BHN Tampa Internet

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Right now I just have their internet at 7 Mbps download and supposedly 512k Kbps upload. I stream video from my security cameras and have Vonage.

All was well until I switched a virtual Vonage number to be a 2nd primary Vonage line. Now when the cameras are streaming the party on the other end of a phone conversation can't understand me, but I hear them just fine.

As for the cameras streaming, I have disabled the Web to Talk feature which provides audio and by the software limited the output to 150 Kbps and even if you estimate Vonage at 180 Kbps that only comes to 330 Kbps and my speed tests usually run about 490 Kbps when I'm not using the phone.

That said, I used to use the Web to Talk and run the camera stream at 400 Kbps and had no trouble for years!

Long story short, Vonage blames BHN and BHN says it should work and blames my router (even though it worked just fine before). And looking at the Vonage site it claims it only needs 90 Kbps of my upload bandwidth, so even double that I don't see why there should be a problem, yet there is!

So what is BHN's solution? To try their new 15 Mbps speed which has an un-guaranteed 2 Mbps upload speed. Problem is I would ALSO be required to subscribe to their cable service which would bring the monthly cost over $100 a month after taxes.

So I'm in a quandary. I really don't need cable TV, except that now with the rain outages it would be nice to have. But I am very happy with my DBS programming, some of which BHN does not offer.

Now I've read that Road Runner is going to start capping broadband speeds and start charging by the gigabyte. Kinda defeats the purpose of switching to cable for the larger upload bandwidth.

I considered Verizon DSL either as a bridge connection or separately just to take over the duties of Vonage and for general surfing, except the last time I checked I was unable to get DSL due to being equally too far away from their service box in both directions. But that was some time ago and the online availability tool sometimes says I can and sometimes says I can't. So I'm betting that even if it worked it would at best be for a lower speed than desired.

Any suggestions?

And if I were to go ahead and subscribe to their Digital cable service any suggestions on that? I have just 1 TV that has HDTV and 2 older SD sets, except even at $100 a month it doesn't look like I get HD DVR service as I understand it, though from their website it appears that I would get HD Advantage live.

This has been a really frustrating problem for me. I was perfectly happy with what I had until now and I feel like I'm getting soaked just to get things to work right again.

 

[stevenl]

Well I am not sure why your vonage is not working if your speed tests are showing your getting over 450 and all you need is really 90 it has to be a routing issue between you and vonage. or the vonage box and vonage, upgradeing to 2mbit would not solve the problem if you are already above the minimum as it is. It could also be your cameras eating up more bandwidth then they should, turn on the cameras to stream and run a speed test see how much they eat away at your bandwidth..

Another thing if you have RR only you could probably add the basic cable service for about the same price you pay now (as RR is cheaper if you have cable) This way you have a back up during storm season against the rain fade of DBS which can get nasty here in FLA.

If you do go with the digital cable and you want some serious net BHN in Tampa offers a 20mbit plan

 

[skottey]

"Now I've read that Road Runner is going to start capping broadband speeds and start charging by the gigabyte. Kinda defeats the purpose of switching to cable for the larger upload bandwidth."

Can you cite a source for the above statement. I have heard of broadband providers doing this but no such talk of RR in Florida doing any such thing.

Anyway.... it is time for you to get serious. Get a Virtual Office Account, 15/2 with a static IP for $104.95 a month. I have several Vonage lines, security cameras, a web server, remote backups, video game and web traffic from the computers and consoles. The list goes on.

The real problem in general is the upload speeds. 512 is nothing. I don't even like having 2. I have been preaching faster upload speeds for years. Is Verizon FIOS an option in your part of town yet? Probably not since you mentioned DSL. Don't go DSL. I would bite the bullet and go up to the faster speed whether you go VO or just up your cable like they suggested. You should treat your Internet connection like you do electricity or water. It is necessary this day in age. Make sure you have a good connection. I don't want to hear any crying about price either. With gas prices these days, paying a little more for Internet should be considered a pleasure.

Want to see my bills for net and TV?
RR VO 15/2 $89.95/mo (lower than the $105/mo since I am a reseller)
BHN digital cable, 1 HD DVR, no frills, no premiums $68/mo (keeping it around for God knows why, but I am just keeping it around to see how cool it turns out when they go SDV and hopefully add a ton of channels... with no contract and a separate account from my VO RR)
DirecTV premiere (all premiums/sports package,etc) $115/mo

Add all that up...
I would up your RR one way or the other. Yes, they have you by the balls. I am not saying they are to blame for your problems, but you need a better connection anyway. If nothing else, to rule out their 7/512 connection as a problem. You've got enough stuff going on that you should have th 15 or 20 / 2, whether you have a serious problem or not.

It is probably something with your hardware. I own a computer business by trade and know what I am talking about, as I deal with both businesses and residential customers, servicing their networks and computers. These low end office store special residential routers and other hardware is OK for a computer and phone and other stuff but most of these switches aren't smart switches. They are just plain dumb hubs. There is no packet priority and when you start mixing multiple lines and cameras and steady streams, things can turn south, fast! My suggestion is rebooting your router and Vonage box as often as you are told you are chopping up. Does this help? You seriously should look at your equipment. You may need a higher end switch or router, or even the Vonage box. Not to be a pushy snake oil salesman but I do this by trade. Pay a professional and have them look at your setup. Buy an hour of time from a professional and they can tell you a lot, including finding your problem. It could be something as simple as the way you have things hooked up or a bad network cable. The Vonage box could be crap too.

I have had Vonage for years. I have had few problems, mainly with the fax line, but it has always turned out to be a Vonage problem, not an ISP problem. But again, I have had very few problems and have used Vonage since 2003 for my business.

Just call somebody and that knows their stuff and have it looked at. No offense to anybody that works for RR but the tech they send out is not knowledgeable enough to solve your problem. Most of the line installers don't even understand IP, NAT, smart switching, packet priority, routing, etc. They are line layers, not networking professionals. They come out, test the signal, and their job is done.

Another option would be to buy a new router and just try it. The Office stores will have no problem taking a return on open equipment. You test it, it doesn't fix your problem, you can take it back.

Edit- I forgot to mention that you need to make sure you have the latest firmware for your router.

 

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Can you cite a source for the above statement. I have heard of broadband providers doing this but no such talk of RR in Florida doing any such thing.

CNET was reporting that it was in the trial stage in Texas and would be for all RR eventually, but no I've not heard for certain if BHN will be included. It's logical to assume it might be though.

As for the router it's a D-Link Dir-655 so it is one of the newer routers and the firmware is up to date. I've tried with the QoS off & on with the same result. The minute I turn off the network feed on the cams the phone works just fine. I even lowered Vonage to 50 Kbps and the camera feeds to 100 Kbps and the same results. I hear callers fine, callers can't hear me.

I guess VO sounds fine if you have the scratch. That extra cost is a bit hard on me though and the one upside of the cable option would be that at least I would have cable programming included and could cancel my DBS to cover part of the increase to my budget. If I'm not mistaken that 20 Mbps speed comes at a price because you have to sub to their phone service, which again nabs some of that all important upload bandwidth.

But here's a thought. Now the Dir-655 is a gigabyte router. Does that VO account use the same modem technology as my WebStar or does it perhaps better support a gigabyte network?

 

[skottey]

Can you cite a source for the above statement. I have heard of broadband providers doing this but no such talk of RR in Florida doing any such thing.

CNET was reporting that it was in the trial stage in Texas and would be for all RR eventually, but no I've not heard for certain if BHN will be included. It's logical to assume it might be though.

As for the router it's a D-Link Dir-655 so it is one of the newer routers and the firmware is up to date. I've tried with the QoS off & on with the same result. The minute I turn off the network feed on the cams the phone works just fine. I even lowered Vonage to 50 Kbps and the camera feeds to 100 Kbps and the same results. I hear callers fine, callers can't hear me.

I guess VO sounds fine if you have the scratch. That extra cost is a bit hard on me though and the one upside of the cable option would be that at least I would have cable programming included and could cancel my DBS to cover part of the increase to my budget. If I'm not mistaken that 20 Mbps speed comes at a price because you have to sub to their phone service, which again nabs some of that all important upload bandwidth.

But here's a thought. Now the Dir-655 is a gigabyte router. Does that VO account use the same modem technology as my WebStar or does it perhaps better support a gigabyte network?

Although the VO is more expensive, you get a static IP and it has a better modem. You also get better service when you have a problem since it is a business account.

It sounds like your problem might be with Vonage. I am assuming your first line and second line are on the same box and that line 1 works fine and line 2 has a problem. I would consider replacing the Vonage box. Either use two boxes, one for each line, or just move both lines to a new box. You own the box, so it isn't something Vonage will replace for free. In all honesty, I have seen problems with people's Vonage boxes that went away when the unit was replaced. My father in-law has like six lines on three boxes all working in harmony and I have three lines working fine in my home office. My wife and I are often ont he phone at the same time with no problem. But even before I had VO, I was 7/512 and had no problems. So I don't think it is with RR.

On the subject of charging by the bandwidth, I think that there are a bunch of bad apples out there taking advantage. I have heard statistics like 5% of cable modem users use over 50%+ of the bandwidth. These idiots are running limewire and torrent shares moving movies and games and software around like aholes! I am sure we have all downloaded mp3s or a movie or software as a novelty, but these idiots are pushing and pulling in entire movie libraries 24 hours a day. These bad apples are forcing the cable companies to meter the bandwidth. What they really need to do is set a baseline of so many gigs, like the average amount the average user uses. Lower the price by ten dollars and then say, "anything over X will be metered and billed." The average RR user will pay $35 and the hogs can pay $100-$200 for their illegal file sharing and trading. I hate it. A few idiots spoil the bunch. Get a job people! Go buy your content. Stop stealing it. I know people that do this and it is really stupid.

But anyway, I don't think metered pricing will be put into place for RR biz class customers. They aren't the ones trading HD movies 24/7. Also, remember, RR has to complete. Much of Tampa Bay is getting FIOS, and if FIOS doesn't cap or meter bandwidth, while RR does, nobody is going to want to stay with RR. They aren't going to risk losing customers. I think they are only going to go after the hogs, and they know exactly who they are. Thay have mailed threatening letters to the hogs and many of them have slowed down or stopped. Others continue to rebel until their connection is turned off and then they cry foul like they have done nothing wrong. I hate these kind of people.

 

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It sounds like your problem might be with Vonage. I am assuming your first line and second line are on the same box and that line 1 works fine and line 2 has a problem.

Actually they are on the same box but both lines have the issue. Since I have one of the older Motorolas (long time Vonage customer) I too suspected the box. I had spent over a half hour with Vonage tech support and the guy "claims" my box was fine. I still haven't ruled out that the box is at fault for myself, but I think you're right that they had no desire to replace the box even to retain a good customer.


I can appreciate what you say about the bandwidth hogs. However I also see that I could technically fall into the same usage amounts due to my streaming. The 1st thing I thought of when I heard about 2 Mbps uploads was I could use 1 Mbps for my cams because the other 1 Mbps was more than enough to run Vonage and a PC or two.

 

[skottey]

It sounds like your problem might be with Vonage. I am assuming your first line and second line are on the same box and that line 1 works fine and line 2 has a problem.

Actually they are on the same box but both lines have the issue. Since I have one of the older Motorolas (long time Vonage customer) I too suspected the box. I had spent over a half hour with Vonage tech support and the guy "claims" my box was fine. I still haven't ruled out that the box is at fault for myself, but I think you're right that they had no desire to replace the box even to retain a good customer.


I can appreciate what you say about the bandwidth hogs. However I also see that I could technically fall into the same usage amounts due to my streaming. The 1st thing I thought of when I heard about 2 Mbps uploads was I could use 1 Mbps for my cams because the other 1 Mbps was more than enough to run Vonage and a PC or two.

On another note- We have a lot in common. I am a freak about my streaming cameras. I had 12 cameras throughout my premises until lighting took out 8. I was down to 4 and back up to 8 now. I use Slingbox to view them remotely on my laptop or Pocket PC cell phone. I love it. Even with 2 up, I throttle my Slingbox stream, otherwise they will attempt to use as much bandwidth as they can. My online backups need throttling too.

I'll bet it is your Vonage box. I have probably that same Motorola Vonage box as you. Jack 1 is a primary line and jack 2 is my fax line. As I said, I have had problems with the fax line. It isn't a big deal because I rarely fax in or out. But if that Vonage box is flawed to work with two lines, that could be your problem. All worked fine you said until you changed a virtual number to its own line. Usually, with a new line you can get a new box out of them. If I were you I would threaten to leave if they don't act reasonable and replace your Vonage box. After all, you did turn that virtual line into a full line. I really think it is the Vonage box.

 

[stevenl]

Can you cite a source for the above statement. I have heard of broadband providers doing this but no such talk of RR in Florida doing any such thing.

CNET was reporting that it was in the trial stage in Texas and would be for all RR eventually, but no I've not heard for certain if BHN will be included. It's logical to assume it might be though.

As for the router it's a D-Link Dir-655 so it is one of the newer routers and the firmware is up to date. I've tried with the QoS off & on with the same result. The minute I turn off the network feed on the cams the phone works just fine. I even lowered Vonage to 50 Kbps and the camera feeds to 100 Kbps and the same results. I hear callers fine, callers can't hear me.

I guess VO sounds fine if you have the scratch. That extra cost is a bit hard on me though and the one upside of the cable option would be that at least I would have cable programming included and could cancel my DBS to cover part of the increase to my budget. If I'm not mistaken that 20 Mbps speed comes at a price because you have to sub to their phone service, which again nabs some of that all important upload bandwidth.

But here's a thought. Now the Dir-655 is a gigabyte router. Does that VO account use the same modem technology as my WebStar or does it perhaps better support a gigabyte network?

Turn your Cameras on, then run a speed test. See if they are using more then there allotted 50kbps because that seems to be the issue. When cameras on you have no bandwidth left..

Also note with BHN Digital phone it does not use your allotted upload bandwidth. The MTA has its own section of upload bandwidth to use. So thats not an issue.

 

[stevenl]

On the subject of charging by the bandwidth, I think that there are a bunch of bad apples out there taking advantage. I have heard statistics like 5% of cable modem users use over 50%+ of the bandwidth. These idiots are running limewire and torrent shares moving movies and games and software around like aholes! I am sure we have all downloaded mp3s or a movie or software as a novelty, but these idiots are pushing and pulling in entire movie libraries 24 hours a day. These bad apples are forcing the cable companies to meter the bandwidth. What they really need to do is set a baseline of so many gigs, like the average amount the average user uses. Lower the price by ten dollars and then say, "anything over X will be metered and billed." The average RR user will pay $35 and the hogs can pay $100-$200 for their illegal file sharing and trading. I hate it. A few idiots spoil the bunch. Get a job people! Go buy your content. Stop stealing it. I know people that do this and it is really stupid.

.

The number being floated around is about 250GB a month. Then charging per each addtional GB (kinda like cell minutes)

The statistic is more like the top 1% use over 50% of the network bandwidth. That cap of 250GB a month would only affect the top 1% RR's customer base. the other 99% of customers are below the cap. The majority are WELL below the cap.