Choice Wireless Broadband - STX

Supposed to be changing over from Innovative to BBVI tomorrow. Film at eleven...
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When I arrived here I called BBVI and was told by a tech that I wouldn't be able to get a signal here on the Northside of STT. I drove down to Choice and picked up a modem and plugged it in and had service. Unfortunately I could only get 1-2 bars of signal so consequently it barely sufficed for email. So the following day I set up an account for Innovative DSL my only other option and what I'm hoping will be the fatest download service. Two days later the tech showed up and set up my line. He told me the DSL service would then needed to be activated by another tech at their central location nearby. I returned the Choice modem (5 day free trial expired) and called Innovative because the service had not been activated. Long story short - Island Time! as I am now on week 2 with no service and getting sick of staring at my iPhone's 2.5" screen LOL. Last I heard from Innovative "no guarantees, maybe Monday" 🙂
BTW how do use ur iPhone to run ur laptops 3G service?

Cheers,

Dave

Prefer2sail - sounds just like my story (except I still have hope for BBVI). Choice may work better with external antenna - I found that I get 5 bars outdoors (but then Choice seems to be poorly set up to deal with external antenna installations). I sure hope I don't have to go that route, though.

It's a good thing you get 3G on iPhone - in most of my house it drops down to regular GPRS. To use it with laptop you need to tether it - to do so you need to:
1) "jailbreak" your iPhone
2) install one of the utilities that make it act as a router such as pdaNet

it will be excruciatingly slow and useful only to post complaints about other services on this forum though 🙂

My house has no dialtone so Innovative may take a long time, I suppose. Got to connect the actual phone first.

My iPhone is jailbroken and running PdaNet. I get 1.2 Mbps on the speedtest. That is a little better than just being able to check email.

In locations with good reception - sure. But I think the other poster is in the same area as me, and here AT&T 3G works poorly or drops off into GPRS.

My iPhone is jailbroken and running PdaNet. I get 1.2 Mbps on the speedtest. That is a little better than just being able to check email.

I was just answering the question, what do you get on 3G service. Not what do you get on Edge or GPRS.

Oh, ok then, I thought you may be replying to me 🙂

No dice today either - technician MIA, voicemail at the main phone number. The washing mashine repairman came though (and almost when he promised), and even fixed the washer - so I guess not everyone is on "island time" after all.

Anyone wants to bet as to which service I get first - BBVI or Innovative? 🙂

All is well that ends well - BroadbandVI came through! The connection works and I am as happy as can be! Thank you guys, you are the best 🙂

(I am still curious as to when Innovative might come by but it's more of a scientific study now)

Finally hooked up on innovative today 🙂 so far so good.

Innovative tech came today and on time too. Something else needs to be done so I won't get actual service until tomorrow, but hey - so far so good. That "island time" thing you guys were scaring me with didn't hit too hard quite yet. Not to jinx it or anything but everyone was no less prompt that in my previous very mainland state.

Update: I was a bit too optimistic on the Innovative's account. It's been precisely a month today since I ordered the DSL and, lo and behold, it actually started working TODAY 🙂 All it took is about 5 calls per day each day to Innovative tech support, 4 or 5 personal visits, and a couple of trips by their tech. I am now on the first name basis with all their support people, and even know the names of both field technicians.

It's running at 512K now but, hopefully, switching it to 1Mbit won't take as long 🙂 (Famous last words 🙂 )

Good thing BroadbandVI came through.

I have from more than one Broadband VI is going out of business???? Yet, just today I heard their commercial on the radio. Anybody know anything?

Haven't heard anything like that about BroadbandVI. Perhaps they meant Choice?

For me switching from 512 to 1mb took about 2 minutes. I called tech support and while on the line they had me email them my request to bump it up (presumably to have something in writing). Within a minute I was at 1mbps!

Hope it goes that well for you...the availability of 1mbps is based on line conditions/distance to nearest POP so it isn't guaranteed to work (which is why they start you out with 512).

As for BBVI going out of business I would be very surprised if this is the case...maybe beeski can comment on this!

FWIW, just got back from the states where my parents have 20mbps FIOS which is becoming pretty standard...we are falling way behind here in the VI again. As the web changes to be more and more video intensive we will be stuck if we don't get some fiber laid down at some point...guess the money for that went into the fuel tank of Prosser's 727 instead though 🙁 I think BBVI is the best shot we have at keeping us up to date in the long run.

Sean

For me switching from 512 to 1mb took about 2 minutes. I called tech support and while on the line they had me email them my request to bump it up (presumably to have something in writing). Within a minute I was at 1mbps!

Hope it goes that well for you...the availability of 1mbps is based on line conditions/distance to nearest POP so it isn't guaranteed to work (which is why they start you out with 512).

As for BBVI going out of business I would be very surprised if this is the case...maybe beeski can comment on this!

FWIW, just got back from the states where my parents have 20mbps FIOS which is becoming pretty standard...we are falling way behind here in the VI again. As the web changes to be more and more video intensive we will be stuck if we don't get some fiber laid down at some point...guess the money for that went into the fuel tank of Prosser's 727 instead though 🙁 I think BBVI is the best shot we have at keeping us up to date in the long run.

Sean

Got the switch to 1Mbit pretty much instantly this morning. Works quite well - so now I have two connections 🙂

Bandwidth will never be enough - no matter how much telcos provide, people will waste it with new crap (and, in my opinion, videos on the web are pretty much that). But I am an aging computer geek (and network pro), so what do I know. In any case - there is no "falling behind", those 20 mbit connections will soon be just as obsolete and in another 3-4 years it will be 100 mbit and 1Gig and more, all of it bringing exactly the same stuff, but more of it. (Personally I am an ex-FIOS user and I don't feel a difference, but you can guess that my use of the network is not revolving around youtube and netflix 🙂 )

Anyway, I doubt BBVI is an answer - there are significant limitations to wi-fi as a transport for end-users, it only works here because there are relatively few subscribers.
WiMax in theory may be an answer and it is being slowly rolled out in mainland US here and there, but Choice here seems to have screwed it up - so no go.

The simplest technology that works fairly universally is cable internet, that can run at the same speed as FIOS nowadays. Unfortunately, aside from cable it requires two-way amplifiers and STT has none of those.

However do not despair - FIOS is only common in larger cities and smaller places/rural areas will not get comparable speeds in any foreseeable future. So we will be on par with most of mainland USA (by territory if not by population for years to come 🙂

On the other hand, both Innovative and BBVI are "symmetric" connections and my upload speeds on both are 1 Mbit. Go get that stateside 🙂 🙂 (Unfortunately Innovative sticks you behind forced NAT so no way to run a website or anything 🙂 )

A little too early to celebrate. PPTP VPN no work over Innovative DSL. Well, that just sucks.

1) As for BBVI going out of business I would be very surprised if this is the case...maybe beeski can comment on this!

2) Anyway, I doubt BBVI is an answer - there are significant limitations to wi-fi as a transport for end-users, it only works here because there are relatively few subscribers.
WiMax in theory may be an answer and it is being slowly rolled out in mainland US here and there, but Choice here seems to have screwed it up - so no go.

A couple of responses:

1) I wish....then I wouldn't have to work so hard....but my friends would kill me if they didn't have their BBVI Internet 🙂
BBVI is profitable, growing, and expanding. The more interesting discussion would be:
a) what will happen with Innovative with it being owned by a pseudo-bank in DC? They have no incentive to invest a penny in infrastructure since there is no return on any Capital they spend. While their revenues decline, at least they are getting some return, though nowhere near enough to cover the $400-$600mil debt load the idiots lent Prosser.
b) ATNI filed their quarterly 10-Q. I've gleaned from the report that pertains to the Choice subsidiary. Things to note:
1.) ATNI sells all of Choices Digital TV equipment to Neil Prior for $ 400,000. What's he going to do with this?
2.) Adjusting out Digital TV revenues, Choices revenue for the current year nine months is $ 3,249,000 versus $ 3,401,000 for the comparable nine months ending September 2008 shows a $ 150,000 reduction in revenues for broadband.
3.) Choices operational losses for the nine months was $ (1,407,000) in 2008 versus $ (2,176,000) in 2009.
a.) How do they plan on making this a viable on-going business?

2) BBVI uses very little wifi, most of our AP's are using proprietary protocols, pseudo-wimax if you'd like. We have thousands of satisfied customers.....so I wouldn't bet against us now or in the future (some exciting announcements soon come).

2) BBVI uses very little wifi, most of our AP's are using proprietary protocols, pseudo-wimax if you'd like. We have thousands of satisfied customers.....so I wouldn't bet against us now or in the future (some exciting announcements soon come).

🙂 I am certainly not betting against your company 🙂 You seem to be doing the only right business around here when it comes to networking. I am betting somewhat against LOS wireless as a technology of the future. There are however other ways of doing connectivity and I am sure you guys know that better than me 🙂

(That said if you are ever short on network engineers or systems developers, need any CALEA, network security, firewall or systems expertise - I'd be glad to help, and will do all that for a decent connection, not that a current one is bad or anything 🙂 )