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 Review by eak 
UPDATED: 4 days ago
member for 8.6 years, 208 visits, last login: 3 days ago
 Clarkston,Oakland,MI
 $79 per month (12 month contract)
 about 17 days
 SBC
 "They service Michigan as a monopolistic entity. Funhouse RULES!"
 "And the more you bend over, the better they service you. what uverse?"
 "SBC/Ameritech/ATT funhouse ROCKS! Tier1 phone support sucks rocks."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
Update 24/Nov/2009 3:00PM
I have had uverse available out of my CO (PNTCMINR) for almost 2 years. I have had the VRAD in my sub, 1135 feet from said CO for more than a year with a spinning power meter on it.
My house is approx. 600 cable feet from said VRAD. I have had Elite DSL for 6+ years.
And yet I still can't get uverse. For more than 2 years I have been going to the uverse site, checking availability, filling out the little email/phone number/name questionnaire and faithfully checking the little box "contact me to see how I can help get ATT Uverse in my neighborhood".
No calls. No email. No responses. No service. I obviously have had no problem paying out the wazoo for overprise Elite DSL service. I also am experiencing the monthly rape called AT&T landline service, I am an AT&T cellphone user and I have Yahoo Dish Network service for my TV.
Obviously, I give ATT too much money for them to consider me a good candidate for their best service. Im sich of the crappy 6Mbit DSL service so I guess its time to switch to Comcast. Ill make sure I take the 20-30 neighbors who asked for help setting up their DSL, wireless and Dish receivers when I tell them to switch with me to Comcast. At least then we will all get faster Internet access. And I guess if I am to believe the COmcast ads, they have a higher quality HD picture and I can dump my AT&T land lines and get Vonage.
If there is anyone with an AT&T uVerse clue that can help me part the sea of cluelessness and actually get uVerse spun up, I am intersted but come Jan 1st, if I don't have uVerse, Im going to say goodbye to ATT DSL, ATT phone and the Dish.
I will make sure I add all of this to my AT&T review as well. It won't make it much worse than it already is but Ill make sure I drop my stars down to 1 just to make a point.
Update 04/Nov/2008 3:005PM
Tom the cable tech came onsite. He ended up replacing my pair to the CO. He is still measuring the cable distance at over 6000 feet. Yes, to the CO 1/4 of a mile away. Over 1 mile. SOmething is still wrong but Tom is either too clueless or believes that playing stupid would placate me enough to let him feel like he had finished his job and there were no further problems. My line is still only testing to a max speed of ~8Mbit (it has always tested to ~10Mbit) but this is better that the 5 IP addresses (because I host servers) but such is life in Ameritech/SBC/ATT land. I get a TON of marketing garbage every week asking me if I want cheaper DSL (they never advertise cheaper rates for static IP packages), convert from cable to their digital TV service (a partnership with Dish network, and Ive been a Dish subscriber for 6 years) and switch to AT&T cellular (my wife has been a Cingular, now AT&T customer for 5 years) but I guess Ill just let them continue to waste their marketing dollars.
The Funhouse forum is still the best reason to join this website and its the one thing that I can say has kept me being a DSL customer. The moment I can eliminate them from my home for higher bi-directional speed, I will be gone. Their monopoly on my C/O and the state of Michigan will probably prevent that from happening before my 4yr old graduates from high school.
Updated December 25, 2005
I would like to publicly state that BeachBoy, Toaster and (Bill) ROCK! They actually had my line up to correct speed within 5 minutes of me posting. We ran into a few snags caused by me removing voice mail off my DSL line last week but BeachBoy and Bill went WAY above and beyond the call of duty. Both stayed 2 hours beyond the end of their shift to work the the issue.
Thank you BeachBoy, Bill & Toaster! You make me more than thankful this forum is here every time I have ever had an issue! This forum is the reason I am still an SBC customer and it is the only reason I give SBC support 2 HUGE thumbs up!
Thanks!
Updated 05November 2004 -
Had a speed related issue. Solved in minutes by Beach Boy!
Updated 16March2004 - BeachBoy ROCKS! My current tech support rating is based COMPLETELY upon the guys participating in the SBC forum online. Without them, it would be a 1! Needed my password reset. Done in a flash. Needed my speed cap checked. It had been set back to 4Mbit instead of 6Mbit. Reset and working beautifully. THANK YOU!
Updated 16March2004 - BeachBoy ROCKS! My current tech support rating is based COMPLETELY upon the guys participating in the SBC forum online. Without them, it would be a 1! I ordered the Expoert+S upgrade for my DSL line and was having problems getting the expected speed levels out of it. I would post his real name here but I don't think I should. This man is another BIG reason why I am still an SBC DSL customer. Thanks!
Updated 03/01/2004 - MAXO ROCKS! Noon on a Sunday and he helped me try to track down a problem with my sister-in-laws ADSL in Sterling Heights, MI. Now I just wish that there was an online interface to SBIS so that I could request that they reset her Radius session without having to wade through phone hell. This support forum is THE BEST! SBC phone support still sucks rocks. When my s-i-l called up support they told her to go talk to a video game manufacturer about why her DSL wouldn't let her surf. Ill be tracking down that person today to have them reprimanded.
Updated 12Dec2003 - ADSLguy ROCKS! Noticed my bill was reporting that I had Expert/S package but I should only be on Deluxe/S. Sent IM to ADSLguy. He called ME! Asked for confirmation. Called me back 20 minutes later and everything is cool. Just ran speed test: 1286/321. Ive said this before. The online support you get from the Funhouse forum is the best thing that has ever happened to SBC/Ameritech data service. They have again impressed me with their courtesy, prompt follow through and professionalism. They should get a bonus for every good review they get for SBC. THANKS!
Updated 12Oct2003 - If the SBC support forum was offered any place other than DSLReports I would never come back here.
Updated 23Sep2003 Well, I have been VERY happy with SBC. Their front line phone support has been more than a bit of a let down but the support here in the Ameritech/SBC forums is, in a word INCREDIBLE!. I recently split my business line with lineshare ADSL with static IPs off to their own bill. What a circus! The business rep said it was a no brainer. I wouldnt see any downtime or outage. In actuality they canceled my DSL and phone line, assigned a new phone number to me and I was down for 2 days before I could get it all straightened out. In the process I think I got a front line phone support contractor fired for lying to me but its all in a days work. Im upping my view of tech support to 4/5 ONLY because of the support forum here. I pity anyone who has to call in for support.
Updated 21Jan2003 Ameritech is now SBC.
Updated 13Jan2003 0:00:00AM - trying to get it listed as my ISP
On Dec 27 2002 I placed my order to upgrade my 768/160 to 1500/256. The order process went relatively smooth. Due date was 06Jan2003, which came and went. On 07Jan SBC maintenance reported the upgrade as complete but it was not. ADSLguy in the Ameritech tech support forum confirmed that there was an error in the redback profile which still had me capped at 768/160. It took until Thursday night and almost 8 hours on the phone to get an ASI tech through the tech support line to uncap me. Unfortunately another ASI tech re-capped me Friday morning because my business profile hadn't been properly updated by the business office. 8 more hours over 3 more days, 5 - 1st line techs, 3 supervisors, 2 managers, 5 ASI techs, 3 maintenance techs, 4 billing reps, 2 escalation techs, a call to corporate with a demand for an executive appeal and 3 calls with the escalation engineer didn't accomplish what 3 IM's to ADSLguy accomplished in 1 day. I can't say enough about how awesome his support and the other Ameritech personnel in the Ameritech forum has been.
If:
1) Any other DSL provider in my CO offered service
and
2) Ameritech didn't require you to have a phone line from them on the pair with your DSL line, even though its business class service with static IP's
and
3) if ANY other telephone company offered local service to me
then I would dump Ameritech in a heartbeat and take every person I know with me. However, Im saying that without the choice nor the experience of actually using any company but Ameritech in Michigan since they still pretty much have the monipoly on service here.
I believe it is robbery that I have to pay $80.00 a month for 1.5Mb/256Kb PLUS $25.00 for a voice line to get a static IP address with 256Kbit upstream bandwidth. Its not like they couldn't put a 1 year checkout on the DHCP for my router. It doesn't take any more engineering to set up a static IP than for a dynamic IP. You can get the exact same speed with a dynamic IP for $49.00 but then theres still that voice line charge.
Tech support is a MAJOR problem for Ameritech. Most of the front line has been outsourced to at least 2 companies who have limited access to the people who can actually do the work. Also, SBC is going through some significant growing pains as it integrates the DSL networks of the other telco's it has purchased. To top it off, they consider the wiring side and the data side two completely seperate companies. THis can cause more than a few headaches when you have wiring related problem which is causing you dificulty with the data circuit.
Overall, the stability of the circuit at 768/160 has been pretty much flawless in the last 18 months which is probably better than what you can say about any other provider. You are taking your life into your own hands if you should ever decide to make a change to either the voice or data side and be prepared wait for a long time to get anything done with painfully long hold times with tech support and thats if you actually know what to ask for and you aren't afraid to ask for managers. You will be far better off using the Ameritech support forum.
If I can answer any questions, don't be afraid to ask.
And when you believe you just can't fight any more, remember the following phrase:
I DEMAND AN EXECUTIVE APPEAL.
You will need to get to the corporate offices to get it but it can work miracles.
EAK.
Update 21June2001 - the key to getting things done when you are at your wits end is to contact the Executive Appeals organization, demand an executive appeal and demand an executive complaint number when you file it. 5 weeks after contacting the Executive compaint organization, I now have DSL.
===============Initial order detail===========================
I placed my order for voice service 6 weeks ago, at the direction of Ameritech Team Data, specifically so that I could have DSL active when I move into my new home next week. I work from home and I MUST have connectivity to do my job.
They assigned me a 248-393-XXXX number which is serviced by the PNTCMINR
»/coinfo/clli/PNTCMINR CO at 3556 Walton, right at the corner of Baldwin and Waldon. This is so close to my house that, if it weren't for trees, I could see it. It is less than 2000 feet. Instead of setting up my lines to be serviced by that CO, they instead set me up to be serviced by the Independance township CO, PNTCMINE(D?) »/coinfo/clli/PNTCMINE
at 3385 PONTIAC RD and now they tell me I am (of course) too far from the CO (>14000 feet) and that they won't create a DSL order for me.
I have spent >4 hours on the phone and Ameritech is telling me that they can get my line changed so that it will be serviced by the correct CO so Im crossing my fingers.
I really REALLY do NOT like dealing with Ameritech.
Eric.
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Review by Gib4500
UPDATED: 4 days ago
member for 5.9 years, 1193 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Sardis,Monroe,OH
$35 per month
about 3 days
Ameritech
"cheap price for the speed you get"
"not as fast as cable in overall raw speed although you get a constant speed no matter what time of day your on."
"If you live in my area get it!!!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
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I just got my dsl connection back with at&t. I'm now on the elite package. It works great. Speed is right where it should be. Ping times are also great. Online gaming is flawless on ps3 and xbox 360. My speed package costs 35 dollars a month which is a good price. Once i ordered it it took approximatly 3 days to activate the service. Many people in town here also have dsl. The people i have spoke with really like their connection also. Highly recommended if you live in Sardis!!!
Update: November 24, 09 After switching to cable and getting some disconnects i decided to switch back to dsl again. I'm back on the elite package. I'm around 12000 ft from the co, so my line performs really well considering the distance. After overhead i get around 5.14mb download and 660kbps upload. Overall i'm very satisfied with the service.
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 Review by Nightfall
UPDATED: 7 days ago
member for 8.3 years, 3636 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Grand Rapids,Kent,MI
$35 per month
about 7 days
SBC
"DSL activated early! Reliable connection so far! Price!"
"Phone tech support could be improved a little."
"Awesome connection and well worth the price!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
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2/3/04 - I have been a cable modem subscriber for over four years. In that time, @Home died and ATT took it over. Then Comcast took over from ATTBI. Last year, I went the route of buying DirecTV and getting rid of my cable TV service. Comcast initiated the bundling price right about that time last year. Luckily, I had prepaid for a year of service so it kept the price at $42.95. In March, my prepaid year was up and therefore my cost was going to go up. I started looking into other options.
I was nervous about trying DSL. I tried it once before when I first moved in November of 2000, but I was very dissatisfied with the service. The speeds and reliability were just not there. I then decided to give it another try based on the people in the SBC Midwest forum urging me on. That and I was 7,000 feet from the CO apparently.
I ordered DSL on Friday January 23rd. At the time, I wanted the Expert Plus package which would have given me extra speed. They said I qualified for it with a range of 6,934 feet, and gave me an install date of Friday January 30th. I was excited about trying it out.
A couple days later, I got a message on my answering machine from SBC saying I didn't qualify for the Expert Plus and they downgraded me to the Standard Plus. They also said I wouldn't have service until 2/3. I called back to ask why, and they said I didn't qualify for the extra speed. I then asked for what distance I was away or what the problem was, and the technician just didn't know. I didn't think much of it at the time. I figured the techs in the SBC forum would help me out after the DSL was installed and running.
On Friday 1/30, I got the modem in the mail. I plugged in all the filters and then the modem itself, and I found all the lights to be lit up green. I was quite amazed that the modem was already on, so I took the time to set up the modem with the CD. In about 10 minutes, I was surfing on the computer through the DSL. Speed tests were right about 1300/220. The modem itself said I had 1500/256 speeds, but I trust the speed tests as a little better indication.
Since then, I have had no downtime and the speeds are almost always top notch. Similar to Comcast. I subscribe to the line monitoring service, and I compared the graphs after I switched.
New Jersey USA monitor - Comcast: 30ms consistantly. SBC: 35ms consistantly
California USA monitor - Comcast: 95ms consistantly. SBC: 85ms consistantly
San Francisco USA - Comcast: 65ms consistantly. SBC: 70ms consistantly
My Comcast connection and this one are almost identical. Very few ping spikes which means I get good speeds and throughput. The only difference is what is in the graphs and that is only by a few milliseconds. Comcast wants to charge me $57 or so just for the cable modem. SBC charges me $27. A $30 difference? I am all over that. Even if I get the Expert Plus package, it would cost me $45, which is still a $12 difference.
My only complaint is that I don't think the phone techs know what is going on with my connection at times. I have inquired about the Expert Plus package and I while I understand that I don't qualify, they won't tell me my distance. I also can't find out for sure if I am on a CO or RT. I guess this will have to wait. I am in process of talking with the techs here on the forums. I hope they can give me the answers I am looking for, a speed increase to the next level, a move from a CO to an RT, or something along those lines.
Until then, I will enjoy the $26.95 price and the Comcast cable is going to be disconnected in the next couple weeks if everything stays the same. SBC, it looks like you have a new customer.
2/6/04 - Well, after talking with Beach Boy, one of the online techs here at broadbandreports.com, it looks like my range is much longer than I thought. I am currently sitting 14,000 feet from the CO. Almost 2.75 miles. I am glad I got a straight answer. Apparently, the max speeds would be about 3000/400 or so. The rumor is that they are working on a new price tier that would be $35 a month for those speeds. Instead of pay $45 a month and get capped, I will wait to see what SBC comes out with later. I hope they do release the mid-tier caps for that price. I would pay up. 
Today was a big day for me. I called and canceled Comcast cable. I explained to them it wasn't the quality, but the cost. If the comcast cable internet service was $42.95 and there was no penalty for buying their cable TV service, I would have kept it. However, that wasn't the case. As it was, I was paying $13.50 for basic and $42.95 for cable internet. If I opted for no cable TV, I would have paid $17 so it just made sense to get basic cable. I am going to save $30 a month now on my internet service and I am very happy. Even if I go with that mid-tier plan when it gets released, I will save $20. Lets just hope I see the stability and reliability on this DSL line like I had with the cable modem in the long term.
2/17/04 - So far, everything is still up and running. I haven't had any downtime at all and I always get the top speeds. For $26.95, I can't beat the price. I would be willing to pay more for more speed though so I hope SBC reads this and places an RT close to me. If they do start up a new speed tier for $35 a month that will give me 3000/468, I will jump all over it. My max speeds apparently will be 2486/416 this far away according to the techs. It isn't 6000/608, but oh well. Just give me an RT! I am still very happy.
2/25/04 - Still going without a problem. It is quickly approaching my 30 day mark. After that, I am locked in for a year with SBC. If everything continues to be superb, you can bet I will stay with them.
3/04/04 - This is probably going to be my last update for a while. Now I have passed the 30 day mark and I am keeping the SBC DSL as you probably have guessed. The connection is up and running smoothly. No downtime to speak of. The only thing I would like to see is an RT installed in my area so I can take advantage of the faster speeds. I hope SBC looks at this review and grants my request.
7/21/04 - A little over four months later, I am still happy with my SBC DSL. I have had ZERO problems with it and hardly any downtime. I believe the only downtime I had was back a month ago and that was a scheduled outage! The price continues to be a big selling point for me and I don't see myself going back to Comcast anytime soon. Lastly, the techs here are hands down the best I have ever talked with. Instead of calling the technical support lines, I post a message here on BBR and talk to the techs. They need a big pat on the back and a raise! The only thing I would like to see is an RT deployed out in my area. I would love more bandwidth and am willing to pay for it. PLEASE deploy one out in my area! Email me if you want me to help you. I work cheap. 
9/23/04 - Still VERY happy with SBC DSL. I had a couple instances of downtime, but come to find out my DSL Modem needed to be upgraded to a new firmware version. Since the upgrade no problems have been seen. I am still very happy with SBC and the $26.95 price point. The only thing I would like to see is to get my speed upgraded. I can only get 1500/384 (thanks for the extra upload). It would be nice to get 3000 down for a little extra money. However, I am still out of range. Oh well. Beggers can't be choosers I guess.
12/13/04 - What can I say? No downtime, top notch speeds, and low latency equals a happy customer. I just signed up for an additional year at the low $26.95 price. Gotta love it. I still want more speed though and am willing to pay for it. I just keep hoping that SBC reads this review and puts in an RT close to me.
3/15/05 - Still no RT, but service is still top notch! I have had no downtime and my service is solid. I am looking into seeing how much speed my line can support and if I can upgrade. It may not be worth the price to upgrade and only get a little more speed, but I am looking into it. I want to once again sing the praises about the SBC techs here on BBR. They are always quick to help. They are the best I have ever had the chance to deal with!
6/7/05 - No downtime, top notch speeds = happy customer. I have said it multiple times and I will say it again...I wish I could get the Pro speeds.
1/20/06 - Once again, no downtime and I always get the speed I pay for. I am still a very happy customer. Just took advantage of the $16.99 per month price for 6 months. It just can't be beat. Where is my RT so I can get more speed? That is the only complaint I have and it is a small one.
6/28/06 - Just renewed my contract to $15 a month for 1500/384 speeds for a year. At that price, I got the ok from the wife to run dual broadband connections to the dual WAN router and run them in load balancing mode. So now I have DSL and Comcast Cable internet! The DSL side has always been solid so I am happy on that end. My thirst for more speed AND a failover internet connections should be fulfilled with the addition of the Comcast HSI.
1/5/07 - Well, a little over 6 months later, I am really enjoying my dual high speed connections. My DSL and Cable connections are totally solid. My DSL in particular is very nice. I just wish I could get faster than 1500/384 on it. I have asked and asked about it. Its too bad I live smack dab in the middle of a city and I can't get anything faster. 
10/25/07 - I finally got an upgrade to 3000/512 and it works great. It works so good, I am thinking I am going to drop my comcast cable modem connection in December. I have had dual broadband connections for a while, and while it is nice, I just can't justify it anymore now that I have a faster connection. Still very solid service and I highly recommend SBC.
01/28/08 - The faster connection has been so good that I dropped my Comcast cable internet service and am down to one connection. The good news is that I am not paying for a second connection. That other connection did have its advantages, but I was rarely using them like the fact that I have a redundant connection. However, if the line never goes down, its hard to justify. AT&T rocks in my area.
08/04/08 - AT&T DSL is still rock solid. With help from AT&T Direct here on the BBR Forums, they got my speed upgraded to about 4500/768 which helps out a lot. I had the service hiccup on me one time in the last 6 months. It seemed that the modem lost sync. When it picked back up, it didn't go down again. I love this DSL service!
02/18/09 - Still happy with AT&T DSL service. No downtime and my service is as solid as a rock. If they do implement caps on the service that are too restrictive, I will be moving back to Comcast. So far, no word on caps so I am hopeful they will not implement them.
09/09/09 - Wow, its been 5 and a half years since I first got AT&T DSL. The service is still very very nice. I have noticed no downtime and the service is still very reliable. The ping times are great and I never have problems with gaming or getting online. I haven't had the need to contact AT&T support for a long time now. The service just works and that's all that matters. I would really like to move to Uverse though. So far I haven't seen it in my area though. There is a VRAD box pretty close to me that could service my area, but the techs say it isn't turned on yet.
11/21/09 - After dealing with a couple issues with my DSL line bouncing, I decided to give into my thirst for a faster connection and resubscribe to Comcast. I will be monitoring the connection closely, but for right now I think I will be switching. The 16000/2000 is much better than my 4000/768 line.
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Review by jeff3120
UPDATED: 30 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 3587 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Chicago,Cook,IL
$30 per month
about 7 days
Ameritech
"Reliable connection"
"speed is just ok"
"Good value for the money, though a modicum of techincal savvy is helpful"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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Update: The past 8 years have been as near trouble free as can reasonably be expected. I started out with the 768/128 package, and currently have the 3.0/512 package. I see consistent speeds on tests of 2.5+/435, which is just about the maximum after taking into account overhead.
The connection itself has been rock solid, with only 1 outage in the past year. Overall, reliability is on a par with most utilities (electric and gas companies).
While I haven't need the phone tech support in a while, I would wholeheartedly recommend the on line SBC support available on this website. These official techs are wonderful, and only an instant message away.
The only problem I have is that I can't get the 6.0 package...but hopefully soon it will be available to me and look f forward to upgrading my connection.
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 Review by privatepilot
UPDATED: 31 days ago
member for 5.5 years, 1082 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Evansville,Vanderburgh,IN
$21 per month (12 month contract)
about 15 days
Ameritech
"No problems"
"No problems"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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After good service for 5 weeks, no dial tone but DSL worked [abit very slowly]. I reported trouble at 9:15AM and after a new drop line was installed the dial tone returned and the DSL speed was back up to advertised levels. The repair was completed at 5:30PM the same day.
I'm a happy camper!
Update: Still happy and the price has been reduced from $26 to $21. Thanks to forum giving a heads up!
Jan 2009 update: Upgraded to PRO this summer and speeds are as advertised.
Thanks for the informative forums! PP
Oct 2009 update: Still on PRO and have had zero problems. Many times when I check email at other locations (like those with cable modems) I wait until I'm home to look at the attachments. My DSL is usually 10 times faster!
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 Review by Catmando
UPDATED: 35 days ago
member for 7.1 years, 740 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Montgomery,Kendall,IL
$34 per month
about 1 days
AT&T
"Great product for the price"
"self install can be cumbersome & tech. install are pricy"
"What you put in is what you will get out of it."
| Pre Sales information:
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Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
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I had a good knowledge of the product before purchase and under stood the principles of electronics. DSL use frequency to carry the information and two things can obstruct this frequency. Distance and multiple directions can cause impedance or resistance which can affect the integrity of the DSL signal. I had a dedicated fax installed the created a pipe or a direct path from the co to the modem; this minimize the impedance. Once the logistics were address connecting the wireless gateway was simple. Now I have Elite I can use sky Angle, Call advantage and much more. Service is still relieable.
Attachments:
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 Review by nwrickert
UPDATED: 45 days ago
member for 5.2 years, 3551 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Geneva,Kane,IL
$30 per month
about 10 days
Ameritech
"Reliable service, reasonable cost, adequate speeds"
"I could not quite get to the top Pro speed."
"Great support on SBC Direct"
| Pre Sales information:
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(ratings match consensus)
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update - Oct 2009. This will be my final review of the dsl service, as I have just had uverse installed.
Service has continued to be completely reliable since the last update. And I retained the same IP address for the duration. My speed was increased to the full Pro speed, and switched to an interleaved profile. The 5100b modem that I was using was able to recover the same PPPoE session after the brief interrupt to up the speed.
update - Jul 2009: Upgraded to Pro.
I was getting continued reliable service, with attenuation at around 54. And since uverse did not seem likely, I decided to give Pro a chance.
First step was to post in the Direct forum, and ask for a line status check. The stats looked good. So I applied for Pro, and that was up and running within two days. However, the speed was only pushed up to 1.984 mb/s. I gave it time, assuming a ramp up. But it never increased. Another post in the Direct forum, and the speed was pushed to 2.496. That is probably as high as I can go at my distance from the CO. The service has been completely reliable. And the extra speed is useful when watching internet videos (as on youtube, for example).
Then, around 2 months later, they installed what looks like a uverse box next to the cross connect box. Thus far the uverse box does not seem to have been brought into service, and I have not heard any sales pitches for it. I guess that will be the next step to look forward to.
Summary: things are working out well on Pro service at 2.496 mb/s
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Review by b315653
UPDATED: 46 days ago
member for 6.1 years, 1985 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Mentor,Lake,OH
$34 per month (12 month contract)
about 12 days
Ameritech
"The DSL,Tech's on BBR, SBC Direct Forum"
"Phone Tech's"
"Bang for the Buck"
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Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
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(ratings match consensus)
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I ordered online sometime in Sept. 2003 for the 384-1.5/128 speed for 29.95. Recieved my welcome pack/modem soon after. Waited untill the scheduled live date and hooked everything up but couldn't get online. That's when I called the support number and went through all their steps. Still nothing. I told them my modem would recycle itself without me even touching it and that must have gave them a hint that the modem was bad. They sent out another pronto and when I hooked it up and bingo DSL. I have since rerated to 26.95 and also added a router to take care of my connection. Connection is ROCK SOLID. Never even have to think about it. Still waiting for the upgrade to 256 upload but I'm on a RT and they haven't got to me yet. Great product for a great price is the bottom line. Also the techs here at BBR rock. I visit here almost every day just to stay on top of everything. Thanks to Beach Boy for checking my line for 6.0/600, unfortunately I'm to far to upgrade but oh well i still have a great connection that doesn't tie up my phone line. SBC gives me Dial-Up also as a back-up but haven't needed it yet although I jump on once in a while just to remind me what it used to be like. Also SBC is my local,local toll, and long distance provider. DSL ROCKS
Well it's 08/05/2004. I posted on SBC Direct forum to re-up for another 12 months at 26.95. I also wanted the upload increase to 256 because I am on a RT and didn't get the boost yet (still was 128). I posted on 08/02 and on 08/05 I ran the SBC speed test here at BBR and bingo 220 upload. You ROCK moose and so does SBC DSL. Rock Solid connection. Don't ever even think about it any more. Even my wife can surf without any problems. I could never return to dial-up. Only wished I was closer to RT when they were offering 6.0/600 but o well, you can't have everything. Keep up the good work SBC.
I have to respond to the negative posts on Ameritech (SBC) forums. My advice is the same as the tech's here, don't call SBC before you come here first and post at the regular forum (Ameritech) and if you don't feel you received help than go to SBC Direct forum and post there. If you do this first chances are really good you won't have to call anybody in India (SBC Customer Help) to talk you in circles. the techs here ROCK and know what they are doing. Why call anybody else and get totally frustrated? Take the road less bumpy.
Well it's 02/04/05 and all is still well. Received the upgrade a while back on the upload side. 384 now (330 actual). Rock Solid connection ALL the time. Wish SBC would come back with that 6.0/600 for 44.95 again but if they don't I'm still happy. One thing about re-upping your contract. Don't do it here at BBR. I did and found out too late that it didn't show up on my account and I slipped into the month to month price. I called and they finally straightened it out but you know I will have to wait a couple of months to get the credits. O well, live and learn. Moral of the story, Call SBC to re-up and get tech help here at BBR. Later.
Pre-Qualified at SBC Direct for Pro Package. Got the thumbs up and made a call for the upgrade on 03/21/05. Recieved the upload increase to 512 (435actual) and waited for my Active Date of 03/29/05 to get the download increase.Active date came with no increase so I posted in SBC Direct and within a day I recieved an answer that the profile was not changed at the Redback. Good to go now.
One thing. I'm on a RT and I was only getting 1.9 down so I reset my RWIN to 14750 and it jumped to 2522 down. This is a known problem that just requires a tweek. Moral of Story- Post in SBC Direct when you have problems, get results. Thanks to "wolfdragon01" at SBC Direct for his assistance. DSL Rocks.
Just an update. Called today (06/21/2005) to get a rerate. Talked to a nice AMERICAN lady. She checked the computer and said that would not be a problem. Now I have Pro Package for 24.99. SBC is aggressive but fair. Again DSL Rocks! Never in recent memory has my connection not been there. Rock Solid. Fair Price. Great Techs at BBR. What else could you ask for. (Maybe that 6000/600 package offer again). Keep your cable folks, DSL for me, period.
Called today (02/04/2006) to rerate. Was paying 24.99. rerated to 17.99 for 12 months. This is a great service for that price. Rock solid connection. Always on. Now they lower the price. Great product SBC!
05/07/06 Well, it finally came available at a good price (6000/608). I ordered the upgrade for the Elite service today. I did it online at www.att.com/upgrade for 27.99. If you look at the first part of this review you will see I paid two dollars a month more for the basic package in 2003. I will complete this review when the upgrade is completed.
05/12/06 This was my live date and when I gave it a speed test I had the proper upload but not the right download (3371/637). Posted in ATT Direct and left my computer for two hours. When I returned, bingo 5100/653. I'm good to go. Good price (27.99) and good speed. What's next ATT? DSL Still ROCKS.
03/31/07 All has been good since last update. Solid speeds and good connection. Only thing I don't like now is there are no offerings if you commit to a year of service. Come on ATT, how about rewarding loyalty.
08/20/2008 All is still good. Price for Elite is 34.99. Rock Solid connection. Never even think about it. I see a new cabinet going in by my RT (actually 2). Maybe U-Verse is coming with 10/1.5 internet. That would be great. We will have to see.
10/13/09 All is still good. Elite is still 34.99. Wish they would discount for year commitment. Service is rock solid though. Don't even think about it. Been looking for U-Verse but still not on my side of street. Maybe next year. Would love that 10/1.5 speed.
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Review by SoCoJosh5
UPDATED: 51 days ago
member for 3 years, 90 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Stevens Point,Portage,WI
$32 per month
about 7 days
"strong steady speed"
"nothing faster than 3 megz"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
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(ratings match consensus)
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everything was good until my modem would not go any further than the 2nd stage of ramp up.
update: had some very old copper filters from the 60s removed, now i can max sync at around 7000 versus 3016 with bad echo on the voice line.
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 Review by bbingurnee
UPDATED: 52 days ago
member for 6.2 years, 313 visits, last login: 31 days ago
Gurnee,Lake,IL
$79 per month (12 month contract)
about 45 days
AT&T
"Service was good until it broke; consistent"
"At the end of too long of a loop for 6M service - hard to maintain"
"I like DSL but the loop length matters - mine was too long. YMMV"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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Updated 10/2009 Finally cancelled service after yet another outage which took several tries to get the 6 Mbit profile solidly working. I may just be at the end of the acceptable loop length. Switched to Comcast 20/5 business service - we shall see.
Updated 7/2008: Corrected rate to 79 Service is rock solid. One outage of 2 hours in last 6 months (looked like a maintenance cycle since it happened at 3 AM for almost exactly 2 hours.) At least 4 9's of availability (99.99%)
Updated 5/2008: Re-upped contract to get another $10 month off the rate. This time, with the help of folks here on the direct forum, we managed to do so without losing my assigned IP addresses. A lot of difficulties for something that should be easy but the folks on the forum made it easy from my viewpoint. Most importantly, it worked! Performance has been consistent for the last year with virtually no downtime. I still hate the price but there is not an effective alternative that delivers multiple static IP addresses in my neighborhood with the same performance. I'm a satisfied customer.
Updated 5/2006: Re-upped contract for 89.95/month with 3 months for 79.95. Again had an outage when their order management system redeployed my static ips and issued me new ones when the order fired. Spent 2.5 hours on phone with tech support but finally got them back 28 hours later. Really irritating since I asked the service rep whether this was a risk after my last experience and was informed "absolutely not." Tech support rep indicates that none of the sales reps are connected to reality - he may be right.
Updated 9/2005: Re-upped contract for 1 year - rate dropped to 99.95 for 6M static with 5 IP addresses. Lost IP addresses for 1 day when the order management system reissued ip addresses instead of just renewing the contract.
Updated 6/2005: Just finished a cycle of lost connectivity - somehow copper pair suddenly degraded to where 6M signal became completely unstable. Not enough to lose synch but errors enough to drop throughput to a tenth. Found a great manager in the Tier 2 support area to work with and walked things through their paces for 4 weeks. Swapped pairs, routers, etc. Finally found stability again but still very touchy. Every once in a while things go South and a power recycle to the router is needed. I've automated the process and have dropped outage times to 5 minutes or less (which is the length of time I wait before restarting the router after I detect connectivity loss. )
Still the best option I can get at my location that officially allows servers. Comcast has raised their caps but doesn't let servers play. Local WISP can't see my house over a stand of trees. So, SBC it is.
ORIGINAL POSTING FROM 9/2003
Ordered initial service early September - multiple service calls later we finally determined it was some sort of inside wiring issue causing the signal to degrade and moved the DSL to a second line with great success. ISP staff dispatched was unable to isolate wiring issue - continuously pushed to lower the DSLAM profile to lower and lower speeds, claiming that the issue was the LEC outside plant. Only the telco special services tech took the time to help isolate the issue to the IW. Had it not been for him, I'd be a much cheaper and much dissatisfied customer. Now I'm poorer but happier. Forum techs here are excellent if not over worked.
I'd recommend them but only if things go easily. Otherwise you need great persistence and patience. Once resolved, service quality seems reliable and of high quality
Previous ISP was Speakeasy using IDSL (144/144) for $25/month less.
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