Switching from DSL to cable - what to expect?
I've been a devote DSL user since I got into fast internet ~10 years ago or so, but now that I've been waiting in vain for Bell fibe to come to my area (7 years old house, in Hamilton, not in outskirts) for a long time, I am starting to conteplate my other option (cable). With Bell (actually Teksavvy) I am only getting 4 Mb/s down 0.8 Mb/s, so even for the traditional DSL I seem to be rather far from their equipment (I think 4km), so Fibe will probably take a long time to arrive here (I think they need to be within 500m). What drives me nuts is that for my neighbour across the street (an old house 50m away from mine) the Fibe options are available. But I guess one can be very close physically and miles away in terms of DSL network.
In the last year our area was switched from Shaw to Rogers cable, so I can now get fast cable internet. I need a good upload speed, so I am considering 30/5 and 60/10 Mbit/s packages. I looked it up on http://www.canadianisp.ca , and there are a few interesting options out there. In terms of positive reviews, Netfox seems to be the king now (you have to go to May 2013 to see the first negative review, which did have an official response from the company). Anyone had bad lick with Netfox? In contrast, my own Teksavvy is below average now (-0.2 rating in the last 3 months).
In terms of price, unlimted 30/5 and 60/10 cable packages are cheapest at Velcom - 65$ and 51$ per month. They have a rating 0, and quite a few very negative reviews recently, so I'll probably stay away from them. The Netfox's prices are higher (80$ and 63$), but they do provide an unlimited Canada calling telephony for only 15$/month. I am currently paying almost 35$/month for landline phone with Teksavvy, so I can switch from 4Mbit/s DSL + landline phone to 30/5 Mbit/s cable + telephony by paying extra 8$/month only (with the bonus of free Canada-wide calling).
And here are my questions for anyone who either switched from DSL to cable, or who is using cable internet from third parties in Rogers area (especially if there is anyone from Hamilton Mountain):
- What was your experience overall?
- Does cable interenet typically deliver the advertized speed (especially the upload speed)?
- Does cable interenet speed fluctuates wildly?
- If I am already subscribing for Rogers cable TV (basic digital package), will they have to come over to do the cable internet hookup?
I heard that Rogers doesn't allow third party cable internet providers in the areas where they own a subsidiary (like on Hamilton Mountain, where they bought Shaw network recently; originally Mountain Cable). Is it true? Teksavvy told me recently that they cannot provide cable internet in my area, but I got a response yesterday from Electronic Box that they can. I think it still a is fairly good chance for me to pay for the modem and activation just to find out that Rogers won't let them do that.
In the last year our area was switched from Shaw to Rogers cable, so I can now get fast cable internet. I need a good upload speed, so I am considering 30/5 and 60/10 Mbit/s packages. I looked it up on http://www.canadianisp.ca , and there are a few interesting options out there. In terms of positive reviews, Netfox seems to be the king now (you have to go to May 2013 to see the first negative review, which did have an official response from the company). Anyone had bad lick with Netfox? In contrast, my own Teksavvy is below average now (-0.2 rating in the last 3 months).
In terms of price, unlimted 30/5 and 60/10 cable packages are cheapest at Velcom - 65$ and 51$ per month. They have a rating 0, and quite a few very negative reviews recently, so I'll probably stay away from them. The Netfox's prices are higher (80$ and 63$), but they do provide an unlimited Canada calling telephony for only 15$/month. I am currently paying almost 35$/month for landline phone with Teksavvy, so I can switch from 4Mbit/s DSL + landline phone to 30/5 Mbit/s cable + telephony by paying extra 8$/month only (with the bonus of free Canada-wide calling).
And here are my questions for anyone who either switched from DSL to cable, or who is using cable internet from third parties in Rogers area (especially if there is anyone from Hamilton Mountain):
- What was your experience overall?
- Does cable interenet typically deliver the advertized speed (especially the upload speed)?
- Does cable interenet speed fluctuates wildly?
- If I am already subscribing for Rogers cable TV (basic digital package), will they have to come over to do the cable internet hookup?
I heard that Rogers doesn't allow third party cable internet providers in the areas where they own a subsidiary (like on Hamilton Mountain, where they bought Shaw network recently; originally Mountain Cable). Is it true? Teksavvy told me recently that they cannot provide cable internet in my area, but I got a response yesterday from Electronic Box that they can. I think it still a is fairly good chance for me to pay for the modem and activation just to find out that Rogers won't let them do that.