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Six Month Rating
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920 good · 308 bad

Review by KAIFS See Profile

  • Location: Neenah, Winnebago, WI, USA
  • Cost: $29 per month
  • Install: about 12 days
  • Telco party AT&T
VERY FAST SETUP, NO INSTALLATION FEES, FREE MODEM AND NIC VIA REBATE
NONE SO FAR
MUCH BETTER!!! THEN DIAL UP(AT&T, CS, AOL AND MANY OTHERS), CABLE(ROADRUNNER) OR ISDN(AMERITECH)
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

PLACED OREDER; BY CALLING 1 800 924-1000(FRIEND WORKS FOR AMERITECH, TOLD ME IT WAS AVAILABLE), QUALIFICATION AND EQUIPMENT(PC) DETAILES TOOK ABOUT 30 MIN (BASED ON REPORTS HERE, I DID INDICATE THAT I DID NOT HAVE ANY USB PORTS AVAILABLE, IN ORDER TO AVOID PROBLEMS WITH A USB MODEM), WAS PROMISED 20 DAYS DUE DATE. MODEM(WESTELL), 6 FILTERS AND KINGSTON NIC CARD ARRIVED VIA UPS 4 DAYS AFTER ORDER WAS PLACED, ADSL LINE WAS HOOKED UP 8 DAYS LATER (12 DAYS FROM START TO FINISH). CAN TELL THAT SOMEONE WAS AT MY NETWORK BOX ON THE BACK YARD(FOOTPRINTS ON THE SNOW) ALTHOUGH NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN ANYBODY. SPEEDTEST SHOWED 850KBPS DOWN AND 130KBPS DOWN, TO MY SURPRISE, SINCE IT WAS ADVERTISED FOR 768/128. GOT DYNAMIC IP ADDRESS (THE ONLY DOWNFALL, SINCE WAS PLANNING TO HOST WEB SITE FROM HOME). DID NOT HAVE TO DEAL, AS OF YET, WITH TECH SUPPORT OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER, SINCE CHOSEN SELF-INSTALL OPTION. GOT BILLED $99 ON MY PHONE BILL, ALTHOUGH REBATE CHECK ARRIVED 1 WEEK LATER (3 WEEKS FROM THE DATE RECEIVING LETTER WITH WEBSITE LINK AND COUPON CODE). CAN'T COMPLAIN SO FAR, DESPITE THE FACT THAT WAS A BIT HESITANT TO GET ADSL SERVICE FROM AMERITECH BASED ON REVIEWS HERE (DSL REPORTS). KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED. WISH FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE SAME LUCK!

OCTOBER 2002: Still going strong and no complaints. Expended my network and uses and can't even imagine being without some form of a broadband at this point.

Almost into a new year and still no problems. Ameritech forum is the quickest way to get answers and support if ever needed. Considering 2nd DSL to the house with 5statics and Nexland PRO 800 Turbo router. We'll see what Santa might bring.

APRIL 2003: Got my Nexland toy , waiting for my server to complete to place an order for a 2nd static DSL though SBC. I will be on RT, which is about 300ft from my house for that second connection. No service issues and there is an official tech support right on Ameritech Forum, so I guess I will not need my 800 number filed anymore. As far as service goes, I did migrate to yahoo, without installing anything, and the only reason I have done it is to get that free Britannica for my kids, it is just as good and because I did not install anything, there is no banners or any other crap.

almost JUNE 2003: It is amazing how stable I have been running so far, first on on the DSLAM in my CO and now about month away from second connection. Server project got a bit of delay due to $3000 upgrade that I wanted meaning mobo and 2 P4 Xeons are now going to be in $1K range, add memory and 8 250GB HDDs and we are looking at a hefty bill. One way or another it will happen and my contacts are on stand-by for the 5-Static DSL order through SBC (2nd connection still). That is it for now

DECEMBER 2003: got my second ADSL connection - 5 Static package. Load balancing via Nexland router - LOVE IT! Very stable, but then again, even if one connection hicks up - 100% of traffic goes via active connection. If both broadband conections die - Nexland automatically dials in one of 3 dial up numbers for me for complete redundancy.

JANUARY 2009: Since last review, I had DSL service transfered with me 5X. This is hopefully a place I will stay a while (seeing how this house I purchased withOUT a woman in my life). No problems, seemless transfers, still running on @ameritech.net username . Running a single line vs two DSLs for now, however anticipating VRAD to be turned up very soon and speed going up beyond 3/512...

_____________ June 1st, 2009 ________________
Netopia Model 3347-02 AnnexA High-Power Wireless DSL Ethernet Managed Switch
Running Netopia SOC OS version 7.8.1 (build r2)
Multimode ADSL Capable

Downstream Upstream
---------- ----------
SNR Margin: 12.30 11.00 dB
Line Attenuation: 46.00 27.00 dB
Output Power: 0.00 12.23 dBm
Errored Seconds: 0 0
Loss of Signal: 0 0
Loss of Frame: 0 0
CRC Errors: 650 7
Data Rate: 6016 768
INP 0.000 0.000

atucRevisionNum 1 ATU-C Vendor ID TSTC
TrainedPath Fast TrainedMode G.DMT
Downstream Upstream
----------------------------------------
Interlv delay 1 1
LowestTone 33 6
HighestTone 253 29
TonesExcited 205 24

NetRate 6016 768
AggrRate 6048 800
TotalRate 6048 800
LineRate 6476 864
ATTNDR 8064 896

ACTATP -1 -1
ACTPSD -364 -345
HLINSC 0
Estimated loop length: 9600 feet (bridge tap)
Framing Mode: 3 - (REDUCED OVERHEAD WITH MERGED SYNC)
TPS-TC Encoding ATM

ATM port status : Up
Rx data rate (bps) : 6016
Tx data rate (bps) : 768

ATM Virtual Circuits:

VCC # Type VPI VCI Encapsulation
----- ---- --- ----- --------------------------
1 PVC 0 35 PPP over Ethernet (LLC/SNAP encapsulation)

member for 23.2 years, 4194 visits, last login: 6.8 years ago
updated 14.8 years ago

blomgren
join:2000-07-06
Erie, MI

blomgren

Member

You the prez there?

That is the first time I have heard of an installation going that smoothly. I am still waiting after 8 weeks past my install date.
61999674 (banned)
Gotta Do What Ya Gotta Do
join:2000-09-02
Here

61999674 (banned)

Member

Re: You the prez there?

Well the Line install aside>> shared was not available then >> My install went pretty smooth too.
--
Ockham's Razor at work again

KAIFS
V I P
Premium Member
join:2001-01-11
CHEEEESE WI

KAIFS to blomgren

Premium Member

to blomgren
HI BLOMGREN,

I wish you could get self installation. Other than initial contact I did not have to talk to anyone. The hardest part was to get filters installed in certain areas of my home, other than that - Peachy. I can't imagine why any company would want to send someone with appointment - must cost them (Ameritech) a load of cash just in operation and provisioning, not to mention work force. I hope it will work out for you. Nothing, in my opinion, tops a RoadRunner in UNreliability and INcompetence (I had to reinstall software every 2-3 days, not to mention security issues). Good luck, KAIFS

SPSRacing
join:2001-01-19
Palos Hills, IL

SPSRacing to blomgren

Member

to blomgren
Same Here. I ordered mine at the end of September and I just got it up and running a couple days ago Jan 19. I also told them that I didnt have any USB ports but I got the 4060 USB modem anyway. After not having the DSLM at the the CO and then having two load coils on my line and months of waiting, everything seems to be working A.O.K

DSL Techie
@167.1.x.x

DSL Techie

Anon

5360 Modems now shipping

As far as we are aware of (here in tech support) sales should only be shipping out the 5360 (Ethernet DSL Modem). It's only if the customers REQUEST USB that sales should send them either the Alcaltel "Stingray" DSL Modem or the Speedstream 4060 USB Modem. My guess is that if your tell sales that you DO NOT have any USB ports on your PC they may not understand that correctly and may end up sending you a USB modem.

Review by g4brokemke See Profile

  • Location: Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
  • Cost: $23 per month (12 month contract)
  • Install: about 4 days
  • Telco party AT&T
Good price
AT&T jacking up their prices--again..
Just enough speed for what i need personally.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

After having sub par to bad service with AOL Broadband (folks, $54.95/mo is WAAY to much for their so-called content), I took the chance on SBC Yahoo for the price and service. Placed my order on the internet, which a day later found out the order was cancelled (thats what i get for doing stuff on the 'Net...hehe).....well called SBC back and placed the order again. ASI was very helpful in establishing my service, told me it would take at least 7-10 days to receive my equipment. That was on April 15th, with a migration date of the 22nd. Got the equipment on Monday the 21st and sat on doing the install until the next day. Have enough microfilters for a small house, the NIC card, a Speedstream 5100, and various cables. The install was easy, and was synched up and ready to go within 30 minutes. Now i signed up for the 384-758/128 package, $34.95/month for a year service for (384-768/128) (10 email addys, and the other bells and whistles that go along with it..and of course, I have a dynamic DNS...but hey, right now not very picky about it...) but decided to "what the heck, try a speed test...". 633/128 fon the first try. Has not changed much since.

This morning though, the connection manager software decided to puke out and not work. Called tech support and got great help from John at the ASI center --told me i didnt need the connection manager software, just Enternet PPPoE. Ok....bye bye connection manager!! (Uninstalled that puppy...)

So heres the smackdown. Mail and Newsgroups. Had it running this morning--even though I have authentication through the servers....its not working now. Newsgroups arent working either. But otherwise great service and tech support from every one I have talked to. So hats off to SBC and their techs!

Update

Still not able to get mail/news through their servers. Guess it will be hit or miss until I can get ahold of tech support in the AM.

Update 04/25/03

It was a problem on my end that was causing the mail/news server problem. One word--firewall. (Explains a lot, eh?) So its not my fault and SBC gets an extra star.

Update 11/25/2003

When I saw that SBC was offering a lower price for the same service, I asked to be grandfathered over to it, why should i have to pay more when everyone else is paying $26.95/month for the Standard Plus package.
It was not a problem, it was changed right away with out a hassle.

I have ditched the connection manager software, and running PPPoE through my Linksys gateway. Speeds have been consistant --my last speed test on BBR was 768/220 so im pretty happy with what I have.
Have not done any other tests lately, but very satisfied with the service.

Update 7/28/2004

Moved from Win98 to XP and ditched the connection manager software. Running through a Linksys four port DSL/Cable router with PPPoE enabled instead --checked the speed this morning and found it at 1205/205...pretty good, since i just use the connection for basic stuff, and some gaming.

Update 03/05/2008

Moved to a different house last year and since I was not the primary provider anymore for my DSL, my sister is and I was able to migrate my old SBC account to the new DSL line. AT&T sent out a tech also to combat a problem she had on her line, apparently the previous owners put a split on the line and it was causing a lot of line noise. Once that was corrected, hooked up the old equipment and my new Netgear wireless router and we were up and running that evening. So far no real issues, except when i am working on my laptop (a ThinkPad T41) and shes on the desktop fighting for bandwith. But all in all we're happy with the service.

Update 4/7/2009

I moved...again! This time the equipment is no longer with me, its at my sister's place, router and Speedstream DSL modem...shes running it just fine on her spanking new HP computer running Windows Vista Home. And she thinks its pretty cool. Unfortunately I can't do speed tests to see how the service is doing. But if she is happy with it, thats a good thing.

member for 20.9 years, 335 visits, last login: 12.5 years ago
updated 14.9 years ago


W8ASA
Biet Noi Tieng Viet Khong?
join:2000-07-31
Dayton, OH
·Time Warner Cable

W8ASA

Member

Newsgroup server issues?

FWIW, I think that the SBC/Ameritech newsgroup servers are the worst around. I have given SBC very high marks in my reviews, but their newsgroup servers are the pits. I use Agent (paid - not free), and cannot EVER post to at least half the newsgroups I want to. If I use the dialup connection, I can post 100% of the time. The SBC techs tell me that they do NOT support newsgroups, so if I can't post, well, that's too bad. Otherwise, their ADSL (1500/256) service has been excellent.
g4brokemke
join:2003-04-20
Milwaukee, WI

g4brokemke

Member

news servers

i agree. still have not been able to access my mail or news for the last few hours. I am going to look tomorrow morning and maybe, just maybe ASI can shed some light on the issue. Or maybe the techs can solve the problem...

Beach Boy and gang, the ball is in your court....

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David

Premium Member

We are here.....

If you need assistance please drop a line..

Thanks ahead of time

David
g4brokemke
join:2003-04-20
Milwaukee, WI

g4brokemke

Member

Re: We are here.....

Thanks Beach Boy and the gang from SBC for being the patient gents you are.

Review by swilliams See Profile

  • Location: Mount Prospect, Cook, IL, USA
  • Cost: $37 per month
  • Install: about 90 days
  • Telco party AT&T
Was turned on 10 days early, Worked right out of the box
Website never showed order status; install CD puts extra stuff on your PC (but it's bypassable from the FAQ from the forum).
Once past the CD setup process and it's running, it's very, very nice
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

05/02/09 EDIT:

Worked great when I had it but I needed more upload and ATT couldn't offer more than the 768. And I have no u-Verse access. So, reluctantly, I've switched to Comcast. [sigh]....

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

11/15/08 EDIT:

Wow, it's been a year already? Other than the Motorola modem dying and not connecting (and replacing it with my old Speedstream), the service has been flawless.

Last Result:
Download Speed: 5171 kbps (646.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 654 kbps (81.8 KB/sec transfer rate)

Now that said, Comcast's freakishly fast upcoming DOCSIS 3.0 speeds here in Chicago is very very tempting. C'mon AT&T! You could do faster than 6 megs for those of us on an RT and who can't get U-Verse.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

11/22/07 EDIT:

ATT Direct ROCKS! No DSL here in my specific building as the POTS were still connected as pair gained CO lines. However, full Elite speed was across the street. Several orders, LOTS of posts, two trucks rolls, and IT'S DONE. Full Elite rock solid speed. This NEVER could have gotten done without ATT Direct because I'd never be able to call the correct people (or even know where they were) if I had to do this alone.

Your Throughput

Download = 5.061 Mbps
Upload = 654.77 kbps

THANK YOU ATT, ASI and ATT Direct DSLR people. You guys are awesome.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

06/30/07 EDIT:

Well, it's been fun SBC/AT&T. But I'm moving and my new town does not have any AT&T DSL availability (confirmed by AT&T Direct here on DSLR). So, while the relationship was fun, it's time to break up and move on to that new hot little number, Comcast. (sigh...........)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

05/11/06 EDIT:

All's well still. Upgraded to the 'Elite' package and even though they botched the Redback setting, a quick post to AT&T Direct here got it fixed in a day. Speeds are solid and consistent.

Interesting note... My very first speed test when I first signed up in Nov. 2002:

2002-11-20 19:15:14 EST: 630 / 133
Your download speed : 630934 bps, or 630 kbps.
A 77 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 133578 bps, or 133 kbps.

My current speed test on 05/11/2006:

Your Throughput

Download = 5.097 Mbps
Upload = 660.17 kbps

A little different. And half the original $49.95 price I was THRILLED to pay back in 2002.

No problems at all. Highly recommended.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

07/11/05 EDIT:

All's well. Nothing goes wrong. It just flat out works. All the time. In fact, my dyndns.org entry keeps timing out on me (and threatening cancellation) because my IP address doesn't change often enough (30 days) to keep the service up to date. I have to powercycle my router just to keep the service. How strange is THAT? Who would have thought a TELCO would ever be that reliable with DSL service. I remain incredibly impressed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

09/23/04 EDIT:

Things were fine. Contract was up in early December so I decided to renew early on 09/17/04 so the billing would be caught up by the time the existing contract ended. (Didn't want to jump from $26.95 to $49.95 for the same service). Upgraded via the SBC website to the 3.0/512 package for $36.95 from the current 1.5/128 one for $26.95. Site said 10 business days as a due date. Posted in the SBC Direct to ensure the upgrade was received as I never received an email confirming the order. Toaster responded and said the actual due date was 09/23. On the 21st, the sync (per the Efficient 5100b modem) showed a new sync rate of 3008/512. Speeds tests showed the upload had been changed but not the download. No problem... it's a two step process. Came home from work on 09/22 and the line was synced as before but I could not login to the SBC network (said "server not found.") using the DSL line. Dial up back up using the same user name/password worked perfectly, so it was most likely my line. Posted the problem in the SBC Direct forum again. Beach Boy responded almost immediately and said the line looked good from their end. Tried a few things here (changed modem to an old 5360 and changed the filter) and still had no luck. Decided to call it a night and then plug into the NID the next evening. However, I came home from work on 09/23 and it everything worked perfectly again. After a little RWIN/MTU tweaking, speeds are:

Download = 2.491 Mbps
Upload = 438.35 kbps

Outstanding. Just the way it's supposed to work. I NEVER thought I'd renew a 2nd time. I've now had SBC DSL for over just about two years now. I've never had an ISP for more than six months prior to this. For an ILEC, and for me, they are doing a terrific job.

THANKS TOASTER AND BEACH BOY.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

05/02/04 EDIT:

Things are still fine. Billing has been $26.95, speeds have been right where they should be morning, noon and night. There was some goofy stuff with DNS servers this last week or so but statically setting them in the router to Genuity's servers have fixed that. Even with some unfortunate SBC cutbacks on the official people in the forums, things still are getting done, if perhaps a bit longer then before. NOTE TO SBC MANAGEMENT: GET MORE PEOPLE IN THE FORUMS! It works really well here and is a great way for customers who know what they're doing to get to the people they need inside SBC and ASI to get things done.

Still glad I've got the service. Even though Comcast keeps sending me flyers, I'm sticking with SBC.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

12/02/03 EDIT:

One year contract was up. Contacted Annonamoose (out of the Emerging Products Center) and also helping out here in the Ameritech forum. Asked to have the 1.5/256 profile dropped to 1.5/128 as I don't need the upload speed and down the road, the /128 will be changed to 256, so in the end, I will lose nothing. Oh, and my monthly rate drops from $49.95 to $26.95. Service is rock solid. Never in a million years did I think I'd renew a contract with an ILEC. But they're *that* good, at least in my experience. If you can, get them, if for no other reason than the support in the SBC-Ameritech forum here on BBR.

Thanks, Annonamoose!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

09/04/03 EDIT:

Speeds are still fine. Service is reliable. I can think of maybe two very minor outages I've experienced since my last update in February. Very good service. I've recommended it to many people who were considering SBC versus Comcast.

Just ran the SBC Speed Test out of Elmhurst IL:

Your Throughput

Download = 1.296 Mbps
Upload = 245.70 kbps

Also ran the Chicago Speakeasy.net Speed Test:

2003-09-04 14:29:10 EST: 1294 / 242
Your download speed : 1294727 bps, or 1294 kbps.
A 158 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 242424 bps, or 242 kbps.
Seems like broadband .. above the 1mbit barrier!

Works for me!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
02/07/03 EDIT:

Speeds are still holding perfectly. Speeds at 8:00pm are the same as 8:00am. I've tested it every night for the past week and it's always right where it should be, both on the SBC Speed Test and on »chi.speakeasy.net. Sync has never been lost either since the speed upgrade in December. Nice job SBC and Beach Boy and the others involved!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

01/30/03 EDIT:

My download speeds were dropping in the evening to about half or less of what they should have been. Felt *exactly* like an oversold network. Would have perfect speeds at 8:00am but lousy ones at 8:00pm. I (and several others who were experiencing the same problems) politely complained in the Ameritech forum. And you know what? Beach Boy, an internal SBC employee who is in the forum as part of his position, listened and got the PROBLEM FIXED!!! No "it's your fault, stupid customer, not ours." No "your speeds aren't guaranteed - they're good enough." He and his coworkers found the problem and fixed it. Speeds are now:

Your Throughput

Download = 1.289 Mbps
Upload = 245.94 kbps

And that was run at 7:30pm on a Thursday night. Perfect with the PPPoE overhead. Thanks so much to SBC for caring about this and doing something about it. I'm impressed.

Also, connection reliability has been stellar since my upgrade request was completed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

12/10/02 EDIT:

I decided to upgrade my speed and called Team Data. They said no problem and it would be turned up in a week or so. Sure enough, on that day, I lost sync for a few minutes and when it came up, I was getting 648/235. Which said to me they goofed on the profile setting and set the upload correctly but not the download. Called tech support. Was transfered amongst several people since they either didn't know what I was talking about or didn't wish to dig into it. One person even said "648/225? That's pretty good speed. You're not happy?" [SIGH]. Finally got a guy who said I should wait til the end of the day as he showed the speed order upgrade still open. OK. Got a trouble ticket number and hung up. Waited a few hours and nothing changed so I called back to check on the repair status.. A few transfers later I was told the order's still going - wait was the suggestion again.

OK. Around the same time as the upload/no download occured, I posted in the Ameritech forum about it. Got a few replies. Then the line went totally dead. Waited a few hours and still had no sync at all. IM'd ADSL Guy from backup dial up around the end of the day. Was told the RT I was connected to was messed up. I know that ADSL Guy is daytime and Toaster2K is evenings so I waited a little more time til after business hours then I IM'd Toaster. A few rounds back and forth confirming the RT was messed and my profile was screwed. A few more IM rounds and about 11:00PM, it all came back up. Speed: 1265/245. Outstanding. THANKS SO MUCH TO ADSL GUY AND TOASTER2K!!!!

Moral of the story - if you have a due date for anything, wait until the day after that date before calling in if things aren't correct. With my impatience, I most likely forced something that should have been left alone and in the process, I broke it.....

Since that day, I've never lost sync or had any speeds less than about 1250/225ish. Very nice.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

11/24/02: EDIT:

I complained about having to use the CD to register a user name. I missed the link (»SBC DSL FAQ »How do I register a newly activated DSL line with SBC Yahoo?) in one of the FAQ's in the Ameritech forum that shows how to register a new SBC/Yahoo! DSL account without using the CD.

After tweaking, speed is solid 648/136 kbps. I'm very happy so far.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Been trying to get ANY DSL other than IDSL for 3+ years. When I bought a new house 3 years ago, I thought for sure the new wiring in the ground for the POTS service would make it that much easier for solid DSL. Nope. Fiber-in-the-line just like lots of folks.

Nonetheless... SBC/Ameritech just installed a brand new RT over the summer (right next to the old one) at the entrance to my subdivision. Ameritech's Team Data said it would be on by the end of November.

I tried to place the order online on 11/14. Wouldn't accept it saying their servers were down. Called instead. HelpfulOrderingGuy on the phone went through everything step by scripted step and it took quite awhile to order but he was complete.

Was given a turn on date of 12/2. Called today (11/20) to check on the order as the "Track Your Order" section of access.yahoo.com showed no order for me.

OrderCheckGuy was very helpful. Said service was to be on by the 22nd (10 days early!) and that the modem (Speedstream 5360) was shipped and scheduled to arrive today. Gave me the tracking #. Sure enough, UPS was at my door 3 hours later.

Plugged in the modem and got the DSL light. Hooked up the laptop and started the LONG process of setting it up with the supplied CD. Got to the "locating registration servers" and it kept timing out. Turns out even though it was using a Flash routine for the registration, the IE settings (set for proxy at work) blocked the access. Turned that off and the rest of the registration went fine.

Unfortunately, the CD adds ALL kinds of extra programs and other stuff. It practically wrecks the browser with all its crap. And you have to wade through rejecting all kinds of Yahoo! add ons from Consumer Reports subscriptions to extra SBC Yahoo! Photos and Briefcase Storage.

But once it was done (took almost an hour on my slow laptop), it rebooted and connected perfectly. Apparently, you need to go through the entire process once so you can get your primary user name and password. You can't get it any other way I don't think... Once it was done, put RASPPPoE on the main PC (that I didn't want clogged up) and it connected right off the bat.

First speed test showed:

2002-11-20 19:15:14 EST: 630 / 133
Your download speed : 630934 bps, or 630 kbps.
A 77 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 133578 bps, or 133 kbps.

So far, it's exactly what I'd hoped for. Can't speak for the connection reliability or Tech Support as it's too new to tell. I’ll update as things progress.

NOTE: On the "fill out the review" page, it asks for a rating of the "Mail,DNS,News" which so far works fine and I rated it five stars. Yet on the completed review, these show up as "Services" which might mean "how are the extras?" The extras of all the Yahoo! add on stuff isn't worth anything to me...

member for 24.5 years, 6442 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 14.9 years ago

Morfiend7
join:2001-05-31
Crete, IL

Morfiend7

Member

you can use raspppoe from start

Actually I hooked ameritech dsl for someone one time, and I decided not to touch any of their software, and used ras from the beginning, I had to call their help line, and after having couple techies refuse to help me, finally I found someone who told me what site I have to go to to activate the account, after that was done, I was online no problems.

swilliams
join:1999-09-07
Littleton, CO

swilliams

Member

Re: you can use raspppoe from start

I know in the Ameritech forum, there is a link to register a new Ameritech account. But since I'm part of the assimilated Borg like SBC/Yahoo! DSL signup, I think I had to do it with the registration CD. No matter, it works....
Silent_Cobra
join:2002-08-14
Chicago, IL

Silent_Cobra

Member

dude

dude u can get cable for that price and i always get 1440/225 thats way better

snipper_cr
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Wheaton, IL

snipper_cr

Premium Member

hewwo

"Dude"
You also being from the chicago area, you probably know that the only 2 cable providers have issues. WOW in our area can never get their act together and ATT is having trouble expanding to some areas.

Common sence who dictate that if they could of gotten cable; they would of.

Of course, its the UNCOMMON, common sense

swilliams
join:1999-09-07
Littleton, CO

swilliams to Silent_Cobra

Member

to Silent_Cobra

Re: dude

It's DSL or no broadband at all. Cable is not available to me.
fastforward0
join:2002-11-21
Katy, TX

fastforward0

Member

speeds

your upload speed is ok but your download speed is way too slow, even for dsl.i agree get cable its cheaper and faster.

insomniac
Oh Yeah
Premium Member
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL

insomniac

Premium Member

Re: speeds

From what I understand, this guy can't get cable; he's in Aurora, and AT&T hasn't gotten off their asses yet.

swilliams
join:1999-09-07
Littleton, CO

swilliams to fastforward0

Member

to fastforward0
It's DSL or no broadband at all. Cable is not available to me
Hilton Head
join:2000-11-04
Miamisburg, OH

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Member

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I do not agree that the speed on Cable is as good as DSL with 1.5 mbps. I have seen cable speed went crazy from 5 kbps to 2.5 mbps. Cable broadband is not for me at all. It belongs to the trash can.
[text was edited by author 2002-11-26 12:58:40]
games2000111
join:2003-02-02
Oak Park, IL

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I just called Ameritech and switched to DSL. I signed up for att cable internet about 4 months ago with their so called great deal of 24.95/mo for 3 months. Guess what I haven't got the correct bill yet!!! Now that reminds me why I got rid of their sh*t cable tv service 3 years ago and went to Dish Network, never looked back. My overall bill was about $20 bucks less a month, and I got a lot more value for the money. Oh and I get perfect pictures on CBS, if I ever watch it.

The cable installers are still the bumbling idiots they were 20 years ago when they installed in my dad's house, I think that was about '77 or '78 when Oak Park was one of the firsts in Chicago area. When my dish installer came out, he ran everything very neat through the closets. These cable boobs stapled the damn cable over my doorways thru the entire house. Almost as bad as my dads house in '78 when they ran it right across the living room floor so you could trip on the f*cking thing. How these boobs call themselves "Installation Specialist" I don't know!!! Maybe "f*ck up specialists". My brother has a DSL and I don't see much difference in speed between his and mine. I'll take the so called little bit slower speeds just so I don't have to deal with those att b*stards. Will just see how long I have to hold on their lousy customer service line to cancel service at att. What's funny is that you can get thru to their sales line in about 30 seconds, but it might take you a week to get thru to cust serv. Try it out, no kidding

Review by pbear957 See Profile

  • Location: Oconomowoc, Waukesha, WI, USA
  • Cost: $30 per month
  • Telco party AT&T
Have had it for over 5 yrs now, no problems, speed bloew cable away!
None
At least in my area, DSL Rocks! Cable Sucks....at any speed!
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Just upgraded to 3Gps. Still blows Charter away at anyspeed. I can get a fast connection ANYTIME of the day. My DSL doesn't drop off when everyone gets home from work and check email. Service has been stellar, hardly any wait times to get through to a human

member for 15.4 years, 38 visits, last login: 11.7 years ago
lodged 14.9 years ago







Review by mike5026 See Profile

  • Location: Rockford, Winnebago, IL, USA
  • Cost: $30 per month
  • Telco party AT&T
Very cheap and sometimes can be reliable
For the most part I cannot get the elite speed and they been promising an upgrade by the poles
Awesome service bad overseas reps all this for No contract
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Update: 4/12/2009

I have been on the Elite Speed for almost about two weeks straight without an issue also it has been warm out for the past couple days but it seemed that the speed went faster. People have been telling me the copper will heat up and will supposely making my speed slower and my modem would be able to support the speed. My speeds are currently 5.2MBPS which is not bad I don't want the full 6MBPS.

UPDATE 3/2/2009

I have been arguing with DSL retention to get me back on the elite speed since a dumbass tech downgraded me because he thought my line wasn't capable of handling any dsl speeds without coming out here. He was at Chicago when he checked the specs. Now I have been upgraded back to the elite speed with a cheaper deal of $30.00 per month which is awesome 5 dollars less than regularly priced.

Right now I just upgraded to the Elite speed for $35.00. I was currently under the Pro Speed for $20.00 promo with no contract. The service was up and running the day I called them. I originally had a speedstream modem until they replaced it with a Motorola 2100 I believe and haven't had issues with it. And the good experiences with this DSL service that I haven't really got any connection issues until upgrading to the Pro speed a couple months back then here I am again trying it out again.

member for 16.5 years, 1632 visits, last login: 5.2 years ago
updated 14.9 years ago


Review by ditka_b See Profile

  • Location: Barrington, Lake, IL, USA
  • Cost: $35 per month (12 month contract)
  • Install: about 5 days
  • Telco party Ameritech
The support crew on dslreports from SBC(Beach boy and ADSL GUY
None really!
Can't beat the price or service
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Still rocking and the best deal in town.

It's been a while so I decided to update, Moved into town almost 2 years ago and now have 6.0/768 for the kids and the XBOX and Wii couldn;t be any happier, No down time and speeds are always at top end. Price went from 27.95 to 34.95 even tho I went online and was offered the 27.95 weird. But all in all a great deal.

If anyone is wondering if ATT DSL is worth it the answer is a resounding YES GO FOR IT!

Well got VPN working well now so A #1 Best ISP around! Upgraded so both lines are 3.0 and kids love it. SBC IS THE BEST!

Wanted to update again.. SBC ROCKS!
ADSL GUYS is the best
I added a 2nd phoneline and wallah 3.0/416~
SBC is great , the guys in the SBC funhouse are all top notch and deserve huge kudos for all the people they help every day here.
Have 2 lines nor 1.5/384 (26.95) and 3.0/416 (36.95) both rock and the kids dont eat all my bandwith anymore .
The 2-wire is great and I can use my laptop about anywhere in the small house I have.
I cant get my exchange email to work thru vpn but we cant have everything hehe.
Ive started about 6 relatives (and several more friends) with SBC and they are all happy as well. Cant beat the price and the speed and it's nice keeping the evil Comcast that wont bring cable to my house even tho its on my street away.
Happy Camper here!

WELL to update I got the help I needed from Beach Boy and ADSL GUY.
Afetr much work on their part Beach Boy got an order placed. We started at 192/128 then 384/128 then 1.5/128 and soon 1.5/256
Speeds are about same as my Earthlink DSL and its PPPOE as before so Im used to that. Was a long road back and with out these guys Id be dial up or Starbander(starband is great). THANKS BEACH BOY AND ADSL GUY for all your help and anyone with sbc dsl I reccomend them whole heartedly!

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!
ditka_b 60010 ameritech 1304/245 1500/256 5th 19:xx dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net
comment: 'SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET'
I LOVE SBC!!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS TO BEACHBOY, DSLGUY, BEATMEUP and all that assisted them at SBC. I was so ready to live without speed and these guys helped more than anyone could have ever asked. THANKS!!

member for 22.4 years, 1937 visits, last login: 4 years ago
updated 14.9 years ago


David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David

Premium Member

Can I help??

Can I take a crack at it??

IM me some basic information and I will attempt to crack at it.

I would rather say I can identify for sure if you are too far out..
ditka_b
Premium Member
join:2001-10-05
Barrington, IL

ditka_b

Premium Member

Re: Can I help??

Thanks, I sent you a private message with my infos as I didnt wnat to post that here.

ntguru911
join:2001-03-26
Powell, OH

ntguru911

Member

Re: Can I help??

Just out of my own curiosity, what ended up happening? Did you get DSL?

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David

Premium Member

I am going to take a crack at it and have already have a few people looking into it..

Thanks again..
ditka_b
Premium Member
join:2001-10-05
Barrington, IL

ditka_b to David

Premium Member

to David
NTGURU no Im unable to get even idsl because SBC says all sudden Im too far
ditka_b

ditka_b to David

Premium Member

to David
Thanks for helping Beach boy. No matter what I know for a fact Im not to far as I was 1.5/256 on the same line for 2 years.
DigitalSound3
join:2003-07-23
New Lenox, IL

DigitalSound3

Member

How Could You?!

How could you give 5 stars across the board to SBC DSL when you had a heck of a time getting the service installed?

My SBC DSL was great at first, but slowly it went downhill until it the speed tests came back that I was slower than a 56K modem.

Hopefully, you won't have the same problems I am having with SBC.

kmac1
Off in new directions
Premium Member
join:2001-06-07
Port Neches, TX

kmac1

Premium Member

Re: How Could You?!

I posted in your review, but I'll tell you again, If you'll send me your DSL # via IM, I'll be glad to look into your problem and do my best to correct it.

Ken
ditka_b
Premium Member
join:2001-10-05
Barrington, IL

ditka_b to DigitalSound3

Premium Member

to DigitalSound3
I was angry with SBC, I contacted them and they made it right. And how can anyone be mad at top speed dsl for this price? Life is like this, Its not always roses but sometimes it is when you least expect it.
Thank you SBC!
ditka_b

ditka_b to DigitalSound3

Premium Member

to DigitalSound3
Please contact DSLGUY or BEACHBOY they can help you suredly!
DigitalSound3
join:2003-07-23
New Lenox, IL

DigitalSound3

Member

Ok, until I found my way here SBC Yahoo! tech support was the only means of contact I had for problems. I do have to say that the phone tech support team is very inadiquate (sp?). After coming here for a speed test, I found my way through the forums and managed to get help that resolved not only my issue, but other people's issues as well.

I have had my DSL service since April of 2001, and I can say that I have had service 90% of the time, but I do experience a lot of downtime late at night and my connection is not always as good as it should be.

Review by rw123 See Profile

  • Location: Indianapolis, Marion, IN, USA
  • Cost: $29 per month (12 month contract)
  • Install: about 4 days
  • Telco party Ameritech
Good price, good uptime, good tier 2 support
tier 1 support
good product
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

All considered, patience has paid off when it came to phone support.

SBC Direct is great!

member for 20.2 years, 5725 visits, last login: 7 days ago
updated 14.9 years ago







Review by airjrdn See Profile

  • Location: Springfield, Sangamon, IL, USA
  • Cost: $36 per month (12 month contract)
  • Install: about 10 days
Stable, Consistent, Inexpensive, Good for gaming
None yet
Good value, solid pings & speeds
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I've had DSL in the past, starting around 1999 or 2000. I signed up for SBC DSL in 12/2004. I was (and still am as of 1/13/2005) on InsightBB Cable in Springfield, IL. SBC has a 1yr contract, but will give you 30 days to try it out before you're locked in.

I contemplated leaving Insight because of massively fluctuating pings, and packetloss during gaming. I'm a huge gamer; probably 2 to 3 hours a day 7 days a week, so pings and packetloss mean a lot to me.

I've been with SBC for about 3 weeks now. Anytime, night or day, the pings are consistent, and packetloss is non-existent. I'm on the Express plan (1.5M/384K) right now. I'd like to have the Pro (3M/512K) package, but am 14K feet from the CO, and they're having to do extensive checks on my line to see if it can handle the higher speed. Typically, the limit to qualify for the Pro speed is a distance of around 9.5K feet. I've been working with the people in the SBC Direct forum, and they've been extrememly helpful.

My speeds have been a consistent 1.3M down and 330K up. From what I understand, this is as fast as I'll see on the 1.5M/384K plan.

I purchased my own modem, had my own router, etc., so I can't comment on their end-user equipment. As for the timeframe from order to usage, 10 days is about what I'd expect from most ISP's.

If you are having issues on cable relating to troublesome gaming and SBC is available in your area, I'd have no reservations about recommending them.

UPDATE - 04/27/2005

It's now been close to 5 months and nothing but excellence. The gentlemen in SBC Direct got me on the Pro plan even though I'm about 14k feet from the CO. Downloads are at 2.6M (~315KB/sec) and uploads are at ~51KB/sec. Pings have never been more stable. I get consistent 24 pings to my Chicago based UT2004 gameserver.

UPDATE - 08/19/2006

Service is still awesome. I'm still gaming (UT2004) nearly every night, and we've even changed to a new gameserver located in Chicago. My ping is always a consistent 16ms regardless of time of day. As a gamer, I couldn't be happier. Download speeds are still rock solid as well. The only thing I could wish for would be the availability of the 6Mbit service, but at 12k feet from the C.O., that's just not going to happen. I will say though, in my experience, there's never been a better solution for gaming than SBC DSL.

UPDATE - 4/3/2009

Service is still great, but the speeds are slow compared to others now. Thinking about switching for faster speeds, but I'm hesitant because it's always worked so well.

member for 19.5 years, 363 visits, last login: 11.4 years ago
updated 14.9 years ago


wings10
I Am Legend
Premium Member
join:2004-06-09
South Elgin, IL

1 edit

wings10

Premium Member

Should have taken SBC's FREE modem

Should have taken SBC's FREE modem also as a back up. They don't charge you a retal fee for it either. It is included with the DSL order.

Review by Paulg See Profile

  • Location: Hubbell, Houghton, MI, USA
  • Cost: $24 per month (12 month contract)
  • Install: about 14 days
  • Telco party Ameritech
very good uptime
speeds somewhat unstable
Good value for the money
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Update 3/31/09 - Service has been steady since the last update, no complaints here!

update 12/07/07 - service has been good for the most part, a week or so ago we had 2 4 hour outages, but it has been solid otherwise, ATT has recently added more capacity after speed and ping problems surfaced, since, its been good all around. I would rate the telephone tech support lower, but the AT&T direct forum staff make me want to rate it a 5/5m, they do a hell of a job.

update 5/22/07 - Speeds are unstable most of the time, swing from 2500 to 1000kbs or less. Overall connection is very stable though, only one or 2 momentary outages.

update 10/27/06-- Wow, its been awhile since this was updated.. But there's really no need. the service is absolutly rock solid (provided the damn construction workers can keep from slicing the fiber backhaul). Pings to my Chicago game server are still in the 30-40ms range.

update 9/20/05 still going strong.. a few isolated outages, mostly due to my router sucking. great pings still aswell.

update 3-1-05 they didnt have enough bandwidth ready for our area, which was causing our pings to run high, but they've since fixed the issue, i know have a sub 40ms ping to our chicago gameserver.. Kudos to the great help in SBCDirect

update 1-15-05 the only major issue ive had is the snowload pulled the ground clamp loose and shorted our line, but a call to POTS support had that fixed, the DSL portion hasnt had any connectivity issues. the only minor thing on the DSL side is that our first hop pings seem to run high.

great value though.

update 10-9-04
no downtime yet.. even through some serious storms that we lost power for 6+ hours.

original review august 1 '04
great service, and the install was relativly easy, once we got our router set up propery, but since then, we've had zero downtime in 2 weeks.

ill post more as time goes on.

member for 20 years, 4227 visits, last login: 4 years ago
updated 15 years ago


Review by shercando See Profile

  • Location: Madison, Dane, WI, USA
  • Cost: $45 per month (12 month contract)
  • Telco party AT&T
Most
Some
Best Buy
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I think my DSL service is tops, (who ever they are!) but this hound has
so many names it will answer to almost anything. If I want to change
settings I have no idea what to enter as my provider since they are
inconsistent with their own use of names. That is almost a joke and not
a gripe. You can't find better DSL anywhere because the techs are
supermen with the immediate help you need if you do need it --even if
you don't know who they work for.

Non technical issues, like billing, are a hassle. They pass the buck
over and over. I have had a credit coming since June of 2002 and quit
trying to get it because they pass the buck. When you call for billing
they should direct the FIRST dialed number directly to a qualified
person who can resolve the issue and not pass it on through a maze of
"press this or that -- if." I believe that is by design too --so that
the customer gives up trying. This can be handled by email but email
just ends up dying for want of attention. They insist of putting the
customer through the never ending grinder phone linking BS.
7-12-08 Update: Can't improve on this.

Customer service has improved so much I actually like it. I am still out the credit they owe me but with all the changes they were going through I am amazed they kept their heads screwed on.

SHERCANDO

member for 23 years, 3590 visits, last login: 8.9 years ago
updated 15 years ago