Internet provider alternatives

[Veloise]

I've been having to use alternatives to my employer-supplied air card (runs off the cell towers) for about a week now, and the Tour de Coffee Shops is getting old.

Don't want to sign up for a cable-based service, as I do not watch TV (no intention of changing that). Dial-up is not feasable.

Any suggestions? TIA

[Allison Slater]

I use AT&T DSL. It costs me about $26 a month and is an internet-only line.. I do not have any phone service. The connection speed is very adequate and uptime is great.. the connection has been down maybe 6 hours combined over the last 6 months.

[fotoman311]

We have AT&T DSL as well, so it should be available for you, since you live so close.

The speed is great, the price is reasonable. I haven't had to deal with customer service. I've heard bad things about the AT&T cellular cust. service, but it's possible the DSL is a whole different animal. We're seriously considering dropping the landline and going to an internet only plan.

[Allison Slater]

First level customer service isn't that great. I spoke with a foreign woman once and she didn't even seem to understand just what I was saying. My friend has had this service for years now, and I saw him have to call customer service and he immediately demanded to speak to a level 2 customer service representative. The level 2 rep was completely American and his issue was resolved quickly afterwards. So, if you are technologically illiterate, stick with level 1 and go through the by-the-book process. If not, ask to speak to a level 2 rep.

[organsnyder]

You can get cable Internet without getting cable TV. We've had Comcast for the past few years, with no complaints. There isn't a low-speed/cost offering like the AT&T DSL low-speed tier, but the speed/cost ratio is favorable if you want the speed.

[arcturus]

I use AT&T DSL. It costs me about $26 a month and is an internet-only line.. I do not have any phone service. The connection speed is very adequate and uptime is great.. the connection has been down maybe 6 hours combined over the last 6 months.

[PolarBoy]

Hmm, I have their 3Mbps 'pro' plan without phone service for $40/mth ... an extra $10/mth over what I would pay with phone service.

How do you get yours so cheap? Their basic is $20/mth so without phone service it couldn't under $30.

[jbr12]

You can get cable Internet without getting cable TV. We've had Comcast for the past few years, with no complaints. There isn't a low-speed/cost offering like the AT&T DSL low-speed tier, but the speed/cost ratio is favorable if you want the speed.

[Allison Slater]

Hmm.. maybe it's more. I know months ago I just dumped $200 on them to cover me for a while, and my first bill this year recently came for only $28 or something. Maybe it's just spillover from my large payment in the past.

[Veloise]

Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em coming. I guess the EVDO aircard spoiled me: fast, no matter where I was at home or away.

(Strip mall bread & coffee chain: very slow. I wanna read my Planet, dammit!)

[twoshort]

I just switched from ATT DSL with a phone line to ATT Dry Loop DSL (no phone line) and I pay $35/month. I was paying like $32 for phone and DSL, but I opted for faster speed for $3 more. I was going to go with the slower speed, they offered me the faster, I declined, then they gave it to me for free.

Their customer service was a nightmare. It took about two weeks to actually get the service up and running. At least 1 hour per day on the phone with them each day.

[Kib]

Seems to me I heard Sprint/Clearwire WiMax will be rolling out in the GR market fairly soon... might be worth a look-see

[PolarBoy]

@twoshort I had the exact same experience. They kept telling me it was all hooked up, that it was good, and that I "should" be online. Never really happened, so I axed them.

Azulstar is offering 4G WiMax in the GR area. www.azulstar.com Reasonable prices, as well.

[Allison Slater]

Always demand to speak to a level two tech support representative. ;]

[Gorath]

You can get DSL from AT&T without local phone service (aka naked DSL). They do have a really really cheap option for $19.95 a month, but it requires a one year contract and you get barely better then dial up speed (768k down, 384k up). You'll also have to buy your own equipment. It's not a bad deal though if all you need is basic web browsing and email. I wouldn't recommend it though if you enjoy streaming video. Youtube may be doable if you are willing to wait for it to buffer, but Hulu / Netflix would be out of the question.

AT&T also has faster speeds without a contract. You can see all their naked DSL plans at the following link;

http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=11575

Pricing plans if you have local phone service;

http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10891

Comcast, which I use, has worked flawlessly for me. It's very fast (I have the 6Mb down). I get my cable TV paid for from my condo assoc., and I have no local phone service, so Comcast's 6Mb plan ends up being few bucks cheaper for me then AT&T's 6Mb plan. I'm not aware if you can get internet from Comcast without subscribing to cable TV.

[zenstyle]

May I suggest home-grown iServ? http://www.iserv.net/

Our DSL connection is through them, and we're very happy with it. If ever you need to speak to a customer service person, that person will be actually sitting in a building here in Grand Rapids.

We pay $29.95 per month. No complaints.

The thing about AT&T or Comcast.....they're freakin' chains. Buy local!

[twoshort]

Does iserv do DSL without a phone line? Or does that price include your phone line?

[grrwymg]

Does iserv do DSL without a phone line? Or does that price include your phone line?

[twoshort]

Iserv should put prices online. I just went to your website to figure out why I didn't use you in the first place. I remember now that I didn't feel like dealing with the 'pre-qualifying' stuff and having to wait for a phone call and all that. I just want to see up front what the cost is.

[suydam]

Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em coming. I guess the EVDO aircard spoiled me: fast, no matter where I was at home or away.

(Strip mall bread & coffee chain: very slow. I wanna read my Planet, dammit!)

[MuskeMI]

Iserv should put prices online. I just went to your website to figure out why I didn't use you in the first place. I remember now that I didn't feel like dealing with the 'pre-qualifying' stuff and having to wait for a phone call and all that. I just want to see up front what the cost is.

[Veloise]

EVDO has 300-700kbps download speeds.... burstable to 2mbps supposedly but I've never seen that in reality.

Comcast's cheapest plans are significantly faster than that.

While 3g cards are nice, they are not a replacement for a reliable high-speed internet connection.

[Veloise]

Wondering if my experience is typical...seems like when you fill out a form to sign up for a service, someone at the company should at least acknowledge its arrival, confirm a start date. No?

[Parhelion]

I'm going to try out Azulstar- they are installing WiFi located at Monroe Center and Division for all the ArtPrize journalists, so it should be really fast.