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Review by Sahrin 
UPDATED: 132 days ago
member for 5.5 years, 179 visits, last login: 5 days ago
 Houston,Harris,TX
 $19 per month (12 month contract)
 about 11 days
 AT&T
 "Great service (No exagerration, best tech service I've ever had)"
 "DSL is distance based."
 "Fair prices, allows you to get out from under the Telco Monopoly - but DSL has technical limitations that you have to face down"
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I dropped Cable in Houston after the Switch to Comcast (It's Sucktastic!). Following this change, I sought out a new ISP. I was done with major corporations, and given that Comcast owns the only major network in town my choices were fairly circumspect.
After a perfunctory search of Broadband Reports and the Web at large (Google, thank you) I turned up a small independent ISP called Oplink. I read their plain website and communicated exactly what I was looking for - people who understand what they are doing, but don't have the orgy of usless 'features' shoved down our throats by corporate America.
I placed an order for their "Basic" (1.5/385) service a day after ordering my landline service from AT&T (I was wire-less until the decision to do DSL) - this is how Oplink recommends you order new service, and then sat back and waited. In response to my e-mail, withing 12 hours, Oplink had replied with a very informative e-mail telling me exactly (to 100 feet) how far I was away from the nearest DSL head-end (13,200 feet), what service I had ordered and how soon I could expect it to "go live."
The modem arrived on schedule, and given my unfamiliarity with DSL modems I am as yet uncertain of the ultimate quality of the hardware, it is a Westell Wirespeed (Model number not clearly listed, perhaps 890?).
Initially, due to the existence of several "bridge taps" on my line, I was unable to get connectivity on my line. This was an egineering problem of AT&T's - and from the moment I detected the problem, Oplink was on the ball - and within 4Hours had an answer to me from AT&T - explaining very clearly what the problem was, and how long it would take to fix it. (It's AT&T's crappy network design, not Oplink - who is 'leasing' the last mile from them). This issue was resolved within five days (despite requiring AT&T personnel to actually go out and repair the lines), and my service was active a day earlier than Oplink promised. I received a phone call the day before the issue was to be repaired informing me that it would be fixed, and service was restored that day (1 day before promised).
Please note that the 11 days quoted in the notes above includes 1) Labor Day weekend holiday, and 2) 5 days to repair the poorly executed lines on AT&T's network.
Following the service activation, I began running speed tests as the connection felt much slower than what I was accustomed to with Cable. (Of course, with a drop from 6Mbps to 1.5Mbps, what would you expect).
Initial results were disappointing. On all servers tested, my results have been in the neighborhood of 300Kbps upstream and 250Kbps down.
I state this with the caveat that given my inexperience with DSL and my past experience with more bandwidth I may be unfairly judging the service provided, however as compared with the stated maximums I am disappointed with performance. My distance from the cable company may be a function of this "failure," an issue I am trying to get clarification from Oplink on as we speak.
So as of right now, my final thoughts are:
+Excellent Customer Service, best from ANY ISP I have dealth with, by far
+Seamless installation process
+Works great with the obstinate and belligerent local phone company to get results for their customers (or at least answers)
+Great communication with customers
-Bandwidth measured doesn't match with bandwidth quoted
Overall, I recommend Oplink, especially if your distance from the Phone Company is very low, if only to support small business and competition (though their killer service helps out quite a bit).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After getting in touch with Oplink on the bandwidth issue, they confirmed my suspicions that due to my distance from the DSLAM, I would be unable to receive the quoted bandwidth. They were completely up front about the technical issues, and offered me the opportunity to "opt-out" of my contract (a 12 month deal) as a result of the service issues.
While I am disappointed that I can't get the max speed, still - Oplink handled this situation incredibly professionally, and their understanding and willingness to "level with me" as a customer was refreshing.
I am uncertain if I will be remaining with Oplink, but let me say that their service thus far as demonstrated is a massive vote in their favor. I will definitely be considering continuing service with them, even with the bandwidth reductions. If you are closer to the DSLAM - I would recommend them over any other carrier.
UPDATE: Exit Review
The exit/cancellation process is pretty straightforward. At the time of cancellation I was month-to-month; this meant I could turn off my service at anytime. I called Oplink during regular business hours; after 2 minutes on the phone I had cancelled the service and received an e-mail detailing how to return their hardware. They even offer a drop-off option to save the shipping costs. One aspect of the cancellation I'd like to mention as a positive - Oplink didn't try or even mention anything that sounded remotely like trying to sell me back into their service. This may be because I wasn't wanted as a customer (who knows?) but I think they didn't want to undercut my decisions. It was nice to speak to a rep who's sole focus wasn't to sell me into something. Oplink Support is the best.
I had Oplink service for approximately a year and a half. During that time I was thrilled with the service they provided. If the company has one weakness, it is that it is not the ILEC in this area. If you can get Oplink service, I would recommend it. Their support is simply the best, their service is excellent.
I left Oplink because I was lured by the simplicity of doing it all under one roof (not to mention the cost savings). It remains to be seen if this will play out - but I would urge anyone looking for internet service to consider Oplink. The best ISP I have worked with.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Oplink.net |
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Review by globalfp
UPDATED: 329 days ago
member for 329 days, 0 visits, last login: 329 days ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$34 per month (12 month contract)
AT&T
"Small company that cares for the customer."
"Great value for the money."
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I have moved around a lot and used many companies for my email service. While Oplink is not perfect, the others are far from perfect and do not care at all about their customers.
Oplink does a great job. While they do not have the slick phone system to handle calls, inquiries, tech support, etc, they have people that will answer the phone and take care of your needs. Being small also means that they might experience some delays in getting back to you. However, you do not end up on the phone with the big guy for an hour being transferred all over the place before being cut off.
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Review by bsu4phd
Posted: 331 days ago
member for 331 days, 0 visits, last login: 331 days ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$25 per month (12 month contract)
about 2 days
"Great service; Great billing; Small local operation w/ quick reply."
"None"
"So glad these guys exist. The ATT megalith is totaly clueless about their customers."
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Only considered their slowest connection for broadband, which is still faster than the rate from the other co.
• What SPEED/package did you order, at what monthly price? Ordered the 1.5 package @ about $25/month
• How was the order & install process? Plug & Play! That easy, box arrived by overnight FedEx & I plugged it in. Just like ordering & first using a Mac.
• What brand/model was the supplied equipment? Generic, but it works just fine.
• What good or bad experiences most struck you? The personal replies from the guys, even after hours!
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Review by Skip Beedle
UPDATED: 1 year ago
member for 1 year, 3 visits, last login: 41 days ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$56 per month (12 month contract)
about 3 days
AT&T
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I used Time Warner, Earthlink and Comcast from early 2001 through August 2007. I started with Oplink after having read the positive reviews on DSL Reports. The instructions for getting the best rate from AT&T for a DSL line were valuable. Coordination between AT&T and Oplink on the startup was excellent. I have not had to return a modem or do a reinstallation. I use my connection for internet and VOIP. I have had service at 3 Mbps. I recently switched to 6 Mbps. The service is stable. I have experienced minimal downtime. Technical support is always knowledgeable and courteous.
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Review by netmavrik
Posted: 1 year ago
member for 1 year, 1 visits, last login: 1 year ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$64 per month
about 7 days
"Excellent customer service. No PPPOE"
"None"
"Best ISP I've ever worked with. No regrets."
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I discovered Oplink.net here at DSLReports in March of 2006. I switched from Time Warner's Road Runner service. I couldn't be happier with the reliability of their DSL service. My only issues I have had were related to my DLink router, and they were extremely helpful in diagnosing my problem. I have the 6.0Mbps Down/ 768Kbps service with 5 static ips. Their maximum bandwith speeds aren't as high as the fastest Road Runner packages, but the latency is much lower ( that is a good thing! ). I believe that web browsing is actually faster than Road Runner due to the lower latency.
I know for certain that they do not block any TCP ports or restrict P2P applications.
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Review by sadlersull
Posted: 1 year ago
member for 1 year, 0 visits, last login: 1 year ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$24 per month (12 month contract)
AT&T
"Excellent customer service!"
"none so far"
"Wish I had switched sooner"
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I recently switched from Earthlink, with whom I had been a customer for over 10 years, due to their appalling customer service. My DSL had gone dead, they insisted it was my modem, and gave me the run around for over a week before I gave up on ever getting them to fix the problem.
I called oplink.net and told them of the issues I was having and they thought they could help. Being local, they can interface more easily with the AT&T people to get things done. And they did! It was a problem at the AT&T office all along (never my modem!) and it took ATT&T several days to fix it. I'm glad I switched (wish I had done it a week sooner) and I look forward to great service using oplink.net.
Did I mention that when you call, people actually answer the phone? And that they call back when they say they are going to call back? You don't get THAT from Earthlink.
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Review by cocozzad
UPDATED: 1.3 years ago
member for 3.2 years, 62 visits, last login: 1 year ago
Houston,Harris,TX
 Business customer
$35 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
AT&T
"Reliable connection; great customer service"
"None"
"The best broadband provider"
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I now have 3 radio stations and 4 studios linked using Oplink services. This was almost impossible with any other provider. Oplink has made my job easy. I, also, have Oplink at my home. Only problem I have ever had is the 'last mile' connection with AT&T's DSLAM. However, Oplink worked around this, and now the connection is perfect.
The guys at Oplink treat you as if you were their only customer ! When you call their office an actual human being answers. No dial 1, then 3, then 8 and we will connect your call to Bangladesh like the mega providers.
Bottom line: I love Oplink, and recommend to all of my clients and friends.
Followup comments:  | Colonnade
join:2008-08-20
Humble, TX
| Oplink DSL Service Not to bash the company I had services with since 1994, but the quality, outages and finally the number of hops just to the Level3 Data Center in Greenspoint was over 30.... that was enough. I just turned on the Oplink DSL service and I am not only 4 hops from my VOIP Level3 Server and the sound quality and packet loss, echo has disappeared. I run my own VOIP server and broadcast dialer.... and it's a huge cost savings.
With my old DSL I could never get their tech support, never get any repairs, and always wound up talking to some new person in Phoenix .... of whom did nothing. | |
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dnewman
join:2000-07-22
Houston, TX
2 edits | Re: Oplink DSL Service We appreciate Colonnade switching to Oplink.net, and his kind comments. We're only in Houston - all of us live here and all of us work here - so tech support is local. Our DSL equipment and Internet backbone is in Level3. It's the first hop from a DSL client's local network, and other destinations in L3 should only be a few hops further. Thanks, Colonnade! | |
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Review by cocozzad
UPDATED: 1.3 years ago
member for 3.2 years, 62 visits, last login: 1 year ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$35 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
AT&T
"Speeds near adverstised; low latency; no ppoe"
"none"
"Oplink rocks"
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Oplink is unlike any ISP that I have used. Their DSL products are the best in the market. Speeds are very near what is advertised. More important is the low latency rate with Oplink. And, if you use a dynamic IP no need to worry about PPOE.
No matter what anyone says, PPOE has overhead. It is great for an over provisioned ISP, but sucks for the consumer.
Almost forgot: When you call Oplink for support, an actual decent human being answers the phone and helps you.
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 Review by swamie
Posted: 1.8 years ago
member for 9.1 years, 178 visits, last login: 1.8 years ago
Houston,Harris,TX
$19 per month (12 month contract)
about 4 days
AT&T
"Speed as advertised, low latency"
"Modems don't have integrated wireless; contract"
"Best DSL for the price in my area"
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That's it...
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Review by bahalana
UPDATED: 2.1 years ago
member for 2.1 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.8 years ago
Spring,Harris,TX
$39 per month (12 month contract)
AT&T
"Speed, speed, speed, and customer service"
"None yet"
"If you live in my area, get it!"
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I switched from AT&T/Yahoo DSL (which was nightmare in itself). Once I got Oplink service up, the difference was amazing. I'm paying less (if you don't include the static IP) for almost 5X the speed. I ordered the 3 Mbps Basic DSL package for $29.99, plus a static IP for $10 extra and I'm getting 2.5 Mbps down/420 kbps up actual numbers. These people were also willing to go above and beyond to help me get switched from AT&T. By the time it was over I was on a first-name basis with a couple of them. You can read all the gory details here if you like: »radarjockey.net/?p=7 It's only been two weeks up now, but I am definitely a happy camper. Oplink has to be the best broadband Internet option where I live in Spring, bar none.
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Oplink.net
So I called this morning and explained to Oplink of the situation and that I would have to terminate my account. But before I'm gone I want to say that having been with Oplink has been the best experience I have ever had with any utility.
Oplink is Number One !