Company Forums » Companies beginning with D » Digizip > Readdressing, router, higher speeds

Readdressing, router, higher speeds

Backbone is gonna be COVAD. Even though the email said same speeds and price stays the same.. Right now I have 1.5/768 and my actual is about 1.3/650. I think the lowest tier on COVAD is 1.5/356 or something like that. I am not sure if I need or want to pay the extra 20.00 per month for the 3.0/768. I understnad this will all happen within the next two weeks. I hope my hjardward VPN works as well and that COVAD is decent.. I heard bad things from other COVAD customers.

Ed

Is it Covad for sure? and will it still be 5 static ips for each user? It's the 5 static ips that's keeping me from switching to Verizon DSL.

reply to chunkhead
according to greg, the president of digizip. I have been a happy digizip customer since telocity went belly up. I dont care about the mail as i use gmail.

reply to chunkhead
Christ, don't you people think a little more detail should be forthcoming from Digizip? If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the Cyberonic forum. The users there are dealing with a flummoxed switchover to Covad from MCI already. Unlike Digizip, Cyberonic didn't give its subscribers any notice before they shut off and switched their circuits to Covad, then failed to provide the necessary CPE equipment, or scripts for utilization of existing CPE equipment, until after the circuits were turned off/switched over, without compensation for the several days of downtime.

However, one of the more interesting aspects of their switchover is the add-on pricing for the higher speeds on the same type Covad circuit. The basic price for 1.5/768 MCI, now Covad, connection was/is approximately the same at Cyberonic as Digizip, about $49.99 for month to month contracts, less for extended term prepaid contracts ($36.00/mo/yr), but the add-on price for Covad 3.0/768 is $3.00/month, and the add-on price for Covad 6.0/768 is $6.00/month. A far cry from the $20.00/month and $30.00/month upcharge Digizip is proposing for the same respective service through Covad.

In fairness, Cyberonic is requiring a one year contract, converting to month to month at expiration, for the new pricing/speed tiers, whereas Digizip is retaining their month to month service. Still, that's a hefty premium to pay for the increased speed, and the privilege of being able to say goodbye to Digizip/Covad on 30 days notice with no termination fee.

I think I need a little more detail, and an explanation of what appears to be a lessening of value in the basic service, and the exorbitant pricing offered for faster service.

How about you folks?

I also had questions about the switch. So I emailed Greg and here are his replies.

Q. Who is the new core provider under the new plan?
A. covad

Q. What are the terms of service under the new plan?
A. same terms

Q. Does the speed remain at 1.5/768?
A. yes

Q. Will I still have 5 IP addresses?
A. yes

Q. Will there be any downtime?
A. around 20 minutes from when you unplug existing one and then plug in new one

Sorry if I didn't ask a question that you would like answered but I urge you to email greg@digizip.com if you have any additional questions.
--
»machinesgonemad.com

I have e-mailed Greg at Digizip to ask about the rate differentials betwen Digizip and Cyberonic which appears to be the same service by the same provider (Covad), but haven't received a reply as yet.

reply to chunkhead
No PPPoE, right?

Wrong. It is PPPoE. But am I correct in guessing that we recover an extra IP address?

reply to chunkhead
Covad. Hrm. I know of a few Speakeasy-using friends who have been generally happy. I tried getting Covad a few years back (before discovering Digizip) but they couldn't give an estimate about when there'd be an open port at the CO for me.

Given the recent purchase of MCI by Verizon I'd been thinking I was going to have to revisit Covad (or Speakeasy) in the near term. Guess I'll look upon this as a net positive.

If the pricing premium mentioned above is accurate (going to go poke around at that soon), I might skip a speed bump. I don't have any real complaints about Digizip's service over the years, and I'm not against tacking a bit onto to the top for profit, but 500-600% markup does seem a bit excessive. Ross, were those Cybertronic prices or Covad prices?

Cyberonic's prices are for Covad PPPOE* service:

If you had a pre-paid 18-month contract with any portion still in effect, you were, and will be, paying $39.99/mo/year on a one-year locked-in contract for 1.5Mbps/768Kbps Covad PPPOE, authenticated service. The authentication is one time only, with pseudo "static" IP. You can choose to upgrade your speed at the cost set forth below.

If you were a month to month subscriber, you were, and will be, paying $49.99/mo/year on a one-year locked-in contract for the same 1.5Mbps/768Kbps Covad PPPOE, authenticated service. The authentication is one time only, with pseudo "static" IP. You can choose to upgrade your speed at the cost set forth below.

If you are a new subscriber, you may choose to be a month-to-month, or a pre-paid subscriber, for $49.99/mo/year or $39.99/mo/year, respectively, plus any speed upgrade charge as set forth below.

To upgrade your speed to 3.0Mbps/1.0Mbps service, the add-on cost will be $3.00/mo/year. (Digizip's upcharge is $20.00.mo)

To upgrade your speed to 6.0Mbps/1.0Mbps service, the add-on cost will be $6.00/mo/year. (Digizip's upcharge is $30.00/mo)

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Cyberonic pricing is all inclusive; i.e., NO added taxes, fees, or bullshit charges.

Whereas Digizip's pricing is, and will be, PLUS added taxes, fees, and bullshit charges!

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*Note: Cyberonic claims the Covad service will be PPPOA, a slightly better protocol, without the Telco-like PPPOE overhead. Digizip hasn't said.

Will Cyberonic's service be giving you 1 or 5 static IPs?

They say one (1).

I think they are giving 5.

reply to ross
Cyberonic's prices are for Covad PPPOE* service:

Ah ok, so the $3/$5 upcharges were Cybertronic's, not Covad's. Thanks. Either is still significantly better than Covad's direct-to-consumer pricing.

Cyberonic pricing is all inclusive; i.e., NO added taxes, fees, or bullshit charges.

Whereas Digizip's pricing is, and will be, PLUS added taxes, fees, and bullshit charges!

That strikes me as a bit harsh. A $0.98/mo 'regulatory recovery fee' isn't all that onerous.

It's more like $4.95 for me. And IL doesn't collect it either.

I think the fees/taxes etc are set by your locality. Or can be. Hell, I've just about given up trying to parse my phone bill - perhaps Digizip's single line 'recovery' provides me blissful ignorance

My local government doesn't collect any taxes on DSL lines. I've tried to no avail to get it settled with Digizip. I wonder where those funds are really going?

reply to chunkhead

said by chunkhead:

I think the fees/taxes etc are set by your locality. Or can be. Hell, I've just about given up trying to parse my phone bill - perhaps Digizip's single line 'recovery' provides me blissful ignorance

I just checked. IL does impose excise taxes on DSL, but it must be renewed in 2007. Surprise, the IL DOR make the `determination' recently that DSL service was covered. Sigh. Politicians need more raises, I guess. But, this means that the excise tax was only recently collected by the state. Where did all of the other funds go?