High Speed Internet Options in Madison (Huntsville: live, cost, centers)

[cnygreek]

So, I flushed WoW's cable service down the toilet this past weekend for satellite and I couldn't be happier. Now my next search is a viable option to WoW's internet service. Now as far as I can tell my options are WoW, maybe DSL, maybe Uverse, going with LTE, and going with satellite.

I am pretty sure that Uverse isn't offered where I live, based on address information that I entered on their website.

The wife and I stream a lot of HD on netflix and hulu so LTE and satellite are out. Not because of speed, but because usage caps and overage charges are cost prohibitive.

I haven't bothered calling anyone up about DSL, because it is a dying tech that the service providers would be happy to see get flushed down the toilet.

So, based on what I know WoW is my only real option, just want to make sure that I am right in thinking that. The reason I bring it up is that comared to Comcast that I had in South Huntsville, WoW's service is lacking.

[weaverra]

Originally Posted by cnygreek

So, I flushed WoW's cable service down the toilet this past weekend for satellite and I couldn't be happier. Now my next search is a viable option to WoW's internet service. Now as far as I can tell my options are WoW, maybe DSL, maybe Uverse, going with LTE, and going with satellite.

I am pretty sure that Uverse isn't offered where I live, based on address information that I entered on their website.

The wife and I stream a lot of HD on netflix and hulu so LTE and satellite are out. Not because of speed, but because usage caps and overage charges are cost prohibitive.

I haven't bothered calling anyone up about DSL, because it is a dying tech that the service providers would be happy to see get flushed down the toilet.

So, based on what I know WoW is my only real option, just want to make sure that I am right in thinking that. The reason I bring it up is that comared to Comcast that I had in South Huntsville, WoW's service is lacking.

What problems were you having with WOW?

[cnygreek]

Horrible speed slow downs, especially during prime time. Didn't have those problems on Comcast, even before I upgraded to Blast!.

You don't notice it when you are surfing, but you do when you are trying to stream something and it starts buffering, especially with Hulu. Hulu doesn't do as good a job dropping the video quality when the pipes get a littel constricted.

[JJ270]

Originally Posted by cnygreek

Horrible speed slow downs, especially during prime time. Didn't have those problems on Comcast, even before I upgraded to Blast!.

You don't notice it when you are surfing, but you do when you are trying to stream something and it starts buffering, especially with Hulu. Hulu doesn't do as good a job dropping the video quality when the pipes get a littel constricted.

Do you have a DOCSIS 3.0 modem? If not, you should get one. The main benefit of switching to a D3 modem is channel bonding. With a Docsis 2.0 modem, you get one downstream and one upstream channel to transmit data on. If either of those channels are saturated due to high usage or there's data errors due to noise, then your connection with suffer certain stability issues. On a modem cable plant a D3 modem will bond to four or more downstream channels and two or more upstreams, thus spreading the bandwidth utilization over several potential transmitters (back at the head end). This provides you a better chance of getting the QOS you've been advertised even during peak hours. Furthermore, when node noise issues effect the upstream channels one upstream may continue to perform with less errors while the other is bombing out. A D3 modem may continue to talk clearly during these periods of noise or at worse, suffer less.

Another option you could try is to use a VPN (Virutal Private Network). VPN services route a Internet user's traffic through data centers in different locations. Using a VPN may route your traffic away from congested servers thus improving your internet's speed.

[cnygreek]

I bought a motorola surfboard D3 modem, but I still get the slow downs.

Never considered a VPN, because that will just slow you down. The only time I have ever heard it not slow anything down is that FiOS user I read about last week, but that is Verizon purposely throttling Netflix. I don't think that WoW is dong any throttling.