Choice Wireless Broadband - STX

I just got Choice today - I am still trying it out.

Choice uses WiMax which (in my opinion) is better suited for long distance communication than WiFi (as used by Broadband.vi). The "modem" they gave me worked out of the box - with one caveat, it only works outdoors in my building (no doubt due to metal roof blocking microwave signal outdoors). I'll try to ask them for outdoor antenna kit tomorrow - and can report on how that goes.

Otherwise service seems fine, speed is pretty much what they promise (i.e. 1024kbit is not really 1024kbit but rather about 0.8 down/0.2 up and other speeds are accordingly).

I had Choice for a while, and was really unhappy with it, but it may have improved since then. It really is easy to just take it out of the box, and you are up and running. I had the basic, which was $50 per month. I upgraded to the $100 per month and saw absolutely no difference in the speed (very slow).

They give you about 3 days to try it out before you decide if you want to keep it. My service was good at first, so I stayed with it for a while. Then it just seemed to bog down.

Another nice feature is if you move again, you just take it with you. It works anywhere there is electricity and line of sight. I used to refer to it as "semi-wireless". I even took it over to STT and used it.

i use it in several different locations on stx. sometimes it is fast, sometimes very slow, slower than dialup. but it is an easy way to have a connection. if you just use it for email probably ok. i have the $50 version and use it in la grande princesse.

The problem we had with Choice (and this was 2 years ago) was that during peak times (aka 5:30-9pm when everyone was home from work) the service got REALLY slow. I don't know that they have the appropriate backend to service the number of users they have sold to.

Sean

Broadband VI charges a $100 move fee for existing customers moving to a different house, not the $199 install fee for a new customer.

FWIW I have speed-tested my choice connection and if all the bars are visible on the modem (i.e. with full signal strength) I get the "advertised" speed on the basic plan, both up and down. Tested throughout the day (including right now) - so there does not seem to be peak demand.

That said, if you do not get the full signal strength (less than 4 bars) speed will drop off rapidly. So for best results you may need outdoors antenna, just like Broadband.vi service. I am getting one and Choice wasn't particularly clear about the process - they don't seem to do this often. All I got was "It's probably $100 to install". Not sure how it can be "probably" but we'll see Monday (at this point the only true reason to select Choice over Broadband is location of future antenna - Choice has more options, whereas Broadband would have to be on the back wall of the house pointing up)

Speaking of service, would anyone that has Broadband.vi service mind running speed test (using Speedtest.net). Please chose test server in continental US (they suggest the one in Puerto Rico which is very far from us network-wise - use Atlanta, or Wash. DC).

If you could run the test and post results - in particular the "ping" time in msec, which it shows in the very beginning of the test - I'd appreciate it very much!

I ran the test to Fredericks MD. Could not find a server in DC.

Results:

Ping 71 ms

Down 2.43 mbs
Up .60 mbs

With Broadband VI you have a burst rate so these numbers are somewhat misleading. When I stream video on my 1 mbs connection my rate is usually 800 - 900 kbs for extended periods.

Jim

Looks like ping is quite a bit better than choice.vi then - 70ms vs. about 120ms for choice.

Anyway, I am glad I read this forum (and a few other boards) - broadband.vi seems to put a user behind a few layers of NAT which won't work for me (I need a public IP), though certainly isn't an issue for many users.

Choice seems to be sane so far - we'll see how it goes, but nothing to complain about yet - they provide what they advertise.

I just ran speedtest.net on BroadbandVI to Atlanta

Ping 73ms
Download 2.76 Mb/s
Upload 0.86 Mb/s

I have a public IP Address. BroadbandVI charges $5 / month extra for a public IP address.

I have the $99/month 1Mb/s service.

I used to be a Choice customer but had problems and left.
I used to be a Hughes Satellite customer but had problems and left.
I used to be an Innovative customer but had problems and left.

So far BroadbandVI has not disappointed me.

Well, I'll be a customer of both Choice and Innovative sometime next week 🙂 We'll see how it goes.

I don't think Broadband.vi works where I live btw. I just went out on a survey and can't see their SSID using netstumbler even from the highest point near my home.

BTW, did you say that you used load balancing with two connections? What router did you use for that? I googled around and a few I thought could do it - can't (and the ones that can are a bit too expensive).

For the past few years I had Innovative DSL as well as BBVI. When Omar hit last year I lost my landline phone as well as my DSL. It took Innovative 4 months to fix my phone line. By then I realized that I did not want to deal with them any longer. Until recently I ave always had two WAN connections. Now my backup is my iPhone data connection. When I connect via ATT 3G to my laptop I get 1.2 Mb/s. That will work for a backup.

I use a Linksys/Cisco RV082 router.

Thanks for the router info - now I need to find one of those on the cheap 🙂

The RV082 has worked well for me. I used to have a Nexland Pro800 which was a piece of crap.

The RV082 feeds 4 Linksys WRT160N's for wifi coverage of the property. I also have 2 Security DVR's and a Home Automation PC connected directly to it.

That's quite a serious system you have 🙂

I will probably opt for RV042 - few less ports and slightly cheaper, but should still let me policy-route around two wan connections. Finding retailer that will ship here (and offer USPS rather than ridiculously priced FedEx/UPS) was not easy but, as often is the case, B&H came through - gotta love those guys.

I don't think Broadband.vi works where I live btw. I just went out on a survey and can't see their SSID using netstumbler even from the highest point near my home.

most Broadband VI Access Points can't be seen with netstumbler.

Please tell me which is better someone? I have been using broadband vi for 3 years now. I hate the hassle of switching service, but i would have to say that I like a faster connection. I want to STREAM VIDEO WITHOUT IT STOPPING AND LOADING FOR LONG.. Streaming is what I want. Wish there were no wireless anything..... i think direct connect is faster and reliable. Is there a direct service anywhere other than dial up...... like cable internet or something...... Broadband is always up and down with the connection. It is never reliable anywhere you go.

One of my clients has Broadband and he recently had a second antenna installed. He has both lines going into a load balancing router. He claims that due to the burst rate he is now getting 3 mb down. Hmmmm? I asked if he was paying for 2 accounts and he said no.
"The 2 access points burst at different times and the router takes over". He seems like a smart, no BS type, so i tend to believe him.

RE Video stuttering: I think the burst rate confuses some video players because they run a "speed test" to see which bit rate they should send you which comes back artificially high due to burst. Once you lose your burst the connection can't keep up with the 2+mbps stream they send and it starts to stutter.

Rotor is right, if Innovative goes down it will be weeks before you get it up again. I am using them and am pleased with their service but if they go down I will probably have to scramble for an alternative which is on the back of my mind. It's a shame they can't get their service department together. Oddly, my Innovative DSL and voice stayed up through all of Omar, I was online in the middle of the storm no problem!

Sean

A few updates:

1) Choice didn't last long 🙂 On the second day of testing I had speeds go down to less than 50% of specified for extended periods of time (with full signal). Looks like overloaded network indeed. Packet loss rates were high throughout that time. Even when speed test shown rates consistent with service spec (380kbit down) practical download tests got me at most 25Kbyte/sec (that would be about 200 kbit, may be 250 due to overhead). So, back the device went today. I'll reconsider them if nothing else works.

2) Broadband.VI came by today - they think service here will work but just so, if I get a really high mast 🙂 We'll see tomorrow. A few notes about their service:
- Broadband.VI on STX differs from that on STT. In particular, the devices that support initial burst rate are not yet available on STT - so here the speed is what they set it to.
- Ping times (rtt) on STT would be about 110ms - more than twice as long as those on STX, again due to these same device differences. That may affect real time protocols (in particular jitter sensitive stuff, like Skype or various SIP based VoIP). Upgrades are coming, eventually.
- The speed of any given connection is a rate limit set in the device. I.e. you could very well get much higher speeds from them, technically. I think users should ask for that (and, perhaps, vote with their money) and faster connections will become available.

Didn't try their service yet - hopefully it will work and I'll see how it compares 🙂

Video Streaming:

I have a 1 mbs connection. To get consistent streaming of video you may need BroadbandVI to disable the burst.

I have excellent results with my SlingBox.
I have excellent results with CNN live streaming.
I have OK results with Hulu. When their servers are not overloaded. The video doesn't lock up but the motion is a little jerky.
Amazon and Netflix is OK lots of the time if you cloak your VI IP, but that takes 10% - 20% off your through put. The best hope for Netflix will come next year when they allow international streaming. Netflix used to have a better buffering algorithm, but since lots of people stateside have 3 - 15 mbs data speeds Netflix for server efficiency no longer buffers many packets to help out our slow speeds in the USVI.

Jim

Well, I was too optimistic too early. Both Innovative and BroadbandVI missed their appointments today. Not sure when it will happen now. I hope I don't have to leave the island over something that seems so trivial to do ;(

Seems so trivial? Welcome to the islands.8-)

Unfortunately this has nothing to do with "the islands" but with individual responsibility of specific people. On these same islands I had great prompt service by a number of people - just not these guys.

In any case, if I am not online by Monday, that welcome to the islands will be over and I will have to go back. That'd be the shortest and most expensive move I ever had 🙁 This sucks.