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Cobalt Info
@corporate-domain.net
| Cobalt Broadband
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. | |
tomzap
@205.242.x.x | In Liberty Hill there is also PrismNet.
»www.io.com/contact.html
Antenna is at the propane place. | |
LeanderDan
@direcpc.com
|  reply to Cobalt Info
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... | |
stoopalini
join:2006-08-31
Liberty Hill, TX
 ·Cobalt Broadband C..
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. | |
Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
2 edits | reply to Cobalt Info
Tomzap, how long has Prismnet been around? | |
Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| reply to 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) | |
ThunderStruck
@Level3.net
|  reply to Cobalt Info
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. | |
stoopalini
join:2006-08-31
Liberty Hill, TX
·Cobalt Broadband C..
1 edit | reply to Cobalt info
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. | |
Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| 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 | |
Blue-Cobalt
@cobaltbroadband.com
| reply to Cobalt Info
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? | |
Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| 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. | |
tomzap
join:2006-12-02
Leander, TX
1 edit | reply to Cobalt Info
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. | |
Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| 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. | |
dudleyfamily
join:2007-03-09
Mont Belvieu, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. | |
Cobalt Sux
join:2007-03-20
Liberty Hill, TX
1 edit | 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. | |
robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
| Cobalt Sux  This is a little confusing. Are you Cobalt info ? | |
Cobalt Sux
join:2007-03-20
Liberty Hill, TX | I am, but why is that confusing? I got frustated one night and needed a name change.  | |
robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
| 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. | |
Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| 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? | |
robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
1 edit | 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.  | |
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