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VDSL: Should I change over from Cable?
-poe-
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Qwest just started offering VDSL in my area (as far as I can tell reading about it, that means fiberoptics to a hub in the neighborhood, then copper wire from there to me). They're quoting 12 Mbps down/3 up for the same I'm paying for a 3 Mbps down with cable, and 20 Mbps down for a shitload more. Can I realistically expect a quadrupling of my downstream speed for switching over, or is there something else I need to be finding out from Qwest before I sign on with them? I'm pretty unfamiliar with the technology, and I haven't found much anecdotal information about VDSL specifically, except for U-verse, which doesn't apply here. Anyone have first-hand knowledge of the service and how well it works?
-poe- on
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So there's no catch. I don't have firsthand knowledge as it's not offered in my area but we did cover VDSL in my network and communications class last spring, so I kind of sort of know what I'm talking about. Expect it to work just as well as DSL, if you've ever had that before, just faster.
While it is an improvement, consider:
1) Qwest's help and phone support are a bunch of assholes. Their field people are cool, but it's like pulling teeth when you call them up.
2) Me and everyone I know with Qwest DSL has a problem with the Actiontek modem where it randomly drops the internet connection, but not enough to disconnect from the game. In Halo 2, this resulted in me sitting in the connection screen every 15 seconds, even when I was the host. Ratsult, a fellow Halo player, kept going to black screen in the middle of a Halo 3 game. The only way to fix it is to get the modem replaced, and once again even though it's under warranty they will make you pull teeth.
I used Qwest years ago, when they were the only game in town for broadband, and was mostly satisfied, though I seemed to have a couple hours of downtime one day every week during the day. I doubt this is still an issue, though.
Does anyone know if there is a different modem for VDSL service? I know there have been problems for some people with the ActionTech units like FyreWulff mentioned, and it would be a plus if that weren't a factor.