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Review by jeff3120 
UPDATED: 22 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 3582 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"
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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: 23 days ago
member for 5.4 years, 1078 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Evansville,Vanderburgh,IN
$21 per month (12 month contract)
about 15 days
Ameritech
"No problems"
"No problems"
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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: 27 days ago
member for 7 years, 733 visits, last login: a few hours 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."
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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: 37 days ago
member for 5.2 years, 3535 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"
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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: 38 days ago
member for 6.1 years, 1977 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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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: 43 days ago
member for 3 years, 83 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Stevens Point,Portage,WI
$32 per month
about 7 days
"strong steady speed"
"nothing faster than 3 megz"
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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: 44 days ago
member for 6.1 years, 313 visits, last login: 23 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"
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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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 Review by ArgMeMatey
UPDATED: 45 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 2329 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Milwaukee,Milwaukee,WI
$25 per month (12 month contract)
about 3 days
AT&T
"Quick shipment, works as advertised"
"Need more upload speed"
"Cheap and reliable"
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Added 06 Oct 2009
Nothing new here. Everything is the same. Move along please.
End edit
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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Added 01 Jan 2009:
My DSL continues to be very reliable. The only persistent problem was with a bad wire connector on the pole by my house. I am thinking about adding Tivo/Netflix and if so will be interested in seeing how long it takes to download a typical movie on 3008. I am also wondering, however, what will happen with the usage-based pricing threats that AT&T keeps floating.
I thought about switching to Uverse VDSL but I am holding out for a better channel package that gives me less garbage and more of what I want, for less money of course. I figure most of their VRADs are basically idling and I am wondering to what extent they might reduce their profits in order to increase penetration.
I usually pay just under $49 for DSL plus bare bones POTS. Not ready to give up POTS yet. VOIP has been pretty solid for us after a couple of long failures three years ago. We rarely use the POTS but I choose to view it like insurance, of which we have plenty and hope to never use.
End edit 01 Jan 2009
*****************************************************
I had DSL installed at my office in August 2008. They screwed up the order and it took an extra week to get the modem, and it was not the one they promised on the phone. They "threw in" connection from the Building Binder Posts to the modem jack. But not setup. So the AT&T tech wired it all through and left. After I got the modem hooked up, it didn't work. So I took it to the NID and it worked fine. Time to replace the inside wiring. All went fine then. But I should have checked it before he left. Just too busy to bother with it at that moment. Since then, no notable problems.
3008/512 translates to 2500/400 or so. The upload speed never used to bother me, but now I am sometimes uploading lots of photos and it takes way too long. I get what I pay for, generally, but I reserve the right to complain for any reason.
I just upgraded from 1500/384 as a hedge. I had checked with SBC Direct in May and was told that I should have no trouble getting the max sync speeds. I was paying as noted below through September 2006 but the new offer was $17.95 plus fees and taxes, so now we have a commitment through June 2007. I submitted an online order and was smoothly upgraded overnight.
I submitted the order and then immediately rebooted the modem:
2006/07/19 13:07:42 GMT E |DSL |Link up 1 US 384 DS 1536 (FAST:G.dmt)
...
And then this happened overnight:
2006/07/20 08:33:25 GMT E |DSL |Link up 2 US 512 DS 3008 (FAST:G.dmt)
Dynamic IP
Speedstream 4100 (Nice stats)
In October I moved my DSL from one phone line to another, and that didn't go particularly smoothly: They disconnected me twice because something didn't "take" in the system properly, the new modem did not ship out as expected, they gave me a new phone # and then called me back and said they made a mistake and that number was not available, the DSL billing did not get transferred from the old account to the new account and so on. Nothing new there.
I can't comment on tech support because I use the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
SBC Direct forum is available and most questions get better answers in the SBC BBR forum anyway.
Here's my 28 March 2007 Bill:
$34.99 Regular rate for PRO (3008/512)
$17.00 -Credit for 12-mo contract
$ 1.01 + 5.6% sales tax in Milwaukee County
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$19.00 SubTotal
Voice service IS REQUIRED to get this. So here's what I pay for that.
$10.78 Local Line (Increased to $10+ in Spring 2006)
$ 1.00 Local Calls, 25@ $0.04 each
$ 5.44 Federal Access Charge
$ 0.70 E911, USF
$ 1.54 Federal, State, County, Stadium Taxes
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$19.46 SubTotal
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$38.46 Grand Total
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Review by BlackArt
Posted: 55 days ago
member for 4.8 years, 35 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Milwaukee,Milwaukee,WI
$35 per month
AT&T
"used to be decent at around 4-5 mb/sec"
"down to less then half that (2mb ish)"
"Would be ok if they would fix the connection speeds"
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Ordered 6 mb down and 768 mb up.. @ $35 per month
I ordered online and installed myself
When it was first up and runing i was getting 4-5mb/sec now its down to half of that =(
Followup comments:  chi56
join:2008-07-22
Schaumburg, IL | ATT DSL I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. PAY FOR 6MB AND AT TIMES GET 1.2MB AND AVERAGE 2.6MB. TECK WHO CAME TO THE HOUSE SAID IT'S WORKING JUST FIND. | |
| | BlackArt
join:2005-01-30
Milwaukee, WI | Re: ATT DSL What i believe is happening is that the Iphone's are hogging all the bandwith and were getting the crap end of the stick =(
I have been looking for another DSL provider but they all seem to go through AT&T's network. | |
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Review by kjpost
Posted: 64 days ago
member for 2.6 years, 2 visits, last login: 16 days ago
Grand Rapids,Kent,MI
$35 per month
about 6 days
Ameritech
"3"
"4"
"Just OK, but still better than cable"
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DSL speed is spotty as to whether or not I get my contracted speed. 6016 kbps is always shown as my connect speed, thru put is equal to the connect speed, usually half or less. Upload is almost always right on the mark for the contracted speeds. Having to use 2wire junk equipment is a let down, it does not last more than a year or two. Service has been OK to great. Several billing errors like billing the DSL service twice per month went on for a while before I found a customer service rep. who was on the ball. Service on the line has been hit and miss when needed, staff always clean and warm, results are not always what was expected. Lately no issues except the up and down with my speed. Yeah I know the Internet is not always fast period, but this is to consistent. Line noise is minimal observing the routers stats I'm getting a good signal, just there is nothing to back the signal up - like getting a good AM radio channel, but you still just have AM. Easy to recommend over Comcast, but still much room for improvement.
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