In December '04 I signed up for the Rogers "Extreme" Internet service. The original terms of the two year contract gave me both high speed and unlimited bandwidth, for which I had to purchase the modem and pay a higher rate. Less than two months in to the contract, monthly bandwidth limits were cut to 60 GB/month. Next came the infamous "Traffic Shaping" policy, which severely limited p2p bandwidth, (unless you used the VOIP ports). Rogers verbally acknowledged that the policy was in place, but would not confirm it in writing, neither by e-mail, letter, nor notification on their homepage.
More than a year later, Rogers raised the monthly bandwidth back to 100 GB/month, but capped upload bandwith on p2p apps to an average of about 7 kbits/sec. When I complained about the reduction in service, they waived the EULA at me, and pointed out the section where they can change the service any time they want. Cutting their two product discount from 15% to 5% beginning in January, '07 removed any remaining incentive to stay with cable Internet.
I didn't have the time to check out all of the DSL alternatives, but Cobster's glowing endorsement of Teksavvy prompted me to chose them as my new ISP, and I'm REALLY pleased with the decision.
For the benefit of those who are considering a similar ISP change, I'll list the pros and cons of Rogers vs. Teksavvy, from my experience thusfar:
Customer Service: Teksavvy A, Rogers C+
I've never had to wait long to speak to a Teksavvy rep. If the lines are busy, the call goes to message after about two minutes, and they will call you back, and promptly.
Teksavvy c/s would rate an A+ if it was available 24/7, (it's open 8 AM - 11 PM), but that might result in a cost increase. One of the guys in Tech Support said they have about 8,000 subscribers right now.
Anyone who has called Rogers knows that there's time for a shit/shower/shave between when the on-hold musak begins, and when you actually get to speak to someone, (assuming one has successfully navigated their calling options menu).
There were a couple of days between when my service with Teksavvy started, and when I connected the modem. During that time, Teksavvy initiated two calls to me, because the had connected my service, but saw no bandwidth usage. They wanted to make sure that everything was OK at my end. I can't imagine Rogers doing that for anyone other than Vernon Wells or Ted Himself.
There seems to be about three people each in Customer Servide and Tech Support, so if you need to make multiple calls, the chances are good that you'll speak to someone you know - and someone who is familiar with you.
Service Cost: Teksavvy A-, Rogers C-
Teksavvy: I went with the Residential 5 MBit/sec service for $29.95/mo. The upload b/w limit is 800 kbits/sec, and monthly bandwidth limits are 100 GB. There is also a package with unlimited monthly bandwidth at the same cost, which requires some additional configuration, and was described as "less stable" by the service rep.
Rogers: Extreme Internet has 6 MBit/sec download, 800 kbit/sec upload bandwidth for $51.95/mo, or Express with 5 MBit/sec download, 384 kbit/sec upload for $43.95/mo. Monthly b/w is 100 GB total.
Rogers has the most expensive serice, with the most restrictions on how you use your bandwidth allowance.
Limits on bandwidth usage: TekSavvy B+, Rogers B+
Teksavvy: None, other than the 100 GB monthly cap. Note that there is a $3 monthly charge in the Teksavvy agreement for each additional GB of bandwidth, so anyone who uses a lot of bandwidth, up and/or down, (100 GB/mo includes both), would pay as much for 10 additional GBs as they would for the first 100. If you need that much traffic, the 'less stable' unlimited bandwidth would be the better choice.
100 GB per month is about 3.3 GB per day in a 31 day month. If you used 800 kbits/sec of bandwidth around the clock, it would total about 255 GB per month. Total b/w of 40 kbs, (320 kbits/sec), all the time would keep you under 100 GB/mo, and you'd have a little extra in February and 30 day months.
On the Teksavvy homepage, in theTools menu, there's a place to check monthly b/w usage. The username must include '@teksavvy.com' to access the b/w usage chart. The tech support guy I spoke with said they aren't too picky if you go over the limit by a bit, but it's still worthwhile to check usage if you use a lot of b/w.
Rogers: Severe restrictions on p2p upload bandwidth. I didn't have any problems with p2p download bandwidth on Rogers. I think Rogers only issues a warning for first time offenders, unless they've switched to lowering b/w to surfing speed when you use up your 100 GBs.
Additional Costs:
Teksavvy: I had to buy a new modem for the DSL, $125 upfront for the SpeedTouch 516, or rent-to-own at $50 down and $10/mo for 9 months. Other modems are available in the $145 - $165 range.
I also needed to by DSL filters for each landline phone in the house. Teksavvy charges $7 for each one you want.
Rogers: $100 to buy the modem, or $3/mo to rent it.
Billing: Teksavvy: All charges are paid in advance, by preauthorized credit card or bank account debit. The monthly fees are payable on the day of the month on which the application was submitted.,
There is a five business days, (or less), period between when the application is received, and when service begins, so in the first month, you pay for a few days during which you have no service.
Rogers: Billed in arrears.
Additional Fees:
Teksavvy: $25 for moving within the first month of the contract. $3 per GB for more than 100 GB/mo.
Connection Fee:
Teksavvy: None
Rogers: I'm not sure, but probably about $25, unless they are currently having a promo. Fees may be reduced or waived if you are adding multiple services.
E-mail account fees:
TekSavvy:Three free, $1/month per account for each additional account.
Rogers: Eight free.
Additional changes:
TekSavvy: I had to do some manual configuration on the router to get my p2p apps to run properly, involving the setup of a static IP. The following link was very useful:
http://portforward.com/english/applications/port_forwarding/eMule/eMuleindex.htm
Although this link is geared for eMule, it can be used for any apps or games that require a static IP. When you get to the 'Static IP Address' link, open that page in a new window, as you need to enter the Static IP Address on the page for your router.
The Name Servers/DNS Servers for TekSavvy are 206.248.154.22 and 69.28.199.126. You'll need this information to set up a static IP.
Your router's page will show you which ports or port range are used for each app or game.
Rogers: At this point, you need to use encryption of p2p apps to get more than dial-up speed for p2p uploads. Sorry, I can't help you there. Consult your local geek.
Incentives: Teksavvy: A+, Rogers: No grade
Teksavvy: Teksavvy gives you a credit of $1 per month for each person whom you refer to them. See the Family and Friends Referral Program under Programs on the TekSavvy homepage for details.
Rogers: None
Thanks, again Cobster! I hope the above will be useful for other people considering following his advice.
bito
More than a year later, Rogers raised the monthly bandwidth back to 100 GB/month, but capped upload bandwith on p2p apps to an average of about 7 kbits/sec. When I complained about the reduction in service, they waived the EULA at me, and pointed out the section where they can change the service any time they want. Cutting their two product discount from 15% to 5% beginning in January, '07 removed any remaining incentive to stay with cable Internet.
I didn't have the time to check out all of the DSL alternatives, but Cobster's glowing endorsement of Teksavvy prompted me to chose them as my new ISP, and I'm REALLY pleased with the decision.
For the benefit of those who are considering a similar ISP change, I'll list the pros and cons of Rogers vs. Teksavvy, from my experience thusfar:
Customer Service: Teksavvy A, Rogers C+
I've never had to wait long to speak to a Teksavvy rep. If the lines are busy, the call goes to message after about two minutes, and they will call you back, and promptly.
Teksavvy c/s would rate an A+ if it was available 24/7, (it's open 8 AM - 11 PM), but that might result in a cost increase. One of the guys in Tech Support said they have about 8,000 subscribers right now.
Anyone who has called Rogers knows that there's time for a shit/shower/shave between when the on-hold musak begins, and when you actually get to speak to someone, (assuming one has successfully navigated their calling options menu).
There were a couple of days between when my service with Teksavvy started, and when I connected the modem. During that time, Teksavvy initiated two calls to me, because the had connected my service, but saw no bandwidth usage. They wanted to make sure that everything was OK at my end. I can't imagine Rogers doing that for anyone other than Vernon Wells or Ted Himself.
There seems to be about three people each in Customer Servide and Tech Support, so if you need to make multiple calls, the chances are good that you'll speak to someone you know - and someone who is familiar with you.
Service Cost: Teksavvy A-, Rogers C-
Teksavvy: I went with the Residential 5 MBit/sec service for $29.95/mo. The upload b/w limit is 800 kbits/sec, and monthly bandwidth limits are 100 GB. There is also a package with unlimited monthly bandwidth at the same cost, which requires some additional configuration, and was described as "less stable" by the service rep.
Rogers: Extreme Internet has 6 MBit/sec download, 800 kbit/sec upload bandwidth for $51.95/mo, or Express with 5 MBit/sec download, 384 kbit/sec upload for $43.95/mo. Monthly b/w is 100 GB total.
Rogers has the most expensive serice, with the most restrictions on how you use your bandwidth allowance.
Limits on bandwidth usage: TekSavvy B+, Rogers B+
Teksavvy: None, other than the 100 GB monthly cap. Note that there is a $3 monthly charge in the Teksavvy agreement for each additional GB of bandwidth, so anyone who uses a lot of bandwidth, up and/or down, (100 GB/mo includes both), would pay as much for 10 additional GBs as they would for the first 100. If you need that much traffic, the 'less stable' unlimited bandwidth would be the better choice.
100 GB per month is about 3.3 GB per day in a 31 day month. If you used 800 kbits/sec of bandwidth around the clock, it would total about 255 GB per month. Total b/w of 40 kbs, (320 kbits/sec), all the time would keep you under 100 GB/mo, and you'd have a little extra in February and 30 day months.
On the Teksavvy homepage, in theTools menu, there's a place to check monthly b/w usage. The username must include '@teksavvy.com' to access the b/w usage chart. The tech support guy I spoke with said they aren't too picky if you go over the limit by a bit, but it's still worthwhile to check usage if you use a lot of b/w.
Rogers: Severe restrictions on p2p upload bandwidth. I didn't have any problems with p2p download bandwidth on Rogers. I think Rogers only issues a warning for first time offenders, unless they've switched to lowering b/w to surfing speed when you use up your 100 GBs.
Additional Costs:
Teksavvy: I had to buy a new modem for the DSL, $125 upfront for the SpeedTouch 516, or rent-to-own at $50 down and $10/mo for 9 months. Other modems are available in the $145 - $165 range.
I also needed to by DSL filters for each landline phone in the house. Teksavvy charges $7 for each one you want.
Rogers: $100 to buy the modem, or $3/mo to rent it.
Billing: Teksavvy: All charges are paid in advance, by preauthorized credit card or bank account debit. The monthly fees are payable on the day of the month on which the application was submitted.,
There is a five business days, (or less), period between when the application is received, and when service begins, so in the first month, you pay for a few days during which you have no service.
Rogers: Billed in arrears.
Additional Fees:
Teksavvy: $25 for moving within the first month of the contract. $3 per GB for more than 100 GB/mo.
Connection Fee:
Teksavvy: None
Rogers: I'm not sure, but probably about $25, unless they are currently having a promo. Fees may be reduced or waived if you are adding multiple services.
E-mail account fees:
TekSavvy:Three free, $1/month per account for each additional account.
Rogers: Eight free.
Additional changes:
TekSavvy: I had to do some manual configuration on the router to get my p2p apps to run properly, involving the setup of a static IP. The following link was very useful:
http://portforward.com/english/applications/port_forwarding/eMule/eMuleindex.htm
Although this link is geared for eMule, it can be used for any apps or games that require a static IP. When you get to the 'Static IP Address' link, open that page in a new window, as you need to enter the Static IP Address on the page for your router.
The Name Servers/DNS Servers for TekSavvy are 206.248.154.22 and 69.28.199.126. You'll need this information to set up a static IP.
Your router's page will show you which ports or port range are used for each app or game.
Rogers: At this point, you need to use encryption of p2p apps to get more than dial-up speed for p2p uploads. Sorry, I can't help you there. Consult your local geek.
Incentives: Teksavvy: A+, Rogers: No grade
Teksavvy: Teksavvy gives you a credit of $1 per month for each person whom you refer to them. See the Family and Friends Referral Program under Programs on the TekSavvy homepage for details.
Rogers: None
Thanks, again Cobster! I hope the above will be useful for other people considering following his advice.
bito
)