Anyone here planning to get Verizon Homfusion Internet when it launches?

[Matt Meiser]

I keep hearing we are getting DSL. The equipment is sitting installed 2.5 miles from my house. They've rewired my line to connect me to that equipment. They've even made some changes to my wiring to prep. But the date keeps getting pushed out further and further.

Now Verizon has announced Homefusion using LTE to provide home Internet. We don't have LTE yet but suspect we'll get it soon since there is coverage a few miles south and about 10 miles north. I'm real interested in this option and would like to hear from people who get it before it becomes available to me.

With any luck either will be temporary as the cable company has told me we are slated for construction next year and there is also a company looking at doing fiber-to-the-home using a fiber backbone the state just built through our area using ARRA funds.

[Jamie Buxton]

Wired internet services are generally sold in terms of MB/sec -- that is, data rate. My DSL service is of that kind. Wireless data plans are generally sold in terms of GB/month -- that is, total data volume. Homefusion is of this kind. Because of this, it is difficult to make the cost comparison between the two kinds of service. Do you know of a widget I could install on my PC that would total up how many GB I use in a month? That would be very interesting to know.

[Brian Elfert]

Verizon's wireless home Internet service is limited to 10 GB per month and it costs $60 a month. If you don't do a lot of video or music and don't download large files it could work out for you.

It really only makes sense if this is the only available option for your area. If you're in a rural area with no other Internet options then Verizon might not have LTE coverage in your area either.

[Matt Meiser]

Jamie, some routers will tell you, but maybe only since the last reboot, and some ISP's have a place on their web site to check. I know my dad can check his u-Verse. They were using in the 20-30GB range but now they have a DVD player that streams Amazon movies with their Prime subscription so I bet its jumped.

Keep in mind that my current internet connection is a Verizon 3G/4G device installed in a fixed router. 10GB for $80/mo at 1.5/0.5mbps is what we currently get. We typically use 8-10GB/mo, but occasionally go over by 1-2GB at an extra $10-20. That's with virtually no streaming video or music and trying to do big downloads (software for work, The Wood Whisperer videos, etc) away from home. I'm the guy killing your hotel internet connection.

$120 for 30GB/mo at 12/5mbps sounds awesome to me (the purported large plan for Homefusion.) The only other choice is satellite (which also has severe limits) or a T1 line for $300/mo from the company looking at doing fiber-to-home, including 1 phone line of VOIP with unlimited calling. I almost signed a contract for the T1 in November but was promised we were weeks away from DSL back then. People close enough to the central switch in our exchange can now get DSL as of about 4 weeks ago but we are waiting for them to finish the backbone to the remote terminal we are served from.

I work from home. Cost (almost) doesn't matter. Work pays the first $100 and even $150 more for the T1 is cheaper than getting a new job and paying for gas every day. My questions are more in the technical realm than whether its a good idea. If it becomes available here, its an awesome idea.

IF, and its a big IF, we get cable, the cable company that would be serving us just announced 100mbps system-wide by year end. Unfortunately they are looking at spending about $1M to serve a relatively small area because, as I understand, not only do they have to hang all the wire, they have to install a new switch (or whatever its called) and run a new trunk line to that because the people who are just to the south of us who have service are at the hairy edge of what they can do. To their credit, they've put me in touch with a VP there and he and I periodically exchange emails on the status of the project.

[Rudy Ress]

Jamie,
There is a windows widget from http://addgadget DOT com/ called Network Meter that give both current and total upload and download values. I have Win 7.

[Dan Beckman]

I have an app on my Droid phone called My Data Manager that keeps track of my useage, both mobile and Wifi. Seems to work OK.

[Myk Rian]

Do you know of a widget I could install on my PC that would total up how many GB I use in a month? That would be very interesting to know.

Net Meter http://download.cnet.com/Net-Meter/3...-10435551.html
It reads traffic from the 'puter, to the router/modem. Other network nodes are not counted. Need it for each machine on the network.

[Matt Meiser]

The problem with a PC-based solution is DVRs, cell phones connected via Wifi, etc.

[Myk Rian]

True. But it gives you a rough idea.

[Matt Meiser]

Not if someone is using those devices to stream audio or video. Web pages and even file downloads are typically tiny compared to those uses.

[Brent Grooms]

Matt, I hadn't heard of this offering.. might be something to look into as well. Currently I am using a wireless device and while its an LTE, I am in the fringe of coverage so I do not get much in the way of speed but it beats dealing with comcast and is fast enough for most of my needs

[Jim Becker]

My biggest concern with the new VZ offering will be the caps that apply and likely always will apply to wireless solutions. The reason this concerns me is that more and more folks are drawn to enjoying online content...which really increases bandwidth usage. And the penalty VZ plans to charge for overage is substantial.

I honestly hope that the FTTH hits for you. I so enjoy having fiber service and with 35/35 (effectively 43/30 in performance) with no caps and no effect from neighbors usage like with cable service, I can use all the communication toys I sell and also enjoy very high quality (uncompressed) HD video and other services.

[Matt Meiser]

Bump. Launched now in 6 locations--anyone here get it? I've found a few screen shots of the device config pages and see links for port forwarding and such leading me to believe its really intended to be a true home internet (albeit limited) solution. I also found pictures of the indoor component of the system. It connects to the antenna via coax cable. The antenna apparently contains the actual radio too. There's 4 ethernet ports, WIFI, and, interestingly, a phone jack that's currently unused. Bet it won't stay that way long since they've been testing voice over LTE.

Sounds like Verizon is doing a ton of LTE upgrades this year and we are in a small uncovered pocket between two large 4G "blobs" so I'm hoping we'll see it sooner rather than later.

Jim, my first choice would probably be the cable company if we ever see the day where we have choices. The FTTH company is small and I've heard some negative comments. And they'd probably not offer TV as part of the package. We could get a cable package for a very considerable savings over our combined current satellite/land line/3G internet bills--probably cut the total in half. But I'll take whatever comes, and probably be happy to buy out contracts if something better comes along because the payback will be quick.

Brent, check out 3GStore.com if you have a Pantech USB device. They sell an antenna that may help you. I use one of their antennas for 3G that's made it considerably more reliable. I don't think that will work for the Mifi's though.

[Eddie Watkins]

Matt, Verizon doesn't offer any type of service here, yet. We had an AT&T aircard for several years tht was $60/month for unlimited access. Last year AT&T went to 5GB/ month with additional charges if I ran over. I did a search on the internet for other alternatives and found a small local company that offered unlimted wireless service for $50/month. We have a small receiver mounted outside and it is within line-of-site of the tower the guy installed at his home. I've been with him since November with no glitches. It might be somethng you could set up for yourslef and sell access to cover the charges. His website is pretty basic and doesn't tell you much but his setup is the same as the one at atlink.com. You may find someone around you doing the same thing.

[Matt Meiser]

There is one company doing that here. I tried them about 4 years ago. Her "backbone" connection is a cable modem. She installed it, didn't have it working, and then missed appointment after appointment after appointment to get it working. A business near me had it and his stopped working and he ran into similar issues--she wouldn't even return his calls. He stopped paying his bill and never heard from her. Then he died. The equipment is still on the building.

Someone else is talking about expanding here and bought a tower from a bankruptcy estate late in the fall. That tower would require me to put up an 80' tower but they are looking at using our township's water tower as a second tower which can be seen from my shop's roof. That would probably be plan C ord D. I'd rather have the Verizon service due to the speed or DSL if either make it here for the reliability/cost/capacity if the cable or fiber don't come.

Something or some things are going to happen here in the next 12 months. DSL was supposed to be done but I've been promised so many times I'll probably be on something else first. And I don't think the speed on the DSL is going to be all that great because the backbone to the main terminal is going to be copper.