Verizon DSL: Better Than I Expected
Written: Mar 29 '02
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Pros: Fast, Easy to Install, No Annual Contract
Cons: Ship by UPS
The Bottom Line: Easy to install and lightening quick. Strongly recommend.
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| tbthorn's Full Review: Verizon Online DSL (Eastern US) |
Location: Worcester, MA
Service: Basic Residential (768K Down/128K Up)
Installation Fee: FREE
Modem Cost: FREE
Monthly Fee: $49.95/mo., $39.95 for 1st 3 mos.
Time to Install: 7 days (5 business days)
Bandwidth: 750kbps maximum
Abbreviations: kbps = kilobytes per second
Why I chose Verizon: EarthLink has a better introductory rate ($21.95 v $39.95 at the time of this review) and faster maximum download speeds; however, Verizon does not require an annual contract. Since cable modem access will not be available to me for another five months (I intend to switch then), I decided to go with Verizon. I have had phone service with them for years and have always been pleased with their customer service. Had it not been for the 'no annual contract' feature (must return modem if you disconnect service for less than 1 year) then I would have gone with EarthLink.
Ordering: I ordered DSL through Verizon via their website (www.verizon.com). The process was relatively simple, although their site is extremely slow. Simply check the availability for your phone line and then give them a little bit of information. You can either have the service billed to your telephone bill or to your credit card.
Installation: Surprisingly I received an email in my inbox saying that my DSL service was all set up and ready to go about 6 days (4 business days) prior to the expected install date. I only had to wait 7 days (5 business days) for service to be ready. This was quite unexpected based upon what I heard from others and what I have read on this site. The only snag was that UPS can't deliver packages properly. The package was scheduled to arrive the day of my new install date but I didn't end up getting it for a couple of days because they kept losing track of it. I will make it clear that I detest UPS and prefer to use sites that allow FedEx or USPS shipping options; however, Verizon only ships via UPS. That is really my only complaint about Verizon, so far.
Self-Installation: Within 20 minutes of receiving my installation kit I was surfing the net at ultra-high speeds. This includes the set-up time: Installing filters on phone lines, Connecting the DSL modem, Installing the software and Setting up the DSL account. The hardest part of the whole process was opening the box. The instructions provided are broken into 3 easy steps and the instructions are very explicit. If you can plug a phone cord into the back of your computer, then you can perform the self-installation.
Account Set-up: My only complaint about Verizon, other than their loyalty to UPS, is that your account name is a bunch of random letters and numbers. You get a nice email alias automatically (Firstname.Lastname@verizon.net), but the screenname you use to sign on is not easily remembered. To get around this I simply use the auto-connect feature. You can get up to 4 email addresses and 10MB of web space with your account.
The SPEED: I would like to say that I have read many people saying that they only get 50kbps download speeds and conclude that DSL is worse than a 56k modem. If you think this, then you need to learn a bit more about how this whole internet thing works. You will never get the maximum download speed for a single file because your download speed not only depends on your connection speed (primarily based on your distance from the phone company for DSL) but also on the speed the server offers and net congestion. The speed of a 56k modem is very inconsistent (1 to 10kbps) and typically you won't get more than 5 or 6kbps. So please understand that 50kbps actual download speed is NOT worse than what you get with a 56k modem. It is actually much faster. Most of the comparisons that you will see for DSL vs. 56k do not use the maximum download speed but rather an estimate of what you will likely get.
What kind of speed do I get? According to 2wire.com, my maximum bandwidth speed is consistently between 700-750kbps without any other applications running. This is just under the advertised maximum speeds, which of course are never guaranteed. According to my own research, I live just over 13,000 feet from my phone company's switching station. If you live more than 15,000 to 18,000 from the switching station, DSL is not typically available. So, I get very good bandwidth despite living very close to the maximum distance away from the phone company. I must say I am very pleased.
PDFtopia: As a scientist I constantly need to download large PDF files from various journal sites. With a 56k modem this process is cumbersome and makes fact checking quite difficult. With DSL, i consistently get downloads at around 60-80kbps. So my PDF downloads occur in seconds rather than minutes. Again, this largely depends on the site I am downloading from. My life has just been made so much easier.
File Sharing: I have used my DSL for person to person (P2P) file sharing. The maximum download speed I have received for a single file is around 70kbps, but keep in mind this is mostly because the computers on the P2P network are pretty busy and most don't offer much higher speeds than that. I can easily download 5 files at a time without one file affecting the download speed of the others. For uploading, I have had several successful transfers so the upload must also be reliable, although I don't know how fast it is. So far, DSL has worked very well for file swapping.
Surfing the Net: Wow. Pages load very quickly. I no longer have to watch pictures appear little by little. I can run a few browsers at a time to mult-task.
Down Time: At this time I have not had any problems connecting, but I will update this section should I have problems in the future.
Customer Support: I haven't even talked to anyone from Verizon, not even to order. I like ordering things without the hassle of trying to deal with some numb-skull that can't even pronounce my name. Should I have need to seek customer support in the future, then I will update this section.
Conclusion: Many people have had problems with Verizon. While I have only had service for a few weeks, I can honestly say that I have not had a single problem. I have one other friend that subscribes to Verizon DSL and he feels the same way. So I guess Worcester, MA must be in some type of nether world because our Verizon DSL works just great.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39.95
Version Number or Year: 2002
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tbthorn
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Member: Tom
Location: lost in thought
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Vacation (vA-kA-shun) 1. Eating too much 2. Drinking too much 3. Getting a tan
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