I’ve been having a terrible time with Skybeam.com, my ISP. Starting around December 3rd, my speeds were “inverted.” I pay for their 7 Mbps service, which unlike any other definition actually means 5 Mbps down and 2 Mbps down. (For most ISPs, the number they advertise is the peak download speed.) Well, after numerous calls to tech support to let them know I was still here, it appears the problem is fixed. Last night I noticed that downloads seemed to come quickly, so I did a speedtest and was pleasantly surprised. And it seems to be holding today.
I’ve posted numerous times (see this post which has links to the rest of the posts) on the problem. What’s the big deal, you say? Well, I work at home, so the higher speed is nice. Plus, to watch videos, a link of at least 3 Mbps is required to prevent interruptions.
Skybeam is the only realistic ISP around here, and I’m grateful they serve rural, out-of-the-way areas. I’ve tried the alternative, which is satellite internet, which is a joke—the delay times are terrible. In fact, the fastest I could get on my old satellite service for work-related matters was less than dial-up! So, if you’re thinking of satellite internet, think very closely about how you’ll use it. It’s okay for casual web browsing or watching movies, but that’s about it.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that the Skybeam problem will stay fixed!