Internet Providers (movies, residential, land)

[JohnCU]

Absolutely. After all, "slow" 768kbps is still 12-15 times faster than a dial-up connection.

[fozzy40]

I'm in a condo building at orleans and superior. I currently have RCN as my cable and internet provider...HATE IT!

My building manager is an idiot and can't tell me what other internet providers service this building.

Can someone please tell me what provider you have if you are in my proximity?
When I do searches on various websites AT&T, Comcast, etc. they can't seem to find my building.

Thank you.

fozzy40

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by fozzy40

I'm in a condo building at orleans and superior. I currently have RCN as my cable and internet provider...HATE IT!

My building manager is an idiot and can't tell me what other internet providers service this building.

Can someone please tell me what provider you have if you are in my proximity?
When I do searches on various websites AT&T, Comcast, etc. they can't seem to find my building.

Thank you.

fozzy40

You're kind of stuck with who your building uses if you're using broadband and want to continue broadband .. You might be able to get DSL via AT &T either bundled with the phone or naked, but you will take a performance hit that might or might not matter to you ..

If RCN is really bad in your building, the condo association could play them off versus Comcast or one of the satellite services when the contract is up , but ..

What specifically is the issue w/ RCN .?. I had them for over 8 years as internet and cable, and they were very good on the internet side in terms of reliabilty and tech support ( I'm in IT, so I can judge that pretty well) ..

[fozzy40]

My internet is slow and intermittently cuts out even when directly connected to the router.

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by snoylekim

You're kind of stuck with who your building uses if you're using broadband and want to continue broadband .. You might be able to get DSL via AT &T either bundled with the phone or naked, but you will take a performance hit that might or might not matter to you ..

If RCN is really bad in your building, the condo association could play them off versus Comcast or one of the satellite services when the contract is up , but ..

What specifically is the issue w/ RCN .?. I had them for over 8 years as internet and cable, and they were very good on the internet side in terms of reliabilty and tech support ( I'm in IT, so I can judge that pretty well) ..

I almost forgot, another alternative for your internet could be via EVDO/ 3G with a wireless provider. Cost would be the card + the unlimited data plan. Speeds are between DSL and Broadband, but YMMV depending on your signal strength in your unit .. This option might be a bit more expensive, but it works ( I use it as a 'backup' in case the cable is out ..I need 24*7 internet access for work) ..

The biggest drawback I've found is that , if you're on a higher floor in a building, the cellular 3G service is sometimes spotty.. cell towers are optimized to look for traffic from below .. so

[soulful]

Go to the ATT website. I love ATT DSL. Very fast and almost zero downtime (down maybe once a year for a minute or two). In prime city areas, you won't have a problem. Not sure about naked but easy to research. Just call them.

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by fozzy40

My internet is slow and intermittently cuts out even when directly connected to the router.

If you can, have them check the splitter and the signal strength at the outlet .. if the cable outlet is old, they might need to replace a coupler behind the wall outlet..sometimes it's the building wiring.. They actually rewired my old building to support HD and broadband .. If you're a unit owner you should bring it up to the association.. they typically can contact a dedicated rep at RCN who they can bring issues to and raise hell if necessary ..

If you've gone that route , and they're giving thumbs up on the numbers from the outlet, then, I hate to say it, but the problem could be in the configuration at your end ..

[snoylekim]

Some other thoughts ( just had a nice strong cup of Bustello ... so, I'll brain dump) .. In general , network and internet isssues are a PITA because of the hardware/software layers and possible choke points, but ..

1.) What kind of Cable Modem are you using ?? Have you changed it or disconnected it from the cable outlet recently ?? - Cable companies typically register the MAC address of your cable modem, and they need to know if it's been replaced. Sometimes, if their network detects frequent dropouts or disconnects at this point they will 'downgrade' ot suspend the service.. In general, leave this hardware be unless it's throwing strange lights or totally cold .

2.) Waht kind of router is attached to the cable modem.??. has this changed, or has the configuration in the router changed ( Things like MTU, etc) .. If you have to ask what MTU is, you shouldn't be adjusting it ..In general, the default configuration for most consumer level routers and access points are perfectly fine for broadband without making any changes during setup.

3.) Are you wireless or wired between the PC and the router ?? Wireless in high density environments can get tricky, because of other wireless routers, cordless phones, microwaves, RF hash from the city environment ?? Sometimes changing the channel in the router and making it dedicated can help. If you have a wireless utility on the PC that shows all wireless networks, pull that up sometime. it will show you the potential competition/interference from nearby networks, and some of the network names are pretty hilarious .. I had 20+ SSIDs w/ better than average strength in my previous building !!

From here it's hard to provide more general watchouts, and I don't know what level of knowledge you have w/ PCs and networks.. if you're in the biz, you've already validated the above and gone even deeper

[fozzy40]

I've bought a brand new router and cable modem and tried them in various combinations with different computers. Currently I have it connected directly to my modem and still having inconsistent performance.

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by fozzy40

I've bought a brand new router and cable modem and tried them in various combinations with different computers. Currently I have it connected directly to my modem and still having inconsistent performance.

Make sure RCN knows the MAC address of your cable modem..If they do, what I would do is call their tech support and have them monitor a session while you're on it .. if they can see sporadic dropouts at their end , then the problem can be isolated to a bad splitter in the outlet or a signal problem . If you haven't registered your modem with them, you're probably getting their security response to an unknown device at least have them verify the MAC address they have..maybe they typoed it during intial registration.. And, not all cable modems are as compatible with services.. I know a Motorola SB5100 works really well with RCN and Comcast .. Finally, ask what service they think they're providing you in terms of up and down speed .. RCN can provide up to 20Mb service, but if they have you on basic barebones, the speed might be an issue at their end ( dropouts do NOT come with that .. )
Good luck .. I just want to be sure you don't change services and get the same problems after all that headache ..