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Review by spec2or See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost: $35 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
Reliable, Fast, Cost
no
Good Sevice
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CDE Lightband is a very good internet provider, it boost 10mb up, 10mb down which is fairly accurate. Very Reliable Connection, No Contract, Inexpensive Compared To All other providers.

member for 23.3 years, 2889 visits, last login: 11 years ago
lodged 11.2 years ago







Review by huckleberry30 See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost: $134 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
10+ mbps symmetrical fiber internet, free HD channels with DVR box, electric/cable/internet/phone on one bill
HD pixelation during high demand, no discount for muti premium channels (HBO,Stars,ect), DVR occasionally deletes all shows
10 mbps symmetrical internet only $35, free HD with DVR, no throttling during peak hours
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I have had service from CDE for over 3 years and am satisfied with service. I have 10 mbps symmetrical internet, 2 HD/DVR boxes, and HBO. Other providers advertise 10+ mbps download speeds but cant offer even close to the 10 mbps upload speeds. CDE still does not allow me to access HBOGO and unknown when service will become available b/c CDE isn't even listed as a provider on HBO site. HD channels occasionally pixelate when box is set to 1080i output. Reducing to 720 often solves the issue and rarely need to use 480; keep in mind this is 480 output on a HD channel as opposed to the standard def channel (ie no black bars on HD w/ 480 output). Unfortunately box usually remains on 1080i and have ended up with DVR recordings that are FUBAR/badly pixelated. Overall I am happy with the service and consider the cable service a steal b/c the offered internet service would still be worth getting at $70 (twice the current price). I often check my speeds and the worst I've seen is 10+ down and 9.5 up during peak hours , 11.3 symmetrical is the highest I've seen, and generally receive 10.3-10.5 mbps symmetrical.

member for 16.5 years, 67 visits, last login: 11 years ago
updated 11.8 years ago


Review by cyberwhiz See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost Contract price not specified.
Great download speeds so far.
Seems to be throttling upload speeds.
If you want this for its rare symmetrical 10Mbps, you might not get it.
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I used to swear by this service, but recently we lost the full 10Mbps (megabits per second) symmetrical that this company has advertised since the beginning. We still get 10Mbps download, but our upload speed has been throttled in some way to a sluggish 300Kbps (kilobits per second), 1/30th of the advertised upload speed. The problem is persistent and affects all computers in the household. The symmetrical 10Mbps connection would allow HD videoconferencing, etc. I'm not sure you could ever even get 10Mbps upload speeds from a larger, more established company like Comcast or Charter; they regularly limit upload speeds to a fraction of the download speeds. I'm just pointing out that the upload speed, which you may have never relied on anyway (unnecessary for iTunes, YouTube, etc.), has dropped with our service. Anyone else experiencing this? Get on the forums and let us know.

member for 12.3 years, driveby review (so far)
updated 12.3 years ago


Review by cline3621 See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost: $35 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
Fast symmetrical connection
Some outages due to some bandwidth constraints
Pretty good connection for the money
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I've had the CDE Lightband service for almost 2 years now. They have most of the bugs worked out. I can't speak for the phone or tv service, however the internet connection is second to none when its working well. I pay for a 10Mb/s symmetrical connection, however it seems as the bandwidth has to be higher to support the tv and the phone connections. Here is a link to a current speed.

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 4609.png

member for 17.8 years, 701 visits, last login: 129 days ago
updated 13.1 years ago


Review by Platinum0 See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost: $35 per month
  • Install: about 20 days
Fast!!! No Contract!!! No crap bundled!!!
None
fastest technology and no contracts no fees!!!!
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Let’s face it, VOIP is hot!!! I was switching to Ooma so I needed a dry loop dsl, cable, or fiber optics. CDE offered the best deal for plain jane internet. $35. SO for me it was a done deal.

When I initially called in November, the customer service specialist informed me I would be waiting for about a month. I told her that was too long so she then schedule me for 20 days from the date December 1st! About 10 days after calling they upgraded me to a digital meter, then 15 days later they ran the line and installed a digital box by the meter. I was stoked!

So, the day of the install came. The man installing it asked me where I wanted the outlet and informed me he would put it exactly where I wanted it!!! He charged me $34.95 for the install and left. I then setup my router (DGL-4500). I set it to dynamic and I configured my opendns and gamefuel (QoS). Most of the tests here will give me inaccurate results due to the compression used, but through speakeasy.net (Atlanta server) I am getting 37Mb down and 10Mb up!!! That is incredible.

I haven’t had the service that long, but seeing those speed tests are incredible. Everything seems stable. Now I have to get back to Modern Warfare 2, but if you’re thinking about CDE Lightband, get it!!! At least the internet. That’s all I can vouch for!

Update: I connect to my web server at 1.24MB/s when uploading which is great! However i noticed that for some reason i get disconnected after uploading 500MB at a time. Luckily i can just resume the transfer. IT may be a problem with the program i am using (FlashFXP) or my host (1and1) so i can't blame CDE. Also my transfers now take 1 hour instead of 1 day comparing to DSL's best package.

I just received my last bill from AT&T! SO from $115 every month, it will be around $35 since OOMA VOIP is free! Also, the service has been rock hard reliable and my gaming kill/streak ratio went up thanks to reduced lag. Now i can actually be a host on live since my connection has full bars and not to mention 10Megs up. When i download from my website instead of seeing 650KB/s i now see 1.24MB/s!!! This is incredible!

member for 20.8 years, 600 visits, last login: 6.6 years ago
updated 14.3 years ago


Review by Hydrophoid See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost: $99 per month
  • Install: about 35 days
Price, TV Lineup seems good
PVR not fully functional yet (waiting on service upgrades)
service is good to anyone who is not a video geek
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Here is a list of my first impressions for CDE Lightband TV service:

I have not used the service enough to comment on the speed of the internet service or the stability of the connection. I have already used the TV enough to point out some things to anyone considering this service as an alternative to charter or a SAT dish.

I added explanations for my rating for each question in the survey after I wrote the review, I didn't see them till now and I do think they need explanation although some of the information is repeated.

Pre Sales information was only ok, the website doesn't answer many questions. The sales rep on the phone did answer all questions but failed to inform me that their PVR was from back in the 90s. (UPDATE: PVR IS ABLE TO RECORD 2 SHOWS AT ONCE NOW, NOT SURE IF IT WAS USER ERROR OR IF THE STB WAS UPDATED)

The install team came at 0800; I choose an 0800 to 1100 install. They called before they came and made sure I was ready. They were fast, efficient, and the install was very clean with awesome cat 5 plates in the wall. My CATV and SAT lines come through a hole in the floor with no attempt to look clean or professional.

I have not had the service long enough to judge connection reliability.

I have only spoken with tech support when I was asking about some of the grittier details of the installation that the customer service agent was unable to answer on the day I ordered my service. Tech support answered all my questions but I do not know how good they are past this experience.

My service is 99.86 a month. I get the lightband extra tv line up with all the current HD channels except for the premiums. I also have a 10 meg up and down connection. This price includes a non HD converter for one tv, an HD PVR single tuner converter for a second tv, and all taxes and fees. This price is out the door, so to speak. (UPDATE: AGAIN 2 SHOW RECORDING IS ENABLED CURRENTLY.)

1. I AM LEAVING IN MY INITIAL STATEMENT BUT AGAIN CURRENTLY THE 2 SHOW RECORD IS WORKING! I AM NOT SURE IF THIS WAS A FIRMWARE UPDATE OR IF IT WAS USER ERROR. EITHER WAY I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY SERVICE.

I am completely destroyed by the fact that I have lost the all coveted second TV tuner on my PVR. Didn't this become the standard like five years ago? I have NEVER had a PVR with only one tuner on it, and I have never had to ask for the upgrade to a 2 tuner system. On a very tiny side note I did read in a forum someone complaining about the fact that this system is designed to be a streaming entertainment system but that CDE is not using this feature. Maybe some day in the future they plan on unlocking this feature and then I can upgrade my second converter box into a PVR to record and stream to the first. As it stands now; if I wanted to get the ability to watch live TV and record a show that I am not watching (one of the best points about a PVR, the ability to watch your first favorite show and record your second favorite show at the same time,) I will have to get a second line installed to my living room tv (that's a $25 return trip install fee), and pay for a PVR (that's a $13 a month charge). On the plus side the PVR is about half the size of my SAT converter box so 2 will fix in the TV stand. Of course if I am going to pay for 2 HD PVRs it would make way more sense to put it in my bedroom. I hope this is fixed soon.

2. There seems to be a digital explosion when I push the 30 second skip button. This action takes up a couple of seconds and then I am presented with the same commercial I was trying to skip in the first place. To remedy this problem I use the plan ole fast froward (*sniff I miss you 30 second fast foward:( Again this feature has been standard on every PVR except the Charter boxes I had. UPDATE: THE SKIP BUTTONS HAVE BEEN DISABLED COMPLETELY FOR NOW. I HOPE THIS IS FIXED WITH AN UPDATE SOON.

3. The guide looks awesome and I like the subscribed/HD channel filters they apply, I am sure they are working daily to update the list of HD channels, but so far I will not throw out my channel line up card because out of 18 HD channels I get, they only have 6 listed. UPDATE: AFTER READING THEIR PDF ONLINE I HAVE LEARNED THAT YOU CAN PROGRAM YOUR OWN TABS (FAVORITES) NAME THE TAB AND SWITCH THROUGH THEM BY CLICKING THE GUIDE BUTTON. TO REMEDY THE HD PROBLEM I JUST MADE MY OWN CHANNEL LIST.

4. Someone on a different forum said the PVR function was less intuitive than their previous SAT provider, I used the same SAT provider and hated the hoops I had to jump through to get a series to record. In my opinion this system is so much easier, you find a show you like, click the button (as long as the show occurs in the future) and it asks you if you want to record the series or the show only or set a reminder. This doesn't get any easier people. The best part is the guide seems to be up to date (unlike the SAT provider) due to the fact that it is always connected, and it does not have to be shut down in the wee hours of the morning to update the program guide. (UPDATE: LAST NIGHT THE GUIDE FOR THE CHANNEL ION WAS ONE HOUR BEHIND. I AM NOT SURE IF IT IS NOT PULLING BACK FOR THE TIME DIFFERENCE OR IF THERE IS SOME OTHER PROBLEM. BUT SCHEDULING A RECORDING ON ION LAST NIGHT WOULD HAVE RECORDED THE PROGRAM THAT WAS ONE HOUR AHEAD. I WAS WATCHING THE 9:00 PROGRAM AT 8:00.)

5. Picture quality is very good, I have a 720p TV running in 720p, and it is a beautiful picture. There is sometimes a digital explosion onscreen followed by a small lag when tuning in channels but nothing to serious, and I was told this would go away after the system has been running for a while. (UPDATE: THE DIGITAL EXPLOSION HAS GONE AWAY WHEN CHANGING CHANNELS, BUT THERE ARE HICCUPS IN THE PICTURE OR AUDIO EVERY SO OFTEN. IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL FOR ME, I AM NOT A VIDEO GEEK, AND I WOULD RATHER HAD ALL THE EXTRA CHANNELS THAN GO BACK TO SAT, BUT IT MAY BE ENOUGH TO DRIVE SOME PICKY CUSTOMERS BACK TO THEIR PREVIOUS PROVIDER.)

6. Just to comment, I was told that there are currently only PPV on demand, no free programming. I just switched from a SAT provider, and I have netflix streaming, so I do not care about this. You may care enough for this to be a deal breaker. When I went from cable to SAT I was very disappointed by this fact (the phone rep said they had it, but the box they gave me did not have it) but I learned to live without it, thanks to netflix and hulu.

7. The channel lineup is very good. I will take G4, toon disney, and FX over a second nick and MTV channels any day. The full lineup can be found in their website, just click on the lightband icon in the upper right hand corner. Then look in the left margin for the price and lineup.

8. This is just a cool function of the service and it is displayed on the tv so I though I would comment on it even though I have not gotten to use it yet: I was told by the installers that within the next couple weeks I will be able to check all my charges from CDE on the my bill page. They said this is going to be in all real time, so I can see how much electricity I am using and see the difference when I try to make changes to save money. Not really necessary but worth a mention. (UPDATE: I HAVE NOTICED THEY HAVE MADE ONE HUGE MISTAKE FOR THEIR HD CUSTOMERS, THERE IS A VERY BRIGHT WHITE CDE LIGHTBAND LOGO RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE GUIDE, WHICH IS VERY PRESENT ONCE THE GUIDE GOES AWAY. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT THEIR LCD TV CUSTOMERS BUT THOSE OF US WHO USE PLASMA SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO TURN IT OFF.)

So, overall this is a great and low priced alternative to the overpriced cable provider in our area or the contract laden land of SAT providers. The package deal with internet is good but you may be concerned about the reliability of the net. I will try and post a review on the ISP part of the service once I have had a chance to really give it a good run though. I will say that my connection is used heavily on a daily basis and so far so good. I am content with my current service to price ratio but this may change to what I was paying before I switched if I do decide to get a second PVR for my living room. (UPDATE: THERE IS NOW NO NEED TO ADD A SECOND PVR. FOR THE PRICE I CAN DEAL WITH THE HICCUPS OF THE VIDEO/AUDIO, NOT TO MENTION ALL THE GREAT CHANNELS I DID NOT GET WITH MY LAST PROVIDER. THEY TRULY OFFER THE BEST VARIETY FOR THE PRICE. I DO WISH THEY WOULD UPDATE THE STP SO ALL THE PVR BUTTONS WORK BUT THIS SHOULD COME IN TIME. AS OF NOW I CAN BE PATIENT AND ENJOY WHAT I HAVE RECORDED IN HD.)



member for 16.1 years, 8 visits, last login: 14.2 years ago
updated 14.6 years ago


Review by cline3621 See Profile

  • Location: Clarksville, Montgomery, TN, USA
  • Cost: $35 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
Fast!
Haven't found any yet
If active in your area of the city, get it
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I ordered the 10Mbp/s symmetrical connection from CDE on Friday, May 30, 2008. My install appointment was from 6-8pm on the following Saturday. The company that is installing the services from the portal to your dwelling is Beck's Communications I believe. The called me early Saturday morning to see if they could install system early. It took them roughly 2 hours for 3 wall fishes, 3 lines out to the portal outside, and I built the cat-5 from the wall plate to the router. System was up and running after a slight glitch. The didn't enter the right mac address for there portal. I was the first apartment to have services turned on. Since the install I have had few problems, and faster than advertised speeds.

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 3271.png

member for 17.8 years, 701 visits, last login: 129 days ago
updated 14.8 years ago


viofam
Premium Member
join:2001-07-17
Clarksville, TN

viofam

Premium Member

cde connection question

I've been told it will get here this month....

What kind of line actually comes in and how does it connect to a router?