Can Have Cable Internet without Cable TV!!!

[SamSpade]

WOW...thanks for the heads up! I was going to explore that option in the future...now I'm thinking uh NO.

I wouldn't turn it DOWN if it was your only option. 90% of the time, it's been ok, and if it goes down, it's usually, "honey, can you go downstairs and re-boot the satellite modem?". We have wireless throughout the house, and it's good most of the time. My wife and I are quite a pair, sitting on the bed each with our laptops up and connected. More than once I've emailed her from two feet away.

I just expect more reliability from the Internet. If it can't be 100%, at least the *support* ought to be. Support with DirecWay is *AWFUL*. I've waited on the phone up to 45 minutes to get some twit reading from a book - who subsequently refers me to ANOTHER "expert" that I wait 45 minutes for.

If you have NO OTHER choice - it is still better than dial-up, by far. I just think it's ironic we have never dropped our 15 dollar a month dialup account, because we NEED the connection in the event of failure.

 

[Steve]

GMP Cable was just bought out by MetroCast in Maine/NH. I've been calling GMP's service numbers all morning and the "800" line is disconnected while the local line is busy, busy, busy. I wouldn't expect any new service or even current technical support until MetroCast completes the transition.

Our GMP Internet access is always spotty. We had to buy our own modem and the signal drops out many times each day, requiring us to power cycle the modem. One technician recommended we have GMP install a dedicated, second line for the modem, to solve the dropping problem. Right now the data line splits off the incoming cable line and hits a -3.5dB filter. The techie says that the signal from the road is perfect, and blames our older wiring for the modem troubles. We'll see....

But when the service works, it works great! Speeds will be increasing to 4 MBPS once MetroCast completes the transition, according to a letter I received on Saturday.

 

[SamSpade]

Steve, do you remember the start up costs? If the number's not answering, I'm probably not going to get a reply by phone too soon.

 

[Steve]

Steve, do you remember the start up costs? If the number's not answering, I'm probably not going to get a reply by phone too soon.

No, actually. I went to the GMP Express web page but the prices listed there are old, based upon 1.5 and 2.5 MBPS download. I think I pay the straight $49.95 for Residential Service, though. I don't remember what the install fee was, since we've had it for about 2-3 years now.

 

[marianne]

One of the concerns I have about switching over is, we've already sunk the money into DirecWay - and to switch, it looks like we might have to sink a load of silly azzed "startup" costs

I had DirecWay for two years, 2002-2004, because there were few other options at the time. When ComCast came in last year, I switched over. I did lose some money in the startup costs (operations costs were the same) but I was able to sell the dish for $200 by putting a post on SOMD classifieds.

Cable internet is sooo much faster for me than DirecWay was - it was well worth the switch. But I'm looking to switch from Cable TV to DirecTV to get the NFL package back. I don't think I can get Cable internet & satellite TV for the same price I'm paying for both services combined though.

 

[SamSpade]

I had DirecWay for two years, 2002-2004, because there were few other options at the time. When ComCast came in last year, I switched over. I did lose some money in the startup costs (operations costs were the same) but I was able to sell the dish for $200 by putting a post on SOMD classifieds.

Cable internet is sooo much faster for me than DirecWay was - it was well worth the switch. But I'm looking to switch from Cable TV to DirecTV to get the NFL package back. I don't think I can get Cable internet & satellite TV for the same price I'm paying for both services combined though.

I take it you do not live in St. Mary's County? Because I presume, you can't get Comcast here, without stepping on GMPExpress's toes?

(I hate that; I've always hated the fact that EVERY cable company is a monopoly. I understand the rationale behind preventing a ton of cabling everywhere, but it also means any cable company is free to screw their customer base).

If the startup is around a hundred bucks, it would be worth it to switch. As it is, I *STILL* can't get DirecWay support to fulfill their promise of setting up an appointment with me within 24 hours. We're on 96 hours, and so far nothing. I can't even raise the vendor on the phone, the one assigned to deal with the repair. All I get is a message machine.

 

[marianne]

I take it you do not live in St. Mary's County? Because I presume, you can't get Comcast here, without stepping on GMPExpress's toes?

Correct, I'm in La Plata (Chuck County, close to St. Mary's).

I don't recall Comcast having start up costs. I think we might have gotten the first three months free. We also did Comcast's "dish buy back" (because we still had our TV satellite dish & receiver in addition to the DirecWay dish which I sold) which meant we got $25 off our bill for something like 18 months.

I had the same experiences where it would take me close to a week to get DirecWay to come out to the house. Luckily we only had to do that once or twice. What I hated more was the phone support. I hated that you had to go through an hour of tiered levels of support to get someone with any knowledge. "Yes, I re-booted the computer. Yes, I unplugged the cable and plugged it back in. Yes, I stood on my head and sang the ABC's..."


And the straw that broke the camels back was when they dropped streaming radio. That was it!

 

[SamSpade]

What I hated more was the phone support. I hated that you had to go through an hour of tiered levels of support to get someone with any knowledge. "Yes, I re-booted the computer. Yes, I unplugged the cable and plugged it back in. Yes, I stood on my head and sang the ABC's..."

Yep, KNOW that feeling!

The first big problem we had with that - it was THEIR fault! They sent out some kind of confirming signal for some kind of test, and our signal strength is ALWAYS *maginal* - so when it didn't answer, it just shut down.

My suspicion with the current problem is the satellite wiring is faulty. I am gonna be so p!ssed when they try to charge me for it, but I know they will.

I never considered the option of selling the DirecWay dish on my own - what did you get for it?

 

[marianne]

Yep, KNOW that feeling!

The first big problem we had with that - it was THEIR fault! They sent out some kind of confirming signal for some kind of test, and our signal strength is ALWAYS *maginal* - so when it didn't answer, it just shut down.

My suspicion with the current problem is the satellite wiring is faulty. I am gonna be so p!ssed when they try to charge me for it, but I know they will.

I never considered the option of selling the DirecWay dish on my own - what did you get for it?

Yeah, we had a hard time in the beginning because the installers messed up the initial installation. When DirecWay finally realized that, they said those guys were no longer authorized to install DirecWay equipment. I don't know what happened there but someone got in trouble... DirecWay didn't try to charge me for fixing it.

If I remember correctly I asked $300 for the dish and settled for $200. At the time they were listing on Ebay for $300. If you do decide you want to sell it, let me know and I'll PM you the contact info for the guy that bought my dish. It seemed as though he would be willing to buy other dishes as well.