[kwlug-disc] OT - EyeSurf

Wed May 23 22:16:54 EDT 2012

On 2012-05-23, at 7:01 PM, unsolicited wrote:
> One way or the other you are supporting Bell / Rogers, be it dry loop fees, or whatever they call the cable equivalent. Horror stories abound where there is a problem with the underlying Bell / Rogers service, and the 3rd party is helpless to get it resolved in less than weeks. I've no doubt that is the exception, but it is out there.

Fibernetics has a few POPs of their own in the K/W area, but they seem to be in areas I don't have friends (I haven't found anyone who's actually on a "pure Fibernetics" connection).

> I would not go back to DSL. DSL speeds will never match cable - due to underlying technical limitations. Think VoIP, plus ISP, plus Netflix (presumably, or at least much more internet TV streaming) some day. I've been entirely happy with Rogers, except for the cost and, of course, that they're Rogers. I don't yet VoIP. I almost went with Acanac (~= Distributel / 3web) [which would mean purchasing a modem (convoluted story)], particularly because their terms of use is wide open (unlike TekSavvy's or Distributel's), e.g. servers / e-mail permitted. But happened to hold off long enough for prices to increase. They are now within $2 of Rogers, and given the migration stories and need to purchase a modem, I decided not to switch. If/when I move, though, I expect I'll migrate to Acanac. I don't expect to ever not have Rogers cable TV (cheapest package I can get) - so using a cable ISP and losing Bell entirely seems appropriate.

There's a lot more bandwidth available on a chunk of coax than there is on a twisted pair of the same length, that is for sure. I used to be a big supporter of DSL over Cable, but I've made the switch and, like you, would never go back. My concerns mainly had to do with battling it out with neighbours for bandwidth on the cable segment, but my speed has always been very good to exceptional. I haven't quite made the jump to D3 speeds (I'm on a 25/1 plan) but it's certainly available and the low latency is great for VOIP and interactive (ssh) sessions, which are my two biggest use cases.

> From all that I have seen TekSavvy support is well regarded. Not so for Acanac / Distributel / et al. For you I would have no problem suggesting Acanac. I would not for your parents - when something has gone strange, they will need responsive service at the other end when they call for help (if it's not you). Acanac has a service reputation for exactly the opposite. If Acanac or TekSavvy cable ISP does not appeal to you, then I have no problem recommending Roger's internet (even if it leaves a bad taste in my mouth). It is cost close enough, and avoids the underlying 3rd party can't get Roger's attention, problem. If your parents have Roger's TV now, but not Roger's internet, it's a reasonable option if TekSavvy doesn't appeal to you. (Avoiding both dry loop and cable equivalent fees.)

I am currently on TekSavvy. There have been three major (several hour, one >12h) outages in the last four or five months. Their tech support is generally pretty good, but I have some stories from friends who are as tech-savvy as myself and who had nothing but trouble with them. So much so that as much as they hated Rogers, they went back. That's saying something.

I'm looking at Acanac if these outages continue. I have some other friends on their internet service with no trouble (and who also use their VOIP service). I chose Teksavvy because they have a good reputation and they also offer month-to-month billing instead of annual contracts. The outages have not only been surprising, but surprisingly frequent. All of the cases were with Teksavvy equipment and not the Rogers last-mile nor the Rogers/Teksavvy interconnect (by Teksavvy's own admission). I think they may be growing a little too quickly and that these outages are growing pains, but I am getting tired of the service going down.

> As far as I know, VoIP.ms uses VoIP.ms lines, and Unlimitel uses Unlimitel lines. So, your "VoIP.ms <http://voip.ms> for Unlimitel/Sprint for VoIP phone service" isn't clear to me.

Unlimitel gets their DIDs and termination through Bell as far as I can see (I'm a LONGTIME Unlimitel customer). I am not sure how Primus fits into the picture there. I'm not so sure about Voip.ms (I am also a mid-time Voip.ms customer). I'll probably be moving away from Unlimitel; they've had several outages since the Primus buyout, I'm not a fan of Primus to begin with, they have some rather ridiculous business practices that I've bumped in to from time to time, and after all is said and done, their service and support isn't significantly better (or worse, for that matter) than Voip.ms. Voip.ms has a great web interface, decent support and decent rates. I have periodic troubles calling overseas with them, but as far as I've been able to tell, I have never had a Voip.ms outage for North American origination or termination.

-A.