The lesser of 2 evils: ATT or Comcast/Xfinity

[Angry Ram]

Just wanted to get some thoughts on this. Moving to Houston I only have these 2 choices for internet. I tried to look into others, but these 2 companies have monopolized the city. And even if there were other companies, my new apartment is pre-wired for one of these. Note: this is just for internet. Haven't decided if I want the cable tv or not.

Here are the pros and cons that I found of each...

ATT
Pros:
Cheaper
Fiber optic line
Lower rate of outages during storms
Slightly more customer friendly

Cons:
-Lower speeds. Apparently since it is a direct line that the lower d/l speed of 24 MB is plenty. I currently have cable internet at 50 MB. They told me that cable lines are shared, so multiple customers use a single line and give higher speed to compensate for usage during peak hours. Not sure if this is true or puffery.

-Data cap. They have data caps but it is 1TB. They told me even with all the gaming and streaming I do, it's very rare that I would exceed that.

Comcast/Xfinity
Pros:
Unlimited data (they have a cap but don't enforce it. Allegedly.)
Higher speeds

Cons:
-Customer service (we all know about the horror stories)
-Expensive
-Older wiring technology
-Higher rate of outages during storms (at least that is what my uncle told me).

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[-X-]

I've used both and I prefer a cable modem. AT&T's modems suck. I did buy my own modem once and it got better (you'll want to do that if you choose them, so consider the added expense), but their problems seem to originate off-site and there were PLENTY of problems off-site. Either at their junction boxes, or buried lines somewhere going into the house (or apt complex). Also, if you're used to 50mps, you're not going to like even a slight drop-off. So consider that too.

You can also bring Comcast's price down by telling them AT&T is giving you a better deal.
They'll pull some strings for you. They did for me, at least.

Also, caps are bunk. And you should ask if either of them throttle.

 

[tomas]

Comcast will offer you a promotion to lower your price and keep you as a customer.

 

[fearsomefour]

A persons individual experience with either company is meaningless. Both are physical networks with a lot of variances.
Customer service e with either is probably going to be.....difficult.
Cable is a shared connection, the fiber network is not....again may or may not mean anything in terms of service reliability.
With billing just be aware of when the intro price expires and call during the preceding bill cycle.

 

[Angry Ram]

Also, if you're used to 50mps, you're not going to like even a slight drop-off. So consider that too.

On a shared connection, so when more people are using it you aren't getting true 50 or w/e speed you have. This fiber line (allegedly) is 24 dedicated to you.

Comcast will offer you a promotion to lower your price and keep you as a customer.

I'm surprised both of you said Comcast. I called and both prices are the same. So it comes down to this:

24 MB on dedicated fiber optic

vs.

75 or 150 MB on cable

A persons individual experience with either company is meaningless. Both are physical networks with a lot of variances.
Customer service e with either is probably going to be.....difficult.
Cable is a shared connection, the fiber network is not....again may or may not mean anything in terms of service reliability.
With billing just be aware of when the intro price expires and call during the preceding bill cycle.

I'm aware of that. As an example I use Sprint for my cell service and love it. But it has a bad overall rep, which I don't get.

I was more concerned about data caps, advertised speed vs. what actual customers get, if fiber is legit or marketing, that sort of thing.

 

[fearsomefour]

On a shared connection, so when more people are using it you aren't getting true 50 or w/e speed you have. This fiber line (allegedly) is 24 dedicated to you.



I'm surprised both of you said Comcast. I called and both prices are the same. So it comes down to this:

24 MB on dedicated fiber optic

vs.

75 or 150 MB on cable



I'm aware of that. As an example I use Sprint for my cell service and love it. But it has a bad overall rep, which I don't get.

I was more concerned about data caps, advertised speed vs. what actual customers get, if fiber is legit or marketing, that sort of thing.

The speed range for a 24 M fiber service is 18-24M. All of the fiber speeds are in a range, in this case 18-24M. It is a good service taking for granted it is working correctly....which can be said for all of them.
The data cap is high but it is enforced. The average usage monthly is about 400 G. But obviously can vary a lot depending on the user.
I have cable where I live....a 30M service. The speeds vary from about 8M to into the 20's. A lot of variance.

 

[-X-]

On a shared connection, so when more people are using it you aren't getting true 50 or w/e speed you have. This fiber line (allegedly) is 24 dedicated to you.

That's not true. I have 60mb in this apartment complex, and I constantly meter it out with speedtest.net at all hours of the day and night.
It's always 60mb.

When my house is finally built, I'm screwed. There is no option of either of those two. I'll have to do some stupid satellite internet I think, and that's gonna suck.

 

[fearsomefour]

That's not true. I have 60mb in this apartment complex, and I constantly meter it out with speedtest.net at all hours of the day and night.
It's always 60mb.

When my house is finally built, I'm screwed. There is no option of either of those two. I'll have to do some stupid satellite internet I think, and that's gonna suck.

If the whole complex is wired up there is a huge chunk o data coming into the complex. I not then you are lucky. Being a shared connection the speeds can vary a lot. Doesn't mean this is always the case. But, that is why they are capped with much higher top end speeds without a minimum. The dedicated connection are capped lower for top end but also capped on the minimum speed side.
As is always said, results may vary.

 

[Angry Ram]

The speed range for a 24 M fiber service is 18-24M. All of the fiber speeds are in a range, in this case 18-24M. It is a good service taking for granted it is working correctly....which can be said for all of them.

Would I notice a difference from my current cable speed of 50?

The data cap is high but it is enforced. The average usage monthly is about 400 G. But obviously can vary a lot depending on the user.

I didn't know that. Average for a family of 4? This is just going to be me. And both companies said 1 Terra a month, which is a ton and I'm not worried about anymore.

That's not true. I have 60mb in this apartment complex, and I constantly meter it out with speedtest.net at all hours of the day and night.
It's always 60mb.

When my house is finally built, I'm screwed. There is no option of either of those two. I'll have to do some stupid satellite internet I think, and that's gonna suck.

Interesting. I might just roll with cable with the higher speed. Either 75 or 150, that's still incredibly fast even if the lines are shared. I have flexibility with modems, and the complex is contracted with Comcast.

 

[fearsomefour]

Depends on how you use it and current connectivity as to whether you would notice a difference.
Average use is that....wide variables, but, I am sure you would be fine.
If the complex is large and contracted it would probably be fine if it is not large there would probably be no special consideration (provisioning) given the place, so, could be worse.
Asking folks that are there now is not a bad idea although not always easy.
If the cable company is contracted with the complex they may not allow another provider.

 

[-X-]

If the whole complex is wired up there is a huge chunk o data coming into the complex. I not then you are lucky. Being a shared connection the speeds can vary a lot. Doesn't mean this is always the case. But, that is why they are capped with much higher top end speeds without a minimum. The dedicated connection are capped lower for top end but also capped on the minimum speed side.
As is always said, results may vary.

Maybe I am lucky, but like I said ... the speed never dips.
There are 15 buildings here, each with 12 units, and they're all on Comcast.
Of course now that you've jinxed everything, I'm not gonna be able to connec

 

[fearsomefour]

Maybe I am lucky, but like I said ... the speed never dips.
There are 15 buildings here, each with 12 units, and they're all on Comcast.
Of course now that you've jinxed everything, I'm not gonna be able to connec

FEEL MY POWER!!
The only to time fear that statement from me is leaving a Taco Johns drive through on a long road trip.
Just going over how the networks are laid out from the facilities....but wide variables exist.

 

[1maGoh]

If the cable line is shared that should be in the fine print somewhere. A quick ctrl+f on copy of the contract, assuming it's in a PDF, should find words like shared, multiple customers, or other such things. I honestly wouldn't worry about that much, like @-X- said. Do you realize how increasing disingenuous it would be to advertise 50Mbps to a customer, then force then to share that connection with 100 other people. Lawsuits.

 

[fearsomefour]

If the cable line is shared that should be in the fine print somewhere. A quick ctrl+f on copy of the contract, assuming it's in a PDF, should find words like shared, multiple customers, or other such things. I honestly wouldn't worry about that much, like @-X- said. Do you realize how increasing disingenuous it would be to advertise 50Mbps to a customer, then force then to share that connection with 100 other people. Lawsuits.

The verbiage is "up to".....as in speeds up to 50M.
Every company does this. There may be minimum speed and max speeds in a range if it is a dedicated line. If it shared there usually is not a guaranteed minimum.

 

[Angry Ram]

Depends on how you use it and current connectivity as to whether you would notice a difference.
Average use is that....wide variables, but, I am sure you would be fine.
If the complex is large and contracted it would probably be fine if it is not large there would probably be no special consideration (provisioning) given the place, so, could be worse.
Asking folks that are there now is not a bad idea although not always easy.
If the cable company is contracted with the complex they may not allow another provider.

Here's what I do...

Surf ROD and other websites.

Watch YouTube.

Play 1 MMO that updates once every week or once every 2 weeks.

50 served me well, hell even 25 did at one point.

Also, I probably shouldn't have said "contracted", I'm not sure what they call it exactly, but Comcast is what the complex uses but is pre-wired for ATT services as well.

If the cable line is shared that should be in the fine print somewhere. A quick ctrl+f on copy of the contract, assuming it's in a PDF, should find words like shared, multiple customers, or other such things. I honestly wouldn't worry about that much, like @-X- said. Do you realize how increasing disingenuous it would be to advertise 50Mbps to a customer, then force then to share that connection with 100 other people. Lawsuits.

I'm not worried about getting the actual speed as advertised. I'm curious if 24 on a dedicated fiber line is just as fast as a 50 on a "shared" line. I understand that multiple customers wouldn't siphon off that 50, but in order for all customers to get 50, that is why they give more to ensure everyone gets what they paid for.

 

[-X-]

@Angry Ram, another thing you can do is ask some residents around the complex. See who has the most complaints. That's what we did when we moved back up here. I need the speeds for streaming and making videos (especially upload speeds), and I got a lot of negative feedback about AT&T. I heeded that warning. Could be the opposite there, but I'd definitely poll the people.

 

[Angry Ram]

@Angry Ram, another thing you can do is ask some residents around the complex. See who has the most complaints. That's what we did when we moved back up here. I need the speeds for streaming and making videos (especially upload speeds), and I got a lot of negative feedback about AT&T. I heeded that warning. Could be the opposite there, but I'd definitely poll the people.

I've done that. Most people aren't very happy with ATT. Just the fiber line was tempting.

I'm most probably going to roll with Comcast. 150 MB is 150 MB.

 

[Angry Ram]

Signed up with Comcast. This was the 2nd time I called and the customer service wasn't terrible. Hell I had fun with the girl (she sounded cute).

I think I made the right choice, when I went to Best Buy to get my modem the guys said the whole ATT 24 thing is a farce.

 

[Debacled]

Just saying I would have trouble trusting a phone company to deliver good internet. Especially since their entire business model is built upon nickle and dimeing people to death.

I always have and always will stick with a cable internet company over a phone company trying to break into the game, assuming the service is decent enough.

Wise choice.

 

[RamBall]

I have had Comcast for 12 yrs, rarely have service interuptions. I see AT&T trucks evrywhere working on boxes, digging trenches looks like the same AT&T I had about 13 yrs ago, slow and seemed like once a month there was a service interuption. I call comcast every time my promo offers are about to expire and they give me free internet IIRC its the 50 MB.

I used to play an online game, a lot. Especially when I was on FMLA, I'm talkin 18 hrs a day for weeks and never had any issues of a cap of any sort.