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Shopping for new Cable/DSL company

I am on RCN cable network for over, ah, 5 years now? It has been good, but it is just significantly slower now. Here is a case in point: i have just finished my weekly podcast show (38 min. in length, about 18 MB in file size) and I have been uploading it to my site for the last half an hour. My ftp client is telling me that it’s uploading at 8.0 KB/s. I know it is slow to upload than download, but, com’on, give me a break. I am about to run the dsl reporsts speed test, but I can’t yet because it is still uploading…

OK now it is done uploading and I just made the latest episode public… and here is the test result:

Speed Test Result

dslreports.com speed test 2006-11-10 03:12:30 EST:
2079 / 30 (Kbps)
(253.8 / 3.7 KB/sec)
Compared to the average of 77 tests from rcn.com:
* download is 73% worse, upload is 96% worse

OK, this may be the reason I couldn’t get the sound for MLB-Japan All Star game??? and I am on the phone with this VERY RUDE customer service right now.

After having a very unpressed, very unproductive conversation with a customer support who assumes she is talking to person with no computer knowledge, I have decided that I am switching my cable company. I pay what? for this? I just realized I am paying $125 bucks a month for those a-holes for all cable, TV, and phone. I will not stand for it. Bye bye RCN you have just lost a royal customer of past 5 years.

UPDATE: today’s Customer service was a little better. And I may have figured something out… My service is called mack 7 service and supporsed to get 7mbps download and 800kbps upload. and perhaps the probelm is the router that I never restert… I took off the router and connected my computer directly and got this just now: 6673 / 733 (Kbps)(814.6 / 89.5 KB/sec)
Compared to the average of 82 tests from rcn.com: download is 18% worse, upload is 28% worse.
I will look into what the other places upload speed is, but if I can get close to what I am supposed to get, them I may stick with it… May be problem is on my SMC2804WBR Barricade g Wireless Cable/DSL Broadband Router. I once experienced that it wouldn’t let ip address go even after releasing and renewing the DHCP. …maybe that is not the reason… I SO, bottom line is this, I get 7mb/.8mb without my wireless router, but with it I get 2mb/.3mb. Maybe the probelm is in router.

One Response to “Shopping for new Cable/DSL company”

  1. AnnaB Says:

    Welcome to the club! RCN is a horrible company. Their customer service is atrocious: rude and uninformed assholes. I switched to Verizon FIOS (internet) and Comcast (cable TV). Eventually Verizon will be doing TV as well. Switching will save your sanity and money. Fight the power!

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