Internet Provider Pricing

[redpoint5]

Stupid Wave Broadband.

3 months ago I chatted with Wave Broadband (cable internet) because I keep running over my 400 GB monthly data limit, and have about the slowest plan they offer. Here's what I was getting;

$50/mo
100 Mbps down
5 Mbps up
400 GB/mo data
$5 for every 25 GB over

My stupid Dec bill was $105 because I used 200 GB over my included limit. That's right, it would have been cheaper to have 2 internet connections and it would have more than doubled the amount of data I used.

I chatted again today for an hour saying I can't be paying this much a month, and what better options do they have.

They said I could get unlimited data for $20 more per month. Late in the conversation, I asked how much their 500 mbps plan is, and they said five bucks more than I'm paying.

So these 2 numbskulls cumulatively wasted 2 hours before I came up with the idea of a different tier of service that in theory adds $5/mo to my bill, but saves hundreds in the long run;

$55/mo
500 Mbps down
10 Mbps up (huge for me since I have a server)
1000 GB/mo data

There's no way I can go over 1 TB in data in a month, so no worry about overages anymore. They have 1 job. How does it take 10 minutes to look up how much the unlimited data plan is when I can google it in 5 seconds? Why can't they figure out what plans are best for their customer (they have like 3)? Why are these oligopolies incapable of not sucking big time? A monkey randomly pushing buttons that select options for the customer would make a happier customer, as it would be quick and stand at least as good a chance at fulfilling their request.

Ziply Fiber sent me a flyer saying they are installing at my location soon. They have 50 Mbps down, and 50 Mbps up (the way god intended) for $20/mo and unlimited data. I can hardly wait... and then I googled and found they are a subsidiary of Wave. It's either that or Starlink though.

Moral of the story, switch internet providers if there is a reasonable alternative, otherwise they will continue their blood sucking. Switch every year to stay in their new customer pricing, and don't rent their stupid modem (buy your own).

EDIT: just took $25/mo off my parents internet service in like 5min of chatting. Don't know why it doesn't go that smoothly all the time.

[redneck]

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Unfortunately, profits trump customer service and satisfaction in most cases.


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[redpoint5]

If everyone weren't so lazy, the price creep (insurance) or in the case of cable/TV, price explosion wouldn't be a thing. It always makes me laugh when insurance says I get a "loyalty discount" when I'm paying way more than a new customer. My discount is I get to pay way more than "unloyal" customers.

I hate it, and consumers are stupid.

[freebeard]

They have 50 Mbps down, and 50 Mbps up (the way god intended) for $20/mo and unlimited data

I've heard that one before. Do they put it in writing?

I think Starlink [Gen 2] offers something more valuable than a fat pipe. Potentially, two hops to anywhere.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I've heard that one before. Do they put it in writing?

I think Starlink [Gen 2] offers something more valuable than a fat pipe. Potentially, two hops to anywhere.

I've kept my eye on it. The clincher would be portability. Problem is, latency isn't good yet, price is at the top I've ever paid, and speed is acceptable.

I measured 10ms latency, 327 Mbps down, 11.3 Mbps up on my more "expensive" pricing plan today. I'm not hitting 400 Mbps down because I'm using a DOCSIS 3.0 modem and need 3.1 to get the last bit(s). I'm watching some Ebay auctions to get a new modem, but don't care that much about the additional bandwidth. The scenarios where I'm waiting because of limited download bandwidth are rare. What I could use, and would gladly trade download bandwidth for is upload speed. If I'm going to offer content to people, I want them to have a good experience.

[freebeard]

That was the original promise of Internet. Then they added a 'the' so it became the Internet and it all started falling apart. At first it was a store and forward system; maybe even more democratic than 4chan. Then the World Wide Web ensnared us all.

I negotiated a reduction a while back but it's creeping up again. Land line and DSL. The Quest modem has been running 24/7 since the 90's.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

That was the original promise of Internet. Then they added a 'the' so it became the Internet and it all started falling apart. At first it was a store and forward system; maybe even more democratic than 4chan. Then the World Wide Web ensnared us all.

I negotiated a reduction a while back but it's creeping up again. Land line and DSL. The Quest modem has been running 24/7 since the 90's.

I finally got your "the internet". Makes sense now that I've had a couple years to ponder.

You might have seen a thread about me inquiring on sending my signal a distance. Would be quite an achievement to get it all the way to Autzen stadium, but so far the furthest I've ever gone is about 400 ft. I wouldn't mind paying insane prices for internet if it served more than me.

[freebeard]

400ft? That's WiFi range?

Steerable directional antenna. Some hold the lid of a Wok opposite to the direction desired. It has a handy knob.

Hardcore would be a Cantenna on a rifle stock.

Cantenna
A cantenna is a homemade directional waveguide antenna, made out of an open-ended metal can. Cantennas are typically used to increase the range of Wi-Fi networks.
More at Wikipedia

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

400ft? That's WiFi range?

Steerable directional antenna. Some hold the lid of a Wok opposite to the direction desired. It has a handy knob.

Hardcore would be a Cantenna on a rifle stock.

I accept your challenge, though getting around to exceeding my previous best will be delayed, as are all my projects. Just to brag, I'll say those 400ft was accomplished in 2005 when Googling "wireless bridge" wouldn't have returned much, if anything. Grandfather had the deep pockets to afford DSL and the blazing fast 1.5 Mbps (900k up) speeds, while we were subjected to dial-up (33.6k was the fastest out in the sticks). That was motivation enough to figure out how to beam his signal to my parents house. Years later, we had access to [stupid] Wave broadband, which was way faster. So, I started beaming internet up to him. He gladly paid the whole cost in yearly installments to have the faster speed, as any advantage to win at IRC trivia was worthwhile. He just missed the solar eclipse, which was some time ago now, and I've been paying ever since. Nobody said a word at his funeral, which says something, but he was always straight with me and we had mutual respect and sometimes admiration for each other.

Back to the topic, WiFi range is only limited by physics and the imagination. Apparently 237 miles was achieved.

https://www.wired.com/2007/06/w-wifi...hacked%20parts

I'll be happy to break half a mile first. Ultimate goal is to bridge the 7 miles as a crow flies to my parents. Would at least make off-site backups more feasible and eliminate the appeal of the stupid "cloud". I want to be a quasi-island. It might take more than some fasteners and a Pringles can.

[Piotrsko]

In theory you can go around the world on 1 watt, but that is maybe 30 mhz frequency or less which is useless for digital. On another forum, I had lengthy discussions about gain and directivity and eventually Mizilpix got to couple hundred yards between nodes after boosting the antenna to the top of a phone pole since 2.5ghz is line of sight and also building a cantenna. The FPV drone people are getting 800yards easey peasey on 100 milli....

Has to be a grapefruit juice can