Complaint Review: Xcelerate Networks - Birmingham Alabama

I live in one of those apt. complexes that had to swap from the local ISP (Charter) to a contracted one (Xcelerate/DirectTV combo). Normally I wouldn't have a problem with such a move as long as I get equal or better quality of service. However, the quality of service on the internet half have been in the gutter since I was initially told to swap May 2013.

For the first experience, for the first 1-1/2 years of being with them, there were latency issues somewhere along the trace-route that causes disconnects for any online activity that was sensitive to latency, such as gaming, streaming HD vids, or downloading (you wouldn't notice the issue simply from web-browsing). I also learned this problem had already existed prior to me swapping, when I was told someone from another complex across town was having the same issue. I was forced to use a download manager so I can resume downloads and tether from my cell to play my online games. Fortunately, that problem has been fixed, aside of having to deal with it for 1-1/2 years.

Second problem, during that time frame, I learned the way they set up their connections for each apartment. It's not done in the traditional manner from your local ISP where you'd get a dedicated line with your own modem. There's a COM box on the side of the building with their modem/router where they share your line with the other apartments. In another words, you can see your neighbors' computers in your 'network' folder in Windows, which is causing privacy concerns for me. The router/modem in their control also means they get to control your firewall/TCP ports. While this is okay for novice computer users, this is a serious problem for power users or those literate enough with networking that they know how to control their own TCP ports. I'm one of those users that need specific ports open so I can access certain services on my LAN when I'm abroad. With them firewalling all ports and causing "NAT Type 3" errors on my gaming consoles, it presents a sub-optimal online experience and a bitter annoyance.

Lastly... bandwidth. I'm living in an area where Charter is offering upwards to 100Mbps of bandwidth to their customers (and in general, providers offering similar across the country; some places upwards to 1Gpbs), and all we get is 10Mbps from Xcelerate (while their base package is 5M. Charter's base package is now 60M). I remember when a friend of mine from NY told me he was getting 10Mbps from his provider... back in 1993.

You know what's the saddest part? I get more bandwidth tethering from my 4G LTE cell. ~15-60M, depending on where I am.

10M maybe be good for some people. However for others like myself, who has 12-17 devices on a LAN consisting a mixture of comps, mobile devices, and gaming platforms, all capable of HD streaming and gigabytes worth of downloading, all while averaging 140-180GB per month, 10M feels like dial-up.

When I was with Charter I had 30Mbps, and they charged like $1 per meg. of bandwidth. So 30M for $30, 100M for $100, etc. With Xecelerate, I'm paying $25/mo for 10M. Talk about a rip-off. I'm used to seeing contractual agreement providing better or exclusive service at a better price, such as more bandwidth at a cheaper price. It's quite the opposite here...