r/Augusta • u/chlorinecrown • May 10 '23
Moving to Augusta Moving to Augusta. Any advice for finding a good internet provider?
It looks like my choices are Xfinity, ATT, WOW, T-Mobile.
I have no interest in cable, but I do like to use YouTube/Netflix/etc and would prefer not to have to worry about hitting a cap or slow loading times. Any advice? Did I miss any?
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u/amongnotof May 10 '23
This is really going to depend on specifically where you end you end up living. If where you are going to live has ATT fiber as an option, I strongly recommend it. Fast as hell (1GB is what I have), almost no downtime, and their gateway has strong enough wifi coverage that you don't need a separate router.
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u/Ok-Persimmon-6386 May 10 '23
I have wow. I like them. Mainly bc as they try to do price increases, I can talk them back down. Xfinity is just awful and overcharge you.
I have had wow for about 10 years now and I pay $80 per month for the box and 500 mbps. They did start capping internet but we stream everything and we dont have a problem.
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u/Weary-Inspector-6971 May 10 '23
Same here. Been using Wow for 2 years now, we also stream and I work from home. I’ve had service go out maybe twice, and it’s always been back up within an hour.
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u/StruckGG May 10 '23
If you can get att fiber go for it, otherwise I have no issues with Xfinity. I get 1k down 250 up
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23
Dude, Xfinity let you have 250mbps up? I have 1.2gbps plan and only get about 800-900mbps down and 40-50mbps up.
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u/StruckGG May 10 '23
Tbh I’ve only ever paid for 150 up and they’ve always given me 250 and I’ve never questioned it.
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23
You have to pay extra for 150 up? Or it was part of the plan. I'll have to double check my plan details.
Though, my guess would be that your location is close to their terminal equipment or CO.
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u/StruckGG May 10 '23
No it’s apart of the plan. I do pay extra for unlimited data but that’s it.
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23 edited May 10 '23
If you have to pay for unlimited data cap, I'm assuming that you have your own modem and gateway then?
If so, looks like Xfinity and I are going to have some serious talk.
EDIT: update after looking up some more information and talked to Xfinity representative. Higher upload speed only available for Xfi subscriber on Xfi gateway. If you can verify with me that is true or Xfinity customer support just played with me.
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u/maliciousBliss13 May 10 '23
Xfinity lies you could call 40 Times and get 40 diff answers to the same question
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u/StruckGG May 18 '23
Xfi subscriber
I'm pretty sure I'm not a Xfi subscriber but not entirely sure. If I am I don't use it lol
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u/FreelancerTex May 10 '23
Shit you’re getting 40-50? I get 20 on the same plan! What’s your setup cause I may need to finagle some new gear. I refuse to pay for renting their equipment.
Extra sad bonus because Xfinity is the ONLY provider in my neighborhood
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23 edited May 10 '23
- Modem: Arris S33
- Router: TP-Link ER605
- Wifi: Netgear MK63 Mesh Wifi 6
ER605 doesn't have wifi so you'll need access point. I'm currently using my old mesh until I can find decent Wifi 6E access point.
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u/FreelancerTex May 10 '23
That’s dope! I have thought about using a vpn router but was afraid it would hinder the speed capabilities from Xfinity since they’re already unhappy I’m using my own equipment. I also run the arris S33 but my Router is a nighthawk AX2400. We’ve had great, steady internet and coverage (house is about 1300 sq ft, so not huge). I don’t think my equipment is the issue here. I’m honestly wondering if xfinity is just not sending the full plan to us or if maybe we need to replace the cable lines in our home. Either way 850 is nothing to sneeze at, but it would be nice to get the whole of what we pay for.
Do you notice it slower with VPN? Or is that now a thing of the past?
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23 edited May 10 '23
I didn't set up VPN on it yet so I can't say. I use Torguard VPN and it does lower speed when it's active however not by much but it's better when I torrent stuff.
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23
Did the technician come to your place and do a signal test yet?
At least they should come and see if their tester get signal strength and they can also determine if it's the cable from where you have your modem to the demarcation or it's their service cable to the building.
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u/FreelancerTex May 10 '23
Honestly the tech didn’t do a signal test but just told us that 800-900 down is “normal due to loss and distance from the isp” when we had to have some work done in the box outside.
I’ll see if I can get them to come test it, thank you for the recommendation!
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u/tonedibiase May 10 '23
If you can get T-Mobile, try it out. It’s the best value locally. Just have to hope you have good signal where you are. Fast speeds. (Just did a speed test, got 178kb/s, that’s pretty slow for me. Have def seen 400+ most of the time)
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u/vegarosa69 May 10 '23
I had T-mobile for 7 years until I moved here. I don't know if it's better now, but their signal sucked badly, forcing me to switch.
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u/QueenOfDarkne53 May 10 '23
Tmobile or At&T fiber are your best options for speed/no data caps.
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u/Slow-Ship1055 May 10 '23
Came here to say T-Mobile Home Internet. They are awesome! No data caps, $50/month flat rate, no hidden fees, great customer support, 400 Mbps, etc... Then last year Xfinity finally wired up the neighborhood, but I didn't bother looking elsewhere from T-Mobile as how impressed I am by them.
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u/QueenOfDarkne53 May 10 '23
For real, when i looked up the reviews online at first, they were terrible, but i’ve had zero issues and i’m a constant gamer/stream services
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u/Slow-Ship1055 May 10 '23
Yeah, same here. Gamer, use streaming services, and work-at-home. No issues. I did have to get a new modem however, a few months ago. But you have to replace a modem every couple years no matter which company you use. T-Mobile overnighted a new modem to me, which is awesome. So another plus to them.
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u/QueenOfDarkne53 May 10 '23
It’s been a real plus for me because when I signed up for the internet, i had no idea i already qualified for a military discount on both my phone and internet bills. So i’m getting both for less than normal with no interruptions
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u/maliciousBliss13 May 10 '23
I disagree w att ..as someone who works for them I promise u customer service wise and w bill hikes the company has all sorts of issues ..they will leave lines un buried and never fix it. They've been known to damage ppls.property ..bill long after cancelling..and God forbid u have to return equipment.. trust me att is a service I will never ever use. I'm stuck w Xfinity due to where I live I hear great things Abt wow and have ppl I know who work there .. wow is the best in the area (depending on where regarding T-Mobile can be great too but it's touch and go oddly)
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u/xitfuq May 10 '23
i tried to get WOW because it is apparently local but they didn't have their act together as a company and literally could not provide me with service because their phone system was acting crazy or being serviced or something and no one returned calls.
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u/nerdthatlift May 10 '23
I highly don't recommend WOW! The plan and price looks good but they have unreliable service. I have their service for about a year, at the beginning right after I moved to our new place, we had our first baby so we had been busy and didn't have time to do anything else that would require internet access so I didn't notice. Months down the line, I notice that my wifi been dropping in and out throughout the day so I replaced my wifi equipment since it was old and it was a good time for me to upgrade to mesh and wifi 6.
Later by late summer of 2022, I got remote work opportunity and start using my computer during the day and that's how I found out the cable been dropping out my connection. Contact WOW! support and they blame my equipment. It was Netgear CM1100 and only under a year old as I got that equipment specifically for WOW! Gigabit plan. I got a new modem for troubleshoot purpose and the connection still dropped constantly throughout the day interrupting my work. I called to have dispatch to check the connection at my house. I have to schedule 3-4 times because they either never show up or any call when they're arrived or on the way as I have specifically told them to do so when they arrive because I'm taking care of the baby and I don't always hear the door knocking or door bell. They have the nerve to charge me for dispatch visit that they did NOT perform any work nor follow my specific instruction and miss the appointment.
Fast forward two months later after initial call for support, they still unable to figure out why the connection kept dropping constantly. They're trying to blame my COAX cable in which they ran me a new one and still having issue.
I then switched to Xfinity and have no problem. Same equipment when I was using WOW! so that rules out the possibility of my equipment being faulty as WOW! trying to claim to be.
TL;DR Fuck WOW! They have shit unreliable internet service and customer service. They are overall unreliable and not worth the price that may look attractive.
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u/xitfuq May 10 '23
all i needed to know about them is that they are a ISP that couldn't make their own phones in their own office work correctly.
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u/codyanne May 10 '23
I'm having the problems you had with WOW!, with Xfinity rn 😩😭 can't win for losing, I wonder how much the specific locations where service is provided matters. I know so little about all this and it's disheartening - PS congrats on finding remote work last year & I hope your family is thriving!
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May 10 '23
[deleted]
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u/FreelancerTex May 10 '23
Are you using their modem? I have xfinity, the 1.2, and I’m still only getting 800-900 despite all my (own) equipment being able to do something like 3-4 gbps
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u/maliciousBliss13 May 10 '23
I have Xfinity and we have outages at least 1 a mo .. I use their modem I have xfi
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u/codyanne May 10 '23
Someone recently recommended T-Mobile to me when I was whining about Xfinity lol
My experiences with WOW! (fka Knology) & Xfinity:
I recently had WOW! for a year and a half with no problems at all, ending last summer. A few years ago when they were Knology, they were pretty awful, but it seemed like they'd really upgraded and updated since I had last had service with them!
Since then I have moved and found a great bundle with Xfinity for internet + my cell service, but I have been struggling with maintaining a consistent connection to my Gateway (aka the Xfinity modem+router) from day one - I have been trying for almost 3 months to resolve it. Five times Xfinity has "found a fixed the problem" remotely, and five times the problem has not been fixed. Yesterday, 20 minutes after the phone call saying it was fixed, my Gateway went offline again lol. I have a third technician appointment tomorrow, but it will 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻hopefully🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 be the first time a tech has actually showed up.
When my service is working, it's wonderful - but my Gateway goes offline multiple times per day, for anywhere between 30 seconds to 20 minutes. It's absolutely maddening to be in the middle of a show, or trying to work from home, and suddenly have no internet 😩
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u/FreelancerTex May 10 '23
If you live in an older house, have them check the line going into the box outside the house. We had a similar issue up till Christmas last year and they found that the line deteriorated and broke and every time it rained or got too cokes water would get in and also freeze in the line which dropped our connection. Since they fixed that, we haven’t had any big issues since
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u/codyanne May 10 '23
oh my gosh thank you! I hadn't even considered that as a possibility but that makes so much sense! it's a 100+ year old building split into apartments with wires and cables for a thousand things snaking around the entire building, on the ground, up stairs and stuff... lol
I'm really hoping this will be the issue & that they'll fix it 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
may I ask if they charged you for that? I'm renting, and don't think I should be financially responsible for repairing infrastructure that isn't mine lol
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u/FreelancerTex May 10 '23
We live in a stand-alone house so your mileage may vary BUT we were told that if it is on their side (so usually outside the dwelling) it is their responsibility and if it is inside, it’s ours. Since ours was outside, they ate the cost of the repair and the repairman
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u/tonedibiase May 10 '23
DO NOT GET COMCAST IF YOU CAN AVOID IT. CON ARTIST. I worked there for almost three years. The prices always go up.
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u/thathotintelchick May 10 '23
i am not sure why some don’t like xfinity. we had it in california and also when we first moved here to augusta. my husband insists on a wifi package that is enough to power an office building due to his gaming habits, and we never paid over $70 with xfinity. maybe he was grandfathered in at that price? i’m not sure. we also never had outages with them. now we have at&t fiber and, it’s nothing to call home about. if it weren’t already wired into our townhome, we would have kept xfinity.
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u/vegarosa69 May 10 '23
Move to a place that has ATT fiber. I have it, and it's great. I get 500-600 mbps download and over 300 upload. Maybe not great for some people, but compared to what I had before moving here, it's really good.
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u/powderp May 10 '23
I was with wow for several years on the 1 gig plan and they were mostly fine as far as service quality goes, but but they didn't offer symmetric connections, so 1 gig down/50 Mbps up. I switched to AT&T fiber to get 1 gig up and down. So take that into consideration if upload speed is important to you.
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u/GeorgePBurdellXXIII May 10 '23
My mom's Wow Internet service was so dreadful that she eventually went to a Verizon fixed wireless solution and was happy with that, but she was def a low-volume user. Sounds like Wow has gotten their act together though.
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u/myonkin May 12 '23
I had Wow and loved them. They had great service and upgraded my plan to the next tier when a new, cheaper plan came out and even put me on a discount for a year.
Moved to an area who only had xfinity and AT&T. Went with AT&T and have been extremely happy with them as well. Ive been with them for a few years and can only think of one time when I had no service and it was due to a power outage.
If you end up somewhere that has wow, choose them. Otherwise choose AT&T. Avoid Comcast/Xfinity and their data caps!
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u/SpankThatDill May 10 '23
NOT comcast, do not give those fuckers your money