Internet connectivity options in Seattle?

March 2, 2007 1:50 PM

I live in Seattle, and I want an internet connection in my home. I don't have a landline, or cable TV. Is Clearwire my only choice?

Does anyone know of any other companies that provide the same sort of service as Clearwire? I need a service that does not require me to have a phone or cable TV, and I'm a bit of an idiot about stuff like this.

I've been reading not-so-great reviews of Clearwire, but am stuck for other options, and it's getting to the point where if I don't get Web access at home, I'm going to have to go move into a Tully's.

I'm in the Cap Hill/CD area if it matters. Thanks, gang.

posted by tristeza to Computers & Internet (18 answers total)

Are you sure comcast doesn't do that? It used to. (Not that they're that great, but at least you'd have choices.)
posted by lullabyofbirdland at 1:57 PM on March 2, 2007

You should be able to get cable Internet without subscribing to a TV package - that's how I'm a customer of Time-Warner Cable in LA.
posted by DandyRandy at 1:58 PM on March 2, 2007

DandyRandy has it. I do not have a TV, but I do have cable internet for $19/month. You just need a cable modem and service activation, no boxes.
posted by superfem at 2:01 PM on March 2, 2007

Best answer: Ditto here. No land line, no cable service, but cable internet provided by the local cable operator.
posted by Lokheed at 2:02 PM on March 2, 2007

If you only have a laptop what about a
laptop air card? Hi speed Internet on the go!
posted by MrMulan at 2:05 PM on March 2, 2007

Thirding. No landline, no TV, time warner internet.
posted by Kellydamnit at 2:10 PM on March 2, 2007

I got DSL from Speakeasy in Seattle without a landline for an extra access charge, but I just switched to Clearwire because it is cheaper. I have no problem with them, but then I can see their tower from my home office window on top of the building across the street.
posted by matildaben at 2:11 PM on March 2, 2007

Response by poster: Dudes, awesome.

superfem, what company? I'm looking at Comcast and it's $57/month plus installation and Millenium's looking like $30/month for "speeds up to 256 kbps" (!).
posted by tristeza at 2:15 PM on March 2, 2007

Whatever company you go with, make sure to check about 'new member specials,' since there almost always is one.
posted by lullabyofbirdland at 2:23 PM on March 2, 2007

@tristeza: Cox Cable, but I'm in California. I don't think Cox services WA. You can get Comcast for $19.99/mo through this site, but it involves rebates.
posted by superfem at 2:31 PM on March 2, 2007

Best answer: You can also get DSL from Qwest without having a landline. I think they charge you a bit of a premium ($5-10/month) to get it unbundled from phone service. You can either use them as your ISP , or connect to one of the many local ISPs (I've been quite happy with OZ.net for the last ~8 years).
posted by Good Brain at 2:32 PM on March 2, 2007

Response by poster: superfem - of course, it doesn't apply to me, and it ends up being $60/month after the initial trial ($33/mo) period! Jesus.

Thanks for all the ideas - I really am an idiot, I always thought you had to have a landlien for all this. Yay!
posted by tristeza at 2:39 PM on March 2, 2007

Seriously, for 60 smackers/month you can do EVDO from Verizon (probably Sprint, too). Then your internet connection goes with you.
posted by trinity8-director at 3:42 PM on March 2, 2007

Speakeasy does DSL without a landline for (I think) a slight premium. If there is a premium it's less than the cost of basic phone service, so it's cheaper than getting a landline and then adding DSL. I set up my DSL this way and I'm very happy with it. It's about $50/month. I would highly recommend speakeasy - I've been using them for about 6 years with no problems and very good service.
posted by pombe at 3:57 PM on March 2, 2007

Here on the East Coast, Verizon EVDO is $60/mo only with an accompanying cell phone plan (another $45+); it's $80 without a voice plan (Sprint has a $60 wireless plan without voice, though). And, for what it's worth, Verizon's is nowhere near the speed of anything you'd expect to be called "broadband"-- more like 802.11b wi-fi.
posted by jouster at 5:22 PM on March 2, 2007

Be forewarned, Clearwire is fast and easy to set up, but they do massive traffic shaping on their customer circuits. In layman's terms, only your web browsing will be at the advertised speed, any downloading of large files or p2p traffic is crimped to 30 kilobytes per second (240 kbps). If all you use the internet for is email and browsing though this shouldn't be an issue.
posted by bizwank at 8:27 PM on March 2, 2007

Don't get Millenium if you can avoid it - I had it for a year and a half because that was the only cable I could get in the apartment building I lived in (in Belltown). it was really flaky - lots of cutting in and out (REALLY annoying). AND they don't have online billing, which was just another aggravation
posted by jengineer at 8:55 PM on March 2, 2007

Speakeasy is one of the country's best ISPs. And they're right there in Seattle! Their "OneLink" DSL is fast, easy to deal with, doesn't require a land line, and their service and uptime are phenomenal. I just ordered their top package, which at $100/mo is pretty steep, but they have other cheaper options. They do some of my web hosting too- and haven't EVER gone down while I've been a client.
posted by wzcx at 1:00 PM on March 6, 2007