Comcast Internet - $10.00 more for 768K up..Worth it???

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 19, 2005 Posts: 4

We have had Vonage for about a month now - started out pretty decent, but the call quality started getting pretty bad - a fifteen minute call would require 3 or 4 call-backs due to either the call dropping all together, or the people we would be talking to not being able to hear us. I had contacted Vonage tech. support on numerous occasions - we would run the various tests, ping yahoo, testmy.net, the Vonage bandwidth test, etc. - my QOS never came back above 30%. Yesterday, after calling tech. support again, they said that it sounds like my upload speed isn't strong enough, based on the fact that I can hear the other person (download is working), but they can't hear me (upload problem). I asked if it would be beneficial to upgrade our Comcast for the $10.00. He said that should help. I called Comcast & upgraded to the 8Mb/768kb - I ran the test yesterday afternoon & last night QOS was as high as 96%, as low as 89% - only had one call that had a slight delay.

Also, Vonage had us switch from the phone port from 1 to 2. They said this is the last step before shipping us out a new router. (The router we were sent was definitely well used, or at least not taken care of very well.)

I'm not sure if one or the other, or both of these steps are what helped, but I really hope that it ends up working - I am a big-time fan of the service & really want it to work for us.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

(As a side-note - Comcast was very happy to provide their phone service at $39.99/month & told me all about their dedicated bandwidth for their phone service, telling me how it was far superior to any of the other VoIP - I really hope to stay where I'm at!)

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jun 30, 2005 Posts: 20

I upgraded to the 8M/768K service and it made a huge difference. It is rare that my Internet isn't being used by one or two people and one weekend, I was working (uploading huge files) and my son was playing an online game and I heard my wife yelling into the phone "Hello, Hello, I can't hear you."

That was when I decided to upgrade to the faster service. Since then, no phone problems at all. Well worth the money. Plus, my modem was only getting 4M and I called to complain they gave me the standard line about traffic, I told them I was capped. I told them I wanted to upgrade to the 8M/768K service and 10 seconds later I was getting 8M down. Yea, I wasn't capped at 4...

Very happy with the faster service.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 19, 2005 Posts: 4

Ok - maybe I spoke too soon - even after the bandwidth upgrade & the switch to the 2nd phone port, I'm still getting a lot of pauses during phone calls. Vonage said that they would swap the router out. The part that I don't understand is that our neighbor has Vonage and they have had no problems at all - they also have Comcast and have the smaller bandwidth?

Hopefully the new router will make everything all good!

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jun 30, 2005 Posts: 20

With your setup you should expect perfect sound. Maybe I'm missing something, but did you describe your hookups? I see you talking about a router, is that connected right to yoru cable modem?

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 19, 2005 Posts: 4

Yes - The cable-modem goes directly to the router. Today, I called home on the way from work & 5 or 6 times I could not hear my wife, but she always hears me - talk about losing patience!!!

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jun 30, 2005 Posts: 20

Time to try a new router. It has to be the problem.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 19, 2005 Posts: 4

I sure hope that's all it is - thank-you!

Posts: 76 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 76

DallasFlier wrote:

cid92 wrote:

DallasFlier wrote:

Mr_Sorento wrote:

So far, my RTP300 has provided SUPERB voice quality with very little delay/lag-time. It's as good as my Verizon POTS ever was (actually better - no more hum on the line)! However, I'm wondering if I could do even better with higher upload bandwidth.

Uhhh, if its "superb" and better than your POTS ever was, just exactly what kind of "better" do you think you could get?

If you're not doing a lot of P2P or other things that take large chunks of upload bandwidth, then I don't think you'll notice the difference.

BTW, I have exactly the same service as you - but I'm currently paying $19.95/month, instead of the $42.95 you're paying. Call customer service, tell them your phone company is offering DSL for $14.95/month (helps if its true, as it was for me!) and that the price difference is just too great to justify staying with cable for $42.95 vs. $14.95. When I said this, the rep immediately offered to change my rate to $19.95, the current promo rate - for six months - and said I could likely call in again once that was over and do it again.

This is what I don't get about Comcast. People call and say I'm going to dump cable (which in most cases is 4 to 6MB down / 384Kbps up) to SBC DSL for $19.95 which is 1.5MB down / 384Kbps up.

Wrong. SBC DSL is $14.95.

cid92 wrote:

what a ripoff by the way. If I were a Comcast drone on the other line, I'd tell ya go for it.

Fortunately for those of us who are Comcast customers and appreciate good customer service, you're obviously someone else's "drone", not Comcast's.

cid92 wrote:

I guess if Comcast is willing to cut your cost for 6 months that's cool and all but you'd have to continually do this to catch a break. Just not worth it in my eyes.

Wonderful! Those of you who'd rather spend 5 minutes composing a "holier than thou" message here than the same 5 minutes on the phone with Comcast to save a total of $138 over 6 months help subsidize those of us who made the better choice of how to spend our 5 minutes. Smile

cid92 wrote:

**** having to pay $39 a month (buy your own modem and stop paying Comcast for it. It will pay for it self in the long run)

Wrong again. I did buy my own modem, a long time ago. Standard Comcast rates are $42.95/month, PLUS $3 for the modem if you rent it.

cid92 wrote:

but I'd rather pay the extra money for the better download speeds

And..... wrong one more time! You're paying the extra money for exactly the same service with the same download speed from the same supplier I'm paying. Smile

cid92 wrote:

since SBC DSL cannot guarantee you'll get the full 1.5MB.

Of course not, any more than Comcast can guarantee that you'll get the full 4 or 6Mb.

Why is it on boards like this that when someone comes on just stating an opinion they suddenly a "drone"? Get over yourself. My parents have been happy Comcast internet customers since the days it was Excite @home, then ATT, then finally Comcast.

I've been a happy Comcast internet customer since I moved into my house two years ago. We were going SBC DSL originally. No signal. After 15 calls to customer support and having 5 different techs out to the house, I finally got a decent tech guy that said DSL would never get to my house because of Loading Coils on the telephone lines in the area. There was no way to get them removed at the time. I said bye-bye to DSL and went cable internet and have never looked back. How's that for being someone else's "drone". I am more than happy with the service I have gotten from Comcast.

Let's review:
My $19.95 statement. A mis-type. Sue me.

My Comcast statements. See above. I'm a Comcast customer. All I was saying is for those people threatening to leave Comcast internet for DSL over the price it just doesn't seem to ME, that it's worth it. It's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Period. Whether you think it's wrong or not. At some point constantly threatening to leave Comcast so you can continually get the $19.95 a month special rate is not going to work. If it works for you know, happy day. Keep doing it. If I choose not to do it, I'm entitled to it the same as you are entitled to get the lower rate.

Composing a "holier than thou" messege. Please look in the mirror.

Paying the extra money. The statement was meant paying more money for the Comcast service than the SBC DSL service. Look at the entire context of the reply. You broke it out like I was attacking Comcast when I was not. Again comment on the entire sentence at once, not in two pieces:

Quote:

Stinks having to pay $39 a month (buy your own modem and stop paying Comcast for it. It will pay for it self in the long run) but I'd rather pay the extra money for the better download speeds since SBC DSL cannot guarantee you'll get the full 1.5MB.

Comcast $39 rate. It was $39 without renting a modem when I got service at my house. If it's gone up, I haven't even bothered to check.

Speed guarantee. Of course neither service can guarantee their speeds. But Comcast is faster than DSL even on a bad day. I'll take 4MB over 1.5MB any day for downloading. Unlike DSL though, Comcast is not distance limited so their speeds, while not guaranteed, are pretty much always fast. Live two mile from the neighborhood CO with DSL (like a buddy of mine), and your DL speed suffers big time.

In the end, eveyone will use the service they like the most whether it;s based on speed, cost, customer service, a combo of these, etc. Almost everyone can agree here though that Vonage kicks butt and I love only having to spend $30 a month for two phone lines instead of $80 plus to the phone company.

Posts: 276

cid92 wrote:

All I was saying is for those people threatening to leave Comcast internet for DSL over the price it just doesn't seem to ME, that it's worth it. It's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Period. Whether you think it's wrong or not.

Yes, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Where you went over that entitlement was when you started accusing me of "a ripoff" by "threatening to leave" Comcast.

No one threatened anyone, and I most certainly did not "ripoff" Comcast. If 1.5 Mb DSL is available for $14.95 vs. 4Mb cable for $42.95, then I'll take the DSL - its sufficient for VoIP, websurfing and whatever else needs to be done.

So yes, you're entitled to your opinion, definitely. But next time it might be a good idea to stop and think for a moment before accusing someone else of "a ripoff" and "threatening". Since you DID engage fingers before brain and made those baseless remarks, then don't get upset if I point out all the errors in your message.

As for "drone" - you were the one who first used that derogatory terminology. My point was that I was glad that I was able to speak to a Comcast representative who was courteous and helpful, vs. one exhibiting your snide attitude of "If I were a Comcast drone on the other line, I'd tell ya go for it." Sounds to me like Comcast would likely fire you if you were their "drone" and treated customers that way.

As for value, again you're right - everyone's entitled to their opinion. I spent less than 5 minutes on the phone with a courteous and helpful Comcast representative and saved $138. That equates to a return on my time invested of $1656/hour. I'm glad that that kind of return "doesn't seem worth it" to you, because like it or not, you ARE subsidizing those of us who are smart enough to make that call. Thanks for helping to pay for my internet connection. Smile

Posts: 49 · Full Forum Member Joined: Nov 27, 2004 Posts: 49

I wouldn't go for the extra speed. You've most likely got more than enough for Vonage right now.

As for Comcast, that's what I have. Same speeds as you, but I register slightly better upload speeds I think.

Oddly, I didn't buy my own modem and I don't pay a fee for Comcast's modem. Plus, two upgrades in my neighborhood in the past year have required two modem upgrades. Had I bought my own modem I'd have had to buy two more.