Local cheap broadband, too good to be true?

February 13, 2008 9:25 PM

BroadbandFilter: Any experience with locally owned "fixed wireless" ISPs?

I've recently moved into an apartment, and really need internet access that doesn't require me to sit on the balcony to access without permission. I'm in Kansas City, it's cold. In my research I found These guys, but I can find no reviews. The website is unhelpful and the info I got on the phone was this: they are running a special, for 50 bucks a month I get 10meg up 10meg down; ITVN service, and VOIP phone with all the frills. The catch is that it's either a $250 setup fee (I get to keep all the hardware) or a two year contract with the setup fee waived.

Any experience with something like this, or should I go to the eternal call-center-hell that is Time-Warner? I'd really rather support a local business, but I'm very anti-getting screwed.

posted by piedmont to computers & internet (4 comments total)

Apparently, there's Earthlink (as of 2001). The price is a little lower, with a lot less features than the special you mention though. $50/month for 10 up AND 10 down is a pretty sweet deal.
posted by philomathoholic at 12:05 AM on February 14, 2008

I worked for a fixed-wireless ISP. They resold slices of bandwidth purchased from TWC to local businesses and delivered it over 2.4gHz or 5.8gHz radio links.

The actual radios and hardware used were very reliable. The only downside to the operation was the fact that it was such a small business that it lacked the basics that other "normal" ISPs would have. Check their BBB ratings if any, and inquire about the type of tech support they have, response time for incidents, what operating systems they support, etc. The specific answers to these questions aren't as important as your overall feel for their confidence level. If it feels like a fly-by-night operation, be wary of signing long-term contracts.

Ask what the equipment is that you'd be purchasing for the setup fee. This honestly might be your best bet if the equipment has good resale value.
posted by odinsdream at 9:55 AM on February 14, 2008

Also - is that 10 megabytes or bits per second? You are highly unlikely to get this speed regularly. Ask them to demonstrate it.
posted by odinsdream at 9:58 AM on February 14, 2008

It's Megabits, though they actually claim this is a minumum and some users get up to 25Mbps. As for the hardware, I should get more details, but they are offering a wireless keyboard and mouse, and some sort of media converter/DVR type setup. For 15 bucks more I can get access to all 17 Starz channels and the Starz on demand.
posted by piedmont at 10:27 AM on February 14, 2008