OK Internet Techies...I have comcast internet right now but since I switched to AT&T for my cell, they are begging me to switch. $250 back plus $5 off per month on DSL. Question is, how much slower is it? I would get at least the 3mbs (?) package. I don't really download a ton, but I do at times. I also don't game online a whole lot, but I do have a ps3 so I will certainly want to have the ability.

Hope I am not opening up a can of worms, but give me some objective opinions. Recently out comcast internet has been kind of spotty.

honestly, as much as I detest Communistcast, you are better off going with them for internet. As for wireless... get a Verizon phone. Verizon people know why it's superior. If you want a home phone, use the broadband for viop.

It's actually VOIP (voice over IP) and watch that service. If it is your home phone and you call 911 most do not dispatch you to the actual 911.

Does AT&T still go by the name Bell South? I think that is funny because I hold stock in Bell South and they are pestering me to to turn it in to get my AT&T shares. Even threatening holding my dividends until I act.

If you already have a dedicated phone line at your house, go with DSL. If you don't have one, stick with cable. Cable is really only better if you are going without a land line. I use my cell phone as my home phone (I don't get called much).

You won't notice much of a difference between the two. If you were playing a lot of games or hosting a server you might.

I've had DSL since BellSouth introduced it here. It's very stable, and I don't have any complaints about speed. (There was only one to begin with; now there are three, so check to see which they're offering you.) My next-door neighbor recently switched from Comcast to DSL because of ongoing problems. A lot depends on how close you are to the DSL hub and what other choices you have.

Absolutely the proximity to a CO or switching station is critical in terms of evaluating DSL's potential performance.

Cable is better technology, faster, more reliable generally.
But Comcast has screwy policies.

TRY THIS
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html

what is your speed ?


NOTE : for people having problems with Comcast High Speed Internet
go outside to your point of entry
how many taps are there ?
is there more than one splitter
how many splits do you have in the line before it hits your modem?
SOLUTION:
I had comcast come out and put in a master splitter
1 side for Cable only
1 side for Internet only
ALL my problems went away after that
FWIW

this is my current speed (although it does fluctuate a bit)
keep in mind that this is @ 6:30 pm when alot of people are getting home and getting online

My problem is not with the speed, though I did go through the various issues with replacing cables and splitters.

Comcast delivers better Internet than DSL, however they have an arbitrary acceptable use policy.

I have read that they apply the same bogus tactics for their VOIP service.
When they say unlimited long distance, that means you should be able to stay on a call to Canada 24/7/365 without ever hearing them threaten to cut you off for using too much of their "unlimited use" product.

^ like what ?
something that 99.9% of the general public wouldn't use it for anyway ?

I don't get you.

Are you just saying that you don't care if people are deceived by their claims that you pay for unlimited use?

Comcast wants that 99.9% of the general public to overpay so web pages come up instantly, and their grandchildren's pics load quickly in email.
You don't need 6 Mbps for that, and you certainly don't need to pay $50-60/month for that when $25/month DSL will work for that class of user.

If they advertise for unlimited calling on their VOIP service, and then start kicking off their customers who use the service the most, then they are involved in deceptive sales practices and are cherry-picking the customer base.

If you don't care, then you don't care, and that is fine, but the issue is pretty clear cut.

Rather than kicking off customers that use the srevice as it was sold to them, they should expand their network to live up to their original commitment, or get out of the business and let other companies run fiber optics without their regulatory obstruction.

I don't get you.

Are you just saying that you don't care if people are deceived by their claims that you pay for unlimited use?


come again ? I can use mine as long as I want
what "arbitrary acceptable use policy" ?
don't just give it a fancy title - what does it refer too ?
unlimited use ? is that a deceptive claim ? I can't stay on it all day ?

btw ..... if people don't want to pay $50/month for Internet service then they shouldn't ... it's not Comcast's fault that they do
if you get BellSouth's ExtremeDSL the speeds and pricing are quite similar

It isn't the phone service I am comparing, just the internet. I am trying to figure out if the difference btwn Comcast and Bellsouth is enough to turn down cheaper service and $250 from Bellsouth.

Personally I don't think there is a huge difference for most people. Comcast is faster on a theoretical basis, though that's assuming you are getting their advertised speed. You are sharing that line with other people, so you aren't necessarily getting what you are told up front. The speed of DSL should be pretty much consistent. And the top speed DSL is pretty fast (6Mbps down, 512kbps up).

As for customer service, both are basically monopolies so I don't give any of them too much credit.

I can't speak on Bellsouth's customer service, just Comcast's. It is horrible. Couple of years ago, they had a problem running our card for the automatic bill pay. Someone there had entered it incorrectly. Instead of contacting me and letting me know, they let it go for about 4-5 months and then called me to say I owed something like $500 or they were going to cut me off. Even after they discovered it was their fault, I still had to pay it in a lump sum AND I had to go up the ladder to 4 or 5 different people before they agreed to waive the late fees AND the reconnect fee. That was about 2 hours I won't get back.

^
you could have told them to get screwed
I'm not sure there would have been anything they could do

sweat it out a day, then get it turned back on in your wifes name under their current promotion :yes:

nobodies CS is worth a damn anymore
its some kid in a cubicle making $7 an hour eating cheetos reading pre-programmed responses on flip cards

:ha: not really, but I always think that
last time I called Comcast , I ended up figuring it out before they did

Comcast online customer service is a joke. I sent an e-mail yesterday asking if the NFL Network would be broadcast in 1080i now that it cost $5 a month to get.

The answer I received had nothing to do with my question. Some canned response about the low number of HD subscribers and some other stuff.

^ like I said .... pre-programmed response