Sonic internet v.s. ATT?

[monnet]

I have been having trouble with my internet service provided through AT&T. I am thinking about switching to Sonic.
I was wondering if any one has anything to say about the Sonic service. They have a $39.95 deal that includes internet service (up to 20 mbps depending on how close you are to the "hub") unlimited local phone calls, unlimited long distance and voice mail service. So it looks like if I switch I will double my internet speed and cut my phone/internet bill in half. It almost sounds too good to be true. Does it work? Please let me know. Thanks

[Chris Murray]

Best deal around, from one satisfied long term sonic.net customer. I'm about 1 mile from Forestville hub and get 8Mbps. There was a thread on this topic a while back:

https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showt...rnet-and-Phone

HTH,

Chris

["Mad" Miles]

Yes, Sonic.net is the best ISP in this area, by far. Been with them since 2001, which was my first opportunity to get my own internet access (before that I lived in the family "compound", where we also had Sonic.net).

The subject of Sonic.net's pros and cons has been well discussed here on waccobb.net:

https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showt...ight=Sonic.net

It's a long thread, and devolves at the very end, but it's pretty comprehensive!

[gailjane]

There isn't any better in the whole country..........They truly are a special company. We are so very lucky they are right hear in our county! Gailjane

[danejasper]

I have been having trouble with my internet service provided through AT&T. I am thinking about switching to Sonic.
I was wondering if any one has anything to say about the Sonic service. They have a $39.95 deal that includes internet service (up to 20 mbps depending on how close you are to the "hub") unlimited local phone calls, unlimited long distance and voice mail service. So it looks like if I switch I will double my internet speed and cut my phone/internet bill in half. It almost sounds too good to be true. Does it work? Please let me know. Thanks

That is one of our challenges - getting over "...but what's the catch?" No one has offered a product like ours before, with unlimited land line and non-tiered (just full max speed your line will carry) broadband before in the US. It's a great offering if you can get it. But, coverage is limited; only about 60% of homes in the Bay Area qualify, and it's particularly bad in Sonoma, where the density is lower.

For some recent news on Sonic.net, see: https://gigaom.com/broadband/sonic-n...isp-offensive/

[Lysa]

I have been having trouble with my internet service provided through AT&T. I am thinking about switching to Sonic.
I was wondering if any one has anything to say about the Sonic service. They have a $39.95 deal that includes internet service (up to 20 mbps depending on how close you are to the "hub") unlimited local phone calls, unlimited long distance and voice mail service. So it looks like if I switch I will double my internet speed and cut my phone/internet bill in half. It almost sounds too good to be true. Does it work? Please let me know. Thanks

We switched to sonic about six months ago. What a relief to have a local company, faster internet, and be paying less! It's all working well and their customer service is great. My only complaint is with the voicemail system - it sometimes randomly cuts off in the middle of a message, has no way for people leaving messages to erase and start over, and you can't go forward and back and bit when listening to a messages (have to start over from the begining).

[anathstryx]

We switched to Sonic a couple of months ago when AT&T announced their bandwidth caps. I couldn't be happier. No caps and considerably less money. Can't beat their customer service, either! I can't say enough good stuff about them.

There isn't any better in the whole country..........They truly are a special company. We are so very lucky they are right hear in our county! Gailjane

[sharingwisdom]

I live 3 miles from Sonic and cannot get this phone deal yet. I've called twice in the last year and about 6 months ago was told that I'm out of distance from the Santa Rosa downtown transmission area. Has this changed yet? It would be nice to have the expansion in Santa Rosa before you move out of the area. Thanks!

That is one of our challenges - getting over "...but what's the catch?" No one has offered a product like ours before, with unlimited land line and non-tiered (just full max speed your line will carry) broadband before in the US. It's a great offering if you can get it. But, coverage is limited; only about 60% of homes in the Bay Area qualify, and it's particularly bad in Sonoma, where the density is lower.

For some recent news on Sonic.net, see: https://gigaom.com/broadband/sonic-n...isp-offensive/

[danejasper]

I live 3 miles from Sonic and cannot get this phone deal yet. I've called twice in the last year and about 6 months ago was told that I'm out of distance from the Santa Rosa downtown transmission area. Has this changed yet? It would be nice to have the expansion in Santa Rosa before you move out of the area. Thanks!

We have built out Fusion in most of the Sonoma County central offices / exchanges - but it has limited reach around each. Coverage includes the central offices in most cities. (In Sonoma County, the areas we have NOT built out include Kenwood, Occidental, Bodega, Cloverdale, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Tomales, Valley Ford, Calistoga and Geyserville.)

Fusion's reach is limited to about two miles around each central offices. Compared to AT&T's older ADSL1 technology, and their newer UVerse VDSL technology, which are deployed in field cabinets around a community, this means we have limited reach; about 60% of all homes in the greater Bay Area are serviceable today.

For a bit more on the regulatory "relief" (from competition) that the incumbents got from the FCC, see my article:
https://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2011/09/0...dband-duopoly/

What this means is that if you cannot get Fusion because you're too far away, I'm afraid you're out of luck unless you move closer to the telephone exchange.

This is part of the reason that we are building Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), starting in Sebastopol. Fiber doesn't have the same distance limitations that copper does, allowing us to push beyond the current limits. But, it's an expensive and long term project.

For those who are lucky enough to be within the coverage area of the Fusion Broadband+Phone product, it's an amazing offering, and they should sign up! https://sonic.net/fusion/

-Dane

[anathstryx]

Yet another reason I love Sonic! When was the last time the CEO of AT&T responded to questions about their service on Wacco? Hmmm? Besides, they let you bring your dog to work if you are employed there. How cool is that?

We have built out Fusion in most of the Sonoma County central offices / exchanges - but it has limited reach around each. Coverage includes the central offices in most cities. (In Sonoma County, the areas we have NOT built out include Kenwood, Occidental, Bodega, Cloverdale, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Tomales, Valley Ford, Calistoga and Geyserville.)

Fusion's reach is limited to about two miles around each central offices. Compared to AT&T's older ADSL1 technology, and their newer UVerse VDSL technology, which are deployed in field cabinets around a community, this means we have limited reach; about 60% of all homes in the greater Bay Area are serviceable today.

For a bit more on the regulatory "relief" (from competition) that the incumbents got from the FCC, see my article:
https://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2011/09/0...dband-duopoly/

What this means is that if you cannot get Fusion because you're too far away, I'm afraid you're out of luck unless you move closer to the telephone exchange.

This is part of the reason that we are building Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), starting in Sebastopol. Fiber doesn't have the same distance limitations that copper does, allowing us to push beyond the current limits. But, it's an expensive and long term project.

For those who are lucky enough to be within the coverage area of the Fusion Broadband+Phone product, it's an amazing offering, and they should sign up! https://sonic.net/fusion/

-Dane

[Chris Murray]

My BIG wish is to get TV via my Fusion service. I'm not well situated to receive the Over The Air signal from San Francisco stations, and sometimes not even KRCB. I used to have DirecTV but hated paying so much for stuff I never watch, so dropped it. I'd happily pay on a per channel basis subscription.

[danejasper]

My BIG wish is to get TV via my Fusion service. I'm not well situated to receive the Over The Air signal from San Francisco stations, and sometimes not even KRCB. I used to have DirecTV but hated paying so much for stuff I never watch, so dropped it. I'd happily pay on a per channel basis subscription.

We are working toward this. Some info:

https://gigaom.com/video/local-tv-streaming-roku/

-Dane

[Larry Robinson]

It does work. I made the switch recently and the transition was seamless. I have better speed at a lower price. Sonic's customer service is also infinitely better than AT&T's. The techs are very responsive and helpful and if you do have to wait on hold, the wait it short and you have the option of "no music" - a great benefit in my opinion.

In addition, Sonic is locally owned and gives back generously to our local communities.

[scamperwillow]

I have been having trouble with my internet service provided through AT&T. I am thinking about switching to Sonic.
I was wondering if any one has anything to say about the Sonic service. They have a $39.95 deal that includes internet service (up to 20 mbps depending on how close you are to the "hub") unlimited local phone calls, unlimited long distance and voice mail service. So it looks like if I switch I will double my internet speed and cut my phone/internet bill in half. It almost sounds too good to be true. Does it work? Please let me know. Thanks

Yes! It works! And it is a pleasure to work with a local company rather than corporate giant AT&T!

[theindependenteye]

Sonic is brilliant. We're saving bucks, getting great service, and staying local. Thanks, Sonic!

Elizabeth Fuller

[Chris Murray]

Looks like a bit of a dilemma. Probably the bulk of the respondents to your poll were able to get local channels OTA so see little value, whereas those like me who cannot get OTA live in rural areas remote from the antenna, so there's fewer of us, and perhaps some who would love it are also outside of Fusion range (that would really suck!). So it comes down to price/cost. I'd happily pay $10/month. Would a ROKU be required or can it be done via blu-ray player like Netflix, or via PC?

Chris

We are working toward this. Some info:

https://gigaom.com/video/local-tv-streaming-roku/

-Dane

[danejasper]

Looks like a bit of a dilemma. Probably the bulk of the respondents to your poll were able to get local channels OTA so see little value, whereas those like me who cannot get OTA live in rural areas remote from the antenna, so there's fewer of us, and perhaps some who would love it are also outside of Fusion range (that would really suck!). So it comes down to price/cost. I'd happily pay $10/month. Would a ROKU be required or can it be done via blu-ray player like Netflix, or via PC?

Chris

All the details are still up in the air, we're in the exploratory and technology development phase currently.

-Dane

[anathstryx]

Our reluctance to streaming local channels is based on our hatred of commercials. We watch news online or streamed through Roku and all our other streaming, through Roku or on the puter, is commercial-free movies and documentaries (Netflix). Hulu Plus requires a subscription and they have commercials so I avoid it. There are many channel offerings through Roku, however, that are free or a very low subscription of a couple of bucks a month but they're mostly low-budget junk or redundant. Just like cable packages with four hundred channels but only ten are worth watching.

Roku has just signed a contract with HBO to stream but, at this time, it's only for HBO subscribers. I'm waiting to see if Roku will make that available for all of their customers and what the subscription cost will be to see if it's worth it. Roku/HBO service is supposed to launch at the end of October.

The Roku device is relatively inexpensive, starting at around $60, although they're talking about having one around $50. You also need a router.

Looks like a bit of a dilemma. Probably the bulk of the respondents to your poll were able to get local channels OTA so see little value, whereas those like me who cannot get OTA live in rural areas remote from the antenna, so there's fewer of us, and perhaps some who would love it are also outside of Fusion range (that would really suck!). So it comes down to price/cost. I'd happily pay $10/month. Would a ROKU be required or can it be done via blu-ray player like Netflix, or via PC?

Chris

[scamperwillow]

If you get satellite and a DVR, you can record the shows you want and watch at your convenience, fast forwarding through commercials.

Our reluctance to streaming local channels is based on our hatred of commercials. We watch news online or streamed through Roku and all our other streaming, through Roku or on the puter, is commercial-free movies and documentaries (Netflix). Hulu Plus requires a subscription and they have commercials so I avoid it. There are many channel offerings through Roku, however, that are free or a very low subscription of a couple of bucks a month but they're mostly low-budget junk or redundant. Just like cable packages with four hundred channels but only ten are worth watching.

Roku has just signed a contract with HBO to stream but, at this time, it's only for HBO subscribers. I'm waiting to see if Roku will make that available for all of their customers and what the subscription cost will be to see if it's worth it. Roku/HBO service is supposed to launch at the end of October.

The Roku device is relatively inexpensive, starting at around $60, although they're talking about having one around $50. You also need a router.

[danejasper]

If you get satellite and a DVR, you can record the shows you want and watch at your convenience, fast forwarding through commercials.

...and, if Satellite is what you want, you can get DirecTV bundled with Sonic.net and save $10/mo. :)

https://sonic.net/solutions/directv/

-Dane

[scamperwillow]

...and, if Satellite is what you want, you can get DirecTV bundled with Sonic.net and save $10/mo. :)

https://sonic.net/solutions/directv/

-Dane

So Dane how would that work with fusion? (total cost?) And if I already have Dish, how much hassle to switch over?