I need a cheaper alternative to Road Runner internet !!

[Ralph Kramden]

Our f!@#in bill just went up again to $60.85 total per month for Road Runner Standard internet. And when did this $3.95 monthly "Internet Modem Lease" fee start? In the past, they would reduce my bill when I called, but the last time "Customer Retention" said they couldn't do it. Are there any other broadband services I could use that are cheaper? I do need at least 5 Mbps for HD Netflix streaming. We don't do the bundle service because we just use our OTA antenna, and we don't have a house phone anymore. I live in the Village of Summit, in the 53066 zip code. Thanks.

[MDR]

Earthlink.net? They are an alternative available to most TWC customers.

mdr

[ArgMeMatey]

What does AT&T tell you?  They may offer VDSL or IP-DSLAM UVerse, or ADSL in your area.  Just go to their website and put in your address or ...

If you get POTS service through AT&T, Milwaukee PC offers some ADSL services, but make sure you read the fine print.  

The modem fee started for most customers with the Oct-Nov billing cycle.

Welcome to the world of unregulated telecommunications services.

[Ralph Kramden]

Thanks guys. I checked Earthlink and it say it's available to me, but ATT is not.

Earthlink is $29.95 for the first 6 months, and $41.95 after, for the Standard broadband service, "up to 7 Mbps".

1) Do you guys think I will be able to stream HD Netflix with no problems at that speed? My current RR is up to 10 Mbps, and it works great.

2) Does anyone have the Earthlink Standard broadband listed above, and if so, how do you like it? I know nothing about Earthlink, but switching would save us $19 per month(after 6 months) and more before of course.

Thanks.

[ArgMeMatey]

Thanks guys. I checked Earthlink and it say it's available to me, but ATT is not.

Earthlink is $29.95 for the first 6 months, and $41.95 after, for the Standard broadband service, "up to 7 Mbps".

1) Do you guys think I will be able to stream HD Netflix with no problems at that speed? My current RR is up to 10 Mbps, and it works great.

2) Does anyone have the Earthlink Standard broadband listed above, and if so, how do you like it? I know nothing about Earthlink, but switching would save us $19 per month(after 6 months) and more before of course.

Thanks.

When I had 6 Mbps AT&T ADSL, running Netflix in HD was no problem.  But I don't think I could do two HD streams at once.  I could run two or three SD Netflix stream on 6 Mbps, however.

[kevbeck122]

Netflix HD uses about 4-6 Mbps.. you should be fine.  

Even though Earthlink says 7mbps, you'll probably get 10mbps.  It's still TWC, you'll still get billed by TWC... though you get support through Earthlink, email goes through Earthlink if you use the ISP's email, etc.  That's how it was when I had Earthlink around 5-6 years ago.  They might use a little different routing than TWC, though I can't remember.

[Ralph Kramden]

Netflix HD uses about 4-6 Mbps.. you should be fine.  

Even though Earthlink says 7mbps, you'll probably get 10mbps.  It's still TWC, you'll still get billed by TWC... though you get support through Earthlink, email goes through Earthlink if you use the ISP's email, etc.  That's how it was when I had Earthlink around 5-6 years ago.  They might use a little different routing than TWC, though I can't remember.

So are you saying Earthlink is owned by TWC? Were you happy with the internet performance and customer service etc? I'm interested in what they call "Standard" broadband service. I assume the $41.95 per month fee is before taxes and fees? Thanks.

[LoadStar]

So are you saying Earthlink is owned by TWC?

No, Earthlink is a separate company.

How I imagine it works is more or less like multiple "VLANs" running on the same network. Although physically on the Time Warner LAN, you will essentially be on a separte virtual network from the RoadRunner network. You'll get an Earthlink-assigned IP address, and your traffic leaves the Time Warner LAN over Earthlink's connection.

[waterhead]

I originally had Earthlink, before going to U-verse.

Earthlink really just sells you the brand name. You get your email through Earthlink servers, much like using Yahoo. But if you track your internet connection, it identifies you as a Time-Warner customer (or something like that). I don't recall the exact name of the Roadrunner servers, but that is what it uses.

I believe it must lease access from existing providers, much like alternate phone providers lease cell and land line access.

[MDR]

I've had Earthlink for a couple of years now. The 15M package {it consistently tests out at around 14.5M and shows Earthlink as the ISP on speedtest.net].
It will all be transparent to you as to what network your on. TWC handles billing and service.
This is all part of the agreement TWC has with the FCC so as not to appear as a monopoly in the areas served.
My sister also has it. We're both very satisfied. The only thing you will notice is a lower bill.
P.S. to all, I still haven't seen the modem fee show up on my bill so maybe this only applies to TWC and not Earthlink.
 go for it, you won't regret it!
mdr

[waterhead]

What I meant was the server info that you get if you trace your route. I can use the traceroute program in Linux, and among other things, it tells me this:

lightspeed.milwwi.sbcglobal.net

If I recall, when you have Earthlink via Time-Warner, it uses the Time-Warner servers.

[Ralph Kramden]

Thanks guys. Is there any other choice for me in my area? Village of Summit, zip code 53066. ATT showed not available to me. Do you know how much I need to add on top of the $29.95, then $41.95 monthly fee? I'm going to try to call Earthlink tomorrow and get an exact total. Do they provide the modem?

[MDR]

Thanks guys. Is there any other choice for me in my area? Village of Summit, zip code 53066. ATT showed not available to me. Do you know how much I need to add on top of the $29.95, then $41.95 monthly fee? I'm going to try to call Earthlink tomorrow and get an exact total. Do they provide the modem?

Just sales tax. Uses your existing modem, no house call needed.
Just got Dec. bill and no modem fee for me.
mdr

[Ralph Kramden]

I switched to Earthlink today. I should have done this a long time ago. The first 6 months will save me $28 per month, and after that, $16 per month. MDR, thanks for the Earthlink recommendation.

[SRW1000]

I had been looking at Earthlink for a while, but didn't want to hassle with changing all my email accounts.  Instead, I went through the Roadrunner chat.  The first offer was to upgrade to Turbo for an extra $10 per month, which I declined.

That escalated me to another rep, who offered me to continue with standard service at $40 per month for the next 12 months.  The first six months will be the same as Earthlink, but the following six months will be $12 less.  It's only 10Mbps, but that's enough for my needs, and I don't have to spend the time changing all my email accounts.

I also purchased a new modem (Motorola SB6121) tonight, to eliminate the rental charge.  My speed has gone from 7Mbps to 14Mbps, so I think there my have been something wrong with my old one.

Thanks to everyone for posting in this thread.  It finally gave me the motivation to take action.

Scott