Large Scale Central

Verizon Fios ?????

General Discussion
#1

So about two months ago we made the switch to Fios from Comcast. The decision was not made lightly. We had some reservations about switching because we just didn’t want to relearn how to watch TV, etc. The reason for the switch is due to a long running dispute over our cable bill from Comcast. Each month they would tack on extra fees, which made the bill higher than it was supposed to be. We fought with them for a year and when it was all over, and after we had switched to Fios, Comcast finally straightened out the bill and we were correct after all. And to add insult to injury, the clerk at the Comcast retail store, where I had to return the cable boxes and remotes told me that if I wanted to return to Comcast at any time, they could give me a great rate because I would be a new customer.

OK, enough history. Our new plan with Fios is about forty dollars less than Comcast, Yea !! Our internet speed is 100 MBPS. Wonderful right ? Then why is it that when I log onto the internet via Safari, it takes thirty seconds or more for the log in to complete ? Also, I have noticed that when watching Youtube videos, they constantly pause anywhere in the film and I get the circling dots. Getting tech support from Verizon is a nightmare. First, the automated system doesn’t hear my voice responses. Then, if I don’t get cut off, I have to listen to their recorded sales pitch. If I am lucky enough to get a living and breathing human, that human usually turns out to be as useful as teats on a bull.

I wonder if anyone else here may be having some of the issues I am having ?

#2

Yes, I know a number of people with the same issue.

Basically their network is flakey, sometimes good, sometimes not.

When you run speedtest.net, what speed do you get up and down, and more importantly, what is the ping speed?

Run it several times during the day and report back. If it is erratic, you can complain and perhaps they will do something.

Greg

#3

It’s not the Bell Telephone Co of PA that you grew up with, that’s for sure.

Took them 4 days to get mine hooked up and working right.

#4

Are you wifi connected, or hard wired.

If WIFI:

I do not have fios but my Comcast cable modem with wifi has 2 transmitter receivers, one for G and one for N and each needs a unique name but can have the same password. Same name will cause conflicts and make the ‘net’ unavailable while trying to ‘resysnc’.

#5

I have no issues with FiOs. I had issues with Comcast. My computer is connected to my router with a LAN cable. But I do have to agree that their support is lacking. I had to call them once and that voice (non) recognition computer is a real joy to shout at.

I would do as Greg suggests. If you are not getting the speeds they told you you would get on the contract, you have every right to ride them until they fix the issue.

#6

Greg, can Speediest.net be run on a MAC ?

Ken, I do miss Ma Bell.

Dan, I am hard wired. Or more correctly, my MAC is hard wired.

David, I actually had to shout my answers into the phone several times before the automated system got it.

#7

I think you can, just go to the site and see what happens… if not, there will be some “speed test” you can google.

Again, be sure to get these 3 things:

  1. latency (usually ping time)

  2. upload speed

  3. download speed

Run the test when everything is working well, and when it is not. See if there is a big difference.

We can go further after that, i.e. pinging largescalecentral.com (I think you will have to find a “ping” program, unless you can get to the unix shell).

Greg

#8

It may not be Fios, or Fios alone. Are you running Firefox 47.01? Ever since the last update to Firefox, for me it has been slow and hangs quite often.

#9

I’m on 48.0.2 … try updating

#10

No I don’t use Firefox. I use Safari exclusively.

#11

Greg Elmassian said:

I’m on 48.0.2 … try updating

Help/About says I am up to date at 47.0.1. Are you on the Beta Channel, or running Linux?

It may be my PC - noticed it’s not running too good tonight.

#12

just try FF for mac and see if it works better.

#13

Yea, each time Firefox updates it seams a little more buggy.

#14

Usually it’s good for a number of updates, and it goes better if you do registry cleanups and defrag the FF database.

When it seems FF becomes a problem, save your bookmarks (export to HTML file), uninstall, clean registry, delete install directory and do clean install.

I’ve only have had to do this a few time.

Greg

#15

I’ve been with Bright House for years and their service has consistently been good.

I was a Firefox user myself until they outed Brendan Eich for his personal beliefs involving gay marriage, that and Firefox keeps getting slower and buggier with each new release.

Made the switch to Chrome about a year ago and haven’t looked back.

#16

This thread is here to help Dan with his issues with the site.

He uses a Mac and Safari.

I am trying to help him.

We don’t need to add politics, or gay rights to the thread in order to help Dan.

Greg

#17

Yep, no place for that kind of talk here.

#18

Remove my account from this website, I’m done here.

#19

Dan Padova said:

. . . . because I would be a new customer.

OK, enough history. Our new plan with Fios is about forty dollars less than Comcast, Yea !! Our internet speed is 100 MBPS. Wonderful right ? Then why is it that when I log onto the internet via Safari, it takes thirty seconds or more for the log in to complete ? Also, I have noticed that when watching Youtube videos, they constantly pause anywhere in the film and I get the circling dots.

. . .

I wonder if anyone else here may be having some of the issues I am having ?

Dan,

A couple of comments. Yes, Comcast will give you a deal as a new customer. I get (slow) internet at $29.95 instead of $49.95 because I cancel the service when I head for Florida.

The speed of the network is only one factor in what you see as ‘response time’. When you log in, a computer/server processes your information and decides what to do next - the network is idle while that happens. If lots of other people are doing the same thing, or if the organization is overwhelmed, you might have to wait. In fact, you probably will have to wait.

The same applies to videos. As you are (probably) watching at the same time as everyone else (after the kids get home from school, or in the evening) your network and the youtube server is overwhelmed by the traffic volume. Just like the highway at rush hour. A faster network doesn’t help if the server is busy.

What Greg is suggesting (Speedtest) will check your network speed to a remote location. It won’t tell you if Youtube’s servers are busy at 7pm.

#20

We use Charter Communications here in the Burbank/Glendale area of So. California. We have five computers running in our home on a internal wireless network. One PC and four Macbooks. Rarely do we have all five computers running on the internet at one time. Mostly three at one time. Access to three printers wireless through the home network. We have 60mps internet speed (actually get as high as 75mps 60% of the time). I use Speedtest for both my PC and Macbook…works great. One thing that was suggested to me by a Charter serviceman was to reboot the router and modem about once a week. Since I have been doing this now for about a year, I have found I get a more consistent speed throughout the day and week. Just checked my speed with Speedtest and I am getting 72.3mps down and 5.46mps up. I don’t even use my PC for video streaming anymore because of the “circular dots” always appearing and the video pausing. Just an old machine with XP Pro. I use the Macbook for the videos or even movies. Nice thing with the Mac is that I can go way deep in the backyard out by the pool 150 feet from the house and get the same speeds as I get in the house.