CLEAR Internet

[RedScare]

OK, so Comcast decided that my 2 year price guarantee was only a 1 year promotion and jacked up my rate $57. I told them that I am cancelling the service. I'm not worried about phone service, as only charities and salesmen call on that number anymore. I am also not worried about cable, since I hardly watch TV, except for sports, and the Astros suck. I'll decide on that come football season.

This leaves me with internet. I've been wanting to get a wireless internet card for my work laptop, and this could replace my home internet. The question: Has anyone used CLEAR Internet? How do you like it? Speed? Drops? Customer service? Any feedback is appreciated.

[Simbha]

I have Clear through both a home and mobile (USB) unit.

The home unit works well. I live in a townhome in the museum district. I've placed the unit in a 3rd floor window and purchased a 'powerline adapter kit' which allows me to send ethernet signals through the wires in my house down to my 1st floor office. (I don't have CAT-5 wiring in the house.) This setup works great for me the vast majority of days of the year. The only issues I have are during heavy storms. I guess the rain or wind scrambles the signal...

The USB unit is 'okay' for my laptop. Service was fine until about 4 months ago when Clear performed an 'upgrade' of the tower. Since then, the service has been a bit flaky. However, I keep the USB unit for when I visit clients outside the home office. It works better than having nothing... but I do prefer my home connection when I'm actually at home.

To give you a more concrete way of understanding the difference... My wife and I enjoy watching movies (yes, that's relevant). We don't own a 'television', per se - so our best option without a DVD is Netflix Instant (streaming) on either the 34" HDTV monitor in the home office and the 17" laptop. When we watch on the 'big screen', the stream has no issues. It takes about 3-5 seconds to buffer and we're off! When we watch on the laptop, it typically takes about 10-20 seconds to buffer (these days) and it often "adjusts speed due to internet connectivity issues" twice during a standard 2-hour showing.

Again, the USB unit worked well for a time - so my issues with it may not be reproduced on your end.

Edit: P.S. On a side note, wasn't your guarantee in writing... and aren't you a lawyer? Why not just put the fear of Dog in them?

[Marksmu]

OK, so Comcast decided that my 2 year price guarantee was only a 1 year promotion and jacked up my rate $57. I told them that I am cancelling the service. I'm not worried about phone service, as only charities and salesmen call on that number anymore. I am also not worried about cable, since I hardly watch TV, except for sports, and the Astros suck. I'll decide on that come football season.

This leaves me with internet. I've been wanting to get a wireless internet card for my work laptop, and this could replace my home internet. The question: Has anyone used CLEAR Internet? How do you like it? Speed? Drops? Customer service? Any feedback is appreciated.

Have not tried clear, but I dropped Comcast for Uverse as soon as I could. Uverse is competitive with Comcast price wise, and the service and quality is vastly superior. If its available in your area its a great option...I did not get in on it but I saw they were running a promotion for free wireless air card for your laptop if you place your home phone, internet, cable, and cell with them...

I dont like ATT for wireless, but so far the Uverse has been almost flawless....except after the hurricane it took about a month to get back on...

Not what you asked, but still a good option.

[ricco67]

I've heard nothing but good things overall. The only real issue has been customer service.

If something goes wrong with your device, you HAVE to deal with the same people that you got it from, so take that into consideration if/when you decide to get it. Had a friends who got it on a whim in north Houston (he also got frustrated with ATT and comcast), he lives in Sugarland. You can imagine, he wasn't pleased, but it was eventually taken care of and replaced.

[skwatra]

The only issues I have are during heavy storms. I guess the rain or wind scrambles the signal...

its the rain, Clear operates at 2.5 GHz and rain fade is a significant issue at those frequencies.

haven't tried it myself, but I've heard good things. My only concern would be if they can keep up bandwidth wise when the user base grows.

[RedScare]

Thanks all. I bought today. Worked great at the store with usb. Haven't tried home yet but I live 3 blocks from the tower. If the usb is weak at home I will add the home unit for 10 bucks.

Yes I could sue them but it isn't worth it. This will save me $70 a month since I am ditching the home phone and cable. I may go back to directv.

[editor]

OK, so Comcast decided that my 2 year price guarantee was only a 1 year promotion and jacked up my rate $57. I told them that I am cancelling the service. I'm not worried about phone service, as only charities and salesmen call on that number anymore. I am also not worried about cable, since I hardly watch TV, except for sports, and the Astros suck. I'll decide on that come football season.

This leaves me with internet. I've been wanting to get a wireless internet card for my work laptop, and this could replace my home internet. The question: Has anyone used CLEAR Internet? How do you like it? Speed? Drops? Customer service? Any feedback is appreciated.

I've had clear for about 15 months now, and love it.

I have the $55 for life deal (not sure if it's still available), which gets me a home modem which I plug into my wifi router, and a USB dongle I can use when I'm out of the house. It's a real $55/month. No hidden taxes or fees, like with cable.

I've lived in three different buildings with the home modem, and here are my experiences:

Generally:

• Clear promises 4-6 megabits. I find this is usually on the low side in most circumstances. In the three apartments where I've used it, I've gotten between 4 and 10 megabits.
  
• A lot of people constantly speedtest their connection and complain if they're not getting UBER 1337 HAXX0RZ THRUPUT. On a bad day you'll get 2-3 megabits, and it's more than enough for even Netflix streaming and anything else you want to do.
  
• For some reason 2-3 megabits on a bad day from Clear feels faster than 4 megabit DSL from AT&T.
  
• Weather doesn't seem to matter at all.
  
• Clear seems to do tower maintenance between 10pm-6am Sunday nights.
  

Home modem:

• If you're trying to hit a Clear tower through a window, metallic coatings on the window can affect signal strength and performance.
  
• Don't assume that in front of a window is the best place for the modem. In one apartment, I got 5 megabits with the modem in a window, but putting it on top of the refrigerator in the interior of the apartment got 6-7 megabits.
  
• The construction of your building matters more than your proximity to the tower or what direction you're facing.
  
• Be creative with your modem placement, since you're freed from the concept of having to plug it into a cable or phone outlet. I kept mine inside a decorative vase for a long while. Once you find a good place for it, you don't really ever need to see it since you can monitor its lights and everything else from a web interface.
  

USB modem:

• Clear is supposed to have a theoretical maximum of 10 megabits, but I regularly get as high as 15 megabits with my USB dongle at Starbucks, or in the lobbies of certain hotels.
  
• Works great on moving trains, buses, and ferries.
  
• Nice to plonk down in a hotel room and not have to worry about hooking up to or paying for hotel internet.
  
• Nice to be able to transfer huge files quickly at Starbucks while everyone else is dealing with clogged, overcrowded free wifi.
  

I've heard complaints about Clear's customer service, but I can't speak to that. I haven't had anything go wrong, so I haven't needed it.

Here's a couple of my Speedtest results:

[editor]

its the rain, Clear operates at 2.5 GHz and rain fade is a significant issue at those frequencies.

That's interesting to hear that rain affects your performance, since in rainy-ass Seattle I haven't had any problems with it. Or maybe it rains so much that I'm used to it being slow when it's pouring out!

[Highway6]

I've had clear for about 15 months now, and love it.

I have the $55 for life deal (not sure if it's still available), which gets me a home modem which I plug into my wifi router, and a USB dongle I can use when I'm out of the house. It's a real $55/month. No hidden taxes or fees, like with cable.

I've lived in three different buildings with the home modem, and here are my experiences:

What were your upfront costs - buy or lease modem ?

Do you have to get the more expensive home modem with wifi built in or can any old wireless router hook up to it ?

[skwatra]

That's interesting to hear that rain affects your performance, since in rainy-ass Seattle I haven't had any problems with it. Or maybe it rains so much that I'm used to it being slow when it's pouring out!

well that light Seattle drizzle will have much less affect then our big thunderstorm drops! though we haven't had much rain here at all this year...

the provider can overcome it somewhat by increasing transmit power, there are a lot of variables involved so its hard to compare city to city or even location to location. but anyone's experience can provide a general idea of performance, and it sounds mostly good.

[RedScare]

What were your upfront costs - buy or lease modem ?

Do you have to get the more expensive home modem with wifi built in or can any old wireless router hook up to it ?

My costs for the USB and mobile wireless service is $45/month for the service, and $4.50 for the USB antenna (lease). I could have bought the USB for $80 at the store, or $40 online. However, I figure if I break it or lose it, I can get a new one. The home device is $120, or $7 per month lease for a wifi modem. There is also a booster module that only costs $10. I may get that to be on the safe side.

My walkout price was $49.50...the first months usage. No activation fee, and no extra charges. I did get a 2 year plan, but it is only $60 to walk away.

I am using it at home right now. I have 5 bars (out of 10), and it is working fine. So far, I am sold. I'll start trying it in different places in awhile and let you know how it does.

[infinite_jim]

I read the user agreement and did not agree with their bandwidth throttling policy.

[RedScare]

I read the user agreement and did not agree with their bandwidth throttling policy.

Looks to me like big Netflix users, and possibly gamers, can get dinged by the throttling issue. I am neither, so I am not too concerned about that. Like everything else, it is not all things to all people.

[TV2EBoogaloo]

I have clear in a different city than Houston and it totally and completely sucks

it is SLOW......like less than 1mb download slow......it was pretty much that way from day one......my bandwidth IS being throttled now they have admitted that to me now......I use the web pretty heavy, but not tons and tone of streaming

I believe they use packet shaping for throttling and I am 99% sure the setup they have for that is SCREWED....I am pretty sure they have screwed caching servers as well......as in you will go through week long periods where web pages look like java is turned off until you reload them 2 or 3 times

here is the BAD part.......I have had probably THOUSANDS of disconnects in a 2 year period......just out of the blue the modem will start cycling......sometimes the modem lights stay solid......but I can't ping anything unless I unplug their modem and restart it

just last month I went through about the entire month where I had disconnects at least 20 times a day all day and all night......the bandwidth is slow even at 3am

their tech support is TERRIBLE.....they are nice....but they are in India or somewhere like that and they are literally script readers......lets be honest if the lights on your modem are scrolling and you are not connecting.....it really does not matter if you are on windows or a mac or a PC or a laptop

clear reminds me of when I did tech support for @Home back when cable internet was new.....and people would have to call in 10 or 12 times a day to get their modem "repushed" which meant we were sending a fresh config file to their modem and telling our DHCP servers to give them anew lease on an IP

I have had to call clear for this probably 100 times + since I have had them

clear used to not have tech support from 9pm until sometime in the morning..... got so mad one time I kept calling and calling at like 1am and finally the phone tree was a different sequence of questions and suddenly tech support was on the line at 1:15am.....I don't know if they changed it up or if they got sick of me

in march I threatened to cancel for about the 12th time and got a full months credit on my next bill and I was suppose to get a reduced rate.....well I got the credit but not the reduced rate.....and I did get the better downloads promised......for about 3 days and then it was back to being throttled and then the periods of 20 disconnects a day started up.....then I was told because I was being monitored they would not give me another credit

clearwire (before 4g) is being sued in a class action now for poor service and wanting 40 to take the modem and and cancel......I believe clear is or is about to be in the same situation

I got tired of their BS and started making them send me new modems a couple of times and I flat told them I was doing it to waste their time and money....the second time they did actually send me a new model modem and it helped for about a month

I was told recently they were upgrading all the towers in Texas......that was when the massive outages were happening again......those outages have slowed to about one or two a day now, but the university in town has also let out for the semester......which makes me think their network is less congested now....so I don't trust they have upgraded anything

I would get some more reviews of clear before getting it....and keep in mind you can cancel in like 3 days without the modem return fee

clear is worse than all the high speed internet services I have ever had combined........probably 20X the number of outages of all those 15+ years combined. the worst speeds by far, and the worst support and service

and two of those ISPs went out of business haha

clear SUCKS.....I can't stress that enough......flat horrible.....and honestly I think I am being actually a bit moderate on the number of outages and the poor speeds

if you like waiting to even listen to the beginnings of a youtube video......if you like any type of TV show being interrupted while you download it and having to start the SLOW download over again.....if you like crappy service and support.....clear is for you....if not forget clear it SUCKS!

[brian0123]

My dad tried Clear out (he lives in the burbs in an area Clear's map shows as having great coverage)... and the signal was pathetic. I tried to set it up all over his house and we could not get a signal more than two bars. When the internet did come in, it was slow (felt like being somewhere between dialup and slow DSL).

[skwatra]

I have clear in a different city than Houston and it totally and completely sucks

Two questions:

1) Why did you keep it for 2+ years if it SUCKS that bad?

2) Do you work for Comcast? If so you probably get a discount with them, maybe you should use their service.

[editor]

What were your upfront costs - buy or lease modem ?

Do you have to get the more expensive home modem with wifi built in or can any old wireless router hook up to it ?

At the time I signed up with Clear, there wasn't a home modem with built-in wifi, but I believe there is now. So I just have a regular modem plugged into my Airport.

I bought my equipment, because I don't like contracts. At the time I signed up, if you leased equipment you had to sign a two-year contract. I don't know if that's still the case. From memory, I got the home modem for $99, and the USB modem for $49. I know I got out of there for a little over $200 for hardware and the first month's service.

[editor]

I read the user agreement and did not agree with their bandwidth throttling policy.

I have yet to see a throttling report that wasn't some kid torrenting hundreds of DVDs. I don't think normal video streaming activity is a problem.

Between me and my wife, we stream at least four hours of Netflix, AppleTV, and Hulu video a day. The ATV and Hulu stuff is in HD, and we've never had any throttling concerns. I just checked my usage (which you can do by accessing https://home.clearwire.com/account/usage-breakdown from any Clear device), and I used 88GB last month, 57GB the month before, and 91GB the month before that.

It would be trivial for Clear to detect Netflix, or other legitimate streaming traffic, and greenlight it. In fact, the Clear advertisements show people watching Hulu on laptops on the ferry, so I'd say that streaming video is encouraged.

[ricco67]

The more I look at it the better it appeals to me.

My only problem is that I have a small network (2 PC's and a TIVO) that I have running, so I'm curious if I can plug this into my router without having issues.

[editor]

A few thoughts on this screed...

I have clear in a different city than Houston and it totally and completely sucks

I have Clear in two cities other than Houston and love it in both. Your mileage may vary.

it is SLOW......like less than 1mb download slow......it was pretty much that way from day one......my bandwidth IS being throttled now they have admitted that to me now......I use the web pretty heavy, but not tons and tone of streaming

Well, yes -- if your bandwidth is being deliberately throttled, it's going to be slow. That's what "throttled" means. The question I have is how much bandwidth did you use to get throttled?

I believe they use packet shaping for throttling and I am 99% sure the setup they have for that is SCREWED....I am pretty sure they have screwed caching servers as well......as in you will go through week long periods where web pages look like java is turned off until you reload them 2 or 3 times

Sounds like a problem with your machine, not with Clear. Clear is just pushing data. Filtering out Java would be pointless since Java is usually the smallest part of a web site.

here is the BAD part.......I have had probably THOUSANDS of disconnects in a 2 year period......just out of the blue the modem will start cycling......sometimes the modem lights stay solid......but I can't ping anything unless I unplug their modem and restart it

Cycling lights means it can't see a Clear tower. Sounds like a bad modem, or bad modem placement. Also, it could be marginal signal strength due to poor modem placement. When I had my modem in one particular location, it would only get two bars, but then when the metal blinds were down, the attenuation was enough for it to drop the signal.

just last month I went through about the entire month where I had disconnects at least 20 times a day all day and all night......the bandwidth is slow even at 3am

It's not cable, so just because your neighbors are sleeping doesn't mean you'll get faster bandwidth. Also 3am is prime time for maintenance.

their tech support is TERRIBLE.....they are nice....but they are in India or somewhere like that and they are literally script readers......lets be honest if the lights on your modem are scrolling and you are not connecting.....it really does not matter if you are on windows or a mac or a PC or a laptop

I have heard this is true, but never experienced it myself.

clear used to not have tech support from 9pm until sometime in the morning..... got so mad one time I kept calling and calling at like 1am and finally the phone tree was a different sequence of questions and suddenly tech support was on the line at 1:15am.....I don't know if they changed it up or if they got sick of me

Not unusual. Do you know what AT&T's customer service hours are these days? 7am-7pm in my market, and NO customer service on the weekends. And that's a PHONE COMPANY. Ditto for my local electric company. Yes, it's frustrating that customer service is not 24 hours a day, but internet service is not a life-or-death proposition. Go to a bar and make a friend.

clearwire (before 4g) is being sued in a class action now for poor service and wanting 40 to take the modem and and cancel......I believe clear is or is about to be in the same situation

Show me a telecom company, or any large company for that matter, that isn't being sued. How many "class action" lawsuits does Microsoft have against it right now? Or Apple? Or Baskin Robins? Hundreds. Sadly, it's just part of being a business. It doesn't matter how good you are, someone is going to sue you.

I got tired of their BS and started making them send me new modems a couple of times and I flat told them I was doing it to waste their time and money....the second time they did actually send me a new model modem and it helped for about a month

If you think giving some minimum wage phone monkey a hard time is going to change things inside a corporation, you're mistaken. Or 12-years-old.

I would get some more reviews of clear before getting it....and keep in mind you can cancel in like 3 days without the modem return fee

Sound advice for any wireless device. It's why most cell phone companies have similar policies. Every person's situation is going to be slightly different.

clear is worse than all the high speed internet services I have ever had combined........probably 20X the number of outages of all those 15+ years combined. the worst speeds by far, and the worst support and service

For me, Clear is the best speed and reliability internet I've ever had of all the ISPs I've had in the last 20+ years: Warwick Valley Telephone, FoxCommunications, AOL, RoadRunner, Optimum, Comcast, AData, AT&T, Qwest. Again, your mileage may vary.

clear SUCKS.....I can't stress that enough......flat horrible.....and honestly I think I am being actually a bit moderate on the number of outages and the poor speeds

if you like waiting to even listen to the beginnings of a youtube video......if you like any type of TV show being interrupted while you download it and having to start the SLOW download over again.....if you like crappy service and support.....clear is for you....if not forget clear it SUCKS!

Yeah... I'm going with 12-years-old.

[editor]

One piece of advice for people who already have Clear -- keep checking the coverage map.

About a month ago, Clear added tower locations to the map to help you locate your equipment. Now the maps in some markets are augmented so they show in which directions the antennae on the towers face:

[TV2EBoogaloo]

A few thoughts on this screed...

I have Clear in two cities other than Houston and love it in both. Your mileage may vary.

Well, yes -- if your bandwidth is being deliberately throttled, it's going to be slow. That's what "throttled" means. The question I have is how much bandwidth did you use to get throttled?

Sounds like a problem with your machine, not with Clear. Clear is just pushing data. Filtering out Java would be pointless since Java is usually the smallest part of a web site.

Cycling lights means it can't see a Clear tower. Sounds like a bad modem, or bad modem placement. Also, it could be marginal signal strength due to poor modem placement. When I had my modem in one particular location, it would only get two bars, but then when the metal blinds were down, the attenuation was enough for it to drop the signal.

It's not cable, so just because your neighbors are sleeping doesn't mean you'll get faster bandwidth. Also 3am is prime time for maintenance.

I have heard this is true, but never experienced it myself.

Not unusual. Do you know what AT&T's customer service hours are these days? 7am-7pm in my market, and NO customer service on the weekends. And that's a PHONE COMPANY. Ditto for my local electric company. Yes, it's frustrating that customer service is not 24 hours a day, but internet service is not a life-or-death proposition. Go to a bar and make a friend.

Show me a telecom company, or any large company for that matter, that isn't being sued. How many "class action" lawsuits does Microsoft have against it right now? Or Apple? Or Baskin Robins? Hundreds. Sadly, it's just part of being a business. It doesn't matter how good you are, someone is going to sue you.

If you think giving some minimum wage phone monkey a hard time is going to change things inside a corporation, you're mistaken. Or 12-years-old.

Sound advice for any wireless device. It's why most cell phone companies have similar policies. Every person's situation is going to be slightly different.

For me, Clear is the best speed and reliability internet I've ever had of all the ISPs I've had in the last 20+ years: Warwick Valley Telephone, FoxCommunications, AOL, RoadRunner, Optimum, Comcast, AData, AT&T, Qwest. Again, your mileage may vary.

Yeah... I'm going with 12-years-old.

it is not a problem with my computer because the issue only happens when clear is having issues.....like very very slow speeds and or poor connectivity.....it happens for two or three days in a row then not again for a few weeks......once a computer OS starts becoming unstable they don't suddenly start becoming stable again just out of the blue

and my service is actually BETTER when I only have two lights on my modem.....if my modem goes to 4 lights (I have never gotten 5 lights) usually my modem has a brief outage just after it gets 4 lights.......and my house is only 1300 sqft so where in the hell do you want me to put the modem that would make any appreciable difference in signal strength......clear's answer was to offer me a wireless router so I could have the modem anywhere in the house.....I declined because the introduction of yet another wireless device into already poor service is just a recipe for disaster and I would still have to unhook all of that and go directly into the modem to trouble shoot......which means my modem would end up somewhere close to where it is not for trouble shooting

and I have never given any of the actual tech support people a hard time on the phone.....I merely wasted their time and clear's money having them send me modem after modem.....if I am not getting the service I am paying for then I am damn well going to do all I can to make sure they don't turn a profit off of my payments.......the only thing that makes ISPs change their ways is to cost them money period

I have no idea what my bandwidth usage was because the techs I talked to were never able to tell me if I was even being throttled......the reason for this is because I started on clearwire and was transferred to clear when they "upgraded".......finally after getting a months credit and the "reduced rates" (that I did not get) and "upgraded speeds" (that I never got or only got briefly) and when my service was having 20 outages a day the guy that told me he would not give me another monthly credit also told me I was being throttled and that is why I could not get another credit......that only happened in March of this year

and while I realize that wireless is not exactly like cable with a last mile issue.....the fact is if their DHCP server and or their backbone out of the city is overloaded.....then the answer is that they will randomly kick users off to try and cover as many users as possibly hoping that many of them are just checking email or browsing to something for a moment

and sure lots of companies get sued.....the difference is that clearwire lost that suit and clear will as well.....because their service sucks

the fact that you have to make 12yo comments only shows that you really have no clue what you are talking about

Two questions:

1) Why did you keep it for 2+ years if it SUCKS that bad?

2) Do you work for Comcast? If so you probably get a discount with them, maybe you should use their service.

the reason I kept it for two years is because I don't like the alternatives available any better than clear.....UVERSE is finally available now in my area so clear will be going bye bye

I also do not have cable right now because I do not like the cable provider in my area.....and getting cable internet without TV is expensive and about pointless

so I just stuck it out

and no I do not work for comcast......I did tech support in the past for @Home (which included cox, comcast, att, intermedia, suburbia, primeco, and on and on until all those were merged and cox and comcast and ATT stole their investors money and bankrupted @Home along with the horribly thought acquisition of excite (which is somehow the only one left standing from that whole disaster)

I used to have cox cable in my area.....I dumped them when they were having major issues like I could browse to cox.com and cox.net and a few other pages hosted on the local cox cloud, but I could browse to nothing on the WWW itself.....their techs tried to tell me it was the cable coax or the modem....which of course makes no sense because I could get pages off their cloud (which means the modem is passing traffic), but I could not get to the WWW proper especially during periods of high network activity like Sunday evenings in a college town when all the kids are returning from a holiday......when the kids were gone.....service picked up.....when the kids were back.....peak usage service went to zero especially around 4:30 to 8:30 and then from about 10:30 to midnight.....then it would slowly improve into the night

I had only seen similar issues just like that in multiple areas across the USA where our outage board said (upgrade in progress) which means 6 months of that for subscribers......I was one of the few techs that had the guts to tell subscribers the real issue VS telling them to get a new modem, run new coax, or rolling a truck......you would be surprised how many people with new modems, new coax, and three truck rolls actually appreciated hearing the truth.....and the truth was their service was going to be crappy for the next few months while their "node" was split to limit subscribers and or while the ISP pulled in new backbone (depending on what the issue was in that area)

not long after I dumped cox they sold out to suddenlink and my experience with smaller MSOs is that they have poor overall service and they are very slow to upgrade......suddenlink did slowly upgrade in my area, but was long gone and on ATT dsl by then

why did I get rid of ATT.....well because when they offered naked DSL in my area and I canceled my land line......well three days later my internet went completely out and the guy on the phone said they had canceled my DSL and pulled the card and it would be three days to get it hooked back up......so I went with clear on the advice of a neighbor because I could get it that day......then we both started having major issues a few weeks later and she ended up moving for other reasons

ATT has been decent in the past, but I just decided to wait out until they had UVERSE in my area and get back to having TV and internet on a single bill with what has usually been a decent ISP for me

the best ISP I ever had was sprint ION......I would kill to have that stability again......like a ROCK.....but alas ION was canceled and I even got a check from them and I still have my sprint ION modem/router.......but it is proprietary so it is useless......just like my direct TV DSL modem.......and direct TV dsl also went under or was canceled.... did not get a check from them, but I did just keep the modem

my experience with clear is like they are trying to run an ISP on a network that is the quality of a network from back in the days of bag phones and brick phones......can you hear me now.....only it is more like "can you browse me now".....the answer with clear is often NO!

[RedScare]

A few thoughts on this screed...

I have Clear in two cities other than Houston and love it in both. Your mileage may vary.

Well, yes -- if your bandwidth is being deliberately throttled, it's going to be slow. That's what "throttled" means. The question I have is how much bandwidth did you use to get throttled?

Sounds like a problem with your machine, not with Clear. Clear is just pushing data. Filtering out Java would be pointless since Java is usually the smallest part of a web site.

Cycling lights means it can't see a Clear tower. Sounds like a bad modem, or bad modem placement. Also, it could be marginal signal strength due to poor modem placement. When I had my modem in one particular location, it would only get two bars, but then when the metal blinds were down, the attenuation was enough for it to drop the signal.

It's not cable, so just because your neighbors are sleeping doesn't mean you'll get faster bandwidth. Also 3am is prime time for maintenance.

I have heard this is true, but never experienced it myself.

Not unusual. Do you know what AT&T's customer service hours are these days? 7am-7pm in my market, and NO customer service on the weekends. And that's a PHONE COMPANY. Ditto for my local electric company. Yes, it's frustrating that customer service is not 24 hours a day, but internet service is not a life-or-death proposition. Go to a bar and make a friend.

Show me a telecom company, or any large company for that matter, that isn't being sued. How many "class action" lawsuits does Microsoft have against it right now? Or Apple? Or Baskin Robins? Hundreds. Sadly, it's just part of being a business. It doesn't matter how good you are, someone is going to sue you.

If you think giving some minimum wage phone monkey a hard time is going to change things inside a corporation, you're mistaken. Or 12-years-old.

Sound advice for any wireless device. It's why most cell phone companies have similar policies. Every person's situation is going to be slightly different.

For me, Clear is the best speed and reliability internet I've ever had of all the ISPs I've had in the last 20+ years: Warwick Valley Telephone, FoxCommunications, AOL, RoadRunner, Optimum, Comcast, AData, AT&T, Qwest. Again, your mileage may vary.

Yeah... I'm going with 12-years-old.

I didn't guess 12 years old, but admittedly, I tempered the remarks of this poster with the arrested development displayed in the post he made in this thread.

Thanks to all, and especially the editor, for the comments. I figure if the editor of this forum is not getting throttled, my usage is safe. I am in Day 2, and it is working fine. I get pretty good signals at home and the office. I'll check it out at the courthouses in the next week, but I think I'll keep it. So long, Comcast.

[editor]

once a computer OS starts becoming unstable they don't suddenly start becoming stable again just out of the blue

Happens all the time. In fact, it's one of the definitions of "unstable."

and my service is actually BETTER when I only have two lights on my modem.

Yep. That happens to me, too. The lights aren't a measure of signal quality, they're a measure of signal strength. There's a big difference.

my house is only 1300 sqft so where in the hell do you want me to put the modem that would make any appreciable difference in signal strength.

My apartment is only 650 square feet, and I found 11 different places to put the Clear modem, all with varying results. There are a lot of factors that affect any wireless signal. Windows, metal supports, major appliances, even line noise from the power outlet. If you can't find a few places in 1,300 square feet to locate the modem, you're not even trying.

.....clear's answer was to offer me a wireless router so I could have the modem anywhere in the house.....I declined because the introduction of yet another wireless device into already poor service is just a recipe for disaster and I would still have to unhook all of that and go directly into the modem to trouble shoot......which means my modem would end up somewhere close to where it is not for trouble shooting

I'm not sure how it's a recipe for disaster. I found that using a wireless router actually made finding a location for the modem faster and easier. I never had to unhook anything to troubleshoot my signal. The modem has a built-in web server that streams signal strength and quality numbers.

and I have never given any of the actual tech support people a hard time on the phone.....I merely wasted their time and clear's money having them send me modem after modem.....if I am not getting the service I am paying for then I am damn well going to do all I can to make sure they don't turn a profit off of my payments.......the only thing that makes ISPs change their ways is to cost them money period

Wasting an hour of Clear support's time: $2.00. Getting a replacement modem from Clear: $12.00. Your monthly payment to Clear: $45.00. Yep, I can see how you're going to bankrupt the company in a quick -47,595 years.

I have no idea what my bandwidth usage was because the techs I talked to were never able to tell me if I was even being throttled......the reason for this is because I started on clearwire and was transferred to clear when they "upgraded".......finally after getting a months credit and the "reduced rates" (that I did not get) and "upgraded speeds" (that I never got or only got briefly) and when my service was having 20 outages a day the guy that told me he would not give me another monthly credit also told me I was being throttled and that is why I could not get another credit......that only happened in March of this year

So... you state in your original post "my bandwidth IS being throttled now they have admitted that to me now," then in this reply state that they, "were never able to tell me if I was even being throttled" and then in the same paragraph state, "also told me I was being throttled." You've got to pick one story and stick to it. You're not doing yourself any favors by contradicting yourself in the same paragraph.

and while I realize that wireless is not exactly like cable with a last mile issue.....the fact is if their DHCP server and or their backbone out of the city is overloaded.....then the answer is that they will randomly kick users off to try and cover as many users as possibly hoping that many of them are just checking email or browsing to something for a moment

If you think that's how the internet works, your lack of understanding is staggering.

and sure lots of companies get sued.....the difference is that clearwire lost that suit and clear will as well.....because their service sucks

Providing sucky service isn't enough to win a lawsuit. There has to be a breach of contract, not just a bunch of people yelling, "You suxxorz!"

I think that Clear doesn't want you as a customer. If I was Clear, I don't think I'd want you as a customer, either.

[TV2EBoogaloo]

Happens all the time. In fact, it's one of the definitions of "unstable."

Yep. That happens to me, too. The lights aren't a measure of signal quality, they're a measure of signal strength. There's a big difference.

My apartment is only 650 square feet, and I found 11 different places to put the Clear modem, all with varying results. There are a lot of factors that affect any wireless signal. Windows, metal supports, major appliances, even line noise from the power outlet. If you can't find a few places in 1,300 square feet to locate the modem, you're not even trying.

I'm not sure how it's a recipe for disaster. I found that using a wireless router actually made finding a location for the modem faster and easier. I never had to unhook anything to troubleshoot my signal. The modem has a built-in web server that streams signal strength and quality numbers.

Wasting an hour of Clear support's time: $2.00. Getting a replacement modem from Clear: $12.00. Your monthly payment to Clear: $45.00. Yep, I can see how you're going to bankrupt the company in a quick -47,595 years.

So... you state in your original post "my bandwidth IS being throttled now they have admitted that to me now," then in this reply state that they, "were never able to tell me if I was even being throttled" and then in the same paragraph state, "also told me I was being throttled." You've got to pick one story and stick to it. You're not doing yourself any favors by contradicting yourself in the same paragraph.

If you think that's how the internet works, your lack of understanding is staggering.

Providing sucky service isn't enough to win a lawsuit. There has to be a breach of contract, not just a bunch of people yelling, "You suxxorz!"

I think that Clear doesn't want you as a customer. If I was Clear, I don't think I'd want you as a customer, either.

http://www.dailytech.com/Clearwire+CEO+Resigns+Company+Faces+ClassAction+Lawsuit+/article21106.htm

here is a quick story about the lawsuit

http://forums.clear.com/clearcom

there is a link to the clear forums.....look at the issues everyone is having

and your thoughts about what you know about anything are less than impressive.....you never support an argument you only make stupid snide comments and then you ban people when they prove you wrong yet again

that is part of the reason this forum's traffic has slowed to a crawl......people support their opinions and then you come along like you have a clue and yet you offer nothing to show where you know more than anyone or where you have any clue what you are talking about

this thread is an example......you get good service with clear.....great massive amounts of people don't......you have demonstrated nothing that shows you have any knowledge about the www or anything else

and for 20+ months clear could not tell me if I was being throttled.....until I had gotten a months credit and I was asking for another months credit....then suddenly they could see I was being throttled and would not give another credit

and as you said...the lights on the modem are a sign of signal strength.....not quality.....so it really does not matter how many lights there are on the modem.....it just matters if they are solid or scrolling.....so it really should not matter where my modem is located because it is going to get the signal or it is not.....and when it does not there is no using the service.....moving the modem around the room means nothing

and if another wireless device between the modem and the PC was not important.....then every ISP on earth would not ask you to go directly into the modem from the PC to trouble shoot.....but they do....because another device between the modem and the PC can add further issues.....which is why ISPs ask you to go directly from te modem to the PC before they will trouble shoot you

clear is a very poor ISP and that is not my opinion it is the opinion of a huge number of their past and present customers

and while my bill might be 35 a month.....the profit they make off of me per month is much less.....so every dime of that I can take from them the better.....because apparently only you would run a business for no profit...

[editor]

.....you never support an argument you only make stupid snide comments and then you ban people when they prove you wrong yet again

Not sure what you're talking about. It's been probably four or five years, maybe longer, since anyone has been banned from this forum. In nine years online, we've only ever banned two people, and in neither case was it unilateral. A user cannot be banned from HAIF without input from the moderators and the community.

Care to tell me who I've banned for disagreeing with me, or are you just making stuff up again?

Plastic? Is that you?

that is part of the reason this forum's traffic has slowed to a crawl.

According to Google Analytics, the service we use, HAIF traffic is at record highs since it started monitoring us in 2008.

Since Google Analytics is the only traffic monitoring service with access to our server, I can say without a doubt that you're making things up.