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My ISP is a dick
Butters
A glass of some milksRegistered User regular
A glass of some milksRegistered User regular
So I used Measurementlab.net to determine that my ISP was throttling bittorrent traffic but luckily there are ways around that with a good client with encryption features. Today I thought I'd setup Netflix on my 360 which says my connection is too slow for it to run which would make little sense under normal circumstances as I have a measured 4.0MBit downstream (using dslreports.com). Given that I've seen my download speeds go as high as 400k/s and my roommate has complained about Hulu being slow I suspect my ISP is yet again guilty of throttling certain content.
I haven't tried gaming on my 360 with this ISP yet but I fear the worst as it took several hours to download a 400MB DLC pack and streaming video is looking like a lost cause. I tried bypassing the router and bringing the internet connection directly to the 360 and I actually got this warning:
http://support.xbox.com/support/en/us/nxe/kb.aspx?id=958429&lcid=1033&category=xboxlive
Which the way I see it identifies an issue with the ISP but oddly enough I don't get that warning when I connect my 360 to the router.
The question I pose is this: Is there any way to bypass this problem like I was able to with the bittorrent client? Is there a way to mask my XBL traffic keep my dick of an ISP from making it unusable?
I haven't tried gaming on my 360 with this ISP yet but I fear the worst as it took several hours to download a 400MB DLC pack and streaming video is looking like a lost cause. I tried bypassing the router and bringing the internet connection directly to the 360 and I actually got this warning:
http://support.xbox.com/support/en/us/nxe/kb.aspx?id=958429&lcid=1033&category=xboxlive
Which the way I see it identifies an issue with the ISP but oddly enough I don't get that warning when I connect my 360 to the router.
The question I pose is this: Is there any way to bypass this problem like I was able to with the bittorrent client? Is there a way to mask my XBL traffic keep my dick of an ISP from making it unusable?
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Complain that Hulu, Youtube, XBL, whatever else (but not torrents, of course) are slow and unusable and you are not getting the service you pay for.
If they can't fix it they might give you a credit of some sort at least.
SC2 NA: exoplasm.519 | PA SC2 Mumble Server | My Website | My Stream
Bwah?
Do they allow cable TV? If so, the landlord probably just won't let new ISPs come in and install equipment outside of the rental unit because they have an agreement with big ISP suckyshit.
They can't dictate what type of service you use if the infrastructure is already in place. They'd be ridiculous.
I'd hate to live in an apartment that told me I had to buy my energy solely from wind power or something retarded like that.
Edit:
Oh, I see, they have proprietary stuff in there. Neverthemind.
Don't be rude about it, just explain in a calm and collected manner that the internet is a requirement for your entertainment, and that the level of service provided by him is insufficient to keep you in the apartment. Explain that latency is too high for enjoying the online gaming that you do, and bandwidth is too low for the files you want to download.
At least that's what I'd do. And yes, I've moved because of shitty internet access.
I talked with tech support. Told them I am hoping to bypass their restrictions and they said they'd pass my case onto a senior network engineer or whatever and get back to me. I am also looking into DSL availability as the one thing Discernity doesn't control is phone service. Hopefully this will pan out one way or another. Too bad I can't just encrypt all internet traffic like I was able to with Bittorrent to bypass their packet shaper.
EDIT: I think I found a DSL provider for my area that can be used as leverage. If that doesn't work hopefully they don't have the same bullshit restrictions.
You'll have to pay, though. I'm sure you can hunt up a free service to try stuff like netflix, but there's no way you'll be able to do all your internet stuff short of a dedicated pay service.
http://www.discernity.com/apartment.html
Yeah, I'd go to your landlord and tell them that they can either let you have a different cable provider or they can let you out of your lease and go fuck themselves.
Don't expect nearly the downstream with DSL that you get with Cable.
I second the "let me install cable or take me off the lease and go fuck yourselves" idea.
SC2 NA: exoplasm.519 | PA SC2 Mumble Server | My Website | My Stream
I have no words
Man, I seriously think that anyone who is getting 8-10 Mbps downstream on DSL has an apartment inside the colo.
Ok, I've only seen DSL offered at 6mb max (unless you get DSL2 from SpeakEasy or something). Good point.
Also OP you can use speedtest.comcast.net for extra data points. Also speakeasy.net/speedtest.
Make sure that being unable to use XBL and NetFlix are the big issues or it will probably never get resolved.
SC2 NA: exoplasm.519 | PA SC2 Mumble Server | My Website | My Stream
Um...yeah I don't think you know how leases work. They don't break them for bullshit with ISPs. You accept the limitations of the building's services when you sign the lease.
Also, as I already stated this is not worth moving over so please stop suggesting it.
The provider I found says they offer up to 8Mbps. That's more than enough and twice what I have now. Does cable offer much more than that? I doubt it.
In the US. I've seen forumers in other countries on plans in the 20-30 Mbps range with ADSL.
No, the OP was about bypassing the problem. The solution presented was to bypass it by using a different carrier. It was phrased as such:
"Go to your lessor and say "Let me use my own cable or else let me out of my lease."
All of that is perfectly within the bounds of the thread.
Again, if you signed an addendum to your lease that you'll accept whatever two-bit ridiculous monopolistic bullshit ISP, then that solution will not work for you.
But don't FUH FUH FUH about not wanting to move or that "no one gets my lease, man" when what you're being offered is the most sensible way around your current predicament.
Otherwise, you're looking at end-to-end encryption between you and a proxy service, which won't be cheap and may not be terribly fast, either.
What's their biggest upside? Regional jerk-water ISP is forced to change to the same kind of tiered-bandwidth bullshit that Charter and Time-Warner are already using?
They have a captive market. Their entire marketing strategy is to appeal to apartment management companies who are trying to minimize costs by selling them this hilarious service (with the added benefit of turning off the tenant's cable and internet any time the apartment manager feels like it).
Necro. The normal thing to do in this situation is not just pack up everything he owns and move to another location in the city when he has signed a lease stating he will live there for 12 months. He may or may not have all of that time left on his lease, my guess is much less time.
I don't think he oh so desperately needs his innernets for xbox so badly that he is going to go through the costs of finding a new place right away when he could do a host of other things and I don't see why you are all up on his dick about moving.
I was under the impression it was more than a regional ISP. But it's not like I did any research on the company.
The point was the threat of being let out of the lease ($$$$ out the window for the management company) vs. them just letting him pick his own cable provider.
Again, as I said, if he signed a lease addendum about allowing the crappy monopoly in the place to be his provider, then he's screwed and needs to either pay up for a phone line and DSL or a secure proxy.
Jesus, it's like I'm playing cards with my brother's kids or something..
From their hilariously-bad website:
So, they're basically covering Kentucky and the states that touch it.
If I were the EFF I'd do it just to be a nice guy, but that's just me.
Which is like the emptiest threat ever. When you sign a lease you can't threaten to get let out of it just because a bug flew up your ass. You have to actually find that the property's management is violating the lease or doing something illegal. Managing the communication utilities in their building certainly doesn't qualify.
So yeah saying "You guys better let me get AT&T U-verse or I'm gonna see if you'll let me out of my lease provided I find a replacement renter within a reasonable time frame!" makes positively zero sense.
Now, whether or not choice in cable provider is a 'basic right' is up for debate. But you'd have to haul everyone involved into a court room, spend tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees, not to mention a year or more of your life to get an answer to that question.
My gut feeling is that a court would agree with you, but it's definitely not worth the effort.
Sorry, not allowing you to use an alternate vendor for services constitutes at least an exclusion clause and possibly restraint of trade and would easily be grounds for a suit. Their downside far outweighs the upside of just letting you get your own damn cable.
But hey, keep throwing up a smokescreen. I'm not the one sitting there with shitty internet.
Yeah in the US you're not getting those speeds on DSL. Ever. You'll get fiber first.
On the other hand I get 30mbps down and 2mbps up with my cable modem. Which will piss me off royally when TW decides to cap it (at anything) because my roommate and I could break the cap in a week between youtube and steam his photography site he uploads huge-ass photos to.
SC2 NA: exoplasm.519 | PA SC2 Mumble Server | My Website | My Stream
I really highly doubt choosing a cable provider in a building I don't own is considered a basic right.
City grants Telephone Company and Cable Company franchise agreements to serve their city. Typically this requires providing service at request of potential customer if they are not already served.
Apartment buildings can contract with specific providers, even those who only have a CLEC agreement (like this company probably has) with the ILECs (cable/phone companies). They can refuse service from the ILECs as the city franchise agreement does not require them to serve those who do not want to be served (duh).
Since you are not the owner of the property you cannot request any ILEC or CLEC to run you a line. Period.
If you have phone lines from the ILEC instead of this CLEC you can get DSL from them or a third party carrier (speakeasy is good from personal experience, though pricey).
SC2 NA: exoplasm.519 | PA SC2 Mumble Server | My Website | My Stream