Review of Oplink.netAll reviews of |
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After a perfunctory search of Broadband Reports and the Web at large (Google, thank you) I turned up a small independent ISP called Oplink. I read their plain website and communicated exactly what I was looking for - people who understand what they are doing, but don't have the orgy of usless 'features' shoved down our throats by corporate America. I placed an order for their "Basic" (1.5/385) service a day after ordering my landline service from AT&T (I was wire-less until the decision to do DSL) - this is how Oplink recommends you order new service, and then sat back and waited. In response to my e-mail, withing 12 hours, Oplink had replied with a very informative e-mail telling me exactly (to 100 feet) how far I was away from the nearest DSL head-end (13,200 feet), what service I had ordered and how soon I could expect it to "go live." The modem arrived on schedule, and given my unfamiliarity with DSL modems I am as yet uncertain of the ultimate quality of the hardware, it is a Westell Wirespeed (Model number not clearly listed, perhaps 890?). Initially, due to the existence of several "bridge taps" on my line, I was unable to get connectivity on my line. This was an egineering problem of AT&T's - and from the moment I detected the problem, Oplink was on the ball - and within 4Hours had an answer to me from AT&T - explaining very clearly what the problem was, and how long it would take to fix it. (It's AT&T's crappy network design, not Oplink - who is 'leasing' the last mile from them). This issue was resolved within five days (despite requiring AT&T personnel to actually go out and repair the lines), and my service was active a day earlier than Oplink promised. I received a phone call the day before the issue was to be repaired informing me that it would be fixed, and service was restored that day (1 day before promised). Please note that the 11 days quoted in the notes above includes 1) Labor Day weekend holiday, and 2) 5 days to repair the poorly executed lines on AT&T's network. Following the service activation, I began running speed tests as the connection felt much slower than what I was accustomed to with Cable. (Of course, with a drop from 6Mbps to 1.5Mbps, what would you expect). Initial results were disappointing. On all servers tested, my results have been in the neighborhood of 300Kbps upstream and 250Kbps down. I state this with the caveat that given my inexperience with DSL and my past experience with more bandwidth I may be unfairly judging the service provided, however as compared with the stated maximums I am disappointed with performance. My distance from the cable company may be a function of this "failure," an issue I am trying to get clarification from Oplink on as we speak. So as of right now, my final thoughts are: +Excellent Customer Service, best from ANY ISP I have dealth with, by far +Seamless installation process +Works great with the obstinate and belligerent local phone company to get results for their customers (or at least answers) +Great communication with customers -Bandwidth measured doesn't match with bandwidth quoted Overall, I recommend Oplink, especially if your distance from the Phone Company is very low, if only to support small business and competition (though their killer service helps out quite a bit). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> After getting in touch with Oplink on the bandwidth issue, they confirmed my suspicions that due to my distance from the DSLAM, I would be unable to receive the quoted bandwidth. They were completely up front about the technical issues, and offered me the opportunity to "opt-out" of my contract (a 12 month deal) as a result of the service issues. While I am disappointed that I can't get the max speed, still - Oplink handled this situation incredibly professionally, and their understanding and willingness to "level with me" as a customer was refreshing. I am uncertain if I will be remaining with Oplink, but let me say that their service thus far as demonstrated is a massive vote in their favor. I will definitely be considering continuing service with them, even with the bandwidth reductions. If you are closer to the DSLAM - I would recommend them over any other carrier. UPDATE: Exit Review The exit/cancellation process is pretty straightforward. At the time of cancellation I was month-to-month; this meant I could turn off my service at anytime. I called Oplink during regular business hours; after 2 minutes on the phone I had cancelled the service and received an e-mail detailing how to return their hardware. They even offer a drop-off option to save the shipping costs. One aspect of the cancellation I'd like to mention as a positive - Oplink didn't try or even mention anything that sounded remotely like trying to sell me back into their service. This may be because I wasn't wanted as a customer (who knows?) but I think they didn't want to undercut my decisions. It was nice to speak to a rep who's sole focus wasn't to sell me into something. Oplink Support is the best. I had Oplink service for approximately a year and a half. During that time I was thrilled with the service they provided. If the company has one weakness, it is that it is not the ILEC in this area. If you can get Oplink service, I would recommend it. Their support is simply the best, their service is excellent. I left Oplink because I was lured by the simplicity of doing it all under one roof (not to mention the cost savings). It remains to be seen if this will play out - but I would urge anyone looking for internet service to consider Oplink. The best ISP I have worked with. Followup comments:
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With AT&T DSL I was having problems with high latency, even just going to Dallas. 70-110ms pings which was just unacceptable for this distance. They were routing me through New Jersey and back to Washington for some reason just to get 250 miles away. I e-mailed Oplink support to find out about switching at around 5pm, and to my surprise I received a personalized e-mail from Dan THAT night close to 8:30pm with detailed answers to all of my questions. I e-mailed him back the next morning to see if they could run a tracert for me to see what my pings would be like, and I got an e-mail back with a tracert from a DSL line at their office within just a few hours. I can't get this kind of service from most other ISPs even as their customer. I ordered DSL Wednesday, woke up this morning at around 7am (Friday) and noticed my PPPoE connection from AT&T was disconnected. Set my router to DHCP, changed my MTU, and within 10 minutes I was connected. Very minimal downtime with their "hot swap" process. My pings have gone from an average of 80ms down to 14ms and are extremely stable. I am very happy with the low latency and speed of their DNS resolution. Oplink must be doing something right! Thanks Dan, Nic, and Ryan for all your help in this process and I look forward to being your customer for a long time. You guys work very hard, and know how to take care of your customers. Followup comments:
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Due to my distance from the CO I can only get the 1.5 line. 6 static IP's is nice, and alot cheaper than it would have been with Comcast. Ordering online and setting up account details was easy, never have had to call them. The only telephone call was them calling me to tell me I was too far away for the faster line. Followup comments:
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Oplink does a great job. While they do not have the slick phone system to handle calls, inquiries, tech support, etc, they have people that will answer the phone and take care of your needs. Being small also means that they might experience some delays in getting back to you. However, you do not end up on the phone with the big guy for an hour being transferred all over the place before being cut off. Followup comments:
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• What SPEED/package did you order, at what monthly price? Ordered the 1.5 package @ about $25/month • How was the order & install process? Plug & Play! That easy, box arrived by overnight FedEx & I plugged it in. Just like ordering & first using a Mac. • What brand/model was the supplied equipment? Generic, but it works just fine. • What good or bad experiences most struck you? The personal replies from the guys, even after hours! Followup comments:
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I know for certain that they do not block any TCP ports or restrict P2P applications. Followup comments:
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I called oplink.net and told them of the issues I was having and they thought they could help. Being local, they can interface more easily with the AT&T people to get things done. And they did! It was a problem at the AT&T office all along (never my modem!) and it took ATT&T several days to fix it. I'm glad I switched (wish I had done it a week sooner) and I look forward to great service using oplink.net. Did I mention that when you call, people actually answer the phone? And that they call back when they say they are going to call back? You don't get THAT from Earthlink. Followup comments:
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Oplink.net
Houston,Harris,TX
$19 per month (12 month contract)
about 11 days
AT&T
"Great service (No exagerration, best tech service I've ever had)"
"DSL is distance based."
"Fair prices, allows you to get out from under the Telco Monopoly - but DSL has technical limitations that you have to face down"
So I called this morning and explained to Oplink of the situation and that I would have to terminate my account. But before I'm gone I want to say that having been with Oplink has been the best experience I have ever had with any utility.
Business customer