Cobalt Broadband in Central Texas http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r16844832 en Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:14:59 EDT Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:14:59 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19160123 seagreen : Those of you with Cobalt Broadband need to file your ISP reviews so others can find out about this Wireless ISP.

Go here: »/dorateform

You'll have to use the "B" column as it doesn't appear to be currently listed. Once one or two reviews are filed then it will be listed in the drop-down box.

Thanks!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19160123 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:14:09 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19113904 Frankd : I wanted to add my experiences with Cobalt and also get some info back from anyone in my area on the recent service (Lexington).
First, I have posted a couple of times in the wireless forum regarding my service/etc and can say that without a doubt Cobalt customer service is the worst. I have NEVER received a call back after the millions* of calls I have placed *(slight inflation of actual number). I don't even bother leaving my call back info now. So, if you have a stable, fast alternative to Cobalt in your area then go with them.
Now for the request for info back from people near me. I am running off the Blue AP tower which is running off of the Lexington tower. Just this last weekend they did a change over of the Lexington tower and have promised the other towers were going to be getting upgrades (ie Blue etc.) that were part of the old LexNet network. I wanted to know if people have seen a performance improvement from the tower change or if there is still HUGE prime time latency. I have had a smokeping running and run a few speed tests and from my IP I have seen a small improvement but at least an improvement.
Also, if someone knows the upgrade schedule for the towers in the Lexington area please do share as I can't get that info out of Cobalt :o]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19113904 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:48:51 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19111278 delphiin : i have had cobalt for about a month and a half now. they are without a doubt the most unprofessional and unreliable comapny i have ever delt with. my mast is still not right. my radio points to the ground. they have been out once to correct the install only after several postponments but came late did a bad job and left it leaning 15 degrees. have not come back in 2 weeks now. after bouncing several ugly emails back and forth with erik they put a 400k limit on my download speed. i have pics to prove bad install and a ton of email to prove how unprofessional and non-reponsive they are. and i have a detailed log of service to prove slow speed and flaky service. there have been so many problems with them i cannot describe it all here. if you complain they tell you " you are only one with a problem" and actually get mad at you for complaining. they use bailing wire for guy wire. look at channel master's website for proper install instructions. they wrapped a guy wire around a screw in my $10,000 new metal roof after i told them not to. they bent a 50' mast. they ran a sheet metal screw into a wood fence post and just wrapped a guy wire around it. they did not ground the mast. if you subscribe to cobalt you will regret it. and no one here who has bad things to say about cobalt is lieing. i can vouch for that and have the proof to back it up.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19111278 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:48:16 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19005856 texastraffic : I've had Cobalt for about two months now. A 2 month free promo, but they JUST got it working at an acceptable level (600K down/700 up). So was it free? Hmmm.

They've been out here twice. Second time, they charged me 81.00 bucks because... get this... they couldn't get it fixed and had to give me a new radio. The service manager is a joke, but the techs are good people. She actually hung up on me when I said I wouldn't pay for a service fee because they couldn't get it running. What a slogan... "if we can't fix it, no problem! You pay either way!".

I'm a little bothered by the lethargic problem resolution and lack of trouble ticket tracking, meaning if you call in with an existing issue, you pretty much have to explain over and over again with no reference to an open ticket or reference number..

There is also a bit of an issue with DNS speed, but I'm hitting some other boxes rather than the ones they're providing.

I really think this could be a great company, but with the current people at the wheel, not so much. I feel the existing customers are bad mouthing the product so much that they don't stand a chance, despite a recent mailer that went out to this area. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19005856 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:57:20 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18866891 ISP search : First, sorry for any protocol mistakes I make--it's my first time. Feel free to correct me.

Second, has anyone's experience with Cobalt changed lately? I've been just toughing it out for the last year. My contract is supposed to expire in about 5 weeks, and I'd LOVE to have an alternative, but I haven't found anything better to switch to.

I don't understand pinging, latency, packets, etc., though I can make a good guess - and if anyone wants to explain, I'll see what my unit is doing.

What I understand is that I telecommute using a VPN, and there are days when I have to pack it up and drive into Austin (from Liberty Hill), days when I work off a flash drive instead of the VPN because Cobalt is having a typically useless day, etc.

And lately, my little laptop has begun suddenly restarting itself without warning. My IT guys think it may be something to do with my laptop's communication in time with the rest of the world. I may have misunderstood that part, but I didn't misunderstand when they asked which ISP I use.

My experience with the installation and customer "service" has been the same joke as what I've seen on this string, but two of the techs have been great. They probably didn't last, though. I did notice a significant improvement once they finally installed the additional T-1 line, but it's still VERY slow (though not as slow as dial-up any more) and it's still basically useless for streaming, etc.--much slower than the promised speed. And I can definitely tell when everyone else gets home from school and work and jumps online.

I've thought about posting notices around Liberty Hill and the area to see whether there are enough of us who are unhappy with them that a united voice might get us something.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18866891 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:24:46 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18758157 conroe1 : Hey guys, what a forum. I Googled them since they host our website and found this page. In reading what has been posted, I felt compelled to say that I was one of their first customers when they built out to this area and our company has gotten more involved with them over the years since they do a lot more than wireless - T1, DS3, etc. They are more like a CLEC that provides service across the US. Except for a few problems which were storm related, I have had nothing but excellent service from them, and so has our company, a large computer company to the area. In fact, they also provide service to a few sites of ours. Customer service has always been good, or as good as I would expect to get from any service company. I thought it particularly interesting that the main complainer on this site is a gamer and I guess my only question is, why are you still with them if you have had such an awful experience? Perhaps you should get a life and do something productive, but that is just my opinion. I wouldn't have recognized it had not the one person pointed out that almost every negative posting on here is done by you under an alias, which is why that person was correct is stating that this whole thread is suspect and questionable. Another person discussed the alignment issue, and that has happened to my home, but this is not their fault and they have always been quick to fix it. I was with PrismNet at one point and let me tell you that they are not even in the same universe as this company. Prism has multiple wireless links handling their connections and that is what makes it so slow. I went over this with the Cobalt folks and they have dedicated fiber circuits for our area, which is another reason I question all of the banter about poor service. If I were anyone reading this, I would ignore most of this. I highly recommend them. And they are cheap compared to any alternatives.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18758157 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:24:58 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18517448 robbin : I hate to take this off-topic, but what was your experience like with Prismnet Wireless?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18517448 Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:47:44 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18517228 lynster : AnnieB,
I think you meant to say..... in your last sentence..... NOT to sign-up with Cobalt, right?
I'm with WildBlue right now (after dial-up, then HughesNet DirecPC 1-way, then Prismnet) and knock on wood, haven't had much of a problem. Just finished sending "Erik" a message including a link to some of these forum reviews and advised him not to bother contacting me... ever again.
And from now on.... I plan to rip down every COBALT sign I see.

Lynster,
Liberty Hill, TX]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18517228 Sat, 16 Jun 2007 13:53:11 EDT Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18189338 AnnieB : I've had Cobalt since they started in Liberty Hill. Until a little over 6 months ago, the service was fairly good. What can I say? After you've been on dial-up at 26.4 and going through a VPN to work, good is relevant, I guess. Everything said with regard to their service is right on. It's some of the worse I've ever experienced. My take also is that they've oversold LH and cannot provide the service promised. It's only recently that I've had somewhat of a response to my issues. For a solid month, I pretty much had no service. Promises were repeatedly made that they were getting another T-1, which would resolve everything. It was several months before that promise came to fruition. When you inquire about being reimbursed for a month's service due to 12k to no service for an entire month, Eric, who has led you to believe he's a tech, says he'll check into it. Then you learn he's the owner & decision maker with regard to that compensation. There's really nothing to say that's not already been said in this forum. I would hope, that anyone looking at Cobalt as their ISP provider would come across this information and at least make an informed decision to sign up with Cobalt.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18189338 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 21:27:34 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18157017 stoopalini : Well, after several months of calling and logging poor service, it seems Cobalt may have the issue resolved (at least it seems so in Liberty Hill).

I have had 2 continuous weeks of great speed, except for one day when we had absolutely no service (Sat the 7th if I remember correctly). This is a HUGE improvement over what I was getting just 2 weeks ago. Not sure what they did, but it seems to have worked.

And just to clarify, I have not made any adjustments to my home config (Cobalt had originally told me the issue was a setting in my router!??!?) and the speed is now decent with an acceptable reliability.

Just wanted to provide an update and see if anyone else has noticed an improvement,

Thomas. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18157017 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:44:42 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18154099 anon : After 3 years with Cobalt they are the worst company I have ever dealt with. I would not recommend them to anyone who has an alternative source for their ISP. They advertise high-speed broadband and deliver very slooow speeds. Can't even watch a simple steaming video without it stopping, breaking up and even dieing altogether. Absolutely the worst customer service ever... ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18154099 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:49:33 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18109954 dudleyfamily :
said by Slimey :

I only came to find out about Cobalt Broadband after doing some site surveys with a home-made bi-quad on a surplus 18" DirecTV dish, also I found some other broadband options (Twilight Communications

Slimey, I am trying to figure out your site survey thing. Can you tell me what you are doing and how you found broadband options in your area. One company in my area is about 2mi away and I am in line of site of tower, but they say they cannot get a signal.thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18109954 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:34:38 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18081685 anon : I am also looking into Cobalt Broadband as I live about 50 mi west of Houston in the outskirts of the Sealy, TX area and there are no affordable broadband options in my area. I only came to find out about Cobalt Broadband after doing some site surveys with a home-made bi-quad on a surplus 18" DirecTV dish, also I found some other broadband options (Twilight Communications), I have yet to hear back from Twilight Communications if service was provided in my area but I did hear from Cobalt Broadband. Has anyone in this area have any experience with either of these providers?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18081685 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:53:25 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18071844 dudleyfamily : Bear creek,
Thanks for your info. I restarted this post because I have been in touch with Cobalt about bring internet service to Chambers Co. (about 20mi east of Houston) After contacting several companies. Cobalt is the only one interested in talking to me. I have talked to Eric a couple of time and have not had any trouble getting him to call me back when I had a question about the company. Of course my system is not down and I don't have technical issues,,,,yet. Anyway just looking for info, Good and Bad.
Thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18071844 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:24:21 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18068843 Cobalt info : Bear Creek,
I appreciate your reply.

I agree with you about wind and other factors that can effect your connectivity. My alignment should be more than sufficient. My signal is almost always -68.
My pole nevers moves, not even slightly. And it has been through some bad storms. But for some reasons I have aprox 50% retransmissions on average.

I have a couple questions about your connection, if you don't mind.

1. How far are you from the Tower? I know where Bear Creek is off of CR 200, which is not too far from there; but I assume you are a bit further down.

2. What is your signal strength on your radio?

If you would like you can email me at cobalt-in-fo@hotmail.com]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18068843 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:47:21 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18068797 Bear Creek : I had to laugh at the post by LeanderDan, because he obvioulsy knows absolutely nothing about networking or standards. DSL stands for digital subscriber loop. It is a standard. Data goes in and goes out thus making a loop. Guess what? It can run on copper wires, it can run on glass (fiber), and it can run through the air. It doesn't matter what medium it goes through, though typically it does run on copper. If it is digital (0's and 1s) and data runs back and forth to your location it doesn't matter how it gets there, but it is DSL. Wireless ISP is not even in the same universe of telco analogies since ISP stands for Internet Service Provider, and that means they connect to one or more Internet backbones. But it does not mean DSL. My lord. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18068797 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:39:59 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18066955 Bear Creek : I had to laugh at the post by LeanderDan, because he obvioulsy knows absolutely nothing about networking or standards. DSL stands for digital subscriber loop. It is a standard. Data goes in and goes out thus making a loop. Guess what? It can run on copper wires, it can run on glass (fiber), and it can run through the air. It doesn't matter what medium it goes through, though typically it does run on copper. If it is digital (0's and 1s) and data runs back and forth to your location it doesn't matter how it gets there, but it is DSL. Wireless ISP is not even in the same universe of telco analogies since ISP stands for Internet Service Provider, and that means they connect to one or more Internet backbones. But it does not mean DSL. My lord.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18066955 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 16:11:18 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18066673 Bear Creek : A friend told me about this site as I had just signed up for their service about a month ago. I was really surprised by what I had read since I haven't had a problem with their system at all and regularly run VPN sessions, FTP, and Gnutella (which I am sure they wouldn't be too thrilled about). Be that as it may, I needed a static IP address which they gave to me to run a mail server and my throughput/speeds have been upwards of 1.2Mbps fairly consistently - and that is probably due to their doubling the capacity of this market recently. Having worked for Cisco in a previous life, I can tell you that while not rocket science to make this technology work, alignment of the bridge is crucial. They actually are a Cisco shop with a large data center in Austin, which is how I came ot know them. But as long as the bridge is aligned properly, you should have no problems. If the wind, or something else, changes the azimuth on the bridge mounted outside your home, your service will suffer due to packet loss - since essentially they are missing the tower completely. Anyway, I thought I would say something positive given how dismal you guys seem to be!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18066673 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:20:33 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054666 Cobalt info : Well the first post, was my first one,.. shortly after I created an account with the same name as my first post. Doesn't sound suspicious to me. So technically there are posts by me under two names only. Not three.

And I have willing addressed and explained my two accounts.
So if you are trying to discredit me, have fun.

I have been contacted by two of the people that have posted on here via email. They are not regulars or forum junkies, they just want information. They came, posted, and I guess they are gone.

So what's your agenda? Do you have Cobalt? Do you work for Cobalt?

Also, if you notice, stoopalini is a registered user, and also from Liberty Hill. Too add to my response about your statement of me being the only one with an issue in my area.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054666 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:58:43 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054632 robbin : Just confused if you were the same poster or not. In fact I find this whole thread very suspicious. From my count, with myself there appear to be 10 different posters in this thread. You are three of them as you first posted anonymously. Now that I look back through the thread I see that no poster other than myself has posted more than five times on this site and of all the other posters their only interest appears to be Cobalt.

Under the cirumstances I question this whole thread. :huh: ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054632 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:44:21 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054596 Cobalt info : I apologize if that is the impression you got. I thought it was pretty obvious. And I was not replying to myself in any way to give the impression that this was another person.

To address your statement:
"Or in this case it is you having problems with a WISP, not two different people in the same area having problems."

Actually there are many people in this area having issues, that are still unresolved.

Are you a moderator, or just a concerned poster?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054596 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:27:33 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054397 robbin : I believe that the site requires a user to only have one account. One person posting under multiple logins gives the impression of a conversation between multiple people, not the same person talking to their alternate persona. Or in this case it is you having problems with a WISP, not two different people in the same area having problems.

If you want to change your user name you can do that at any time and that is within site rules, but multiple accounts are not.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054397 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:17:24 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054356 Cobalt Sux : I am, but why is that confusing? I got frustated one night and needed a name change. :-)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18054356 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:04:59 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18048971 robbin : Cobalt Sux See Profile This is a little confusing. Are you Cobalt info See Profile ?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18048971 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 02:06:16 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18036793 Cobalt Sux : I still have unresolved issues with Cobalt's Service. They think if they ignore you long enough that you will go away.

I would not suggest their service, even if they are the only one in the area. Their customer service is poor, they rarely ever call you back. I had to call back them 3 or 4 times when they were supposed to call me back,.. and this was when I was trying to order the service.

Their product is extremely poor, which is my biggest issue.
They do not understand the technology they are deploying, and they overload their equipment which effects performance. Their installation is a joke, and very unprofessional.

Overall, I would wait until you can get a reputible company in your area.
If you do decide to go with them anyway, read their contract carefully so you fully understand what you're getting yourself in to.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18036793 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:07:17 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18028137 dudleyfamily : I found this topic while doing a search for Cobalt. Is their service any better? I live east of Houston and have no high speed service. Cobalt has agreed to look into bringing service to our area. Thanks for the info I will try to keep them on their toes if they bring service out to our area.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18028137 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:13:50 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17884122 Cobalt info : Thanks for the research and info Tomzap!
I'm still dealing with the crappy service of Cobalt. I think I need to look in to Prizmnet. The fact is, for those of you who have Cobalt; their contracts can't hold up because they are not providing they service they claim, and guarantee. If you have options in your area, I would go else where.

As I said above, Cobalt does not provide what they say they will, but they continue to charge you. As long as they are getting their money, they don't care that their service is garbage.

Oh and if you see one of their signs making the area look trashy, take it down so some other person doesn't buy in to their pathetic service.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17884122 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:25:00 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17383927 tomzap : In response to "how long has Prismnet been around", I don't know exactly, but longer than Cobalt in this area (Liberty Hill/Leander, Texas).

I have been using Prismnet for about 2 years and was not completely happy with the performance. The upload speed is important to me since I manage a large web site. My Prismnet package is bandwidth-limited at 256kbps but my average FTP upload speed is 94kbps. Average download is 225kbps.

I decided to try Cobalt Broadband after seeing their signs plastered all over the place. Interestingly, Prismnet doesn't really promote their service and so is not well-known--neither are some of the others that serve this area. So I had both service providers up and running for 3 weeks, comparing the two. I have line-of-site to both towers with Prismnet net 6.1 miles away and the much taller Cobalt tower is 7.9 miles away.

I conducted 40 tests over a period of 2 weeks using Speakeasy, Wugnet, and my own FTP to measure upload and download speeds. The Speakeasy and Wugnet sites use very small files, especially on the upload, so speeds tend to be higher than the 1/2 MB file I used with the FTP test (more realistic for my purposes). Upload speeds tend to start at an initially high rate then taper off to a much lower rate and sometimes stall and do not complete.

As I mentioned before, my Prismnet account is bandwidth limited to 256kbps. The Cobalt account has no bandwidth limit and I saw speeds up to 1280kbps upload and 1480kbps download. Each test was run 40 times.

Speakeasy test: Cobalt averaged 710kbps download and 367kbps upload with 1 failure to download and 5 failures to upload. PrismNet averaged 256kbps download and 178kbps upload with no download failures and 1 upload failure.

Wugnet test: Cobalt averaged 693kbps download and 162kbps upload with no download failures and 2 failures to upload. PrismNet averaged 236kbps download and 139kbps upload with no download or upload failures.

FTP test: This is the most realistic test for my usage. Cobalt averaged 744kbps download and 206kbps upload with 1 download failure and 12 failures to upload. PrismNet averaged 225kbps download and 94kbps upload with no download failures and 2 upload failures.

The 12 Cobalt upload failures means that 30% of the time I can't upload a file. Compare this to a 5% failure rate for PrismNet and I can ignore the fact that the bandwidth-limited account is slower on average. I would rather just have the ability to update my web site at a slower rate than not be able to update it at all at times.

It was necessary to conduct the 40 tests to get a reasonable idea of performance because the rates vary considerably. Some of the variation may be due to time of day--busier times versus low usage times--but the variation seemed to be mostly random. Even when the tests were immediately repeated, results varied considerably.

My conclusion was to stay with PrismNet. I cancelled my Cobalt service and returned the equipment during the 30-day money-back guarantee period. I was told that my refund would come when Cobalt received the equipment. I incurred another monthly charge. 6 weeks and many phone calls later I finally did receive the refund. They claimed they were unfamiliar with the refunding process. Yeah, right!

My recommendation: Stay away from Cobalt Broadband.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17383927 Sat, 02 Dec 2006 13:03:11 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17224016 Cobalt info : I feel ya Blue-Cobalt.
I thought you were telling my story for a sec. It is almost indentical, all the way down to the helping them out bit. Except I quoted a contract rate after I realized I was being screwed, which they wouldn't pay. As soon as I encountered the first two customers who were frustrated with this service, I decided it is going to take alot more money than what they first offered. And, if the installs were as easy and quick as they were portayed, then it might have been worth the last offer they told me. But there is nothing quick about these installs if they are done right. I think you're on to something with this BBB idea. Or better yet, if I get enough emails, I may talk with the local TV station. They always love to air this kind of stuff.
I work remote as well, and I'm a gamer,.. ever since I've had this connection, I haven't been able to play games online. The latency is so high I keep getting kicked; and if I'm not kicked,.. the lag is incredible.

I really would like something done about this, but I need your input also. Share your story, email it to me at: cobalt-in-fo@hotmail.com

If your story is anything like mine, then it started from the first time I called Cobalt about service. So include everything.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17224016 Sun, 05 Nov 2006 23:18:45 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17187166 anon : This is par for the course fellas, and I hate to say it.

I've been a "customer" for over 3 years. Holy mackeral I wish someone else were near here. The service here was down all weekend, with the link from Blue tower to Lexington tower being completely hosed. I've called today, however as others have stated I do not expect them to call me back. This is insulting to say the least, and for the fees I pay per month I expect a freakin' phone call and service credit when the service is down.

I rarely get the advertised speeds. I do use this link to earn a living, and when it is down it costs me money. You don't want to know the frustration I encountered this weekend, and I nearly lost a $3000 contract a couple of months ago due to my inability to rely on this link.

It took me 6 months to get service. I had to install it in order to get it done. I tried to help Cobalt at the beginning, and did a couple of easy installs for them. Once I realized there was zero administrative support and an even more insulting pay, I declined further offers. Quite frankly it cost me money to help them, as well as having the frustration of listening to their customers complain while being unable to solve their problems.

Basically, this network in the Lexington area was built on a Rural Internet Govt. grant, and then the administration has been handled by Cobalt. Handled is used loosely here, as they don't have authority nor ability to maintain it to a serviceable standard. If I had my druthers, and wasn't worried about having the only broadband in my area cancelled out of cruelty, I would report them to the BBB and any authority available to get them to perform as advertised. I would not recommend this service to ANYONE who had any alternative, excepting satellite which is too latent to do much of anything shy of surfing ebay.

Would someone else please take over this infrastructure?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17187166 Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:51:57 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17173911 Cobalt info : Thomas,

You are not the only one that has had that issue with the trasfer rate. Mine is doing the same thing. I brought this to their attention as well several months ago, and they also told me "you're the only one with this issue". I told them about the latency, about the tranfer rate bouncing around, and even informed them that sometimes, it looses connection all together and drops packets, even though my signal strength stays between -67 and -69.

One of the biggest problems was getting the information past the "Customer Service" rep to the techs, and even then, they didn't really care that there was/is an issue. I guess they think that all their customers are idiots, and lack the knowledge to understand what is going on.

Also, emailing the owner really won't get results either, he attitude is the same as the rest. The couple of interactions I've had with the owner were very negative. He acted like I was trying to get something for free, or try to weasle something. He was very arrogant, and demeaning.

Thomas, when you get a chance, email me at cobalt-in-fo@hotmail.com to discuss your connection.

- Cobalt Info]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17173911 Sat, 28 Oct 2006 15:41:20 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17149495 stoopalini : I have also noticed the 1mb transfer rate issue, and called to tell them about it. The download speed seems to be pretty good, but upload is sporatic.

I had Cobalt come out and replace my radio and run a new wire to my router. Before they showed up, I purchased 2 bonding clamps and some grounding wire and had them ground the pole while they were up there.

Before replacing the radio and wire, I had dropped packets just pinging the radio on my roof! After the radio replacement and new wire, the ping times are 1ms and no dropped packets to the radio; so maybe something was up with the wire the install tech made?

If you run a tracert when the connection is slow, I bet you will see high ping times between their (Cobalt's) servers. I have logged this issue for weeks, and emailed the logs to several people at Cobalt, including the owner. They keep telling me that I am the only person in LH who is reporting a problem, so they figure it must be something with my setup?!?! I tried to explain that my setup has nothing to do with the connection/bandwidth of their internal network, but they don't really understand what I am saying.

They finally put me in touch with their lead tech guy, Mike. He seemed very sharp, and actually knew what he was talking about. Mike understood what I was saying and agreed I should not be dropping to 1mb transfer. He also told me my ping times should never exceed 90ms.

They have since installed another panel on the tower at cr200 and gave it the same SSID. When I was locked onto one panel, my signal strength was -68 (channel 9 if I remember right), when locked to the other panel (channel 4 I think) the signal strength would jump to -79/80 and the noise would sometimes jump to 3 (yes, positive 3). After talking to Mike about this, he created a secondary SSID on the NE panel (the one I get good signal with) and locked my radio onto it. This worked great for a while, until one morning I had no connection at all. Come to find out, the secondary SSID no longer existed and they didn't bother to change the SSID setting in my Tranzeo. I logged into it myself and set it back to Cobalt-Liberty; but now I'm back to having the problem with the radio switching back and forth.

I called to tell them about this, and asked them to recreate the secondary SSId again. Not sure if they did this though, because I can no longer log in to the Tranzeo unit because they changed the default password; so I'm not sure if I am still getting 1mb transfer rates?

I started asking them about their business class service a few weeks ago, but noone has called me back to answer my questions. I've called 3 or so times since asking, but as you know, the receptionist doesn't have the knowledge to answer my questions, and noone is calling me back. You would think offering to pay double what I am paying now, for better speeds would at least cause them to call me back!

Thomas.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17149495 Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:14:47 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17106952 anon : Howdy guys,

Any of you guys around LH know anything about WildBlue Satellite Broadband?

I've been looking at DirecWay/HughesNet etc., and Cobalt (once the signs went up), and have come across WildBlue Broadband. Don't know anything about them. I think they are based somewhere in Central Texas. They are a couple hundred bucks cheaper than DirecWay on the front end. I think its $299 and $49/mo right now. They are doing a promotion for free installation (saves $175).

Just curious, I'm about to join up with somebody...I'm glad to have learned it won't be Cobalt.

Thanks in advance. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17106952 Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:30:03 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17080358 Cobalt info : Leanderdan,
I actually asked them about the "DSL" claims... and said "So this in not DSL, it's Wifi", and the customer service rep (who is no longer there) argued with me that it is DSL, and that DSL is just a generic term. I didn't feel like arguing the point, so I left it alone.

I agree they do use deceptive tactics to market.

My only comment about Direcway, is that for typical browing, it works fine; but if you game or work remotely via VPN, then it is unusable, unless they have made some recent changes. Remote desktop worked, but barely. (I've used Directway before) Have they made improvements to the network? On average my latency with Direcway was 2600 - 4000ms.

Stoopalini,

Their policy on the install is "do it as fast as possible, with a signal, doesn't matter if it's done right. And if the customer has an issue, blame it on customer first, take no responsibility, or even sound interested that the customer is having an issue." ;)

My signal is like yours (I mounted my own pole, radio, and ran my own cables) -68, and steady. But if you watch the trasnmission rate, you'll see where the problem is. When I originally got the service, it was steady at 11mb, and the service was blazing, latency was 15 to 50ms on average. Now it has dropped to 1mb, and sometimes loses connection altogether. My latency will be an average of 100ms for about 20seconds at a time,.. with a jump to 1000 - 2500ms in there for a few pings, as well as some dropped packets (Request Timed Out). So I think there is an issue either with the access point itself or it is being overloaded, or one of the devices in the chain between us and the T1 is having an issue.
Also, the "No shows" are common. I have taken off work a few times for a scheduled appointment, just to have no one come.

I would like to hear from other people who are having issues.
Email me at Cobalt-in-fo@hotmail.com

(sorry about the dashes, hotmail wouldn't let me use "info" in the name for some reason)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17080358 Fri, 13 Oct 2006 10:42:41 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17080329 Cobalt info : Tomzap, how long has Prismnet been around?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17080329 Fri, 13 Oct 2006 10:37:37 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16993137 stoopalini : I became a Cobalt customer about 2 months ago, and must say I am not impressed with their service, or customer service. Don't get me wrong, everyone I have spoken with has been polite, but they do not keep their word. I have been told time and time again someone would call about my issues, and it never happens. I was told a service call had been setup, so I took the morning off to meet the service guy --- no show. I called, and apparently my area was taken off the service rotation for that day because a new install in my area was postponed!

The service I am getting is very slow, and sometimes non existent. The signal from the tower to the radio is great (noise = -104 signal = -68), but the throughput is horrible. I sometimes register (using tracert) over 1000ms between their servers.

Another point here, is their install quality. They installed a 20' pole on my roof, and didn't ground it! When I asked about grounding it, they said it wasn't necessary and not part of their install service. They didn't even ground the POE or the radio itself. I've been calling them several times a week (because no one ever calls me back) complaining about this, and wouldn't you know it, we had an electrical storm last weekend and now the WAN port on my router is non-functional.

When I called to tell them about this, they said it wasn't due to the system being ungrounded. I have since grounded the POE myself to stop this from happening again.

I am getting sick of their service, and if I can find someone else who can provide me with service, I would switch in a heartbeat!

Thomas.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16993137 Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:26:19 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16945890 anon : Thanks for the info. I've seen their trashy small signs posted on telephone poles, and was searching for information on them.

So... this is a wireless product? As in they provide an antenna which is pointed to their transmitter?

Good gravy! Their ads state that "DSL IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THIS AREA". The first problem I have is that this service IS NOT DSL!!! They are misleading, no, make that lying, to the public. Advertising DSL when the product is not DSL is reprehensible! I wouldn't doubt that their marketing people are just morons who don't know the difference, though. Wireless ISP vs DSL. Apples and oranges.

If they lie in their ads, why should anyone trust them at all?

Leander, Liberty Hill, and the rest of the hill country should slam the door in Cobalt's faces, pronto!

Direcway(Hughesnet) satellite has been very reliable, given the expectation that the signal will be lost during thunderstorms (a 30 minute outage isn't a big deal for me). And since it rains only once every 2 months here, it's not an issue. Cost is a factor, though. Satellite by Hughes is priced at a minimum of $59 per month, plus purchase of the equipment ($400 or so). Still, you get what you pay for. There are more considerations with Hughesnet, and it's up to you to go read further.

If cable were here, I'd jump at it! Perhaps that is next on Cobalt's marketing agenda, to advertise "CABLE SATELLITE DSL IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THIS AREA!" Geesh! Unbelievable...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16945890 Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:23:50 EDT Re: Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16924926 anon : In Liberty Hill there is also PrismNet.
»www.io.com/contact.html
Antenna is at the propane place.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16924926 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:10:42 EDT Cobalt Broadband http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16844832 anon : Here is a little info on Cobalt Broadband.

To do a quick summary, here are the main points.
1. The product itself is not bad, when it's working.
You loose you internet connection randomly, most of the time it is up. They have a variety of issues, hopefully they are addressing some of them.
2. Don't expect Customer Service to do anything in a timely manner. And don't expect them to call you back when they say "can I call you back in just a bit?".
3. They treat you like a burden, rather than a customer.
4. New installs are a priority (to get them done, not right, just done), so if you are an existing customer expect a wait.
Basically, it could be a good product if the right leadership, and skill was there. But instead they try to do everything half way just to turn a buck. It's all about profit, not product.

Technology:
They run off 802.11b (same as your Linksys wireless router), with a T1 line running to their tower. Their product is only ok, most the time.
Half the time they have a high latency just from the radio to the tower. I think they are really overloading their equipment, trying to take on more customers than their equipment can handle.
The equipment is kept in a metal box located outside. The issue with that is, this summer has been 101+, you can only imagine how hot is it in that metal box. This equipment is not designed to be put, much less work well in these conditions. Most of their technicians lack the skill and knowledge to maintain their product, or so it appears.

The installation:
If you get Cobalt's installers to put up your radio and tower. Be sure to inspect it before they leave. They are known to do a terrible installation.
Some actual examples:
1. not high enough,
2. guy wires that are not at the right angle to secure the pole and screwed directly in to your shingles,
3. a radio mounted on a DirecTv footing, with a 1 1/4" pole placed in a 2" pole and secured by a self-tapping screw that usually is used to hold on metal roofs.
The problem with that example, is that this technology is line-of-site. Meaning, that if your radio is pointed even slightly to the left or right of the tower, you don't have a signal. The pole I referred to above had an inch and a half swing on it. Which means if it was slightly windy, then your internet is out.

The Service agreement:
Read carefully!! When you agree to their terms of service, you are locked in to a 2 year agreement. Not too out of the ordinary these days, right? The crooked part of this agreement is that if you cancel before your contract is up, you have to pay for the entire remainder of the contract. Meaning, if you cancel a year in to it, you still have to pay the rest of the year. Even SBC lets you pay $150 penalty to get out.

Customer Service:
This company is not about customer satisfaction. The employees of Cobalt Broadband are incompetent.
If you request a call back from them, expect to not get it.
Cobalt's main agenda is to make money, not caring about customer satisfaction. If you have them and have an issue, good luck, you're going to need it.

Even when I was trying to order their product, I would never get a call back, I had to call them back (4 times). Really, that should have told me to go with one of their competitors.

Other Providers for Liberty Hill:
Pegasus Broadband - Best if you're outside of town.
Western Broadband - Would not use, if you hit 1mb for over 10mins, then they throttle you down to 256k. So much for big downloads.
Zeecon Wireless - Service and technicians are terrible. Although their customer service is better than Cobalt's.
Time Warner - In town only.
SBC - In town, but currently expanding their availability.

If You want Reliability, Go Time Warner or SBC.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16844832 Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:11:46 EDT