I'm considering switching over and was curious what kind of actual speeds (up and down) people were getting and how reliable it is. I'd miss the ESPN360 I get from Mediacom, but I could live without it as my Internet has been getting slower and slower.
OK. Who has Qwest 7MB or 12MB Internet in DSM area?
- Thread starter Ciclone
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I don't live in the DM area, but I used to have 7MB internet up here. We switched to 1MB a few months ago, and I can't tell a difference.
Maybe I should have said West Des Moines area. I'm in Clive, but I think other areas like Urbandale have had it for awhile now. The cost depends on if you also have their phone service or not. I'm using VOIP, so the rates they quote me are 46.99 (7MB) and 56.99 (12MB) (17.00 and 27.00 for first three months, respectively). I think it's 5-10 bucks cheaper if you use them for phone service too.
I have had 3, 5 and 10mb and have not been able to tell a difference. I have actually tried it in the last 3 cities I have lived in. I even used one of those bandwith speed testers and when I went to 5 to 10mb the test actually said it was slower. I am convinced they give you the same speed no matter what you order, you just pay more if you order the higher speed.
Just switched over to Qwest fiber and thought I'd follow up my original post with my own speed test results for anyone who may be curious.
The 7MB service is yielding me about 6.1Mbps downstream and 700kbps up. The downstream speed and ping time (due to "interleaving" - don't ask) is slower than Mediacom's 8MB service (got about 7.6Mbps when it was working right); the uploads are about 50% faster. Overall, the difference doesn't matter much to me and I'm happy to ditch Mediacom and give this a shot.
I found a forum where they give some insight as to where they are rolling out fiber service in Iowa:
HERE.
Craziest thing I found, though, when I was searching around during this process is that Fairfield contracted with LISCO (link) to provide 100Mbps up and down to everyone in the city and the rates were about the same as DSL and cable. If I lived there I'd be all over that!
The 7MB service is yielding me about 6.1Mbps downstream and 700kbps up. The downstream speed and ping time (due to "interleaving" - don't ask) is slower than Mediacom's 8MB service (got about 7.6Mbps when it was working right); the uploads are about 50% faster. Overall, the difference doesn't matter much to me and I'm happy to ditch Mediacom and give this a shot.
I found a forum where they give some insight as to where they are rolling out fiber service in Iowa:
HERE.
Craziest thing I found, though, when I was searching around during this process is that Fairfield contracted with LISCO (link) to provide 100Mbps up and down to everyone in the city and the rates were about the same as DSL and cable. If I lived there I'd be all over that!
I went from 1.5 to 7, and I agree...I honestly can't say that I notice anything different with regards to speed. But I have had Qwest DSL for nearly 4 years in WDM, and the up time has been tremendous.
- Mar 27, 2006
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we switched from Mediascam Cable Internet to a 5MB DSL about 2 years ago, and have never looked back. Cheaper, more reliable, and fast.
We get calls from time to time trying to get us to switch back, but I just lay it out for them and it's pretty hard to argue.
We get calls from time to time trying to get us to switch back, but I just lay it out for them and it's pretty hard to argue.
Qwest dial up with a hand crank modem would outperform 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000MB from Mediacom
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I don't have problems with my Mediacom connection, I actually get faster than what I pay for, shhhhh.
As much as I hate Medicom, I have to admit that therircable internet is pretty quick. The only problem is that you can get DSL for about 1/2 the price. If DSL and Mediacom were the same price or even close I would still be with Mediacom. I doubt if they ever figure this out until they have about 10 customers.
