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<title>Comcast HSI forum - dslreports.com community</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/comcast</link>
<description>Comcast HSI forum current topics</description>
<language>en</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2007, dslreports.com</copyright>
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:45:21 EDT</pubDate>
<lastBuildDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:45:21 EDT</lastBuildDate>

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<item>
<title>[Speed] ordered blast but still gettng 4mb dl speed</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744431</link>
<description><![CDATA[i purchased comcast blast a few weeks ago. i ran a speedtest and am only getting 4mb dl speed, the same speed as my first plan. i called comcast and they said everything was green and it should be working. speeds were still at 4mb. we tried to get a comcast technician, but he couldn't find anything wrong too. i am currently running a direct line from my pc to a motorola sb5120 modem. if any1 has any advice, it would be appreciated.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20744431</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-05 05:51:21</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>[Speed] Not seeing increased Upload speeds?</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20717342</link>
<description><![CDATA[This is a  tip/warning for anyone who isn't seeing the advertised increases in upload speeds even though others in their area are.

Like many others, I quickly ran speed tests after the announcement but was disappointed to see no increase in my upload speeds. After a number of frustrated attempts to contact Comcast support (the "techs" didn't even aknowledge that there was a speed increase, despite an official press release...

Anyways, I finally found the problem. A couple of years ago I was diagnosing poor voice quality prom my Voip setup and enabled QoS in my router... Yep, I was capping myself at 550k... Disabled it and I'm now seeing well over 2MBPS.

I hope this helps someone else.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20717342</guid>
<pubDate>2008-06-29 18:26:24</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Comcast Bundle vs. Dish Network vs. Qwest / DSL</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20740531</link>
<description><![CDATA[WARNING - THIS IS LONG BUT VERY INFORMATIVE. I EXPRESS A LOT OF OPINIONS AND THAT'S JUST WHAT THEY ARE, MY OPINIONS. HOWEVER, A LOT OF MY OPINIONS ARE BASED ON FACTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO ME. IF THEY HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU THEN YOU PROBABLY SHARE SOME OF MY THOUGHTS. BUT, I MUST ALSO CONCEDE THAT NOT ALL OF MY OPINIONS ARE VIABLE IN ALL AREAS OF THE COUNTRY OR WORLD. 

Just recently, a Comcast rep came by the house (she was in the neighborhood) and she promised me an overall savings of $1200 the 1st year, and then a $720 savings every year there after if I signed up with their bundle offer - phone/Cable TV and Internet. I live in the Denver metro area so I signed up and they installed the phone service shortly there after - I already had the cable TV and internet connections. By the way, I also have Dish Network coming into the house. 

A few days later, after installing the phone service I got my first bill but I was only saving $45/month overall, not the $100/month as promised. After a year was up I'd be paying a few dollars more every month and for basically the same service I had with Qwest. When I called Comcast on it they denied ever offering the deal to begin with so I told them to remove the equipment from the house and credit me $100 so that Qwest would reconnect my service at no charge to me, stating that since they wouldn't honor the deal given by their rep that it wasn't my fault for whatever Qwest would charge me to reconnect my service. Comcast credited me the $100. 

When I called Qwest the next day to reconnect the service they even offered to pay my basic phone service for three months ($29/month) for what they called a "win back customer", plus they didn't charge me a dime to reconnect the service. So, I made out with $187. Sure, I had to experience a lot of aggravation but still, $187 will almost fill my gas tank! But don't get me started on that whole fiasco. Thanks a lot, Bush!

I ended up dropping Comcast cable TV altogether and getting a dish that supports 4 TVs, and Dish Network is giving me every movie channel under the sun and all the sports channels I had with Comcast (something I needed to pay extra for) and for the same price as I was paying Comcast for just HBO and the $5/month sports package. 

Plus, Dish Network's DVRs are 1000 times better then Comcast's DVRs. Comcast DVRs - plain and simple - are junk. When attempting to change channels or use basic DVR functions, the Comcast DVR seems to compile commands within its memory and then 30 to 90 seconds later begins to execute them - ALL AT ONCE! (Although, sometimes it never worked and I've had to unplug the DVR to clear out the memory to just get the DVR to work.) I had Comcast change out the DVR twice and send "signals" to the DVRs to try and alleviate these problems, but nothing was ever fixed. 

Comcast DVRs also have the lame quick guide list preview at the bottom of the screen whereas Dish Network at least lets you keep an eye on the show you're watching without the "list view" covering up a portion of the screen. 

In addition to that, the "Channel Guide" on Comcast has advertisements within the list which need to be negotiated in order to scroll to the next page of listings. Dish Network has no such animal in their Channel Guide listings. I guess the "advertisements" just made me grit my teeth because I knew I was paying for this service already. Why should I have to negotiate through an advertisement, no matter how trivial the negotiation might be, just so I could find out what was on TV. To me, that's taking advantage of your customers and non-disclosure of a "service" that nobody wants to see. 

Additionally, my old Comcast HD DVR only recorded about 15 hours of programming but boasted more, whereas the Dish Network HD DVR I have (VIP 622) records 200 hours of standard-definition OR up to 30 hours of high-definition programming. I currently have over 39 hours of standard-definition programming stored on my DVR and I still have 24hrs and 21mins of HD recording left and/or 162hrs 14mins SD available. 

I just purchased a cheap 320GB USB drive (at BestBuy for $199) and I will transfer the programs I want to keep onto that (another service that Dish offers for a minimal 1-time charge) and then I'll have my 200 hrs SD/30 hrs HD back and available. Dish Network just introduced a new DVR (VIP 722) that boasts 350 hrs of SD programming AND up to 55 hrs of HD programming. I might just upgrade.

In my opinion, comparing the Dish Network HD DVR and functionality against the Comcast HD DVR and functionality are like comparing a Ferrari to a Yugo (respectfully). It's not like comparing Ford to Dodge trucks because the functionality is basically the same, but it's like comparing advanced technology to basic functionality. Dish Network seems to make Comcast look like Comcast is in preschool whereas Dish Network has already graduated from college. Here's something that you might understand even better: In my opinion, Comcast DVRs are the "DOS" DVRs of the world whereas Dish Networks DVRs are the UNIX. Is that clear.

The only bad thing I have to say about the phone service from Comcast is that all wireless callers are identified through their caller ID function as the same caller. My caller ID went from Qwest announcing calls as "Wireless Caller/555-555-1212" (whereas the phone number is different for every caller) to just "Wireless Caller" and no phone number listed through Comcast Caller ID. Other then that, the phone service was very nice. I&#146;m sure this would&#146;ve been fixed in the near future.

As for Comcast HSI (high speed internet) I wouldn't trade that for any other internet service provider, not even if someone paid me to change. Comcast HSI is very stable, fast and in my opinion the best deal out there. 

All in all, if you're thinking about buying into the Comcast bundle then be prepared for a less then average DVR that's going to drive you crazy and you'll more then likely toss the box into the trash. Whatever you do, get every offer from Comcast in writing before you commit to a bundle of any kind. 

For those of you that wonder about DSL over Cable internet, a layman&#146;s terminology is probably easier for everyone. I use to have DSL and even though it worked great at one location, it was slower then dialup at a new and different one. I understand that to be a "distance to the hub" technicality. But with Comcast, this is not a factor. It works in older neighborhoods just as well as newer ones. Just beware of "estimates" from Qwest for DSL availability in your area. The last time I got an estimate from them and they said something like, "Oh yeah... it's gonna be fast" it ended up being slower then dialup. 

I guess I&#146;m pro Comcast internet because it&#146;s tough to beat and there is no &#147;distance&#148; issue. DSL is great if you live close to a hub but more often then not, you won&#146;t. I&#146;m pro Dish Network over Comcast because the Dish DVR functionality and TV programming beats Comcast hand over fist. As far as phone service goes, I truly believe that if Qwest doesn&#146;t do something about their customer service then they won&#146;t be around very much longer anyhow (don&#146;t get me wrong Qwest, you did right by me &#150; this time) but overall your customer service sucks. Sure, your company asks all the questions and tries to make it look like you&#146;re trying to improve your service, but that&#146;s been going on for years now and quiet frankly I&#146;ve seen little improvement. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that landlines are going the way of the Dodo Bird and will eventually be reserved for commercial applications. There are countless friends and relatives of mine that have dropped their home telephone service because quiet frankly they never use it anymore. If you think about it, the only service that a home telephone provides over cellular today is 911, whereas 911 over cellular won&#146;t show your current location/home address. The 911 service is essential but you&#146;re paying what, $40/month so that someday you might need to call it? 

I&#146;m sure 911 will eventually mature and be available via cellular, with GPS and everything now available. With the price of cellular service coming down it&#146;s only a matter of time before home telephone service will eventually disappear or be transferred to a cable solution. I believe that&#146;s a big reason why Qwest is pushing DSL so hard because that won&#146;t be able to survive on commercial applications alone. They see that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting dimmer everyday and they&#146;re hoping that DSL is their savior. But without costly switch upgrades and additional hub locations, they won&#146;t be able to survive.

Therefore, in my opinion, if you want to save yourself a lot of aggravation then use the services that seem to be the leaders. If you don&#146;t want to watch your home telephone service disappear because you need it for 911 or security services, and then only to be forced into a cable solution in the near future, then transition to Vonage or even Comcast voice right now. DSL might work just fine for you now but eventually your needs are going to change. Your phone service is probably going to change over to a cable solution or be dropped altogether. So, get a better service with less aggravation and go with Comcast High Speed Internet. That way you&#146;ll have a choice between Vonage or Comcast voice and the transition will be a whole lot smoother. For me, I&#146;ll probably drop the service altogether. Furthermore, if you value the time you spend in front of the television watching quality programming and don&#146;t want to waste your time dealing with a cable company that seems to think that their DVRs are the best available, then toss that cable box into the trash and get a service that&#146;s truly the best that&#146;s out there, Dish Network.

But those are just my opinions.
--

ned
Denver, CO]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20740531</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-04 08:08:51</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>comcast addition IP</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20732536</link>
<description><![CDATA[Hello all. I needed to add an additional IP address to my connection. Trying to speak with a few techs as well as sales people but they haven't been very helpful. Sales told me they would add 1 more for 4.95, and up to 5 for 9.95. The question I had is that in order for me to use the new IP, could I just use the cable modem and have 1 computer connected via ethernet port, and the other via the usb connection on the modem? Or will I need a switch no matter what. I need for both computers to be seen from the internet with different IP's.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20732536</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-02 15:44:51</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>[Connectivity] Do I really Need Comcast Top Tier anymore?</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743150</link>
<description><![CDATA[Hi, my comcast bill is getting really pricey at $200/month for Phone/TV/Internet. So, I'd like to cut back on some services to lower my bill. I'm going to take out my Movie package for TV but wanted to know about the speed differences between Internet Tiers. Bascially, the main reason I went with the top tier before was because the lower tier in my area was about 6MB down and only 128K up. The 128K wasn't very good for gaming so I upped to the 368K/8MB down top tier. However, comcast has recently upped all services and now I get like 9MB down/1.5MB Up! This is quite nice but I hardly ever download anything or utilize the bandwidth. And from I understand the lower tier now has the higher uplink speeds so I shouldn't have any latency issues with gaming. In my case would you suggesting dropping to the lower tier to save $10/month? Thanks]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20743150</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-04 19:52:39</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Comcast is constantly giving me conflicting info</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20734655</link>
<description><![CDATA[I'm trying to order Comcast Internet and have been told conflicting information. I'm trying to get Blast (16mbit) if its available, or the 8Mbit service if its not, and how much it'll cost. No one has been able to give me a definitive answer on whats available and how much it'll cost. So far here's what I've been told.

First rep: Yes its available and it'll be $39.99/month. Startup cost is a $9.99 install fee (Should have ordered right then and there!)

Second rep: Yes its available and it'll be $67.95/month. Startup cost is a $39.99 install fee

Third rep: No its not available. 8Mbit service is available for $67.95/month. Startup cost is a $39.99 install fee

Fourth rep: No its not available. 8Mbit service available for $39.99/month. Startup cost is a $9.99 install fee.

I literally have no idea how much it costs and whats actually available at this point. Can anyone, perhaps an employee here, tell me how much it'll cost and what the fast speed is at zip-code 21053? :hmm:]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20734655</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-02 22:40:43</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>How is HSI in Kingston NH area?</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20740627</link>
<description><![CDATA[Seriously considering switching from Fairpoint after a debacle with trying to upgrade our 768kbs DSL.

For those in and around the Kingston/Exeter area how is the Comcast HSI? reliable speeds? Going from 768kbs anything over 1.5mbs is flying to us anyway.

                                         Sam]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20740627</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-04 08:52:38</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>I have a question regarding Comcast Business Services</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20731458</link>
<description><![CDATA[I have just been offered here in Chicago unlimited 19.99 unlimited for each phone and they can offer me 8 phone lines, free cable, and $86.00 for 16mb down 2mb up. Does anyone have any idea's as to whether comcast business phone service is reliable? Any idea's or input would help!]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20731458</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-02 12:40:47</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Router compatibility with Comcast service</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20737214</link>
<description><![CDATA[Hi. I hope this post is in the right section, if not I apologize in advance. To rid rental fee's, I plan on purchasing my own modem/router below.
MOTOROLA SURFboard SB5101
D-Link DIR-655 IEEE 802.11n (draft)
Now I know the modem will work as it is the one I'm currently 
'renting' through Comcast now, but my question is will I have any problems with the router I plan on using as well? Also, will this be difficult for comcast to setup over the phone? I'd just like to know what I'm getting myself into. Thanks.]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20737214</guid>
<pubDate>2008-07-03 13:58:44</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>(Chicagoland)Another weekend with incomplete pages loaded</title>
<link>http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20645618</link>
<description><![CDATA[8am CDT...

Sluggish on the North Side.

Tracing route to a1526.g.akamai.net [205.177.95.79]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     3 ms     1 ms     1 ms  192.168.15.1
  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  3     7 ms     7 ms     7 ms  ge-1-37-ur01.chicago201.il.chicago.comcast.net [68.86.115.21]
  4     9 ms     7 ms     7 ms  te-8-3-ur02.chicago201.il.chicago.comcast.net [68.87.230.186]
  5     8 ms     9 ms     9 ms  te-3-1-ur01.chicago302.il.chicago.comcast.net [68.87.230.181]
  6     8 ms     9 ms     9 ms  te-8-3-ur02.chicago302.il.chicago.comcast.net [68.87.230.178]
  7     8 ms     8 ms     9 ms  te-1-3-ar01.woburn.ma.boston.comcast.net [68.86.90.50]
  8    31 ms    30 ms    30 ms  te-0-4-0-4-cr01.boston.ma.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.90.49]
  9    31 ms    30 ms    30 ms  68.86.89.58
 10     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14  ^C
]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20645618</guid>
<pubDate>2008-06-15 08:59:15</pubDate>
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