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1 edit | Reducing Costs -- Alternatives to Bell Like many others before me, I'm considering cancelling services with Bell (POTS and 6 Mbps grandfathered unlimited internet) in exchange for a more affordable ISP + VOIP combo. I also haven't ruled out Rogers (with whom we currently have digital VIP TV) to see if they might offer a good deal for all 3 services. We own all of our TV terminals, so we're more or less locked into their ecosystem anyways. Having researched this thing to death, my head is now spinning with information overload and I'm uncertain which path to take. Our primary goal is to reduce costs. What would you guys do in my shoes?
Background Info:
Location: North York, a few blocks west of Yonge & Sheppard (house).
Wiring: I ran coax and CAT6 cable throughout the house last year, and created a networking equipment area close to the Bell NID and Rogers box. The telephone and cable drops to the street were both replaced as well. VDSL and cable should both work... the nearest DSLAM is 500m away, and Bell's website says we qualify for 25/10 service. Our ADSL connection has been rock-solid for years, but I can't see line stats on this ancient SpeedStream modem.
Existing Hardware:
- D-Link DI-624 router (doesn't have QoS, so it's useless for VOIP)
- Trendnet teg-s80g switch
Monthly Fees (before tax):
Rogers VIP: $74
3rd-party internet: $40 - $60
VOIP: $4 (VOIP.MS, OOMA, etc.) - $25 (Vonage, TekTalk)
Considerations for Choosing a 3rd-party ISP + VOIP:
Must choose whichever service has the least likelihood of service interruptions or failures.
faster than 1 Mbps upload speed. That means getting 25/10 or 15/10 VDSL, or one of the newer aggregated cable packages. (TekSavvy's cable service for the North York POI supposedly gets upgraded to ATPIA on May 6)
Purchase:
- Sagemcom F@st 2864 or Technicolor DCM476
- VOIP ATA
- UPS
- router? (depends on the capabilities of the ATA and/or modem)
- one-time fees (shipping, activation, speed change, VOIP account, phone # porting, etc.)
Considerations for Choosing Rogers:
lower hardware costs? Depends on whether they are willing to offer the modem/router and the home adapter thingy rent-free. I certainly don't want to buy them.
- no need to purchase a UPS for the phone
- no need to purchase a new router (theirs can replace ours)
monthly bandwidth: Will they provide unlimited bandwidth, or at least match competing ISP's monthly caps? Could be a deal-breaker.
contractual downsides:
- potential rate hikes during our term
- risk of being billed for things not agreed upon or discussed?
- could they alter the bandwidth cap at a whim, or will they honour the agreement?
overall cost vs going 3rd-party + VOIP | | |
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DavesnothereNo-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages
join:2009-06-15
START&Cogeco
kudos:6
1 edit |
Get a newer router (VoIP is not the only reason to do this) and an ATA, and choose VOIP.MS or a similar BYOD provider (I use Anveo).
You should have a UPS anyway, so buy one regardless of the outcome of your decision - spend at least $200 plus tax on it - APC is still a decent brand, but check who has best deals on APC.
And do some searches and posting here : »VOIP Tech Chat , where there is virtually unlimited info on VoIP providers and hardware.
This recent (and recently moved) thread covers some of what you need to know : »(topic move) Suggestions to get rid of Bell phone?
This DSLR page may also be useful : »/gbu
Anveo's price on that page is way off, due to one business customer posting a high figure which is not average - they are more like $10 per month or less for most of us.
--
We have only 2 things about which to worry :
(1) That things may never get back to normal
(2) That they already HAVE !
-
START Forum »Start Communications
Or you can still use Canadian Broadband.
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DavesnothereNo-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages
join:2009-06-15
START&Cogeco
kudos:6
4 edits | reply to Limber
For Internet, I'm with START Communications cable in Cogeco-Land, and am pleased after nearly a year.
If you do not need unlimited monthly usage, you should consider them for Internet.
You might gain a bundle discount giving the Internet biz to Rogers though, so will still need to weight THAT part, though personally I advise against bundles for same reasons as I'm against contracts in general.
I'm also against incumbent providers in general, so would suggest independents like TSI or START for your Internet, regardless of thru which wire it enters your home.
If you would rather stay with DSL on a dry loop, START and other Indie ISPs offer that, and many do not charge for the dry loop anymore.
You just need 1Mbps upstream speed or more to support VoIP, and as no Internet nor phone provider is completely reliable, ask your close neighbours about their experiences with downtime, and consider a low-end pay-as-go cell phone as backup if not something you already have.
BTW, as you are in GTA, you might get a very good deal from Wind on cell service in general, and even the established cell players have some deals which they only offer in large centres. | |
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