 Review by GlennAllen 
UPDATED: 175 days ago
member for 7 years, 534 visits, last login: 175 days ago
 Glen Allen,Henrico,VA
 $56 per month (12 month contract)
 about 42 days
 "Fast, reliable, cheaper than other, slower services"
 "None"
 "Worth the money"
| Pre Sales Information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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I ordered FiOS on 06Feb2007 using Verizon's online process. I picked the 30/5 tier because it's only $5/mo more than the 15/2 tier (for now), which I otherwise would have gone with--about $50/mo is my "sweet spot" for Internet access. Vz typically offers an 8-day turnaround for installs, but I had other scheduling concerns, so I requested a 27Feb install. Several days before the scheduled install date, I had a conflict arise--jury duty on the 27th. So, I rescheduled for a date beyond the current court session--20Mar, first install of the day again from 8:00 to noon. I had no problems with the order process or with rescheduling.
The tech called me at 8:00 AM on the morning of the install to let me know that he was at the CO, had to get some stuff there, and would be at my place shortly--he arrived a little after 8:30 and proceeded to start the install. I was only getting Internet, but plan on getting TV later this year after I get an HDTV, so he used coax to go from the ONT to the router (instead of Cat 5 or 5e)--but they seem to have a preference for using coax anyway. Everything seemed to progress at a normal pace, taking about 3 hours to complete. There were no problems with the install, and I've had no significant problems since.
I had set aside a PC for the install (which I usually do, except this one wasn't a "clean" PC). The PC had originally been configured for DSL, so the MTU was 1492. The FiOS optimizer didn't set the MTU up to 1500, which I didn't notice right away. When I did notice it later, I tested for fragmentation at 1500, found none, so I left it there, as well as setting the RWIN to an appropriate size for the new MTU. The new settings increased overall speed a little and greatly reduced jitter. For the most part, speed tests get close to 30-point-something down and between 4.4 and 4.6 up. The only thing I'm unhappy with is that when I do a speed test using the Vz site (in Texas), it says I'm getting 29.x down (fine) and 2.x up (not fine), and that my connection is "working normally"... 40% of 5M is "normal"?... nuh-uh. I suppose I'll call them on that eventually, but as long as the "real world" speeds seem about right, I'm not very concerned with Vz's "interpretation" of acceptable upload speeds for the 30/5 tier.
I've been using PingPlotter and some other tools to eval the connection, and generally the latency on the local Vz (FiOS) network is 6 or 7, and up to 11 or 12 on the non-local Vz network. After it leaves Vz, it could be just about anything, but it averages around 20, though spikes up to 70 aren't very unusual for Level3 or AboveNet. I do have a straight shot to Yahoo! now, which is useful, I guess, for those who choose the Yahoo! "experience".
The first bill included the pro-rated amount for March and the full month's amount for April--no surprises there. There's also a state (VA) tax of 0.80 and a local tax of 0.20.
Some downloads hit over 40 mbps; I downloaded one 24MB file in about 4 seconds. Typical sustained speeds are usually around 26 or 27 mbps. It's been fast and stable, so no complaints from me.
UPDATE: 29May2009 - first router went bad; called support--went through the usual "do this, do that" (about 25 minutes), but they still couldn't "see" the router, so they sent me a new one ("new", as in "used", but it works) which arrived the next morning (less than 24-hr turnaround); I plugged it in and was back online. Easy peasy.
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