[TriLUG] TWC DVR & Modem Recommendations

[David Burton]

On Sun, Dec 16, 2012 at 3:44 PM, David Both <dboth at millennium-technology.com
> wrote:

> ...
> I still use TWC for my business Internet connection. Hoping to change
> that. Dish also has internet.



I went to Dish's web site and*
read<http://www.dish.com/entertainment/internet-phone/>
:*

INTRODUCING DISHNET HIGH-SPEED INTERNET.
Think faster with dishNET nationwide *satellite Internet* service. With
dishNET, you can get:
Prices starting at *$39.99/mo* when you bundle with qualifying DISH TV
service, and we'll waive the activation fee too — a $99 value.
Speeds up to 10 mbps.
Multiple plans available nationwide to fit your speed and data needs.
Convenience of a single bill.
Savings of $240 over two years when you bundle with qualifying DISH TV
packages.
24/7 customer support from DISH.
All plans require *24-month* Agreement and *$10/mo. equipment lease fee.*


That doesn't sound good at all, to me.

With TWC, you need to call them every 13 months or so, threaten to leave,
and get the "retention" department to lower you bill. It's a hassle, but
your average monthly bill should end up being well under $40, and probably
under $35/mo, with excellent speed & reliability, unlimited data usage, and
no lock-in.

And, of course, you get TWC's legendarily abusive customer-no-service
department (which is "experiencing higher than average call volume" 100% of
the time) -- yipee.

With Dish you get:

   - a 24-month lock-in
   - a minimum $50/mo bill (even more if you don't bundle w/ TV), and
   - a minimum additional 1/3 second ping latency due to the 60,000 mile
   round trip to & from a satellite (i.e., it's miserably slow), and
   - 5GB/mo daytime data
limit<http://www.dish.com/entertainment/internet-phone/satellite-internet/>,
   and
   - customer-no-service that is probably as awful as TWC's.

If you can't get cablemodem, U-Verse, DSL, or Clear where you live, then
Dish satellite might be your only option.  But, otherwise, it seems like a
rotten deal.

Alternately, Dish might be able to resell you AT&T's DSL, but probably not
for a better price than AT&T, and it'll be noticeably slower than TWC cable
or AT&T U-Verse.

Dave