Internet Over Fiber
Verizon’s FiOS service is data over fiber optic cable. It’s fast. Verizon offers 3 plans, 5mbps download/2mbps upload, 15 down/2 up and 30 down/5 up. I got the 5/2 plan since what I had with Comcast was 3/.25… on a good day. Comcast’s speeds were inconsistent and the connection wasn’t as stable as I had hoped. I kept having to “power cycle” my cable modem, which meant unplugging my modem from the wall and the internet, letting it sit for 30 seconds, and plugging it back in. I’ve got my whole house wired with Cat5, so I keep all of the cords and stuff in a box in my garage. I know I need the excercise, but seriously, I don’t want to go downstairs that often to tinker with the hardware. So, how was installation? It was fairly simple. V did have to dig a trench from my neighbor’s front yard to my house to lay some fiber, but they did a decent job of making it look how they left it. There’s a big box on the outside of my house as well as in my garage connected to my central wiring system.
There’s no modem (that is, unless it’s inside one of these boxes). Once that hardware was installed by the Verizon technician, all I had to do was plug and play. I also got a wireless D-Link router to replace my LinkSys wired router. I’m not actually doing anything wireless, but it was free with the service. D-Link router works way better than LinkSys, very happy with it. Speed you ask? Well here’s what I’ve been experiencing in my first week on fiber: Verizon FiOS Price: $35/month
FROM DOWN UP
Seattle: 4946 1748
San Fransisco: 4948 1746
Los Angeles: 4951 1743
Dallas: 4823 1172
Chicago: 4855 1143
Atlanta: 4956 1727
New York: 4646 1720
Wa. DC: 4451 1714
Avg: 4.8mb 1.7mbHere’s the speed tests pre-FiOS: Comcast Price: $50/month
Seattle: 2720 287 San Fransisco: 2178 348 Los Angeles: 2765 355 Dallas: 2082 349 Chicago: 2631 254 Atlanta: 2765 353 New York: 2769 355 Wa. DC: 2318 355 Avg: 1.5-3mb 384mb
Speed Tests run from SpeakEasy