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Review by scortch 
Posted: 3.9 years ago
member for 3.9 years, 2 visits, last login: 3.5 years ago
 Brainerd,Crow Wing,MN
 Contract price not specified.
 "Sales"
 "Equipment availability, Customer Service"
 "Just couldn't get"
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(ratings match consensus)
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I ordered Clearwire service on November 1st and was told that I needed an external modem and that it would take 3-4 weeks to receive it. It is now 7 weeks later and I have not received anything but receipts from payments automatically deducted from my checking account. Several phone calls to the local office in St. Cloud MN to cancel the account have not resulted in the account being closed. The main customer service only refers me to my local office. I'm not in a position to wait 7+ weeks for a replacement should the modem fail, and from why I see, the customer service at this local office is pretty dismal. They don't return phone calls and there is no communication once the sale is made.
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Review by ricep5
UPDATED: 3.9 years ago
member for 9.3 years, 1359 visits, last login: 3 days ago
Jacksonville,Duval,FL
$36 per month (12 month contract)
 about 1 days
"Easiest Install by far"
"Service starting to degrade"
"Future Use in doubt"
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Recently relocated to Jacksonville. Already have Comcast HSI with AT&T CallVantage and wanted a secondary broadband connection. Tried to acquire AT&T DSL, but they require a pre-existing active BellSouth account, so I am checking out Clearwire.
Acquired at a authorized reseller (Coastal Wireless) and the pre-sales activity only took 15 minutes as he entered the required information into the sales kiosk.
Set up the NextNet Wireless transceiver this morning and will admit it was the easiest ISP set up I have ever done. Signal strength is at the maximum no matter which way I turn the device. On 2nd floor and not near any windows, so obviously I am very, very close to a tower.
After some tests on BBR and some downloads I am seeing around 1.58Mbps download speeds. The BBR speed test shows 1.38Mbps download and 178Kbps upload. (I signed up for premium service)
It appears they are using Williams Communications (formerly WilTel) for their bulk bandwidth and IP services. Currently running some latency tests, more to come on that. Corporate VPN connectivity is excellent. No issues.
I am using a Xincom Dual WAN router to manage bandwidth between Comcast & Clearwire. Will also pass along results on that config in the BBR equipment forum. At a later time I will test the VoIP (AT&T CallVantage) TA on the Clearwire service and see if it passes that test since it tends to be more latency sensitive.
Of note, I did not need to use tech support (no rating). I have only had the service active for several hours, so no atmospheric or interference reports as of yet. The "modem" is rented to you at $3/mo. Since there are no other Clearwire authorized modem suppliers today, this break out seems silly. Perhaps Clearwire has a plan to provide alternate suppliers.
I have not taken advantage of the other services that Clearwire provides, including mail services, web pages, etc. More to come on that.
In Summary: Just as easy as cable to setup.
Only Beef: (and minor I must say) the bundled ethernet cable with the transceiver is thinner than most single pair phone wire. Might be subject the RF interference.
Additional Note: Monthly cost includes expected taxes and modem rental. When I get an invoice I will update. Also, if you choose a 1 year contract, there is a $50 setup fee.
Update 4/17/05
OK, have had the service now for several months. I found a couple of minor issues over the long term. For a few months I tried using 2 models of Netgear routers on the Clearwire transceiver (WGT624/WGU604) and the service was spotty, poor latency and outright bad. I was about to give up until I updated the Netgear with 5.07 release of firmware and voila! it works beautifully now. The error fix list for the release doesn't show anything specific, but the performance is much better now and consistent.
There were some DNS outages in Feb. 05, but I recv'd an apology letter from Clearwire Operations after they fixed it. I did call tech support on it and they were quick to respond and told me exactly what the issue was. They said it would be fixed in about 2 hours and it was.
I have used the transceiver over at my girlfriends house with no issues. This makes it very easy to take your broadband with you, so to speak. Once in awhile the signal strength will drop to 4, but it normally stays at the maximum (5) all day and all night.
The online support experience is pretty spartan. I don't really need stuff like that anyway, but they shouldn't promote it if they aren't going to do something real with it.
Update 10/5/05
Interesting Update. VoIP has worked just fine since I got this service almost a year ago. Clearwire recently has been sending weird press releases on how VoIP providers will need to 'register' to function properly on their network. Coincidence would have it, I made a few posts that said I didn't agree with that philosophy and might vote with my wallet as my contract is up soon. Guess what happened? 3 days after I posted on BBR, my VoIP service (ATT-CV) started degrading. For awhile just simple stuff like inbound voice clipping. Now it has reached the choppy state where people can't understand me. Thats unacceptable in my book. I switched it back to Comcast and the clipping and chopping are completly gone. Coincidence? Perhaps. Clearwire has either oversubscribed or they have put packet shapers on their network (probably both). My contract is up in 3 weeks. I have lowered the Reliability score down a notch due to this. DSL is getting cheaper, if it wasn't for the taxes and fees. this would be a no brainer.
Update 11/30/05
I officially dropped Clearwire today. I spoke with Customer Support last night and they just said to take the 'modem' to the nearest office and make sure you include the PWS. I returned the transceiver back to the regional office and there were no hassles. I was quizzed by the receptionist on why I stopped the service as she filled out an exit sheet.
I told her the service has degraded continuously since I got it last year. It was no longer supporting IP calls. I also told her that statements by Clearwire management had given me the clear indication that they were going to modify the service w/o my knowledge and that I needed unadulterated and unimpeded service if they wanted me to keep it. She asked me if my signal was good during the problems, and I told her, "yes, 5 bars". No response, no begging to stay. She took the response to the back office, made a photocopy of my 'modem' return sheet and said "thanks, have a nice day, your account will be closed today".
Now I am waiting for the post-exit call, "Why did you leave?".
I lowered the ratings on reliability and Services appropriately.
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Review by countryboymo
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4 years, 213 visits, last login: 68 days ago
Amoret,Bates,MO
Contract price not specified.
"Great speeds until you figure in the latency"
"Tech Support is not 24/7 and is far from being top notch"
"GO WildBlue or any other alternative, I will have WB by 06'"
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I don't mean to sound like an echo in here, but when Starband was first installed it was amazingly fast with high but tolerable latency (4yrs ago averaged over 1000kb down and 70KB up on T7 cluster 50) to speeds currently in the 350 to 450KB down and 50KB up with a latency that is borderline intolerable. Let me define intolerable.. some webpages timeout because the latency is so bad,I am talking about loading yahoo or google even. My modem got tired 3 months ago and cost me 100.00 for a replacement unit and a week down time after the modem arrived to get a tech support guru (ok that was sarcastic) that was competent enough to remove the old modem out of the database and add the new one. I think the new modem should have been set up in the database if the unit at the residence was not working before it was shipped, but what do I know. After T7 satellite went dead and then was found in space and electronically jump started or whatever was done to make it useable again, the speeds and latency just have not been the same. There was a time when Starband was the best bang for the buck for people living in the country who yearned for something faster than dial up, that time has passed and Wildblue seems to be taking the initiative to provide faster service for better prices with better equipment.
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Review by piith
UPDATED: 4 years ago
member for 7.8 years, 390 visits, last login: 49 days ago
Medford,Jackson,OR
$42 per month (12 month contract)
"easy set up"
"4 weeks of great service then it's like "what service" once locked in contract your screwed"
"Do not get it, not worth the problems"
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Update 20 Nov., 2005
been gone for a month, came back was happy to be back, then to log in and find speeds no longer there, went and checked the my account, and I do not even have a account any more. That or the user id and/or Password has been changed. So it seems the first month is great, then it goes to crap after that.
Because my userID and Password does not exsist in their data . . I can not even get answers to the problem, My upload is faster then my download, my up is as advertised
23 Sept. 2005
For the past couple days I have been searching for something better then Dial up, with no luck, I just moved to Medford, and no phone yet, so was looking for wireless, according to all the wireless Co's here there was no service where I am currently staying. While looking for a cell phone to buy, I saw a clear wire store, I did a 180 and went inside gave my speach I really need this, but before I could finish the sales person was already searching if I could get service, I told him according to their lil map .. I am right next to it, but the web site said no service . . he said no problem, we'll test it this way . . gave me a modem to take home, with some verbal instructions .. so home I went, wel the locations I really wanted to place it . well that was a no go . . but Ironically in the middle of the living room floor I got 5 bars. Well we all know that would not work . so with a lil bit here and a lil bit there fond a spot .. only 3-4 bars, but outa the way.
hmm what am I to do now .. see this was my very first time going wireless . . just for my own entertainment I pluged in the lap top . . Bam . . Im online . . oh that was sweet, did a quick speed test 900dn 200up . . hmm not bad .. wel waited till the next day ad went down and said I'll take it .. so my day to order to success is kinda a negitive number, because I kinda didnt order it yet, just test. So you may say I had success before I ordered it.
my speed vary when testing between 1000-1100down, and 170-210 up . . so it is very close to what I am paying for and can not complain at all since I supposally out of their service area.
you can not purchase the modem . .you have to rent it . . I really did not like that part, and you also have to do at least a 1 year contract. for the moment those are my bad points about ClearWire.
Can not judge there tech, not till they are needed, hopefully never needed.
connection was as fast as it takes to find a good spot to place the modem, and pluging in the computer. in my case the time it took me to drive home after shopping, find a good spot, so it was about 2 hours after I left the clear wire store. would have been sooner if I didn't have to finish shopping 
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Review by necovx300
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4 years, 1 visits, last login: 4 years ago
Roseburg,Douglas,OR
$34 per month (24 month contract)
about 20 days
"Remote locations along major Hwys/Interstates"
"Speed is affected by distance from cell towers"
"Pretty good for those with dial up who can also use a cell phone from home"
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Service: Clearwire (Up to) 512 Kbps down/ 128 Kbps Up.
Price: 34.98/month (19.99/month first 3 months)
Sign up/order at Wireless storefront
Equipment: Modem (DHCP by provider not equipment)
This review is relevant to those who are in remote locations (like me) who only have access to dial-up. Although all are privy to the info for reference.
Location: Small town Oregon with limited access to high speed. I am near Interstate 5 with only dial up available(in the past) . Clear wire recently came to the area.
My home is older with old copper lines to the telco so dial up suffers. I was getting speeds less than 24.4 if it would stay connected long enough. I decided to try ClearWire. It worked so here are the Hifg/low points.
High points:
Price OK at 34.98/month
Stability: I read other reviews stating that rain affected it, I have not seen that yet and it rains here in Oregon.
Compatibility: Works fine with a direct PC to modem connection (PC set to obtain network info of course...DHCP), However I have two router/firewalls (D-link and Linksys) and only the Linksys will obtain an IP from their server. I am a Network Admin with over 4 years exp in the field and could not get the D-link to obtain an IP.
Speeds: I get no lower than 74Kbps and as much as 226Kbps (DL) of the "Up to 512 Kbps" advertised at a range of ~5 miles from the tower. Speed is all dependant on the distance from the actual Cell towers. I found this out by going around town with an adapter and the modem/laptop setup. If you are more than about 2.5 miles from a tower (As a crow flys) your speeds will suffer, but the connection is rarely lost if you are within 5 miles line of sight.
Low Points:
Speed could be considered bad compared to DSL or Broad Band if you can get it in your area.
Cost is comparable to cheap DSL/Cable if you have access to them
Compatibility with certain Routers (D-link)
Stability: Is dependant on limited obstruction between tower and based location as well as distance (not very usefull beyond 5 miles).
Other notes to consider:
A previous review states that file trading ports are blocked. **Hint** do a little research to learn how to file share or FTP on other ports!
Hope this review helps those of you in BFE!
Neil C
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Review by commando14
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4 years, 7 visits, last login: 4 years ago
Kennewick,Benton,WA
$42 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Fast connection and instant setup"
"Have to sign a two year contract to avoid the $50 activation fee"
"Clearwire provides excellent internet connectivity"
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I had been a suscriber to Charter cable internet for the last few years. I was generally pleased with the service except for the cost. They raised it $10 up to $57, then about a month later they send me a letter saying if I sign up for cable tv they would knock off $10 from my internet service!
I wanted to switch to DSL but it's not available on my street. So I started looking into wireless options because I know it is available in my area. Several local companies offer wireless but at steep prices, until I came across Clearwire.
I was concerned about not getting a good signal at my house, so I called them up and was told that they could send someone out and we could make sure it gets a good signal before I sign up. I was also worried about the port blocking that I've read about, so I asked them about it and I was assured that no ports are blocked. The salesman showed up right on time (unlike Charter's people), he plugged in the modem, I had 5 bars of service and was on the internet in seconds. He was very nice and answered all my questions, so I signed up right there. Cost was $25 for the first three months, and $42 a month after that.
They give you 5 days to cancel your subscription with no questions asked. So I used it heavily in those 5 days making sure all my P2P programs, FTP, and games worked ok and they all worked just fine.
The only gripes I have so far with Clearwire is you have to sign a two year contract to avoid the $50 activation fee. I don't anticipate any problems, but I still hate signing long contracts and I don't like paying a $50 fee. Also when my account was setup with Clearwire, they charge the first month fee and also a $100 holding fee to my debit card. I was told the fee would clear in a few days and it did.
I can't comment on their Tech Support because I have not had any problems yet and don't anticipate to. But both the salesman I talked to were very nice and informative.
So far I am very impressed with Clearwire. I like the mobility of the modem, I can easily move it anywhere in my house. Also all you need is a dc adapter and you can plug in the modem in your car with a laptop and have internet access anywhere you can get a signal. Also bad rain and wind have not affected the signal strength. I currently have the 1.5mbps plan which is their fastest speed, but I hope that in the near future they up the speed to 3mbps or better. The salesman said their modems are capable of 10mbps.
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Review by jimemac51
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4 years, 0 visits, last login: 4 years ago
Jacksonville,Duval,FL
$36 per month (36 month contract)
about 1 days
 BellSouth
"Great speed and less cost"
"Rain affects it like sat TV"
"Glad I got it and I am saving money and telling my friends about it."
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I got exactly what I ordered. I then upgraded because I was so pleased.
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 Review by Dark Fiber
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 4.8 years, 122 visits, last login: 59 days ago
Boise,Ada,ID
$53 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Instant setup; Mobile service; High speeds; Affordable pricing"
"No NNTP; Expensive static IPs."
"If you think you need it, you probably do! Get it now!"
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My needs are atypical, so you need to put this in perspective. Most of my raves are good for everyone. Most of my gripes affect no one!
I wanted a backup route for when my Qwest DSL fails (as it inevitably does from time to time). I will save my comments on the Qwest DSL for a future review of their service (which is actually pretty decent for my needs, too, but my setup is atypical).
The ClearWire sales representative arrived at the scheduled time and was patient while I set up the CPE in my unique hybrid LAN environment. We verified the connection, and filled out all the "paperwork" online over the newly established ClearWire link. I do not intend to use them for email, but I did activate their web space for kicks.
The web space is easy enough to manage and can be done by web based tools or via ftp.
I don't use VOIP and haven't tried any Bit Torrents yet, so I cannot comment on the port blocking that others have mentioned. The TOS does expressly mention that web servers are not permitted, and that port 80 is blocked. They are sufficiently forthright about it, and with the limited upstream it isn't ideally suited for running a web server. Since I purchased this primarily for a secondary and portable connection I will likely not use it for more than a backup email route and light web browsing and downloads.
The service has been performing without issue and I tried a speed test from my office (which has a poorer signal than my home) with acceptable results.
My monthly bill covers 1500kbps down and 256kbps up with modem rental and 1 static IP.
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Review by Applebrook
UPDATED: 4.1 years ago
member for 4.4 years, 187 visits, last login: 2.8 years ago
Tracy,San Joaquin,CA
$15 per month (3 month contract)
about 1 days
"Portability, good alternative if you cant get DSL or Cable"
"modem resets on large downloads, VOIP services do not work"
"Horrendous ! Customer Service"
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It has been over 21 days Clearwire has still not refunded $ 11.50 that they debited my account even though i returned the modem in the required 5 days. I will call customer service today to see what happened to my refund.
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 Review by mrbreau
Posted: 4.1 years ago
member for 6.6 years, 367 visits, last login: 57 days ago
Midland,Midland,TX
$41 per month (24 month contract)
Southwestern Bell
"Fast fast fast!"
"odd drops at odd times."
"Best service I've had so far."
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I had heard about ClearWire from a friend and checked to see if it was available in my area. At that time it wasn't. I had been using a satellite provider and was so unhappy with their upgrade I quit them and ordered dialup. While talking to the local satellite installer to see if anyone wanted or needed a satellite sytem, he mentioned ClearWire. I asked him about it. He gave me the rundown in a few minutes and let slip that a new tower had just been put into operation near where I live. They recommend five miles from the tower and I'm three miles from it. I have heard of good performance from as far away as nine miles!
We set up an appointment to see if I had a good signal at my house and the man showed up on time. In fifteen minutes we discovered a great signal and I was sold. Okay, now about ClearWire.
Of the two plans I took the faster one, 1500kbps and have clocked speeds over 1600 twice. Upload is 90% of the advertised 256kbps at the worst times and a shade over at the best times. Stable is what I'd call the service. I went to the store and picked up the modem and plugged it in. That is all there is to the installation. Because of the high frequency the modem doesn't have to turn much to affect the reception. A nudge will boost performance without effecting the signal. The price I pay per month is $37.99 for the service but they charge $4.99 for the modem per month. I like the modem rental in case something goes wrong with it they will replace it. If the service is ordered for the two year contract the first three months are $17 plus the modem. Instead of the $100 deposit they put a hold on the money but don't take it. They only took $50 from me to get started.
This system will not work in a metal building unless the modem is right in front of a window. Some installations require that the modem be place a long way from the computer but a long RJ45 cord is an easy fix for that. IP is static for home use and dynamic for businesses. I spent a week on this site trying to find a way to tweak the system but I could find none. The modem is stand alone and the LAN it works through is beyond what little I know so gave up still satisfied with the overall service.
I am impressed with ping times and latency. Pings are 20 to 30 and latency is right around the same time zones, 20 to 30 ms, a lot better than the 2000 to 3000 ms with the satellite system. There are times, however, that site pages expire and have to be recalled. There are other times when the pages ordered won't arrive. Reordering the pages that don't arrive always fixes it though it is a nuisance. I am also impressed that weather doesn't affect the signal at all.
This is getting too long. Contact me if you have any questions.
Warren
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