seagreen
Premium,Mod
join:2001-05-14
out there
 ·Rock Island Commun..
Host:
CenturyTel
Wireless Service P..
Southern California
HughesNet Satellite
WildBlue Satellite
| reply to Cobalt Info
Re: Cobalt Broadband
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! |
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Frankd
join:2006-10-29
Lexington, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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  |
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delphiin
join:2007-09-19
Brookshire, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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texastraffic
join:2007-09-03
Liberty Hill, TX
1 edit | reply to ISP search
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. |
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ISP search
join:2007-08-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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conroe1
join:2007-07-27
College Station, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX | reply to lynster
I hate to take this off-topic, but what was your experience like with Prismnet Wireless? |
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lynster
join:2007-06-16
Liberty Hill, TX
| reply to AnnieB
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 |
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AnnieB
join:2007-04-17
Liberty Hill, TX
|  reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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stoopalini
join:2006-08-31
Liberty Hill, TX
·Cobalt Broadband C..
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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cly
@cobaltbroadband.com
| reply to Cobalt Info
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... |
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dudleyfamily
join:2007-03-09
Mont Belvieu, TX
| reply to Slimey
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 |
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Slimey
@Level3.net
| reply to Cobalt Info
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? |
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dudleyfamily
join:2007-03-09
Mont Belvieu, TX
| reply to Bear Creek
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 |
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Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
| reply to Bear Creek
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 |
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Bear Creek
join:2007-03-26
Bertram, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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Bear Creek
join:2007-03-26
Bertram, TX
| reply to Cobalt Info
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. |
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Bear Creek
join:2007-03-26
Bertram, TX
| reply to Cobalt Sux
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!! |
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Cobalt info
join:2006-10-13
Liberty Hill, TX
1 edit | reply to robbin
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. |
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robbin
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
1 edit | reply to Cobalt info
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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