ssavoyPremium
join:2007-08-16
Dallas, PA Reviews:
 ·Comcast
| Frontier Frontier's area manager sent us a relatively unconvincing letter about how Frontier is the only provider that can give us a "dedicated" connection. They leave out real speed from all of their advertising. When you actually go to order you realize they can only give you 2mbps/384kbps while the cableco is giving you 20mbps/5mbps for the same price.
For $39.99 I can get blazing-fast "768kbps" broadband from Frontier. What a deal. |
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Reviews:
 ·Frontier Communi..
| I'm near Dallas PA, same as you, and I've got a 6/1 connection from Frontier. Of course I had to go business class to get it, residential from my CO maxes out at 3/384 regardless of how good the local loop is. I think that's kind of silly, but for whatever reason that's how they do it here. My loop could actually go higher than 6/1, it has better stats than my old 10/1 Verizon connection, all they'd need to do is put some ADSL2+ line cards in their DSLAM.
A few weeks ago I was speaking with a one of Frontier's field techs, he indicated that they are experimenting with pair bonding. I asked him if this was their silly "second connection" product, he said no, it's actual pair bonding. If this turns out to be the case they'll be able to compete favorably with cable, at least into the speed range needed by the typical consumer/small business.
Incidentally, I just moved here a few months ago, the competing product offered by Blue Ridge/PenTeleData failed to impress me. On paper my fiancee (now wife) had 5/384, in actuality we got download speeds around 2mbit/s. DOCSIS 3.0 is available here and may have addressed the issue (she had a DOCSIS 2.0 modem) but Frontier was willing to give me a business class account with a fixed IP for a lot less money than PenTeleData wanted for the same, and that was ultimately the determining factor.
If I didn't care about the fixed IP I could get the G30 offering (30/3) from PenTeleData for the price I'm currently paying for my DSL. Of course, the business class DSL connection is truly dedicated, and every residential offering from PenTeleData is capped at no more than 250GB. |
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 Irun Manwhat obstacle?Premium
join:2002-10-18
Walden, NY | Frontier is starting to market 6mbps residential (with ability to go as high as 10mb) here... they still require POTS bundling, a two year contract and a stiff ETF penalty... still not worth it.
FWIW I'm in TWC land with their standard 12/1 service. Even when my promo ends (currently paying $5 over basic) it will still be better than Frontier DSL.
Sucks to live three miles from FiOS land!
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I turned on my computer for this? |
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| Hmm, they told me here I could get service without POTS. I have a POTS line regardless but they did indicate that dry loop was available if I wanted it. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | reply to Crookshanks
Why do you need a fixed IP? Are you running some kind of server? If so, consider moving it to the cloud. Far more reliable, infinitely expandable and bandwidth is never a concern. If you want a static IP to access premises security, HVAC or freezer/cooler/electrical monitoring devices, use one of the dynamic DNS services. Even some consumer-grade routers support dynamic DNS so setup doesn't require significant networking experience.
I'm also not sure what you mean by "the business class DSL connection is truly dedicated". Is this a reference to cable's shared infrastructure? Unlike the early days, most cable operators do a great job of managing the size and congestion of their nodes. Unless the local operator is unusually outdated or incompetent, DSL can no longer claim a "dedicated" advantage. |
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Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| said by rradina:Why do you need a fixed IP? Are you running some kind of server? If so, consider moving it to the cloud. Far more reliable, infinitely expandable and bandwidth is never a concern. Having physical control over the device that my personal data is stored on is a prerequisite to me. Also, having a fixed IP makes it easier to VPN into my network. Some IPSec implementations are very IP focused, it's a PITA to use them with dynamic IPs. The Android VPN client is a great example.
said by rradina:I'm also not sure what you mean by "the business class DSL connection is truly dedicated". Is this a reference to cable's shared infrastructure? No, it's a reference to them allocating enough bandwidth to ensure I can reach 100% of my provisioned speed 24/7. No residential grade connection that I'm aware of makes that promise. Frontier prioritizes business class connections over residential ones, so even during times of congestion on the back-haul network I still receive 100% of my provisioned bandwidth.
said by rradina:Unlike the early days, most cable operators do a great job of managing the size and congestion of their nodes. Unless the local operator is unusually outdated or incompetent, DSL can no longer claim a "dedicated" advantage.
In my old hometown (Binghamton, NY) Time Warner Cable had countless nodes that were oversubscribed. My 10/1 connection dropped to sub T-1 speeds during peak hours, sometimes to the point that I couldn't even stream Netflix in SD. Binghamton just wasn't important enough for them to invest money into, hell, they were still running DOCSIS 1.1 when I ditched them for Verizon DSL.
Mind you, the "not important enough to invest money into" syndrome isn't unique to cable, but in that particular market at my particular address it wasn't even a contest, Verizon DSL blew Time Warner out of the water. |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
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No, it's a reference to them allocating enough bandwidth to ensure I can reach 100% of my provisioned speed 24/7. No residential grade connection that I'm aware of makes that promise. Frontier prioritizes business class connections over residential ones, so even during times of congestion on the back-haul network I still receive 100% of my provisioned bandwidth.
My TWC biz class is prioritized and I get 105% of my paid connection pretty much 24/7 |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | reply to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks:Having physical control over the device that my personal data is stored on is a prerequisite to me. Also, having a fixed IP makes it easier to VPN into my network. Some IPSec implementations are very IP focused, it's a PITA to use them with dynamic IPs. The Android VPN client is a great example. To each his own but why? Do you also stuff socks filled with money under your mattress because you don't trust banks?
Why do you need VPN? Remote controlling a single workstation on your network seems much more secure and way faster than anything VPN.
said by Crookshanks:No, it's a reference to them allocating enough bandwidth to ensure I can reach 100% of my provisioned speed 24/7. Why is all-the-time 100% of your bandwidth important? |
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Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| I simply like having control over my data. What happens if your cloud service goes out of business? What happens if they are hit with an overly broad subpoena/warrant and the gear hosting your data is seized? What happens when someone sues you and your cloud provider turns over all your files without a fight?
As far as VPN, I just like having the functionally. It's nice to be able to use public wi-fi spots without fear of being monitored. I can bounce my Android phone off my VPN to defeat Verizon's "network optimization" practices. I could do this with a VPN provider, but why pay twice?
Regarding bandwidth, I want what I pay for. Nothing more, nothing less. |
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