To Downgrade Or Not To Downgrade (That is the question)

L

LostStorm

Gawd
Joined
Mar 20, 2006
Messages
775
Need some advice:

I currently have TWC wideband service 30 Mb down / 5 Mb up. After dealing with the pros and cons of it, I'm trying to decide whether to keep it or downgrade to 20 Mb down / 2 Mb up.

[URL=http://www.speedtest.net][/URL]

Wideband(30/5)
Pros - Faster downloads and finally a decent upload (movie downloads)
Cons - Force to use two modems(wideband,voip), lousy built in Wifi, increase electric bill, no improvement in gaming

Downgrade(20/2)
Pros - One modem, can use my own router, still a decent download, lower electric bill, better wifi
Cons - Slower upload, even worst gaming performace (MP)

Extra info - Original connection was 3Mbs to 15Mb download / .49 upload (only thing that remain constant)
 
Last edited:
I've got the 30/5 plan and really enjoy the 5Mb/s upload speed. Especially when uploading photos and videos. It's a big help with that sort of stuff, which we do a lot of actually.

I'd say it depends on what you actually use it for. We're heavy on Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo, YouTube, etc. Not to mention gaming with Mineraft, BF3 and other FPS stuff currently.

However we pay $55/mo for internet only. We don't have a home phone and cable TV is useless to us. I'm guessing you have the home VoIP + TV with the cable? If I need a home phone, I'll get something VoIP that does not require a special modem; rather a standalone device or an app that goes on my computer, tablet or phone over WiFi. Though I was tired of pouring about $130/mo on that crap. Almost a grand a year kept in my pocket for other crap I also probably don't need. :p
 
@ MikeTrike
Thanks for the advice

I'm going have to decide what i need and can live without.
Ex. movies, gaming, so on.
 
The electricity saved will be negligible. Maybe $0.50 - 1.00 a month, and that's being generous.
 
/usr/home said:
The electricity saved will be negligible. Maybe $0.50 - 1.00 a month, and that's being generous.
Click to expand...

With the electric rates in NY (only second to California), probably a lot more. Plus you can never trust cable company and their power hungry equipment
 
Last edited:
Tell them you want a stand alone modem with no router because you want to use your own router. Tell them it's the deciding factor on whether you move to the competitor or stay with them. I'm sure they'll provide you the proper equipment or help you configure a stand alone modem that you buy.

I would hate being forced to use a modem/router combo as well. I think they're a great idea for users who don't want to deal with messing with this stuff, but it should be an option and not forced.
 
Downgrade....put the modem/router in gateway mode, buy your own router with decent QOS and everything should be fine.
 
We recently downgraded, and it's been fine. We have Comcast, had their "Blast" internet or whatever that is I think 20 or 30Mb/s. I was regularly pulling close to 40Mb with Speedtest on local servers.

I think our downgrade went to 15Mb, but I've been pulling over 20 on Speedtest.

I've noticed a couple ISO downloads (FreeBSD, OpenSUSE) went a little slower and take a few more minutes. However, for surfing the internet and BF3 I've noticed no difference whatsoever.
 
Call Roadrunner support, ask to speak with Tier 3 support, and they can put your Wideband modem in bridge mode so you can use your own router, your own wifi, etc. The Roadrunner NYC area locks out the internal modem administration pages that allow you to set the bridge mode yourself. Other RR areas do not do this (not sure why NYC has this policy). You'll still have two modems since you have digital phone service, as Roadrunner has not decided on an integrated Docsis 3.0 eMTA. That's why you have two modems. You could drop digital phone service and use a cell phone, which might save you a couple of bucks on your Roadrunner bill and lower power consumption.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top