Review by (hidden by request) Location: Aurora, Kane, IL, USA Cost: $145 per month (24 month contract) Great speed Growing pains in company Need to understand how to lower jitter on their VoIP on fixed wireless product

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After almost 13 months on Clear Business, the Internet if fine and burst are
up to 9MBs and great for raw data. However, since I bought the Business
VoIP package they use Ring Central as their VoIP Call Manager/host. When
problems with quality arise the only measure Clear can provide is the
connection to the tower and they CANNOT measure jitter. Ring Central claims
it's the network and CLEAR says network is good and they cannot measure
jitter.



Neither could answer how to tweak the QOS in the Motorola Modem so it's
anyone's guess if they'll ever figure this out and provide QOS that will
create sustainable VoIP services over the wireless Internet. It could just
be the tower near my office but they claim otherwise. Another 56 minutes
out of my life I'll never get back!

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Review by djhaloeight Location: Lansing, Cook, IL, USA Cost: $40 per month damn fast for wireless sometimes takes a while to authenticate/connect good value for the money, portability is excellent and convenient.

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A few months back I decided to try out Clear Wireless. I have AT&T DSL Elite at home but I wanted something faster than my tethered 3G iPhone 4 connection for my laptop when I wasn't home. I think their network here in Chicago is the largest and most rolled out one as of yet. I'm in the south suburbs, just before the Illinois/Indiana state line. The service so far has been great. I get excellent speeds, good coverage for the most part, and did I mention its FAST? Line tests on Speedtest.net and other sites consistently average in the 5 megabit download range, and up to 1 megabit for the upload speeds. Latency usually averages 50-60ms, which isn't bad for wireless. Of course, this is with the perfect signal I get at my home, due to the relatively close tower a few blocks away. I've seen speeds very low with weak signal strength. But on the whole, its a good value for the money. I love that I can take it pretty much anywhere in the area and have a fast broadband connection just like at home. The USB dock for the USB wireless adapter is a must have accessory in my opinion. It boosts reception quite noticeably. Without it, I would only get about 4-5 bars of signal in my home. With it, I get full bars, or 'perfect' signal according the connection manager app. Installing the drivers was quick and painless. They supply a USB flash drive that contains the installer application. Run it, and within minutes you are online. Worked perfectly on both my WIndows XP and Mac OS X machines. I would recommend Clear to anyone wanting a portable and quick broadband connection. I did have to pay for my 4G USB hardware, but that is a small price to pay for not having to be tied to a contract. If you choose a contract, you can lease the equipment for a small fee. No contract is the way to go in my opinion.

dilvish Roberto Premium Member join:2003-02-11 Angleton, TX 1 edit dilvish Premium Member 2010-Oct-10 3:39 am Clearly first impressions aren't all that count.. Good luck. I suggest you ride out the good speeds you're getting until you the network management software catches up with you and throttles you to .25 Mbps. You should get a few good months before your speeds go down the drain. One day you'll log on and wonder why your connection is so slow, you'll run the speedtests and see that you're getting between .25 Mbps and .5 Mbps. You can call tech support, they'll walk you through an hour's worth of clearing your cache, resetting the modem, etc., before telling you that they'll make a speed ticket for you and that they'll call you back... Well, that's what I expect will happen, I really do hope that Clear fixes their throttling addiction and starts giving their customers what they ordered. It appears to me that Clear is in a downward spiral at this point with investors and partners abandoning ship, though, so I only see it getting worse until they eventually have to fold and get out of the wireless broadband game. 2010-Oct-10 3:39 am: · hey mods ·
	djhaloeight join:2003-03-27 Lansing, IL djhaloeight Member 2010-Oct-15 8:23 pm Re: Clearly first impressions aren't all that count.. Interesting....thanks for the info. I haven't noticed any throttling as of yet. I should mention I don't use the connection all that often, only if I'm away from home and need the net. Perhaps my lack of bandwidth use prevents the throttling from occuring. I don't have a contract so if the service does go down the toilet, I can easily cancel. 2010-Oct-15 8:23 pm: · hey mods ·
ernliz join:2001-11-25 Albemarle, NC ernliz Member 2010-Oct-10 7:34 pm Huh? Yeah djh.... if you're on top of the tower you're going to get good speeds, at first. However, if you live in the real world, spend some time with it, you'd find that this (Clear) service has a long way to go to please its many dissatisfied customers. 2010-Oct-10 7:34 pm: · hey mods ·
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Review by jwilds Location: Alvin, Brazoria, TX, USA Cost: $55 per month (24 month contract) Install: about 1 days Mobile and Home unlimited download for 55 a month Need a little networking expertise for optimal performance Good product, but requires some patience to setup properly

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Overall has been a good product. I lived slightly outside the listed green area on their map, so locking in the signal was more difficult. Your house's structure severely diminishes the WiMax technology, so I found the best signal as close to the roof deck as possible. I mounted the modem to a rafter and adjusted for best signal. I put a fan up in the attic to help keep the modem cool. I have not had any overheating issues so far. I allready had an ethernet cable run from the attic to my router, so I was ready to go fairly quickly. I have 4 out of 5 bars and a signal of -78 db and a CINR of 18 to 23. I typically see 60-80 ms on the ping times, 8-12 MBits down, and 0.8-1 MBit up. This type of setup might be a little bit involved for the typical end user, but any tech savvy person should be able to get it up and running.

Update 9/21/10

This was all true for the first couple of months. Now they are throttling speed and are basically useless for home service. I switched back to Comcast for $29 a month and get 20MBit down and 3.5 MBit up on the new Docsis 3.0 technology. I did keep the clear spot for traveling.

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Review by rakweb Location: Bothell, Snohomish, WA, USA Cost: $55 per month (24 month contract) Tech team has ideas for solving simple problems In depth knowledge is lacking, CSRs need training to resolve more technical problems and resolution actions should be swift. Service is not up to par, half the speed advertised, 3Mbps not 6Mbps

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Due to the failure of Verizon to repair their faulty tower we started testing Clear. This company also advertises more than what they can deliver. Sales personnel sell more product than it is available and tech support lack the resolution knowledge. The software that came embedded on the modem has a defect that prevents installation on systems that have more than one HD, the alternative is to download the software from the website. Instructions attached in the modem package do not foresee any trouble with installation, that leaves users with a useless modem and only at the mercy of tech support.

ernliz join:2001-11-25 Albemarle, NC ernliz Member 2010-Sep-15 7:38 pm Uh, the rating? Your high rating of 3 doesn't match your comments. 2010-Sep-15 7:38 pm: · hey mods ·

cp Premium Member join:2004-05-14 Wheaton, IL cp Premium Member 2010-Sep-17 7:59 pm 3 to 6 Mbps Clear advertises speeds from 3 to 6 Mbps. If you're seeing 3 Mbps downloading, you're in their acceptable range for service. Found here: »www.clear.com/discover?i ··· mnav_dis 2010-Sep-17 7:59 pm: · hey mods ·

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Review by p110011 Location: Oregon City, Clackamas, OR, USA Cost: $45 per month (24 month contract) Install: about 1 days Good speeds and has been outage free for about 6 months now Had a few outages at the start. (Portland start-up) Good service for a good price, and I got Home & Mobile service for $45

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Not many people go on the forums to give good remarks. I feel bad for some that just can't get this service because "it just works" for me. I use my PC everyday with the home modem and my Linksys router, and at work I use my Clear USB modem plugged to a PHS300CW mobile router. I check mail and my netcam, so I know all is fine at home. I don't have a smart 3g phone, so this is great! I'm just waiting for a good Internet tablet that does it all, if that makes sense. A+ for Clear

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Review by black_adder Location: Waipahu, Honolulu, HI, USA Cost: $40 per month Install: about 2 days Its reliable, but not anywhere near 6mbps Signal Strength is really finicky Reliable connection, just be prepared for fluctuations.

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Purchased 6Mbps/1Mbps Hawaii Clear package on April 27th for $25 promo for the first two months, $40 afterward. Two CPE options-- purchase or monthly lease. I purchased the CPEi150 Motorola Modem for $69.99. Your purchase may be for a refurbished model NOT necessarily a brand new modem. Mine wasn't new and had scratches on it, but it was in good condition so I didn't bother to push it. Maybe you can specifically ask for a brand new one, but its working good so far.

Bottom line, make sure you have the patience to move the modem around, you may be able to get really crappy signal in one location, but if you move the modem around a few feet or even raise the modem in elevation by putting it on a shelf, you can sometimes get much better reception. I manged to double the signal strength from 2 of 5 LED power indicators to 4 of 5 just by moving the modem up two feet higher and putting it on top of a box I had in the corner of a bedroom. Two weeks on the service, getting about 80-150ms latency @ 5.5Mbps/700kbps. So far not the best, but pretty good over all.

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Review by easymoney862 Location: Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA Cost: $46 per month (24 month contract) Fast, stable connection, strong signal none so far Good alternative to DSL if you have a tower near you

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I have had the service for two weeks and so far so good. I have not had any problems at all. I am within a mile of the tower, so I get a good strong signal and is able to get 6-8mb downloads. I did nave DSL,but was only able to get 1.5 down. This is much faster and less money. And, I don't have to go through the phone company.

I have not needed to use the tech. support or cust. service, so cannot speak to that.

Sarusan join:2010-08-30 Seattle, WA Sarusan Member 2010-Sep-8 6:20 pm Just Wait ..... and you will see that Clear is not all that you are experiencing. Like so many other people I have encountered in different markets across the US, Clear's network and support systems are clearly not up to par. As many others have noted, service will typically begin to degrade within weeks of establishing service due to RF issues which will effect bandwidth and latency. Once this occurs, you will find that support will simply blame the problems on your CPE or computer when in fact it is due to network hardware issues on their end ... which will take them months to resolve once you figure it out. 2010-Sep-8 6:20 pm: · hey mods ·

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Review by resrevni Location: Chicago, Cook, IL, USA Cost: $70 per month (24 month contract) Install: about 3 days Competitive rates; Mobile; Easy to install and use Downtime; Limited coverage area; Incompetent tech support; Customer chat 4G+ or forget about it!

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I'm a mobile warrior. I travel extensively all over the US for work. Although it's gotten easier in recent years, finding WIFI hotspots can sometimes be difficult and sometimes even impossible.

So, when I learned of Clear and its 4G+ service, I was almost immediately sold. If you're unfamiliar with it, Clear's 4G+ service enables allows the modem to connect to Sprint's 3G network whenever and wherever Clear's 4G is unavailable, which - let's face it - is still most of the country. Sprint 3G is quite expansive so it serves well as a back up.

I really can't say that I've had any major problems. Early on, we had some serious problems in the Chicago area but that was resolved within a week. I transfer files via SFTP for work and during peak hours I definitely notice slower download/upload speeds. Understandable and even normal for most any network. Nevertheless, it's annoying. If 4G is the future, why can't it properly stream a YouTube video at peak hour time? Clear is clearly throttling. They even reserve the right in their TOS. :/

I chose to lease my USB modem for a very simple reason. I don't want to buy another one if the first dies. And I was chose correctly. I couple months ago, I noticed that the modem couldn't maintain a solid 4G connection but worked fine at 3G.

I called Clear and asked them to send me a replacement modem and they sent me one via UPS Next day air. I was never told this, but I noticed a $10.00 charge on my account after this exchange (I sent the defunct modem back to them per their request) and had to call Clear again to have it removed. The customer service rep happily removed the charge for me. I could definitely see myself getting really upset if he hadn't. It's a good thing he did.

So yeah, that pretty much sums up most of my experience with Clear. I've been with them for about fourteen months now, and if I had to do it all over again, I would.

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Review by photono Location: Vancouver, Clark, WA, USA Cost: $40 per month (12 month contract) Install: about 14 days Low cost broadband, no wired installation required. Frequent downtime, latency above 100ms yet still game friendly A good cost effective option beyond the typical DSL - CABLE option

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Service ordered in Jan 2009 as an early adopter in one of the first WIMAX markets available in the Portland, OR metro area. Of course this was new technology on the block since there were no wires coming in the house but instead a modem is mailed to you and after plugging that into the wall for power, the activation is completed via an easy web-based wizard. Essentially this is cellular technology which can be used for the entire house via a router or network hub. The modem we leased was branded Motorola although Intel appears to have some role in this service via the software development side. This was a 3G modem when ordered last year but was upgraded to 4G status without any intervention on my part or notification by the carrier to us for that matter. The original plan ordered was only $19.95 per month for 384Kbps down and 256Kbps or less upstream along with a taxable $5 per month modem lease. That was most definitely the most competitive non-dialup option available and ideal for a low cost and constant net connection. There is a downside of installing new technology; I have never seen so much "downtime" with any internet service provider over ten years as witnessed in the last 18 months. Out of a dozen or so of those service outage incidents in total; most occurred between midnight and 6 AM. Despite latency comparable to older satellite (also wireless) internet service gaming online was functional on a FPS server relatively close to me with a 120-145 ping upon entering the server. We just upgraded to the $40 per month plan for 6 MBps down and "up to" 1 MBps up so only time will tell if any real benefits are observed.

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Review by SysOp Location: Douglasville, Douglas, GA, USA Cost: $42 per month Install: about 4 days solid customer service, good tech support wimax signal dependant GREAT VALUE

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I recently dropped Comcast, and went with Clear simply because of value.

According to Clear, my home address did not qualify for service. However, I knew where the tower was, and wanted to try anyways since I have a 3 story house, it was a gamble that paid off.

Results look good despite the terrain, trees, and major power lines in between my house and the tower. I have the modem up stairs, and found that I get a better signal with the modem on it's side, flat, near the window facing the tower. Clear techs call it the umbrella effect coming from the tower.

My Magic Jack Voip, videos, movies, webpages, all work great. My overall needs and expectations have been met. I seem to get 4mbps all the time, and have seen up to 10mbps peak. Latency ranges from 55ms to 122ms.

During my Clear trial period, I got to deal with Clear tech support. They listened and tried to help, but my modem was bricked from an over the air update, so they swapped modems via overnight delivery for $10.

Also want to note moving the modem made a huge difference in uplink speed, and line quality. I also tried the tin foil trick and I went from 2-3 bars now to 4-5 bars! Solid 3 bars even in heavy rain. Remember, Clear offically said my address does not quailfiy for service so ha!

Activation was $35 with no contract. $40 monthly for the 6mbps plan. Add sales tax. No other fees.

»Clear test Douglasville, Ga 30135

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