[SGVLUG] DSL: static or faster?

[matti]

Hi!

> I've been a long time happy customer of
> Pacbell/SBC/AT&T's DSL service since '99 but I
> think it's time to upgrade.  I'm paying $25/mo for
> 1.5 Mbs down and 384 Kbs up but I have one of those original
> accounts with a static IP and no restrictions on hosting so
> I've been trying to hold off on making any changes.

sweet... i would like to have a static ip.. that would
be nice for hosting, even if slower speed.

$25/month iirc is their minimum right now w/dhcp

> I looked at AT&T's U-verse Internet (their version
> of fiber) but if I'm reading their web pages correctly,..

it is fiber to the "curb" in theory, more like fiber to
your neighborhood/block iirc....same old lines to your house

u-verse - you can just get the internet part....

in my neighborhood it is not available,.. so I have
slow DSL.. in reality about 1/2 your speed, dhcp,
at your price point :(

I WOULD contact them and ask if you can get a faster
speed ( with old IP account ;), does not hurt to call
and ask a couple of times.

in my experience with them some operators are more
helpful than others...

last I checked they had a ANY speed available for 
$25/month for a year deal.... then it goes up, but you
maybe able to recommit for another year on
whatever deal they maybe having then iirc.

> As for cable, is it a myth about sharing the bandwidth with
> everyone in the neighborhood?  I've pretty much had
> consistent speeds with DSL.  

depends on the particular cable setup, .. used to be so

the issue I start to worry about is when the cable
company starts to own the media/hollywood companies
and starts to do things to screw with QOS/monitoring/filtering
issues.

in my experience I trust the phone company more to
give reliable IP services.

also seems that cable companies like people hosting
a bit less than the telcos.

>.. How often do they change? 

depends.. cable companies I hear force changes more often,
and are less friendly to hosting.. granted it is a generalization.

from my experience w/att you can expect a new IP address for
each time you restart/reset your DSL "modem"/bridge/router

there are a few other times also, but it does not seem too
frequent. ( tho I still would like to have a static )

ALSO, for new att accounts using dhcp you will prolably
be setup for PPoE ( yuk! imho ) - thus your setup will
have yet another point(s) of failure.. the PPoE login server
and the settings in your "modem"

I really dislike the PPoE stuff they force on account.


What I would do:

ASK about faster speed for your setup, I certainly
would try to keep the static and try to get 6mps ;)


Let us know what happens.
matti