Earthlink DSL? Or Verizon DSL? --- Which Should I Select?

[arwalden]

A couple of weeks ago, I got rid of Comcast cable TV by subscribing to DirecTV (more for less and better quality too). So...

Now I'm ready to dump my Comcast cable internet connection as well. Both Verizon and Earthlink offer DSL connectivity in my neighborhood, but I have no clue which one to choose.

Can anyone help? Any horror stories to share? Any good news to share?

-- Allen

P.S. I found this comparison between cable and DSL speeds. Can anyone confirm whether it's accurate or true?

http://www.isp-connections.com/cable-vs-dsl.html

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. We have Verizon DSL at work

No real problems to report.

[arwalden]

15. A Friend Of Mine Has Verizon DSL At His Office Too...

and there have been no problems. That's good to hear, but does good service for business subscribers mean good service for home users?

Thanks for the feedback.

-- Allen

[Tripper11]

2. I had Earthlink for a couple years.....

and no problems at all. Some issues with dropped connections, but that was due to a bad phone line here at the house, which, when fixed solved the problem.
We cancelled it due to lack of funds, and then we signed up for Comcast because it was a good deal with our cable.
6 of one, half dozen of the other IMO.

[terrya]

3. I'm pretty satisfied with Yahoo DSL, actually.

The speed is good, it's (relatively) inexpensive and no real problems with it.

I know that wasn't one of the options, but I thought I'd throw my .02 in.

BTW. Welcome back. You were sorely missed around here.

Terry

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Check for Speakeasy.

If they are in your area, I recommend them. People who I know who have had Speakeasy like them a lot.

[liberalitch]

5. DO NOT DO EARTHLINK....

After I cancelled my account they continued to take money out of my bank account.... and now they refuse to give it back.
Stealing from a school techer..... that's a shame and a scandal!

[Chovexani]

13. They did that to me too!

They were leeching off my checking account for about 4 months after I cancelled. I'm a broke student, too, so I really don't know what to do about it. :(

[Scout]

6. I'm happy with Earthlink

I've had Earthlink DSL since January of this year ... so far I am very pleased. The only problems I've had were not of Earthlink's making (it was my phone company).

I've contacted their tech support by both toll free phone number and via email, and I was treated well, and they responded promptly both times. Problems were resolved quickly and professionaly.

[NMDemDist2]

7. Does your phone company offer DSL? that may be a better option

We had Qwest DSL and they were fine. U need to ask if you have dedicated bandwidth and if not is there a limit on how many share it. This will make a big difference on service under peak usage times. We did have some issues when we "shared" bandwidth with other users from another company. Can't speak directly to either provider you mentioned but the above is a good place to start your research.

[arwalden]

9. It's Dedicated For Both Verizon and Earthlink... Comcast is shared.

During the daytime, I get SUPER fast speeds with Comcast... but in the evening (when everyone is home) my downstream speed drops noticibly.

I'm thinking that on the whole, a dedicated reliable DSL connection (although slower) might be better since I can rely on the data speed. Compared to Comcast... which is sometimes FAST and sometimes intolerably slow, depending.

Also... Comcast in the DC area is charging $57.95 PLUS... PLUS(!) I have to purchase a SEPARATE subscription to Giganews for high bandwidth newsgroup access. That makes it 67.95.

Verizon is $34.95 with the first month free and $5 discount on months two and three.

Earthlink is $49.95 with a $20 discount for the first 6 months.

-- Allen

[ramapo]

8. Verizon owns the connection

I've had Verizon DSL for years. Very reliable, good performance.

Cable has higher potential bandwidth over DSL especially on upload although that's not very relevant to most. But you share the cable bandwidth with an unknown number of neighbors. Your DSL connection is dedicated.

I'd go with Verizon. Earthlink has to get the connection from Verizon anyway so why go through them?

If you want lots of info visit www.dslreports.com

[arwalden]

10. Great Link!!! Thanks Very Much!!

Thanks also for letting me know about your experience with Verizon.

-- Allen

[daa]

11. Verizon

its their line

[Chovexani]

12. Run far, far away from Earthstink!

I had Earthstink DSL for about 2 years and it was awful. Expensive as hell, loads of connection problems, shitty customer service. I wouldn't touch Earthstink again with a 10 foot pole.

At the first of the month I'm signing my whole house up for Verizon. It's way cheaper (at least in NY, I don't know where you are) and the people I know who have it have never complained.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. I've got both...

sort of. Verizon DSL but I kept the Earthlink dialup account. It's a long story why I couldn't get Earthlink DSL.

Earthlink's mail and newsservers are among the best. Hardly ever any problems with them, and I kept the Earthlink account mainly for them. Verizon's servers are iffy. Not bad, but iffy. Think about a separate mail account if you get them. It may not be necessary, but don't be surprised.

Download speed with DSL averages 650K, and Earthlink's should be about the same or better. Earthlink seems to have better connections to the backbone. Of course, the phone connections and distance to the phone relays make a lot of differance in speed.