Are you getting what you pay for?

In an earlier post, I did a comparison of plans and showed how to compare prices, based on claims.

Another important question is, are you actually getting what you are paying for.  Common complaints with the incumbent providers are slowness, outages and erratic performance.

You will pleased to know that the NY State Attorney General is bringing a lawsuit against Time Warner and their parent Charter over speeds and performance.

When I heard this, I did some fact checking and went straight to the AG's web site:

https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-announces-lawsuit-against-spectrum-time-warner-cable-and-charter

It should be noted that all reputable Internet Service Providers provide a speed test page. This includes Greenlight Networks.

To do your own speed test:

1. Find the portal for your current provider. Using a different one will not establish proper baseline. 
2. Plug a PC DIRECTLY in to the providers modem, or Optical Network Terminal. You must bypass your router, WIFI, internal cabling etc.  Again, this establishes a baseline 

Once you have established your baseline, you can repeat tests on the 'inside" of your router, over WIFI etc.  That could indicate performance issues on your side of the modem as well.

This should be done periodically no matter who your provider is.

High Speed Internet increases home values!

There are two major factors driving the need for true high speed internet in our homes.

The first in just business. There are many homes where at least one person works from a home office, tethered to the Internet.  We have a good number of people that work from home, either full or part time.

The second is purely entertainment. We now stream our movies, rather that playing a DVD. We can also stream any type of music, commercial free, anytime we want.

There are many articles online that talk about this. I recommend reading a few from different sources and get an understanding of why this is happening.

http://www.forsytheappraisals.com/2015/july/280-fiber-broadband-has-an-impact-on-home-values

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2941932/fiber-broadband-can-drive-up-your-homes-value.html

http://yellowstonemortgage.com/?p=324

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/07/02/Want-Boost-Value-Your-House-Get-High-Speed-Internet

Internet Plan Price Comparisons.

This morning I attempted to do a price comparison of the three Internet Service Providers in the Rochester market. These are the only companies than can actually deliver service to your home over a physical connection.

 This is about as close to an 'apples to apples" comparison you can make, and considers price and speed only. It does not address the limitations or capabilities of the underlying technologies for each.

Frontier

Plan: SIMPLY BROADBAND ULTIMATE

Monthly Price: $54.99 ($39.99 Intro rate)

Speed:  “as fast as 24Mbps”

Unit Cost per Mb: $2.27

Standard Construction/Install Fee: Unclear

Time Warner

Plan: Ultimate Internet

Monthly Price: $69.99 ($64.99 intro rate)

Speed:  “Up to 50Mbps”

Unit Cost per Mb: $1.39

Standard Construction/Install Fee: Unclear

Greenlight

Plan: Amazingly Fast

Monthly Price: $50/month

Unit Cost per Mb: $.50

Speed: “up to 100Mbps download and up to 20Mbps upload”

Standard Construction/Install Fee: $100

It is interesting to note that the technically superior product has a substantially lower unit cost.

Another thing to be aware of is the Intro rates. Several years ago, we signed up for Road Runner Turbo with Time Warner. In theory, we got "speeds up to 25 Mbps"  for an intro rate of $54.99. After 12 months the rate went to 64.99. And several increases later, we at now at $69.99.

Note that is now the retail rate for the faster Ultimate service. They will require us to get a new contract, They will not  simply switch plans based on the new retail rate.

The proposed solution was to purchase a "Bundle" of phone and TV. Neither of which we need or want.

I hope this is helpful.

How to sign up for Greenlight Internet Service

This article was originally published on the ABC Streets website, and is shared with permission.

Some neighbors have been telling me that they have signed up for Greenlight service but they were not asked to enter a credit card number for the $10 deposit. Note that if you were not prompted to choose a monthly plan ($50, $75 or $100 level) and make a $10 deposit, then you are NOT signed up for Greenlight. Here’s how to choose a plan and make the $10 deposit.

(1) Click on this link and fill out all information (including your address) and click “Check Availability” at the bottom of the page.

(2) Once you click “Check Availability,” you will either get a congratulations screen saying you are in a Greenlight district or a message that your e-mail address is already in use. Follow the appropriate instructions below based on this message.

(2) (a) Congratulations: Greenlight will send an e-mail to the address you entered in step 1. That e-mail will include a sign up link and password for you to use to pick a plan (the $50 one is sufficient) and put down the $10 deposit.

(2) (b) E-mail already in use: If you enter your e-mail address and get a prompt that the e-mail address you entered is already in use, then send an e-mail to support@greenlightnetworks.com and ask them to reset the password (be sure to include the e-mail address that is associated with the account).

(3) Once you get the new password, go to Greenlight’s home page at https://greenlightnetworks.com/. Log into your account using the e-mail address and new password they gave you. This time you will be able to log into your account and choose a plan and enter a credit card for the $10 deposit.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I sign up?

Click on the following link.  Create an account, provide your address and use a credit card to put down the $10 deposit.  Click Here

What is the installation fee and price of the service?

There is a $100 installation fee to bring the fiber into your house.  After that you, pay $50 a month for the service (includes taxes and fees).  They also have $75 and $100 options but the speed you get with the $50 option is more than enough.

Are there any other costs?

You do need to provide your own router.  On the plus side, you won’t have to pay a monthly router fee to the DSL or cable company anymore.

When will I get service?

As soon as we get enough sign ups, Greenlight will install the fiber which will take 40-90 days.  Once you’re hooked up, you can do a big dance while you cancel your current Internet service.

Do I need to sign a contract?

No, Greenlight does not require a contract and there is no penalty should you decide to cancel the service in the future. That said, once you see the speed of fiber, you will probably never go back to DSL or cable Internet.