| INTERNET PROVIDERS available to the Town Of Herman by Bob Kristof - Webmaster |
Many of you have expressed dis-pleasure with the performance of your DSL Internet Service provided by
Frontier Communications. Unfortunately, Frontier is your only choice for DSL style of service in our area. As
the Internet is now flooded with Video information, rather than basic text, the Bandwidth (Through-put) that the
2-wire telephone line that can be provided to a majority of the Town of Herman is limited and also degrades as
the distance increases from either the Gresham or Clintonville main hub sites.. Other factors that can
degrade what little signal you do get, is the wiring and terminals within your house that are umpten years old.
So what can you do:
FIRST of ALL: Check what actual DOWNLOAD speeds you currently experience.
These are sites to try. You need to run this at various times of the day.
www.speedtest.net (Tech experts use this for Industry averages)
www.speedof.me
www.testmy.net
Frontiers Own SpeedTest Site
BEST INTERNET FOR YOUR ZIP CODE
Once you know what speeds you're experiencing, What Options do you have:
(Note: ALL OF THESE OPTIONS DEPEND ON VOLUME OF USERS ON THAT NETWORK!)
1) Keep your current DSL (Frontier) with Unlimited Data service and live with it.
(Speeds as low as .3Mbps to a high of ~2.5-3Mbps) - Modem is included with price.
The Following two Options include Data based costing: (How much information transmitted back and forth)
They also may require buying/leasing the Modem equipment.
(On an average Month, I've used 10 GigaBytes of Data - Mixed Text and video clips)
2) Utilize the Cellular Phone network - 4G LTE provided by a number of providers.
(Speeds range from ~2Mbps - 10-12Mbps - depends on distance from a tower)
3) Invest in a Satellite based service from HugesNet, Excede, DishNet, etc.
(Speeds range from 5 - 15Mbps - also based on package purchased)
Maybe if a number of us switch to Options 2 or 3, bandwidth (Speeds) available to those left on Option 1
should improve. You may have noticed that when kids are in school, the speed during the daytime is much
better and useable for most basic Internet functions, come 4PM when they are back home, the DSL service
becomes unbearable and basically seems useless during the evening hours or on weekends.
In order for Frontier to IMPROVE its DSL service, it needs to run FIBER based cable throughout the township.
This may get Higher speeds to a BOX somewhere near you, and will improve your service somewhat but you
are still limited by the 2-WIres between that box and your home. FIBER current runs along Cty M to Cty U to
the CELL TOWER on Cty U. FIBER also runs along Cty G from Gresham to Leopolis Rd...then West for a Bit.
FIBER also runs North of Cty G on Cty A to the township line. New homes off these FIBER lines have reported
speeds of 10-12Mbps.
Supervisor Spiegel recently elected to try Option 3. (Satelitte Dish) He packaged it with his DISH TV package
to get a price discount for the combo. They experienced a MUCH improved performance from the moment the
technician switched on their connection.
I currently have Frontier DSL as my Main Internet provider, but when the speed seems dead, I switch to my
CELLCOM 4G LTE phone (which has a WiFi HotSpot feature), which gives me 5-12Mbps speeds and I'm at
the fringe 3.5 miles from the CELL tower on Cty G and Hwy29... They prefer you to be under 3 miles from a
tower. I only pay for a 2GigaByte Data Plan, so I need to watch what I download or are uploading.
OPTION 1 - Stay on Frontier DSL, (Cost range from $30 - 45)
Because many of you would prefer to keep your land-line phone and number. Make sure you're not
over-paying for the quality of service you are getting. Call Frontier (1.800.921.8101) Customer Service and
question them as to when the Internet Speed in you area is planned for upgrades. For many of us, it may be
years. Question them what Pricing plan reductions are available to you with your current service quality.
Rumor has it that they are not taking NEW DSL customers. Some people have switched the names of the
account (Use wifes name instead of husband or visa-versa), so you can get new customer discounts.
OPTION 2 - Utilizing the Cell Phone Network (Cost range from $40 - $150)
There are a number of Service Providers that cover a good portion of the Town of Herman. There is a New
Tower in Gresham, which makes a total of 3. These 3 Cell towers have Cells leased by Multiple Services.
I've gathered the following coverage maps off the various Cell Phone (WIRELESS 4G LTE Internet) providers,
so you can see which one you would like to check in on. Most providers will map your address to the distance
from the nearest tower. They may not sell you service if you are greater than 3 miles from that tower.
Frontier Communications. Unfortunately, Frontier is your only choice for DSL style of service in our area. As
the Internet is now flooded with Video information, rather than basic text, the Bandwidth (Through-put) that the
2-wire telephone line that can be provided to a majority of the Town of Herman is limited and also degrades as
the distance increases from either the Gresham or Clintonville main hub sites.. Other factors that can
degrade what little signal you do get, is the wiring and terminals within your house that are umpten years old.
So what can you do:
FIRST of ALL: Check what actual DOWNLOAD speeds you currently experience.
These are sites to try. You need to run this at various times of the day.
www.speedtest.net (Tech experts use this for Industry averages)
www.speedof.me
www.testmy.net
Frontiers Own SpeedTest Site
BEST INTERNET FOR YOUR ZIP CODE
Once you know what speeds you're experiencing, What Options do you have:
(Note: ALL OF THESE OPTIONS DEPEND ON VOLUME OF USERS ON THAT NETWORK!)
1) Keep your current DSL (Frontier) with Unlimited Data service and live with it.
(Speeds as low as .3Mbps to a high of ~2.5-3Mbps) - Modem is included with price.
The Following two Options include Data based costing: (How much information transmitted back and forth)
They also may require buying/leasing the Modem equipment.
(On an average Month, I've used 10 GigaBytes of Data - Mixed Text and video clips)
2) Utilize the Cellular Phone network - 4G LTE provided by a number of providers.
(Speeds range from ~2Mbps - 10-12Mbps - depends on distance from a tower)
3) Invest in a Satellite based service from HugesNet, Excede, DishNet, etc.
(Speeds range from 5 - 15Mbps - also based on package purchased)
Maybe if a number of us switch to Options 2 or 3, bandwidth (Speeds) available to those left on Option 1
should improve. You may have noticed that when kids are in school, the speed during the daytime is much
better and useable for most basic Internet functions, come 4PM when they are back home, the DSL service
becomes unbearable and basically seems useless during the evening hours or on weekends.
In order for Frontier to IMPROVE its DSL service, it needs to run FIBER based cable throughout the township.
This may get Higher speeds to a BOX somewhere near you, and will improve your service somewhat but you
are still limited by the 2-WIres between that box and your home. FIBER current runs along Cty M to Cty U to
the CELL TOWER on Cty U. FIBER also runs along Cty G from Gresham to Leopolis Rd...then West for a Bit.
FIBER also runs North of Cty G on Cty A to the township line. New homes off these FIBER lines have reported
speeds of 10-12Mbps.
Supervisor Spiegel recently elected to try Option 3. (Satelitte Dish) He packaged it with his DISH TV package
to get a price discount for the combo. They experienced a MUCH improved performance from the moment the
technician switched on their connection.
I currently have Frontier DSL as my Main Internet provider, but when the speed seems dead, I switch to my
CELLCOM 4G LTE phone (which has a WiFi HotSpot feature), which gives me 5-12Mbps speeds and I'm at
the fringe 3.5 miles from the CELL tower on Cty G and Hwy29... They prefer you to be under 3 miles from a
tower. I only pay for a 2GigaByte Data Plan, so I need to watch what I download or are uploading.
OPTION 1 - Stay on Frontier DSL, (Cost range from $30 - 45)
Because many of you would prefer to keep your land-line phone and number. Make sure you're not
over-paying for the quality of service you are getting. Call Frontier (1.800.921.8101) Customer Service and
question them as to when the Internet Speed in you area is planned for upgrades. For many of us, it may be
years. Question them what Pricing plan reductions are available to you with your current service quality.
Rumor has it that they are not taking NEW DSL customers. Some people have switched the names of the
account (Use wifes name instead of husband or visa-versa), so you can get new customer discounts.
OPTION 2 - Utilizing the Cell Phone Network (Cost range from $40 - $150)
There are a number of Service Providers that cover a good portion of the Town of Herman. There is a New
Tower in Gresham, which makes a total of 3. These 3 Cell towers have Cells leased by Multiple Services.
I've gathered the following coverage maps off the various Cell Phone (WIRELESS 4G LTE Internet) providers,
so you can see which one you would like to check in on. Most providers will map your address to the distance
from the nearest tower. They may not sell you service if you are greater than 3 miles from that tower.
STRAIGHT TALK WIRELESS - CHECK YOUR ZIP CODE FOR COVERAGE
US CELLULAR WIRELESS
US CELLULAR WIRELESS
OPTION 3 - Internet via SATELLITE DISH (Cost range from $50 - $150)
There are a few choices available:
HUGHESNET
EXCEDE
WINDSTREAM
A COMBO Package thru DIRECT TV, or DISH Network
They ALL require a Separate Satellite DIsh, connected to a Modem inside your house.
Most providers charge extra for WiFI routers, since the Satellite Modem does not have
built-in WiFi capabilities.
There are a few choices available:
HUGHESNET
EXCEDE
WINDSTREAM
A COMBO Package thru DIRECT TV, or DISH Network
They ALL require a Separate Satellite DIsh, connected to a Modem inside your house.
Most providers charge extra for WiFI routers, since the Satellite Modem does not have
built-in WiFi capabilities.
