Frustrated with Teksavvy. What other ISP options do I have??

[MaximDude]

So yeah, I've been with Teksavvy for 4 years now and in the last couple of weeks the service has gone downhill. I don't know what's going on, after mostly smooth service for those 4 years, now I'm getting constant disconnections at least several times a day. >:( Sometimes it lasts a few minutes, sometimes much longer.

I tried switching out DSL modems, different settings and everything else I can think of and the problem remains. I called Teksavvy support and they haven't offered me any useful solutions and the last thing they suggested is that they can schedule for a technician to come out to my house, BUT if they find nothing wrong and its something inside my house or whatever I will get charged $90. :|

So I'm thinking what are my alternatives? Is there any other good ISPs out there? I'm looking for about 6mb service and at least 200gb/month usage at between $30-40 max.

I was thinking Acanac, but they seem to have mixed reviews and I definitely want to avoid Bell. So what other ISPs are out there that provide good stable service at a decent price?

[sexyj]

Try unplugging your house phones/phone lines for a day. I have had that problem with disconnect from the phone ringing. Once I disconnected the phone line that wasn't connected to any phone, it problem went away

[Jimboski]

Distributel?
Switch to Cable?

[CsG]

I've been with Start Communications since May. So far, no complaints. I'm using their cable Internet, but they offer DSL as well.

Only time I interacted with their customer service was pre-sales, pre-activation and post-activation (had just a couple hours of delay to get connected). While I'm sure they're a friendly bunch, I'm glad I don't need to interact with them :P

[wwedx]

You should try their cable. I don't know how people are still on DSL to be honest

[george__]

Teksavvy customer service has gone done... But hard to beat their unlimited plan.
https://ssl.sentex.ca/ (Sentex) I used them in the past. Very good quality.

@OP I had the same issue as you a while back. In my situation one of my switches was the culprit. I bought another gigabyte switch + new modem and everything worked fine again.

[george__]

You should try their cable. I don't know how people are still on DSL to be honest

I thought cable was worse?

[MkmBandit]

You should try their cable. I don't know how people are still on DSL to be honest

Stability. Gaming for me changed for the better the day I switched from Cable to DSL. No more ping spikes, no more peak-hour throttling.

Cable may have gotten better over the past few years, I really don't know, but it would take some serious convincing to get me to switch. I'd rather have my measly 5/1 and total stability then 75/2 and be lag-spiking in multiplayer gaming.

[wilsonlam97]

Don't use acanac. Their support is horrible.


Use distributel/teksavvy.

[xalex0]

they can schedule for a technician to come out to my house, BUT if they find nothing wrong and its something inside my house or whatever I will get charged $90. :|Connect directly at the demarc, and if the problem persists then you should have nothing to fear, since it's Bell's responsibility after that, Just in case, you can log your current connection stats and ask TSI to log them too. This way if Bell fixes the issue on their end and then pretends that it was working like that all along, you can prove them otherwise.

Keep in mind that if the problem is with the line then it's not going to fix itself when you switch to a different DSL provider, and you will still be given the same option to invite Bell at $90 risk (unless you sign up with Bell directly, ughhh).

[george__]

Teksavvy is really mean about fixing anything cable wise onsite.
My cabling in my home is really odd but teksavvy just throws me around from bell and them. Been going on for years.

[Junigenmukyoku]

So yeah, I've been with Teksavvy for 4 years now and in the last couple of weeks the service has gone downhill. I don't know what's going on, after mostly smooth service for those 4 years, now I'm getting constant disconnections at least several times a day. >:( Sometimes it lasts a few minutes, sometimes much longer.

I tried switching out DSL modems, different settings and everything else I can think of and the problem remains. I called Teksavvy support and they haven't offered me any useful solutions and the last thing they suggested is that they can schedule for a technician to come out to my house, BUT if they find nothing wrong and its something inside my house or whatever I will get charged $90. :|

So I'm thinking what are my alternatives? Is there any other good ISPs out there? I'm looking for about 6mb service and at least 200gb/month usage at between $30-40 max.

I was thinking Acanac, but they seem to have mixed reviews and I definitely want to avoid Bell. So what other ISPs are out there that provide good stable service at a decent price?

There is a huge thread about Teksavvy DSL reboots on DSLReports.com http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26722738-DSL-Cellpipe-random-reboots-loss-of-sync-Check-logs-please-~start=1320. You might find something there.

[jiffylube1024]

Is Teksavvy cable available in your area? I had it at Bathurst/Eglinton and it was pretty solid.

[george__]

[QUOTE=MkmBandit;15144392]Stability. Gaming for me changed for the better the day I switched from Cable to DSL. No more ping spikes, no more peak-hour throttling.

It's like $10+ less money per month too. Hmm...

[Jimboski]

[QUOTE=MkmBandit;15144392]Stability. Gaming for me changed for the better the day I switched from Cable to DSL. No more ping spikes, no more peak-hour throttling.

It's like $10+ less money per month too. Hmm...

Including dry loop fees?

[george__]

[QUOTE=george__;15146022]

Including dry loop fees?

-_-" You need dry loop for cable? Then i'd be paying more than I am now for less speed. NO THANKS :)

[Jimboski]

[QUOTE=Jimboski;15146169]

-_-" You need dry loop for cable? Then i'd be paying more than I am now for less speed. NO THANKS :)

No.. You said DSL and DSL requires dry loop fee If you don't have a phone line or something like that!

[george__]

[QUOTE=george__;15146210]

No.. You said DSL and DSL requires dry loop fee If you don't have a phone line or something like that!

Huh. I am using DSL right now and I have a phone line. I was wondering what you meant. I don't need dry loop if I have a phone line right/
How does Cable work with public IP? Is it static?

[Jimboski]

Huh. I am using DSL right now and I have a phone line. I was wondering what you meant. I don't need dry loop if I have a phone line right/
How does Cable work with public IP? Is it static?

I'm confused.. Oh well..

You are on DSL, If you have a phone line you don't have to pay dry loop, If you DON'T have a phone line and have like a VOIP line as a phone line Is where you will have to pay a dry loop fee If I recall correctly..
I'm not sure about Cable but Cable Is the newer technology so I went with that haha.

[MkmBandit]

Huh. I am using DSL right now and I have a phone line. I was wondering what you meant. I don't need dry loop if I have a phone line right/


Correct. I pay roughly $53 including phoneline. Before I had a landline, I was paying $10 in dry loop.

But I'll reiterate, as a competitive gamer, I'd pay more for stability.

[george__]

lol I've been with teksavvy dsl for a while, just the service every now and then goes up and down. I have static + mlpp (the extra) but no such option on cable. So I was wondering if cable the public IP is always same or not.

[Jimboski]

Correct. I pay roughly $53 including phoneline. Before I had a landline, I was paying $10 in dry loop.

But I'll reiterate, as a competitive gamer, I'd pay more for stability.

Would you say It's more stable because there are fewer people on DSL than Cable?

[george__]

Correct. I pay roughly $53 including phoneline. Before I had a landline, I was paying $10 in dry loop.

But I'll reiterate, as a competitive gamer, I'd pay more for stability.

Your job is to play games? Why don't you go MLPP route? Buy 2 DSL lines and hook her up to MLPP supported router. That way, one line goes wacko you have 2nd line to rely on plus speed is nicer.
Might be worth the investment. Per month you are looking at ~$80ish though.

[infamouskid]

for the record.
distributel IS acanac. same company.
also dsl IS better then cable on many levels.
ping latency being one.
advanced subnet and ip options are another since it's all encapsulated.
you can also get a dedicated circuit.
there are many other reasons why too. redundancy and so forth.

[george__]

I never liked cable after Rogers experience... I used MLPP + 2 lines for a bit when I was younger but my parents got angry -_-"

[manofsan]

I thought cable is always cheaper than DSL
Even with Teksavvy, it's cheaper

I've been on Rogers for awhile now, but I want to switch to a cheaper ISP to cut down my bills. I'm thinking about Teksavvy cable - is that the best way to go?

[MkmBandit]

Your job is to play games? Why don't you go MLPP route? Buy 2 DSL lines and hook her up to MLPP supported router. That way, one line goes wacko you have 2nd line to rely on plus speed is nicer.
Might be worth the investment. Per month you are looking at ~$80ish though.

As per the RFD thread I was thinking about going MLPP at some point.. not sure why that idea fell through. I guess I've just been satisfied with the current stability I've been getting.

And no, my job isn't to play games lol.. though I do earn miniscule amounts of cash doing it. It feeds my geek habits. =p

[george__]

As per the RFD thread I was thinking about going MLPP at some point.. not sure why that idea fell through. I guess I've just been satisfied with the current stability I've been getting.

And no, my job isn't to play games lol.. though I do earn miniscule amounts of cash doing it. It feeds my geek habits. =p

LOL if it's just a hobby then MLPP might be overkill + expensive :D.

[george__]

I thought cable is always cheaper than DSL
Even with Teksavvy, it's cheaper

I've been on Rogers for awhile now, but I want to switch to a cheaper ISP to cut down my bills. I'm thinking about Teksavvy cable - is that the best way to go?
Supposedly Cable's faster

[xalex0]

I have static + mlpp (the extra) but no such option on cable.That's a waste, IMO. I have no problems with dynamic DNS, and IIRC MLPP has become obsolete after throttling was removed.

[george__]

That's a waste, IMO. I have no problems with dynamic DNS, and IIRC MLPP has become obsolete after throttling was removed.

It's $5 per month.. MLPP is if I decide to go back to 2 lines :D

[infamouskid]

MLPPP by chance was able to work around the throttle.
if your thinking MLPPP was made and used for that sole purpose keep dreaming.
it's main purpose was for redundancy for businesses using ISDN connections.
a fail safe in the event one line went down the other would take over.
it's second main purpose was to combine or bond lines to increase throughput both ways.
which later evolved into channel bonding and other dsl technologies.
MLPPP in fact was called several other things in the past and evolved into what we know it as today.
but it has been around for years.. even since the dial up days.
no matter how you look at it dsl was the birth of broadband as we know it.
much of it's tech was applied to cable which is still evident today.
it's the largest deployed form of broadband worldwide as well.
the only play where cable is king is north america because our telco's are just plain greedy and lazy to upgrade infrastructure.
look at any country in the world for examples over the years even today.
saying MLPPP as a technology is not needed or obsolete is like saying docsis 2.0 and docsis 3.0 is not needed.
this was one of the earliest forms of link aggregation since the birth of the net.

[george__]

@Infamouskid
I used MLPPP because what I was doing lagged the crap out of my internet, so with it I was able to play video games, web browse etc without the slow down. I know it isn't supposed to make the internet faster. But I stopped doing it, too costly, but it's still stuck in my plan and for $5 I'd rather have it then not.

The reason I went teksavvy was because of the throttling issue, they didn't do it...

[xalex0]

MLPPP by chance was able to work around the throttle.
if your thinking MLPPP was made and used for that sole purpose keep dreaming.
Well, I'm positive that TSI was offering single line MLPPP for that sole purpose.

[Sprite_TM]

unfortunately, theres no other alternatives. teksavvy is going downhill but what can you do?

[george__]

unfortunately, theres no other alternatives. teksavvy is going downhill but what can you do?

Still beats Bell and Rogers at the moment. I hate their customer service, as I've ranted for months about. Now the phone has a trillion options and it's constant waiting waiting waiting waiting

[george__]

Well, I'm positive that TSI was offering single line MLPPP for that sole purpose.

No... Teksavvy didn't throttle, it was Bell.

Another plus for Teksavvy is that their unlimited means unlimited. In other words, they won't cap your speed after you reach 40GB or something. You can go up to 1TB OR 10TB+ without problem.

[xalex0]

No... Teksavvy didn't throttle, it was Bell.Yeah, so how does it change what I said?

[george__]

More for others who read the thread, so they know it isn't TEKSAVVY but BELL. So going to Bell doesn't change anything.

[MaximDude]

Connect directly at the demarc, and if the problem persists then you should have nothing to fear, since it's Bell's responsibility after that, Just in case, you can log your current connection stats and ask TSI to log them too. This way if Bell fixes the issue on their end and then pretends that it was working like that all along, you can prove them otherwise.

Keep in mind that if the problem is with the line then it's not going to fix itself when you switch to a different DSL provider, and you will still be given the same option to invite Bell at $90 risk (unless you sign up with Bell directly, ughhh).

So how would I do this? Open up my phone box and hookup my DSL modem somehow? I have no clue. :| Seems like alot of hassle since you have to find an outlet for power too and then keep it hooked up for a while to see if there's a problem or not?


You should try their cable. I don't know how people are still on DSL to be honest

I would try cable except its pricier and I've read that Teksavvy cable has its share of disconnect problems as well. Although its great to have higher speeds, 6mb is good enough for me most of the time and its at the price I'm willing to pay for internet access.

[george__]

@maximdude
-_-" WHo do we turn too, I need reliable ISP :(
Used to use Syntex but they are bit pricey

[xalex0]

So how would I do this? Open up my phone box and hookup my DSL modem somehow?Pretty much.


Seems like alot of hassle since you have to find an outlet for power too and then keep it hooked up for a while to see if there's a problem or not?You could try the distribution panel inside the house instead.

[GateGuardian]

[QUOTE=Jimboski;15146222]

Huh. I am using DSL right now and I have a phone line. I was wondering what you meant. I don't need dry loop if I have a phone line right/
How does Cable work with public IP? Is it static?

The public IP will change if you shut down your modem for an extended amount of time. From my knowledge, there is no static IP for cable service. Some ISP will offer it by reserving the mac adddress of your modem, but that is not offered by Teksavvy.

I've been using cable for about 2 years and I don't have any issues with gaming.

[MaximDude]

You could try the distribution panel inside the house instead.

Not sure where that's located in my house assuming I have one. :|

Also since posting this thread, my disconnections have gone from once every few hours down to once or twice a day randomly. Not sure what the hell's going on. :(

[alanbrenton]

No... Teksavvy didn't throttle, it was Bell.

Another plus for Teksavvy is that their unlimited means unlimited. In other words, they won't cap your speed after you reach 40GB or something. You can go up to 1TB OR 10TB+ without problem.

What is Distributel's unlimited cable internet service like? Do they cap/throttle? One friend tried Distributel's 28 Mbps and he has since bought the cable modem because he liked the service so much. He is not a heavy downloader though and only grabs tv shows as they appear on torrent sites.

[george__]

^
I got too scared to switch... So I stayed with Teksavvy instead of going to Distributel.

[alanbrenton]

^
I got too scared to switch... So I stayed with Teksavvy instead of going to Distributel.

Did you bond two dsl lines, I read somewhere you were paying $90/month taxes in? Are you subscribing to the 25/10 service? I only went with the 16 Mbps because I didn't want to pay for modem rental and 16 Mbps is good enough for streaming even 1080p youtube videos.

Why did you go with unlimited when there's the 2-8am download window you can take advantage of? Both sabnzbd and utorrent have scheduling mechanisms to start d/l at 2am, well with sabnzbd it's crude and it's just pausing d/l for a number of hours.

[george__]

^ The $90 is installation fee??
I just have DSL 6 unlimited and it's because there is just too many people watching videos, downloading etc.

[scholar80]

I'm with Colosseum Online (http://www.colosseum.com). 6M unlimited for about $31 +tax per month -- very happy.

[infamouskid]

OP if you are in the Mississauga/Milton area consider http://standardbroadbandhome.ca/services/internet/
if not any issues on the line need to be addressed first before going to any other ISP.
also check the bell website to see if any other speed packages are available to you.
you want anything above 10/1.
if this is available to you i would say stay with TSI and upgrade your speed.
this will transfer your current pair which is fed from the CO to a local and more closer stinger/remote.

[alanbrenton]

1 mbps download right now

hopefully because of this:
http://service.sympatico.ca/index.cfm?method=home.serviceStatus

[infamouskid]

1 mbps download right now

hopefully because of this:
http://service.sympatico.ca/index.cfm?method=home.serviceStatus

on 25-10 with bell. no issues here in north york 416

[alanbrenton]

on 25-10 with bell. no issues here in north york 416

no problems this morning and afternoon either. just tonight. speedtestteksavvy.com showing about 2 mbps download. it was 16 when i checked this morning.

edit:
finally getting 7-8 now

edit for the morning:
finally back to 14-16 now.

[NickX]

Check out NetFox, had trouble signing up with TekSavvy and I ended up with NF, haven't looked back. Easily the best with their unlimited.

[alanbrenton]

I don't think I have to go through troubleshooting my Teksavvy DSL service anymore. Line stats I've been told are messed up but I've done three separate testing on various times and days and it's always during the peak hours that I can't get the 15-16 Mbps I'm subscribing to. Though Teksavvy doesn't throttle, my internet speed gets cut to half or even less during peak hours, which is not something a subscriber wants to happen.

Not sure why Teksavvy can't understand that the results of speed tests clearly show that they should be troubleshooting over on their end and not mine because the line stats doesn't explain why I get 16 Mbps during non-peak and at around 6-8 Mbps during non-peak? I'm being asked to do a lot of testing but really, they don't explain why my speed during peak hours is half (or less) than what I am getting at the moment.

Right now:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/2302953404.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I will post the speed test results later during peak hours (7-11pm)

[Agafaba]

I thought cable is always cheaper than DSL
Even with Teksavvy, it's cheaper

I've been on Rogers for awhile now, but I want to switch to a cheaper ISP to cut down my bills. I'm thinking about Teksavvy cable - is that the best way to go?

Cable is almost always cheaper for faster speeds, but DSL is better in nearly every other way.

[Mayoo]

I am not a fan of DSL .. cause in DSL the distance between Demarc Point and the CO ( Captive office ) matters .. the far u are, the less power and less signal strength ..

This might clear up some questions on Noise Margins and Attenuation.
Source of information:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/6734
SN Margin (AKA Signal to Noise Margin or Signal to Noise Ratio)
Relative strength of the DSL signal to Noise ratio: 6dB is the lowest dB manufactures specify for modem to be able to synch. In some instances interleaving can help raise the noise margin to an acceptable level. The higher the number the better for this measurement.

6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent
29dB or above is outstanding

Line Attenuation
Measure of how much the signal has degraded between the DSLAM and the modem: maximum signal loss recommendation is usually about 60dB. The lower the dB the better for this measurement.

20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues

ADSL Signal Drops off by distance and attenuation.

More info on the subject:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/6734


Source of information:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/6734

get a cable with DOCSIS 3.0 .. problem Solved ..

[alanbrenton]

Cable is almost always cheaper for faster speeds, but DSL is better in nearly every other way.

Not with my speed tests during peak hours though. I was told by a few people that with DSL, peak hour congestion shouldn't be an issue. Maybe there isn't any problem from my house to Bell's or Teksavvy's CO but there is no other explanation as to why it is always so much slower at night (prime time). And I'm the one in charge of downloading tv shows through usenet so I'm sure no one was streaming or downloading heavily at the time of my tests.

I don't give a damn about troubleshooting with Teksavvy anymore (bad line stats, etc.) because it's plain simple that there is nothing wrong with my DSL line, at least within my house. If there were issues, then I wouldn't be getting 15-17 Mbps outside of peak hours, now would I? Support over at Teksavvy is usually okay but it's become too mechanical and onerous on the subscriber: need to borrow a DSL modem, need to stay outside and connect the dsl modem to the demarcation box, etc. What's up with troubleshooting when my tests support that there is nothing wrong with my line. Maybe somehow, neighbor's usage interferes with mine but that is Bell and Teksavvy's problem and not mine to worry about.

I've been doing these tests for the past few days and I can confirm the same results:

off-peak --> 15-17 Mbps
peak --> 4-10 Mbps, sometimes with bursts to 12 Mbps but streaming from Youtube always lags and I'm sure Google has enough redundancy on its end. It gets to monetize each video played back by displaying ads and what not.

I don't know how else to explain the matter to Teksavvy but I'm likely moving to Start Communications. At least with 30 Mbps, even if it gets cut by half, I'm still ahead during peak hours. Also, I don't get the run around with always having to troubleshoot for something that is plain and obvious beyond my control-- getting the stated speed during off-peak but getting half (or even less) during peak hours.

[Mayoo]

OP Also check how far ur house from CO ..

The more ur away the bad signal you going to get ..

http://www.telcodata.us/search-switches-by-city-state?city=ottawa&state=ON&search=Search

Some ppl have excellent DSL cause they are right next to CO !!!

[Agafaba]

Not with my speed tests during peak hours though. I was told by a few people that with DSL, peak hour congestion shouldn't be an issue. Maybe there isn't any problem from my house to Bell's or Teksavvy's CO but there is no other explanation as to why it is always so much slower at night (prime time). And I'm the one in charge of downloading tv shows through usenet so I'm sure no one was streaming or downloading heavily at the time of my tests.

I don't give a damn about troubleshooting with Teksavvy anymore (bad line stats, etc.) because it's plain simple that there is nothing wrong with my DSL line, at least within my house. If there were issues, then I wouldn't be getting 15-17 Mbps outside of peak hours, now would I? Support over at Teksavvy is usually okay but it's become too mechanical and onerous on the subscriber: need to borrow a DSL modem, need to stay outside and connect the dsl modem to the demarcation box, etc. What's up with troubleshooting when my tests support that there is nothing wrong with my line. Maybe somehow, neighbor's usage interferes with mine but that is Bell and Teksavvy's problem and not mine to worry about.

I've been doing these tests for the past few days and I can confirm the same results:

off-peak --> 15-17 Mbps
peak --> 4-10 Mbps, sometimes with bursts to 12 Mbps but streaming from Youtube always lags and I'm sure Google has enough redundancy on its end. It gets to monetize each video played back by displaying ads and what not.

I don't know how else to explain the matter to Teksavvy but I'm likely moving to Start Communications. At least with 30 Mbps, even if it gets cut by half, I'm still ahead during peak hours. Also, I don't get the run around with always having to troubleshoot for something that is plain and obvious beyond my control-- getting the stated speed during off-peak but getting half (or even less) during peak hours.

I cant explain your situation other than to assume that someone is throttling you.

[Newb2this]

Did anyone else have severe ping spikes to US servers last night on TSI cable?

I am trying to figure out if this is Congestion vs. Memory on my WrtGL running low due to bigger routing tables these days which I heard about ousting otherwise good routers,
Vs my router overheating due to central heating this time of year.

Regardless, ping is more important than bandwidth to me and it has been good with 30 - 50 ms for almost 2 years with TSI, but if it congestion, to circa 400 to 900, I will sadly have to change.
I appreciate your suggestions.

[infamouskid]

hate to burst your bubble. but that is just cable in general.
this is why i choose dsl over cable. consistency is a big thing for me.
especially for gamers out there.


Did anyone else have severe ping spikes to US servers last night on TSI cable?

I am trying to figure out if this is Congestion vs. Memory on my WrtGL running low due to bigger routing tables these days which I heard about ousting otherwise good routers,
Vs my router overheating due to central heating this time of year.

Regardless, ping is more important than bandwidth to me and it has been good with 30 - 50 ms for almost 2 years with TSI, but if it congestion, to circa 400 to 900, I will sadly have to change.
I appreciate your suggestions.

[BongoBong]

Did anyone else have severe ping spikes to US servers last night on TSI cable?

I am trying to figure out if this is Congestion vs. Memory on my WrtGL running low due to bigger routing tables these days which I heard about ousting otherwise good routers,
Vs my router overheating due to central heating this time of year.

Regardless, ping is more important than bandwidth to me and it has been good with 30 - 50 ms for almost 2 years with TSI, but if it congestion, to circa 400 to 900, I will sadly have to change.
I appreciate your suggestions.

noticed my ping was going pretty crazy today playing on some us servers.

would still have dsl if it didn't suddenly stop working bell kept saying it must be my equipment (which was all tested and worked).

[george__]

Go to DSL - be happy