ISPs in Norman.... Cox vs. AT&T Uverse (apartment, promotional) - City-Data Forum

Mistabovine · 08-04-2011, 05:11 AM

Moving to Norman in a week. I got all of the utilities lined up but I can't really make a decision on Cox (cable) net vs AT&T Uverse. I would be looking at the 6m/b from att vs probably 15 mb/s (every cable internet service I've had has only weighed in at about half the advertised bandwidth, and sometimes much less, so they are probably the closest comparable packages). The concerns for me are the fact that I have to purchase a modem/router from at&t and that I'm a bit unclear on whether the installation fee is required--have yet to call to confirm this--which together total a startup cost of 225, which sucks if the service is terrible. Distributed over 12 months, though, this means the cable net would be ~10 more. The 250gb cap is a bit annoying but i don't think I really approach it as I hardly download anything other than updates, and though I use netflix and youtube, this usage probably averages less than 2 hours per day between 2 people. Anyone experienced both services in the area? Other things to consider? Thanks!

ron1999 · 08-04-2011, 12:15 PM

Is AT&T's UVerse even available in your area?

It's not available where I live.

Mistabovine · 08-05-2011, 10:36 AM

Yeah, it's available just east of OU. I can get VDSL or ADSL2+ I think, both branded as Uverse.

CoreyS · 08-10-2011, 06:28 AM

I researched for a while on which to get also. Winded up going with Cox and their 20mbps or whatever package. with that it has "download boosts" of up to like 33mbps but a guaranteed 20 at all times. the way i understood U-verse was that you're feeding off a hub that a lot of other people are feeding off of too so at any time, speeds could be well below their advertised speed... i did NOT want that.

you may not want that high of a package with Cox, but if you read in depth at their other packages it probably has the same sort of guaranteed speed deal. and I've never had any problems with their internet service.

Mistabovine · 08-11-2011, 10:31 PM

DSL is historically known for being a little more stable so I started down that road, but dealing with att has already been quite a nightmare, and I don't even have service, nor can I for a month according to them (takes that long for someone to flip a switch at the box).

Talking to Cox tomorrow-- I think they're 12.5 mbps is plenty for me. I am curious if others have had success with renegotiating rates since cox only gives a 2-3 month promotional period and I'd prefer to stick 30-40 in cost. The rep I talked to today just said I have to call in to get the new promotion but I'd be curious if others do this with success?

CoreyS, if you don't mind going to something like speedtest.net, what sort of ping, download and upload speeds do you come up with? Thanks!

CoreyS · 08-11-2011, 10:49 PM

Hey, no problem! I've got a macbook running off my wireless network and a PC with a wired connection so here's both.

Wireless: Download speed - 26.77Mbps; Upload speed - 2.83Mbps
Wired connection: Downlaod speed - 26.54Mbps; Upload speed - 3.32Mbps

I've seen test speeds of up to 33Mbps but this mid to upper 20s is about average. And once again, I've got one of their upgraded packages so it seems to stay true to their advertised speeds.

Hope my inputs help with your decision.

Mistabovine · 08-12-2011, 06:20 PM

Sounds good, I contacted both companies and chatted them up. The verdict: AT&T is pretty well incompetent, and Cox had a very well trained salesperson--as long as the service is quite stable, I'll probably stick with it without complaint. It will be faster than the "free" internet I was getting at my last apartment at least. Thanks again!