Time for an internet change...

[herveus]

I got a call this evening from Verizon. They wanted to sell me fiber optic service.

I made the rep sing long and hard for his supper, but he answered my questions satisfactorily (at least those he could answer), and did make me a better offer. In a couple of weeks, we are scheduled to get the fiber pulled to our house, and the TV and internet connections set up. That means no more DSL and no more Dish Network. I'll be spending less each month for both services. I won't be getting up on a ladder after a wind storm to make the dish point at the satellite again.

I'm still keeping the antenna on the roof, because I want to be able to watch the Baltimore channels *and* the DC channels, but the "local package" insists that I am in the DC metro area, despite the fact that Baltimore TV towers are no farther away.

Comments

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

My community gave Verizon the green light for FiOS, but I don't know when we'll actually be getting offers to purchase the service.

I will be curious as to what happens to the phone part of FiOS during power outages. The reason why I've stuck with Verizon for POTS all these years is so that the phones actually work during an extended power outage (which always seems to happen in my neighborhood when there's a breeze).

Also, I wonder if the Western Electric rotary phone (circa 1952) in my living room will still ring with FiOS. I usually don't dial out on that phone, *especially* when I'm calling a business, but it's handy to answer and I enjoy hearing the old familiar ring from my childhood home.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

From someone who's had FiOS for over a year now:

When the power goes out, you have 8 hours of battery backup on the FiOS box, during which time you can only make outgoing calls (IIRC). I admit that's one minorly worrisome aspect, especially if your neighborhood is prone to long outages in bad weather (ours has underground lines and is not so prone, which is a good thing).

And yes, the good old fashioned phones still ring, as long as your wiring is hooked up properly. The FiOS unit generates the same ring signal as any POTS unit.

[herveus.livejournal.com]

Eight hours? According to the sales rep, I'm only getting four hours of battery, and there was no mention of a limit to outgoing calls only.

Of course, even with buried utilities, we just had a 20+ hour outage.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Different type of FiOS box, perhaps? And if they're trying to keep more full service during the backup time, I can understand why the expected battery life would be shorter.

[herveus.livejournal.com]

...or maybe a different battery backup.

What kind of router did they provide you with? They want me to use their Actiontec wireless router.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Verizon supplied a D-Link DI-604 all-wired router, as we specifically requested that they *not* give us a wireless router -- we'll deal with that part of the in-house network on our own when the time comes.