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Anon

Centurylink 7 Mbps ADSL vs. Comcast 6 Mbps Performance Starter

I am trying to decide between Centurylink or Comcast for my ISP. The choice is between Centurylinks 7 Mbps service vs. Comcast's 6 Mbps service. I live in NW Washington state, 20 mile SE of Seattle, in Maple Valley. The price for both services after initial promo is compariable. Which service would you recommend and why?

TAZ
join:2014-01-03
Tucson, AZ

TAZ

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The speed of both will be similar.

If higher CL speeds are available, it's a safe bet you'll be overprovisioned to 9 Mbps. Comcast will overprovision to 6.6 Mbps. Overprovisioned CL 7M will be faster.

Since the prices are similar, the rest of the decision would come down to local factors. Comcast is good (as good as they can be, at least) in some areas, poor in others. CL is good in some areas, poor in others. In my area, for example, CL provides great reliability while Comcast can't keep their network up for more than 5 minutes.

Your best bet would be to ask neighbors and see what their experiences have been.

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Anon

Thanks for the reply. What's a good DSL modem w/Wifi that works good with CL.

TAZ
join:2014-01-03
Tucson, AZ

TAZ

Member

Anything other than the Actiontec C1000A is good. Ideally, you'll want a VDSL2 modem as it will be backwards compatible with ADSL and ADSL2+, so you'll be set for any upgrades in the near future.

The ZyXEL Q100 is ideal, but the Actiontec Q1000, ZyXEL C1000z are also reasonable.

You do not want to use any ISP-supplied equipment as more than just a modem. That includes Comcast's equipment too. You'll want to use it as a modem, put it in bridge mode, and use your own router. I am really not familiar with consumer networking products, but I have seen the Asus RT-N66U recommended quite a bit. It's expensive, but maybe someone else would be able to recommend a cheaper model that also works well.

toby
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Seattle, WA

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said by RSS :

Thanks for the reply. What's a good DSL modem w/Wifi that works good with CL.

I have a bunch of ADSL modems, I can give you one. Both with and without wireless.

I know people in MV, they have been happy with Comcast. CL has upgraded a lot of the city to VDSL, if you are in unincorporated King County, your speeds will be limited, especially if 7Mbps is the max speed you can get there.

Eagles1221
join:2009-04-29
Vincentown, NJ

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Are you sure I thought VDSL would not jibe with the regular ADSL flavors?

Midniteoyl
join:2013-11-22
Knox, IN

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Go with the DSL is speeds/price are comparable.. more stable, a 'dedicated' line, and no Comcast cap and throttling BS.
Midniteoyl

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said by Eagles1221:

...

Many VDSL2 modem are backwards compatible with ADSL2. Check the specs before buying.. The ones Taz listed are, of course.

TAZ
join:2014-01-03
Tucson, AZ

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said by Eagles1221:

Are you sure I thought VDSL would not jibe with the regular ADSL flavors?

You're thinking of the older VDSL1 / "not really VDSL2 but we can kind of call it that" crap (like what AT&T was using for awhile). Modern VDSL2 modems are backwards compatible all the way to ADSL.