Poll: Roadrunner or SBC/Ameritech DSL

[figgypower]

Hey everyone,

I need some help on whether to get DSL service from DSL or Road Runner (cable) from Time Warner. I'm located at Upper Arlington, OH (zip 43221), and I've already read up on reviews from broadbandreports.com. The DSL service is $29.95/month for 384kbps - 1.5mbps download and 128kbps upload, but it's guaranteed to be a minimum of 384kbps. SBC claims to be the only one to provide any sort of broadband guarantee and from what I can tell so far, they seem to be telling the truth. Time Warner offers a bundle package which includes, basic + standard cable, all the HBOs, and Road Runner service for $72/month. We intend on getting Time Warner cable whether we chose DSL or cable. Road Runner, like the majority of broadband providers, offers no guarantees; it's rated speeds are 3500kbps download and 384kbps upload. Any stories or comments are appreciate as well. Many thanks in advance!

P.S. I've heard SBC can be a little bit of a pain with all its Yahoo! registration and configuring for non-Windows boxes. How true are those comments? I certainly don't want to deal with PPPoE; I like cable's simplicity of just doing a MAC address clone. The only thing SBC offers is that guarantee.

 

[IceNineJon]

I've had SBC DSL for about 4 months now with no problems at all. I get the full 128 up they promise and about 1.4 out of the 1.5 down maximum. What convinced me to use SBC (I didn't have Roadrunner as a choice but I did have other DSL companies) was their tech guys on DSLReports.com. If you go on the SBC forum there, you'll see users who are actually technicians at SBC who browse the forum and help people out. Luckily I've only needed them to answer some questions I had before I ordered .

Additionally, if you don't want to worry about PPPoE junk, just get a cheap broadband router or wireless router (you can get them for like $30) which support PPPoE. Plug the CAT5 from the DSL modem into that, plug your computers into the router, no setup required (although you do have to initially install some software to activate the DSL, although it's very easy to remove once you're done).

As for Roadrunner...can't really comment on it because I've never had it. I can say that anything AOL touches scares me though.

My vote is for SBC! Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[figgypower]

I've found out that I'm about 10290 feet from the CO. Can anyone tell me a more accurate speed expectation besides the generic, rated 384kbps - 1.5mbps down and 128kbps up?

Edit:
One more thing I don't understand. If I need PPPoE for DSL, aren't I technically "signing" in each session, because then it doesn't really seem "always-on" like they claim. My router will be able to handle it (Linsys BEFSX41), but as I understand, with DSL I have to do a direct connection first with all the Yahoo! junk, right?

 

[FoBoT]

i have had both in Kansas City

i like my RR cable better

 

[IceNineJon]

figgy, post a message on the dslreports.com forums. An SBC tech can give you a more accurate idea of exactly how far you are (some online sites use distance according to driving distance...what really matters is feet of cable). Also, there may be a remote terminal located near you which is what I'm using. They can help you out.

As for signing in....yes, you do have to sign in. BUT, you only have to sign in once (when you start your computer if you're using the PPPoE on your computer) or when your router first starts up (which hopefully shouldn't be very often ). No, you don't need any of the SBC software installed after you activate your service (you need it initially because it runs tests, points you to URLs, etc). After that, any PPPoE drivers in Windows, Linux, etc. or a router with PPPoE is enough. Just plug in the CAT5 and you're good to go!

 

[lobadobadingdong]

I've used both road runner while I was living in Waco,TX and SBC dsl which I use now in Denison. the dsl is about twice as fast on both uploads and downloads, three to four times as fast as compared with busy times of internet use, and as time went on more people where joining the trunk and slowing it down even more, in waco. one thing to really take notice is cable is broadband, dsl is baseband, that 1.5 baseband is pretty much all yours until your phone line gets to the switching station and is rarely slowed down by other users, most of dsl slowdown is by distances greater than 5mi. from the switching station, the 3mbps of broadband is shared between everyone on you local trunk usually anywhere between 15-150 people or more(can you say higher security risk?). If you plan to play online games definatly go with the dsl as you won't have near as much lag difficulties.

P.S. if you get a broadband router (buy this at your local staples or office max to save $50) sbc won't care what kind of OS you use. and with sbc you don't need the mac address clone. oh, and dish network is cheaper than cable....