Which internet provider would be best for me? Never had options.

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Liver

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Oct 24, 2005
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Never had good options before, so I need advice.

What I use the internet for: surfing, online banking, gaming, stock trading and torrents.

I moved to downtown Dallas and have two options for internet (DSL is NOT one of them).

Time Warner with the 10/1 (down/up) connection. Now I know that I will probably never hit the 10 down, but it is high.

Second is a private shared T3 line with max of 6/6 (down/up) or 5/5 (all the way down to .5/.5 ish). I have never had this option before. Basically it is a T3 line to the apartment building and I would get a cut of it, I do not know how many people are on it already. Nor do I know what the associated cost is.

Regardless of the cost, what would you choose and why?

1. I need to find out the distance for Time Warner. How can I do this?
2. Any speed will work with casual surfing.
3. Will gaming performance be better on either system?
4. Is security better with either one?
5. Is anonimity better on either one? Esp with the legal torrents, and banking, stock trading?
6. Is the up speed better for online stock trading?

Does it make a difference?
 
1. I need to find out the distance for Time Warner. How can I do this?
2. Any speed will work with casual surfing.
3. Will gaming performance be better on either system?
4. Is security better with either one?
5. Is anonimity better on either one? Esp with the legal torrents, and banking, stock trading?
6. Is the up speed better for online stock trading?

Does it make a difference?
Click to expand...

First of all, I hate Time Warner Cable A.K.A Comcast. They have a horrible reputation, and I would suspect many people would tell you to stay away from them. So, for me, the option is simple: anything other then Time Warner Cable.

1. You should just be able to call them.
2. Yes, for surfing the web, any broadband internet will be find.
3. Gaming performance mostly depends on ping time rather then bandwidth. And, again, usually any broadband is going to give you nice ping times.
4. No
5. No
6. It's not about bandwidth again, it's about ping times.

The thing about ping times is, the more people using the network, the higher your ping will be. So, if you're really concered about 'fast' internet access, I would go with the Time Warner. However, like I said, I personally wouldn't be caught dead with them.
 
Sorry for the double post, but just thought of something...

Have you checked out if you can get Verizon FiOS? According this this map: http://www.dslreports.com/gmaps/fios You might be able to get it, depending on exactly where you live in Dallas. I'd recomend Verizon FiOS to either of those, but, then again FiOS tends to be kind of pricey.
 
I am looking into FiOS, but I think that it is a no go where I live. Redirects me to call them, so I will.

I personally never had an issue with Comcast, but I know plenty of people that have. I suppose that is similar with any major company.

However, if I want cable TV (satellite is not an option) then I have to deal with Time Warner. Me thinks, if the FiOS is not an option, might as well have all headaches in one basket instead of having headaches in two baskets.

I do wonder what will happen if the private T3 company signs up too many people for the line. Kinda like if they were "over sold." What would happen then? I wonder.
 
I would try the shared T3 first to see what you actually get and then go from there. How big is the apartment complex?
 
FiOS is out. :(

The apartment building is about 30 stories, so fairly large. If I am right a T3 line is 45/45, right? I do not know how many people have it currently.

I mistakenly thought that by moving to a major metropolitan center (city) I would have several choices for broadband access with television options.

Seems like Time Warner is the ONLY provider with TV options. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I can go DSL, but that is total waste as I have had a cell phone for years as my only contact number (and for the first time I have 5 bars inside my home). So I don't need to waste money on a home phone.

Satellite is a no go to very poor option as the lack of balcony and wrong direction of sky view.

So cable it is, and as far as I can tell, Time Warner (Comcast) is the only game where I live in downtown Dallas.
 
Comcast up north here is awesome...I miss them, used to have them were I live. And on the job I deal with them a lot...excellent support, etc. I've heard the other ISPs that they bought out..such as Time Warner..down south..having some growing pains. But I'd give it a shot..and hope that since falling under Comcast..they get upgraded to the good stuff Comcast is up north here.

A 6 meg slice of fractional ds3....on a 30 story building..lets see...I'll wager at least 4x apartments per floor...wow..that's a lot of users to split up 6 megs. Dial up speeds at peak hours in the evening.
 
The T3 would give you blistering Pings when it is idle. I say give it a try.
 
I'd almost kill to have an affordable symetrical link like that :)
 
I personally wouldn't do anything shared, just because you don't know who's using it, or how much. If you're worried about getting fast, reliable speeds, do something dedicated to your apartment. As others have mentioned, you can try the shared connection to see how it works for you. If it doesn't work (dial up speeds during peak hours/high pings) then you can always go with Time Warner. So, really, either way it doesn't matter, just don't get caught into any contracts with the T3 until you know how it works for you.

Just, a personal note, this is why I always look at what 'IT' infrastructure is offered in an area before I move to it, it can save on some headaches like these.
 
RoBo said:
45mb up/down? If you think about it, during the night most of that pipe will be free for your use. :)
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt it's a full pipe. Most people when they say "I have a T-1" or "I have a T-3"..the majority are fractionals.

When the OP mentioned "They said up to 6 megs"...I'll first guess that it's a 6 meg slice that they're ALL sharing.
 
Update: well the guy that told me it was symmetric, in a word, lied.

For 5/1 off the fractional T3 (also limited, so 5 would be the max at any time) was $45 a month. For $53 a month (discount for cable TV) I can get 10/1 through Time Warner.

As a side note, when I call someone to offer them my business, I expect a call back at the time they say they will call. So if you say you will call in 10 minutes, do so, or don't say that you'll call me back in 10 minutes. Totally different for personal relationships.

Simple understanding. If you are hard to get a hold of before the sale, imagine the trouble after the sale and when I have a problem.

So, I am going with Time Warner 10/1, 200+ channels, about 10-15 HD channels (all locals), a cable card (for my Tivo) for around $95/month.

Guy would not say how far I was from the hub / relay location but said it was close (not putting much stock in that).

Thanks for all the help, and I'll post once I get it and will post my speeds here.
 
Liver said:
Guy would not say how far I was from the hub / relay location but said it was close (not putting much stock in that).
Click to expand...

If I understand you correctly, you're thinking of the DSLAM - that only matters with DSL. With cable distance is no biggie. Unless the wiring is REALLY old.
 
SpaceHonkey said:
If I understand you correctly, you're thinking of the DSLAM - that only matters with DSL. With cable distance is no biggie. Unless the wiring is REALLY old.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the correction. Not my forte by any means.

Minor update. Appointment with Time Warner has been made to install.

-10/1 cable internet (cable modem provided)
-cable TV with cable card (hoping that goes well).
 
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