disk since i didn't need anything on it. used a verizon supplied westell modem with no problems for a few days converted to sbc supplied 2 wire modem (no router) once i figured out how to change to bridge mode so i could continue using my router. no complaints no problems member for 15.5 years, 1186 visits, last login: 6 years ago lodged 11.8 years ago
Final Review 08/26/2005 I can honestly say that in the majority of cases, SBC Pac Bell has great service at a very resonable price. That being said, our case, unfortunatelly, was one in which things simply did not work out. We got tired of fighting the connection, and have pulled all services from SBC Pac Bell. Intermittent static on the land line, frequent bursts of CRCs over 10,000, uncancelled echo nearing 40Db, numerous tech visits trying to stablize the problem...nah. Enough. Why spend the extra hundred bucks for a splitter, and go through the hassle of getting permission from the apartment complex to do it? Please do keep in mind, our situation was unique. So far we're happy with the alternative we've chosen, and do not have to worry about holding our breath while hoping that a bit of wind or rain doesn't kick us offline. As stated previously, no DSL connection is without its hassles from time to time. For us, DSL service through SBC simply ceased to be feasible. If you're considering DSL with SBC, by all means, give them a try; chances are good that you will be one of the lucky ones, have great, uninterrupted service, and never experience a problem. The techs in the field and here at BBR are fantastic; you will not find a more helpful bunch of people anywhere. Best wishes. Update 08/02/2005 The other day we lost both DSL and voice on our line. A very knowledgable tech came and fixed the problem (not related to apartment wiring, btw). We finally received answers to questions we've had for months. Because of one person and their dedication to service, my faith in SBC has been restored. Yes, individual techs can make a BIG difference. Because of circumstances beyond our control (or theirs), we may have additional problems on down the line, but we know what to look for and who to contact if it should happen again. No, don't expect perfection, and be prepared to work with individuals within the company to find a solution. It's a two way street, and sometimes communication (ironic, dontcha think?) makes all the difference. Update 04/20/05 Still having intermittent problems. After a tech visit on 04/16, we're still getting uncancelled echo on the line (10 to20 dB on average; the tech told us the filters were fine, the trouble was detected at the box, changed out some wires, called it good), but it likes to play hide and seek. At this point, I'm out of ideas, and resigned to the fact that any connection from any company will have it's share of problems. Though we average 2-3 dropouts a day, we can live with it. Thanks to everyone who tried to help. To those looking for broadband service, you can sure do a lot worse than SBC. Give them a try; chances are you won't be sorry. Here's hoping, anyway. Update mid 2004 I was one of the fortunate few who got in on the 6.0 offer last February. The upgrade itself went without a hitch...again, I consider myself very lucky given some of the problems others have related. Within the past few months, I have experienced more problems staying connected (packet loss at particular servers, systemwide upgrades, area outages), and thought about dropping back down to the 1.5 profile, just to see if it might solve the problem. I've come to realize that my particular line is not at fault. I believe in this case, the trouble can be attributed to "growing pains". SBC has really grown...and the faithful customers have begun to do their own groaning...not without cause. All in all I am not as satisfied a customer n ow. I love the speeds (when the connection is stable...everything in the world has been tried...I'm not going through yet another tech visit {although I can't say enough for the guys out there "in the jungle", they have always been THE bright point for this company}), and will continue to stay, hoping that things will stablize a bit in the coming months. Original Post I've been an Pac Bell SBC DSL customer for about a year and a half now, and am so very glad I've stayed with this provider. While no broadband service is 100% 27/7, my experience has come pretty close. If a one year contract for bundled service doesn't scare you off, you can't beat the price. Tech support via phone is an experience, and usually hit and miss (that's why I love this site...the knowledge and support here are phenominal!). We began with two computers networked through the 2Wire Home Portal 1000S (as I said, it's been a while!), and have been happy as can be all the while. Though connected through an RT, speeds have been 1300+/132 on average. While dedicated gamers might cringe, it's not bad for a small family living in an apartment well over the qualifying distance from the nearest CO. From what I remember, the equipment (2Wire) was delivered quickly, and the self-install was completed without a hassle. No problems, no waiting, no worries. Just remember to call the billing department a short while before your contract ends, and ask what special promotions they are carrying. That way you are not stuck (usually) with the higher month-to-month rate. member for 13.6 years, 1103 visits, last login: 5.7 years ago updated 11.8 years ago
I've been using SBC Yahoo! DSL for a few years now. Speed has been an up and down issue for me, as I'm fairly far from the CO (13K feet?). I've checked with DSL maintenance and there are apparently no remote terminals (RTs) available near me which could be used to improve my connection. However, connection quality has been pretty good, and while not lightning fast for me it has been fairly stable. I also like being able to pay for my phone and DSL on the same bill, over the internet. When the DSL goes down, which admittedly is not often, it can be a pain to get tech support. Particularly on Sundays. Why Sunday? Because SBC Residential DSL Maintenance does not appear to operate on Sundays. They do, I believe, support businesses on Sundays. One has to wonder though - I would expect most residential customers to use their DSL more on weekends than during weekdays. How can you close up shop for part of the weekend? Secondly, the initial tech support person you will communicate with (beyond the annoying phone system) will be someone on the other side of the globe. In my case, I had to spend over an hour on the phone recently walking through things before they came to the same conclusion that I had made in 5 minutes of troubleshooting. While I don't expect them to be lightning fast, it would be nice if the software they make you install could speed up the process a little. One thing that is apparent with SBC is you absolutely do not want your contract to run out before you renew it. I had this happen late last year, and all of a sudden I was being hit for ~$60 a month in charges before I rectified it. It would have been nice if they could have warned me that my contract was about to expire. I've also had a problem in the past in which my "profile" was changed to a higher speed than my line could support, without any notice from SBC. My DSL quality was pretty poor for the week it took to get through to someone who could help me. (The So. Cal SBC DSL maintenance guy was very good. I just wish I had him on call each time!) member for 13.7 years, 112 visits, last login: 4.5 years ago lodged 11.8 years ago
member for 14.7 years, 184 visits, last login: 10 years ago updated 11.8 years ago
Have had this service for a few years now. Got the home network set up self install using the 2Wire router. No problems what so ever. I use DrTCP on all computers on my home network to set all Rwin's to the same value to prevent any lag. Rock solid and now getting 5Mbps down and 500Kbps up. So sweet. 8/4/05 Well I have had this service a few years now and have had no real problems. I had a problem with loss of some of the download speed but it was due to a problem on the phone line and was fixed right away. SBC DSL is still number1 in my book... member for 13.3 years, 232 visits, last login: 11.8 years ago updated 11.8 years ago
Called up SBC and ordered DSL service about 2 weeks ago to replace my Comcast cable modem service. The person who took my order over the phone appeared to be very knowledgeable and the ordering process was quick and easy. I requested the self-install kit and received it in the mail about 2 days sooner than expected. The line was turned on 2 days early as well. Plugged in the Speedstream modem and filters and had no problems whatsoever in getting the service up and running. The modem also works as a router, but since I already had a VPN router setup, I switched the Speedstream to bridged mode without any problems. When I called up Comcast to cancel service, the lowest they offered me was $29.95 a month. Of course they offered that after I told them I was switching over to DSL. So far the DSL line has stayed up and have not had any other problems at all. When I did speedtests it shows 1.5Mbps down / 384Kbps up. They also provide a higher speed service for the "Pro" users, which is $24.95 a month for 1.5-3.0Mbps down / 384-512kbps up (unfortunately my line didn't qualify for that speed). For $14.95 a month you really can't beat the price around here, unless you have problems with the year contract. Overall, I definitely recommend it if you are looking for very cheap and reliable service without any hassles. member for 12.1 years, 841 visits, last login: 5.8 years ago lodged 11.9 years ago
Ordered PacBell's residential DSL service about a month ago via their web page. Went with them because of the free install and equipment. 12 month contract didn't seem to be a problem until last week when I made a bid on another house and it was accepted. I am now about 7,000' from CO. Where I will be moving to in 2 months is about 13,000' from CO and now I'm worrying about my speed there. Install went pretty smoothly, tech came to the house on the assigned day, spent a few minutes outside confirming that another tech had been here before to check the line. Installed the NIC and Westell modem, re-did the phone jack wiring in my computer room in order to separate my two lines (I've got the DSL assigned to my 'second' line). Installed the EnterNet software and then ran into a slight problem. It seemed like he couldn't get to the registration site and he had to call the office to see what the problem was. After about 15 minutes he was finally able to register my account and all seemed fine. I ran line speed checks from both dslreports and 2wire. Both reported just slightly over 1Mb download speeds. I thanked him and he left. Total time for install was around 45 minutes. Service was fine for the first week but then I began to get intermittent problems with signing on and staying on. Problems were usually that I would get the dynamic IP address assigned but couldn't access anything. Other times I would get a timeout message from the EnterNet software. During this time I noticed that the 'ready' light on the Westell modem would flash for about 10 seconds, then go steady, then start flashing again after exactly 60 seconds. I assumed that this meant that I was losing the sync signal with the CO. I changed the wire from the modem to the wall outlet since I normally run two splitters and duplexer off the DSL line to allow me to connect to two computers (with analog modems) and a 2-line phone all at the same time. I re-tightened the main phone line connections inside the network interface box outside the house. Both of these things did not help solve my connect problem so I decided to call customer service and report a problem. After spending several minutes in voicemail hell (and being told by an automatic recording to call back later) I figured I would go to the web site and report that way. I sent my e-mail and waited for a response. It came about three days later with a simple statment saying 'call this number for help'. I did and was finally connected to a rep (after two re-directs) who had me wait for a minute while she (apparently) read my e-mail. I repeated my description of my problem so there wouldn't be any mis-understanding. She said that someone was assigned to come out the next day (!!!) to troubleshoot the problem. Now, I have a feeling that if I didn't call in, I would have never known that a tech was coming out. Anyway, I was told that he would be out before 6pm (not around 6pm, or any certain block of time, just before 6pm). I told my boss that I might not be in that day, then I waited for him to show. He gets here a little after noon (with somebody he was training) and proceeded to hook up his analyzer. After looking at it he tells me that he might have to cap my speed at 768k, but that he would know more once he checked the signal outside the house. He spends a few minutes outside and then tells me that the problem is somewhere in the wiring under my house. After checking all of the wires connected to the DSL line he finds one that is dragging the signal down. He disconnected it and re-checked the signal inside the house. Full speed! I have no idea where that line runs since the only other place in my house where I use the second line is still working. Total time: about 30 minutes. Service has been excellent since then. Looking back, the install tech probably should have taken the time to hook up an analyzer. Maybe the word will get out since it looks like PB is taking steps to train more installers. Update: 7/2005 Well I've been in the new house for almost five years. The feared reduction in speed due to my increased distance from the CO was unfounded. I'm still getting slightly over 1Mb download speeds. During this time PacBell DSL changed to SBC/Yahoo DSL with no apparent difference in quality or service. Initially my upload speeds were around 110-120Kb but several months ago (December 2004) it was automatically upgraded to 384. I had noticed that my upload speed almost tripled but at first I didn't know why. Only when I finally read my SBC/Yahoo email account (which I hardly ever check) did I see a message from SBCIC saying that this is what they did. So far the only problem I have had was a flooded distribution box across the street causing an interruption in service (spotty sync, slow downloads, etc). A few weeks ago my daughter moved down to LA for college and she wanted broadband access. I called SBC and asked if her address was eligible for the $15/mo offer that is currently running. After talking to a couple of different CSRs (she didn't have a phone line yet so it took awhile to find someone who could work around that problem), the last question he asked was "is there anything else I can do for you?". I said something to the effect that "yeah, it would be nice if I could get the same price!" (I was currently paying $50/mo). He said that as long as I added two calling services to my phone line, then I could get the "new subscriber" rate. No transfer of my call to the "retention" department, no checking with a supervisor, just spend $8 or so for the new services and the DSL cost would drop $35. So now I'm saving about $27/mo for the next year. When the year is up, I will probably drop the caller ID services and hope that they have some other offer. A couple of days ago I was having a problem with accessing FreeWebs.com. DNS reported it wasn't there (!) yet if I used the IP address it was. Seems to have been corrected now. member for 17 years, 129 visits, last login: 2.3 years ago updated 11.9 years ago
6 Mbps is schweet! member for 15.2 years, 98 visits, last login: 2.4 years ago updated 11.9 years ago
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