Broadband internet

[Biggd]

Has anyone sign up for the new Broadband yet and if so, how do you like it?
I'm sooo disappointed with Breezeline

[root1]

TDS

Not sure if they offer service in Meredith; but, they sure work great in Alton! (fiber right to the house)

You can enter your address here to find out if they offer service in your area: https://tdstelecom.com/visitor/addre...est-deals.html

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Biggd

Has anyone sign up for the new Broadband yet and if so, how do you like it?
I'm sooo disappointed with Breezeline

I'm not positive its offered in Meredith, but have you tried Hub66?? We get great service and support out on Welch with them.

Might be worth a shot...

Dan

[tummyman]

According to NHEC, their broadband is supposed to be available in Meredith as soon as Labor Day. Might be worth a wait.... I am in M'boro and switched to Fidium as soon as the fiber was available. Glad to be done with Spectrum. Love the fiber.....

[NH.Solar]

I switched from Metrocast to the NHEC fiber a little over a month ago and could not be more pleased with it. I have a high end TV and sound system and the quality of the signal was immediately noticable ...and at just about half the price. Two thumbs up here!

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I'm not positive its offered in Meredith, but have you tried Hub66?? We get great service and support out on Welch with them.

Might be worth a shot...

Dan

They just installed all the boxes on the telephone poles on my street and throughout Meredith. I put in my address and it says it's available but before I filled anything out I wanted to see if others were happy with it.?

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Biggd

They just installed all the boxes on the telephone poles on my street and throughout Meredith. I put in my address and it says it's available but before I filled anything out I wanted to see if others were happy with it.?

I love it! Very very few issues and if you do need to call them someone always answers who speaks English! We have a line of sight connection and I am getting 200 Mbps download and 35 upload consistently.

Good luck!

Dan

[P-3 Guy]

Originally Posted by Biggd

They just installed all the boxes on the telephone poles on my street and throughout Meredith. I put in my address and it says it's available but before I filled anything out I wanted to see if others were happy with it.?

I don't think that's Hub66 installing boxes on utility poles throughout Meredith. Hub66 does OTA microwave broadband service. What you are referring to sounds like the NHEC subsidiary NH Broadband, which is currently doing fiber optic installs in Meredith.

[MeredithMan]

Originally Posted by P-3 Guy

I don't think that's Hub66 installing boxes on utility poles throughout Meredith. Hub66 does OTA microwave broadband service. What you are referring to sounds like the NHEC subsidiary NH Broadband, which is currently doing fiber optic installs in Meredith.

NHEC is the one rolling out their fiber in Meredith. They just finished on my street in the last week or so. I checked availability for my address and it currently states "sometime between November and January", so either the website isn't updated or they have a bit of back-office work to do after they put up the cables before you can get hooked up.

[Weekend Pundit]

Just for everyone's edification:

Fidium (Consolidated Communications) is installing fiber state wide in the areas they serve. They are basically doing the same thing TDS has been doing - building out fiber and then ripping out all of their copper. This does two things:

1. Fiber is future-proof as only the equipment at each end would need to be upgraded to handle ever increasing speeds and data capacity. (Note: In many cases all that's required for higher data speeds is 'throwing the switch' and not equipment replacement...until ever higher speed/capacity equipment comes online that may use different wavelengths than the existing ones being used.)

2. Copper is getting more expensive to maintain and it doesn't have the bandwidth of fiber. Then there's federal law which obligates telcos to share their copper infrastructure with competitors, but they aren't required to share their fiber infrastructure. So it becomes cheaper to decommission and remove all of their copper lines. (The salvage value of the copper is also a factor.)

Mind you, all of this applies to telephone companies, not cable companies. While they provide many of the same services they operate under different rules. If you get the electrical utilities involved in providing broadband services (like NHEC), they operate under yet another set of rules.

Cable has been providing broadband services for years, but depending upon the franchise agreements with the towns they serve there may be limitations regarding who can get service. The cable companies aren't obligated to provide service down roads that have only few homes over a specific distance. If a customer still wants service from the cable company they will need to pay the installation costs of running the cable between the nearest cable node and their home. That can run to thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. Some cable companies are great, some are OK, and some stink.

Then there's fixed wireless which is handled a number of different ways, some by the cell network operators and other by private providers (like Hub66, to name one). Some work better than others and I have no data regarding which is better. One advantage I can thing of is that some of them are 'portable', meaning that if there is cell service there is Internet service. However the costs are going to be high for some of them. I can't speak as to the private providers. (Hub 66 will be serving Locke's Island in Gilford in the near future if everything works out.)

Then there's satellite. Some are OK. Some are bad. And some are really good. All require the customer to buy the ground equipment needed to use the service.

I have used HughesNet in the past and it worked OK, though speeds were limited and it wasn't inexpensive. It had high latency due to the use of geosynchronous satellites. (Latency is a bad thing, particularly for gamers.) It could also be affected by heavy rain and snow.

Then there's StarLink which uses a constellation of thousands of low Earth orbit satellites and can provide higher speeds than other satellite Internet providers. I haven't priced out StarLink recently so I can't hazard a guess as to the cost.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by tummyman

According to NHEC, their broadband is supposed to be available in Meredith as soon as Labor Day. Might be worth a wait.... I am in M'boro and switched to Fidium as soon as the fiber was available. Glad to be done with Spectrum. Love the fiber.....

Hi... Also in Moultonborough. I've got Spectrum and never heard of Fidium but haven't tried looking into anything else either. I was planning on waiting for NHEC to be up and running. Was this Fidium cheaper than Spectrum and is it just internet or also Cable TV services?

Thanks in advance.

[BroadHopper]

Right now, there are two cable providers: Breezeline and Xfinity. Breezeline has old equipment problems, but once a customer complains, they manage to repair the service.

In Laconia, to do business they must seek city approval. Laconia is probably the last to get new providers. Fidium uses existing equipment so they may be able to provide Laconia.

Since Xfinity arrived, Breezeline has been able to provide cheaper service. The last hike buried them. Xfinity is now more economical. I made the switch to Xfinity.

So far Xfinity speed according to Speedbot, is way more consistent than Breezeline and a tad more speed. Both provide me with up to 500GB.

As for streaming, I see no difference. Streaming services will buffer at times, and I believe it's the service itself, not the IP.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I'm not positive its offered in Meredith, but have you tried Hub66?? We get great service and support out on Welch with them.

Might be worth a shot...

Dan

On the south side of Welch, we get HUB66 from Belknap Mtn. tower. In the cove on the north side of Welch, we get HUB66 from a tower in Meredith. I understand the Varney Islands facing west, get a HUB66 signal from the bottom of Rattlesnake Island. They're all over and adding more transmitters routinely.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Right now, there are two cable providers: Breezeline and Xfinity. Breezeline has old equipment problems, but once a customer complains, they manage to repair the service.

In Laconia, to do business they must seek city approval. Laconia is probably the last to get new providers. Fidium uses existing equipment so they may be able to provide Laconia.

I saw in one of the broadband trade publications that Breezeline is going to go all fiber in Laconia. This assumes, of course, that their franchise agreement is renewed. They are presently operating under a 1 year extension to the old franchise agreement because there have been 'issues', not just with Laconia but in a number of other Lakes Region towns served by Breezeline.

I know that when Xfinity came into Gilford I switched from Breezeline because of problems I was having that Breezeline seemed it didn't want to solve. It also didn't help that they closed their customer service office in Belmont (which violated the terms of their franchise agreement) and moved all of their tech support from Rochester, NH to Quincy, MA.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

NHEC is the one rolling out their fiber in Meredith. They just finished on my street in the last week or so. I checked availability for my address and it currently states "sometime between November and January", so either the website isn't updated or they have a bit of back-office work to do after they put up the cables before you can get hooked up.

This is the one I'm talking about, they've been hanging their boxes on telephone poles throughout Meredith. They did my street so I'm wondering if anyone signed up yet?

[DRH]

Originally Posted by Biggd

This is the one I'm talking about, they've been hanging their boxes on telephone poles throughout Meredith. They did my street so I'm wondering if anyone signed up yet?

NH Broadband (NHEC) strung their fiber optic cables on our Meredith road back in the spring, and the pole boxes were installed several weeks ago. I'm potentially interested in switching over from Breezeline, but I have some questions.

With Breezeline, the coax feedline comes into our house and is connected to the cable modem, which is then connected to our WiFi router, in the living room. I asked NH Broadband how their fiber optic cable would be routed inside the house, and they said it wouldn't be. They said their cable would terminate at the point of entry and that's where the modem would be installed. In our case, that would be in our garage, and I am hesitant to commit to relocating our WiFi router there because I don't know if it would provide reliable coverage throughout our house. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with how this would work?

Also, we currently also have our landline phone service with Breezeline. I would welcome feedback from anyone who has switched their phone service to NH Broadband's fiber optic network. How's it working out for you?

In our case, Breezeline's TV/Internet/Phone service has been pretty good. My only complaint is the high monthly cost. I have no experience with being dependent on streaming TV for the channels we watch, and Breezeline's TiVo boxes make TV watching very easy. So I'll need a pretty good reason to switch over to NH Broadband. Feedback from anyone who's already made the switchover would be very helpful for the rest of us who are still undecided.

[gwhite13]

This morning, an ad on my desktop advertised Fidium one year, one gig, for $50. a month. Spectrum is half that speed, same money.

[The Real BigGuy]

In most cases the fiber optic cable will terminate at the house and is connected to an ONT (optical network terminal) which converts the light pulses to a digital signal that can move thru copper. In turn, the ONT is connected to your existing coaxial wiring in the house. You should not have to worry about moving your router.

Some newer homes were wired with fiber optic cable. In these, there are other options for connecting the 2 cables.


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[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by DRH

NH Broadband (NHEC) strung their fiber optic cables on our Meredith road back in the spring, and the pole boxes were installed several weeks ago. I'm potentially interested in switching over from Breezeline, but I have some questions.

With Breezeline, the coax feedline comes into our house and is connected to the cable modem, which is then connected to our WiFi router, in the living room. I asked NH Broadband how their fiber optic cable would be routed inside the house, and they said it wouldn't be. They said their cable would terminate at the point of entry and that's where the modem would be installed. In our case, that would be in our garage, and I am hesitant to commit to relocating our WiFi router there because I don't know if it would provide reliable coverage throughout our house. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with how this would work?

NH Broadband would install the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) in the garage. Generally ONTs are located near where the fiber optic cable comes to the house. In some cases they are installed outside the home and all of the 'other' cables for TV, telephone, and Internet enter the house there.

That doesn't mean you would need to place your WiFi router in the garage. An Ethernet cable could be run from the ONT to your router inside. You would need to check with NH BB about running the cable between the ONT and your router. They may charge extra for that, but you'd need check with them.

Are you going to be subscribing just to Internet and phone service? Does NHBB offer 'traditional' video services or just streaming?

[Winilyme]

Questions for me:
1 - Does anyone know the approximate cost savings for NHEC vs Breezeline for comparable service?
2 - With NHEC, do I need to pay a monthly fee for the 7 cold weather months we’re not here? With Breezeline, I pay a monthly $5.00 fee to avoid some sort of (net more costly) reconnect fee in the spring. I always felt that was highway robbery since we have no need for broadband during those months.

[DRH]

Originally Posted by Weekend Pundit

Are you going to be subscribing just to Internet and phone service? Does NHBB offer 'traditional' video services or just streaming?

NHBB's promotional literature has indicated that the television part of its fiber optic "package" is provided by DirectTV streaming video.

[sky's]

Originally Posted by Biggd

Has anyone sign up for the new Broadband yet and if so, how do you like it?
I'm sooo disappointed with Breezeline

we built a new house in sandwhich and the broadband was just coming onto our street. because of the size of our house i opted for the 2 gigs for 99.95 a month. make a long story short its awesome. and its 99.95 a month not all these other charges piled on top. great service no complaints here.

[TomC]

i also built a house in Sandwich and have NH Broadband. Another thumbs up!

[magicrobotmonkey]

Breezeline is now offering symmetrical fiber in Laconia

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by DRH

NHBB's promotional literature has indicated that the television part of its fiber optic "package" is provided by DirectTV streaming video.

Ok, that makes sense as it means less work and less capital equipment costs for NHBB and they offload supporting the video side to someone having experience in doing so. I know Fidium is doing likewise - offering Direct TV streaming video as well as some others. I don't blame them for not wanting to have invest in capital equipment to support Linear TV services like cable companies do. Under the circumstances streaming video services makes perfect sense.

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by Weekend Pundit

NH Broadband would install the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) in the garage. Generally ONTs are located near where the fiber optic cable comes to the house. In some cases they are installed outside the home and all of the 'other' cables for TV, telephone, and Internet enter the house there.

That doesn't mean you would need to place your WiFi router in the garage. An Ethernet cable could be run from the ONT to your router inside. You would need to check with NH BB about running the cable between the ONT and your router. They may charge extra for that, but you'd need check with them.

Are you going to be subscribing just to Internet and phone service? Does NHBB offer 'traditional' video services or just streaming?

If you are using coaxial cable from the exterior wall of your home to the router NHBB can connect this to the ONT. you do not need to rewire with Ethernet (CAT5 or CAT6), new coaxial cable, or fiber. I have Verizon fios at home wired with existing coax (old Comcast) from the ONT to the router and actually get better up & down speeds than I pay for.


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[tummyman]

When we switched from Spectrum to Fidium, we had to run a tiny fiber cable from the outside connection point to the interior where my router is located. A real pain as it was in my crawl space but I did it anyway to avoid a hole in the house near where we wanted the router. We did not switch over our landline phone....Fidium had it screwed up on our initial order and we decided to just stick with Spectrum phone for a while. So far, speeds are terrific even with the 300MB service. We use YouTube TV and it is great....dumped Spectrum Cable TV a while ago since we were able to have just one cable tv provider between our MA and NH homes. Saved us a lot of $$$.

[DRH]

Originally Posted by tummyman

When we switched from Spectrum to Fidium, we had to run a tiny fiber cable from the outside connection point to the interior where my router is located. A real pain as it was in my crawl space but I did it anyway to avoid a hole in the house near where we wanted the router. We did not switch over our landline phone....Fidium had it screwed up on our initial order and we decided to just stick with Spectrum phone for a while. So far, speeds are terrific even with the 300MB service. We use YouTube TV and it is great....dumped Spectrum Cable TV a while ago since we were able to have just one cable tv provider between our MA and NH homes. Saved us a lot of $$$.

Was the small fiber cable you had to install to the router necessary only because you kept your phone service with Spectrum?

[TheProfessor]

Three companies offering wired internet.

As stated in another post. The new ones are Fairpoint/Fidium AND the NH Coop.

Some get the two confused as to what they have/get.

[BroadHopper]

When I switched to Xfinity the ONT is in a dark green box on the corner of the street. They buried cable wire from the ONT box to a light beige box connected to the house. From that box, a wire ran through the wall into the attached garage. The modem is attached next to the wire. Since wi-fi coverage is bad in the garage, I installed a powerline network adaptor next to the modem and attached a wi-fi router to an adaptor. The router is centrally located in the house. I also bought another adaptor to hard-wire my computer in the office. I just purchase another adaptor to hard wire the TV. So far so good!

I was also told Xfinity has wi-fi and 5G modems in various power lines.

Not sure why the ONT is on the street corner and others are directly on the house.

[tummyman]

Originally Posted by DRH

Was the small fiber cable you had to install to the router necessary only because you kept your phone service with Spectrum?

No, it was a tiny diameter cable that runs from their outside ONT to the modem. Their installer was to drill a hole into the house wherever we wanted the modem to be located or just remove a coax cable and use that route. However, the modem, in my case, was not close enough to an outside wall, requiring us to feed the cable into the crawl space and then up into a closet where the modem and router was located. Plus wife was not happy with more holes in the house !!! Fidium uses two boxes in the house...a very small modem that their tiny fiber cable plugs into that then is wired directly to the router. Each house configuration is special....but getting the equipment into a central place helps with the wireless coverage. They do charge extra for wireless expansion modules if needed but that has not been an issue with us. Our 300MB service was well tested this summer...at one point we had 4 computers, one TV, and 8-10 cell phones all tied into the network and no issues observed. With just wife and me usually, no issues at all. People do not need to over purchase speed. Start low and then move up IF NEEDED.

The phone was a pain, as Fidium did not handle correctly the request to Spectrum to retain our phone number. I think it was just a mix up one off. Anyway, since there was little difference in monthly cost, we decided to leave well enough alone. Others who switched both have had no issue, so my guess of a one off seems reasonable.

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by dpg

Hi... Also in Moultonborough. I've got Spectrum and never heard of Fidium but haven't tried looking into anything else either. I was planning on waiting for NHEC to be up and running. Was this Fidium cheaper than Spectrum and is it just internet or also Cable TV services?

Thanks in advance.

In M'boro, NHEC (NH Broadband) was scheduling to have service available around February 2025. Their wires are mostly strung and they started putting boxes on the poles. Fidium has been up in most of the town since June 2024. I pay $25 a month for 100/100 service from Fidium and it has been great.

[tummyman]

From what I have been told by the Fidium installer, there are two types of fiber optic cable....Single mode (SM) and Multi mode (MM). I was told Fidium uses one type and NHBB uses the other, but I do not remember which one uses which cable. Maybe someone can check when they get an installation. And depending on application, each has specific benefits. As usual, not all cable is the same, even though it is all called Fiber! Do people really care what cable type or will price and upload/download speeds be the primary drivers?

Just trying to confuse the whole topic !!! Ha !

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by tummyman

From what I have been told by the Fidium installer, there are two types of fiber optic cable....Single mode (SM) and Multi mode (MM). I was told Fidium uses one type and NHBB uses the other, but I do not remember which one uses which cable. Maybe someone can check when they get an installation. And depending on application, each has specific benefits.

The drop to the house would be Singlemode fiber. An interior run from the ONT could be either, but it makes more sense for it to be SM since it doesn't have the Effective Modal Bandwidth limitations of MM. However, that doesn't mean MM won't be used.

[jeffk]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

If you are using coaxial cable from the exterior wall of your home to the router NHBB can connect this to the ONT. you do not need to rewire with Ethernet (CAT5 or CAT6), new coaxial cable, or fiber. I have Verizon fios at home wired with existing coax (old Comcast) from the ONT to the router and actually get better up & down speeds than I pay for.


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There is a caveat to this. In-house coaxial cable needs to be of good (manufactured) quality and in good condition. Pumping a 2 Gb signal into coaxial cable in bad shape can yield substandard (less than 2 Gb) performance. It might be a single segment or multiple segments that needs to be fixed/replaced. You might not even notice a problem with a 100 MB source but find one at 10 to 20 times that speed. I assume it's possible to test your in-house wiring but doubt they will unless requested to do so ($$) or problems arise.

If the coaxial cable is in good shape it will support Gb speeds. When we go to 10 Gb speeds?

[longislander]

I'm a Moultonborough resident and have been using Fidium for a couple of months, as soon as it was available here.

I canceled Spectrum internet but wanted to keep Spectrum TV. Also switched "home phone" (not the Spectrum mobile option). I'm happy with Fidium and get close to 500 Mbps download and upload, for their 1 Gig fiber plan, costing presently, $67.50/month, but that includes $20+, first year discount. I've got a lot of "stuff" that affects bandwidth and speeds. Some are wireless and some are wired. I check download/upload speeds with Oogla or Google speed tests, using either Chrome or Firefox browsers. I've got wired and wireless stuff.

Fidium is fiber all the way to the modem, not like Spectrum. Our modem and router (separate, as was Spectrum) are in our living room, where the wife does a good job blending them into decor. I've got all of the "cabling" side by side that comes from outside, through the garage, and up through the floor in the basement to the living room, where any can be hooked up to any modem and then to the router, if there is one.

I've usd Roku boxes almost ever since it was made available. and still do, even with Spectrum TV on my TV. I've got Spectrum hooked up to the TV #1 HDMI port and Roku hooked up to the #2 port. # 3 is still empty.

Spectrum TV gives you a receiver box with Cloud DVR, that I'm debating to keep or not. I still get the same programs on Spectrum on my Roku box. The difference for me is the receiver box, Cisco HD Digital Receiver Model 4742HDC. Have also looked at streaming thorugh Hulu, Direct TV (streaming, not satellite) etc. as Fidium may suggect since Fidium doesn't have a TV offering.

Spectrum is peddling XUMO streaming boxes, as well, a joint venture of Charter Communications and Comcast.

[The Real BigGuy]

A good article about fiber:

https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog...net-need-modem


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[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

A good article about fiber:

https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog...net-need-modem


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The link you provided gave a much better (and simpler) explanation than I did. Then again, I am involved in the industry at an engineering level and not an installer level...and the installers tend to know more about the nuts and bolts than some guy that designs the 'guts' or the equipment that tests everything.

[The Real BigGuy]

My dad was a EE. I feel you!


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[longislander]

Great info. Thanks!
Got informed on difference from modem and ONT.


https://us.hitrontech.com/learn/do-y...20to%20Wi%2DFi.

[BroadHopper]

Interesting read.

Technically, I don't need a modem. Yet the Xfifnity installer says I am required to have a cable modem even though there is an ONT in a box at the corner of the street. The cables are buried underground, and that box serves a number of units.

[The Real BigGuy]

They probably need each individual user to have a modem/router so they can use the m/r’s MAC address (each piece of equipment has an individual MAC address) to allow them to send your items (I.e., e-mail, phone calls, TV & streaming channels, etc.) to the right location. Kind of like house numbers so USPS and delivery drivers get it right (sometimes ).


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[NH.Solar]

When hooking me up to the Co-op's fiber the installer confirmed what was formerly said here about using my longish (in my case about 40') existing Metrocast cat cable and ran a new fiber from the external entry box to the ONT near the new router. The cat cable between the ONT and their new router is only about 4' long, and to repeat myself, the quality of the signal is noticably better! My only complaint with the installation is that I need at some point to disconnect the new fiber cable and carefully re-route it so it is out of the way in my attic crawlspace.
My billing from NHEC is only about $60 whereas Metrocast was about $110 for a much lower level of service. Loving it!

[The Real BigGuy]

Yes, be real careful moving a fiber cable, especially one in the house. The can be very costly and time consuming to repair and your service provider will generally only be responsible for repair outside your house.


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[panjumbie]

If your installation includes a fiber jumper, the color of the jacket should tell you what type, single mode or one of the several multimode standards:

https://www.lightoptics.co.uk/blogs/...ber-color-code

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

In M'boro, NHEC (NH Broadband) was scheduling to have service available around February 2025. Their wires are mostly strung and they started putting boxes on the poles. Fidium has been up in most of the town since June 2024. I pay $25 a month for 100/100 service from Fidium and it has been great.

Thanks I'll need to look into it! So it's currently available to reach out to them it sounds like.

[dpg]

Just checked my address in m'boro and NHEC is supposedly about next spring for the street. I'll need to double check my Spectrum bill but I believe their real close to NHEC. When looking at NHEC they say basic internet is 49.95 and their premier (1 gig) is 79.95 per month. I'm not there full time and don't work from home (retired) anything I ever do with my phone or computer works just fine for me through Spectrum.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by panjumbie

If your installation includes a fiber jumper, the color of the jacket should tell you what type, single mode or one of the several multimode standards:

https://www.lightoptics.co.uk/blogs/...ber-color-code

It is likely any interior fiber jumper will be singlemode as I am not aware of any of the FTTx providers employing multimode fiber.

[NIOMARVIN83]

If you've tried the new broadband service, please share your experience. How is the speed and reliability compared to Breezeline? Your feedback can help others decide if it's a good option.

[mishman]

I switched from Spectrum to Fidium in July. Signed up for the 2g speed at $105/month for the first year. With this package you get up to three wifi extenders for free (not sure of charge after that one year period but I think it would be $5/month per extender). My experience with Fidium was good. The initial installer said the wifi would be strong throughout the house. We were distracted by a houseful of company and never tested this while he was here. Come to find out later that the signal was not strong at all given our house construction and Fidium sent someone back here a few days later to set up extenders which work great. We would have gone with NHEC right off the bat but I could not get a clear answer as to when they would be hooking up customers and going live. Come to find out now that it will be sometime in early 2025 in our section of Mboro. There is no contract with Fidium so I may changeover if there is savings as I would like to support NHEC BB venture. The info contained in this thread has been very helpful especially as relates to the interface between fiber and cat 5 and 6 cable in the house and whether there is a degradation of speed using cable to locate wifi in a central location in the house. Currently my fiber comes into the basement via an underground conduit but having the router and wifi box there does not provide good coverage throughout the house.
We use Youtube TV and have had good results (although price keeps creeping up).

[longislander]

A comment regarding using speedtests. I use Oogla and Google speedtests, as well as the company sites, like Spectrum, to get an idea of what I'm getting for speeds with the "stuff" I'm using. I use a laptop for my internet activities, not the latest and the greatest, as well as cameras, wireless and ethernet; not a cell phone person! Modem/router or ONT are right in front of my lounge chair in my living room where I do my internet stuff about 15 feet away and no obstructions in line of sight.

For 1 gig service, on my laptop, Spectrum was getting 350-400 Mbps download. When I switched to Fidium, I was happy that I got 500-600 Mbps consistenly for the first few months. I'm concerned. Presently, for the last week or so, my laptop can't get more than a little over 100Mbps from Fidium.The same number of devices usable. Don't know if this a temporary glitch due to "network provisioning" by Fidium as it continhes to uplaod cutomers near me or what.

My Android phone and the wife's I-phone both get around 1100+ Mbps for the same networks. I'm aware that equipment has an effect on speeds . However, I'm comparing the same equipment between two carriers.

If a technician comes to your place after install, notice if he or she is using a cell phone to tell you what you're getting for the speeds you're supposed to get.

I've just ordered a modem and router from Spectrum, again, for my own comparison and then I'll cancel one or the other, while waiting for NH Broadband to come for their install. Don't want to buy my own modem/router or ONT yet.

[SAMIAM]

Yikes… we’re paying $353 monthly to Breezeline for cable,WiFi and land line
In Meredith
Broadband is installing… hope they come soon

[rick35]

Yikes again! I thought Comcast was bad at our house at $305 for cable, internet, phone annd Netflix. Just internet at the camp is $95 with Breezeline. We're able to get most channels using xfinity stream but we can't get some and have to use ulocal and other streaming channels. We're able to get dvr'd shows too. We were able to save a bunch when we dropped Breezeline cable.

[NH.Solar]

I just ran the first test that came up on Google three times with my laptop with 2 phones and Pandora playing off of the the Roku and the best results were 49.3 down and 47.3 up. I booked into their 100mb basic program and am very, very pleased with the performance so far. I wonder however if it might degrade as more subscribers jump onboard?

[The Real BigGuy]

It should take a heck of a lot of new subscribers to degrade a fiber line.


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[Winilyme]

Originally Posted by rick35

Yikes again! I thought Comcast was bad at our house at $305 for cable, internet, phone annd Netflix. Just internet at the camp is $95 with Breezeline. We're able to get most channels using xfinity stream but we can't get some and have to use ulocal and other streaming channels. We're able to get dvr'd shows too. We were able to save a bunch when we dropped Breezeline cable.

I recommend you call Breezeline and ask why you're paying $95. We're only paying for internet. When I recently learned that NH Broadband's new service in Meredith would be $49/month for essentially the same package I was paying Breezeline $65 +/-for, I called them. They said I was paying the legacy Atlantic Broadband cost and that Breezeline's cost was about $49/month. Huh? Wasn't the change to Breezeline from Atlantic Broadband just a name change? They immediately put me on the lower rate.

I blame myself for not paying closer attention to my cost but you'd think a company that placed any emphasis on providing positive customer service would have been more proactive in recommending that folks transfer to the 'Breezeline' rate. In fact, why wouldn't they have automatically done that when the name change occurred. Very confusing.

[P-3 Guy]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

In fact, why wouldn't they have automatically done that when the name change occurred. Very confusing.

$$$$$$$$$$

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

I recommend you call Breezeline and ask why you're paying $95. We're only paying for internet. When I recently learned that NH Broadband's new service in Meredith would be $49/month for essentially the same package I was paying Breezeline $65 +/-for, I called them. They said I was paying the legacy Atlantic Broadband cost and that Breezeline's cost was about $49/month. Huh? Wasn't the change to Breezeline from Atlantic Broadband just a name change? They immediately put me on the lower rate.

I blame myself for not paying closer attention to my cost but you'd think a company that placed any emphasis on providing positive customer service would have been more proactive in recommending that folks transfer to the 'Breezeline' rate. In fact, why wouldn't they have automatically done that when the name change occurred. Very confusing.

That's BS, now that they have competition, they are using that as an excuse to keep you from leaving.
I'm going to call and threaten to leave, i'll report back.

[jeffk]

Originally Posted by Biggd

That's BS, now that they have competition, they are using that as an excuse to keep you from leaving.
I'm going to call and threaten to leave, i'll report back.

Why would you want to STAY with a company that has proven that they are willing to exploit you? As soon as you have the cheaper option, make the move.

I don't like doing business with companies that I have to fight with to do the right thing. It's unpleasant to me. Sometimes you don't have a choice so you have to deal with it. Otherwise, life to too short to have to keep looking over your shoulder.

[TomC]

I also use the NHEC fiber and also highly recommend it. I was one of the first hookups in Sandwich and have been using it for 2 years now. I pay $50/month and it hasn't increased, although sooner or later it surely will. I pay for 100up/100down and have my bandwidth 99% of the time when I check it:

[longislander]

For 1 gig service, on my laptop, Spectrum was getting 350-400 Mbps download. When I switched to Fidium, I was happy that I got 500-600 Mbps consistenly for the first few months. I'm concerned. Presently, for the last week or so, my laptop can't get more than a little over 100Mbps from Fidium.The same number of devices usable. Don't know if this a temporary glitch due to "network provisioning" by Fidium as it continhes to uplaod cutomers near me or what.

Last night, watching TV (The Old Man) I was irked by the buffering wheel circling around waiting for a connection while changing channels. Then the buffering seem to clear up. Went on my laptop and did a speedtest and ,voila, speedtest was over 500 Mbps download and close to same for upload. Just did OOkla and Google speedtest. Got 536 Mbps download and close to same on upload on Google. Got 436 Mbps download and 634 Mbps upload on OOgla. About 7:00 AM timeline. I haven't made any changes to my "stuff".

[longislander]

Glad to hear Ooma shows NHEC is delivering. However, I believe that is phone service. I've always gotten over 1100 Mbps for my Android and the wife's I-phone here at home.

[tis]

Originally Posted by longislander

Glad to hear Ooma shows NHEC is delivering. However, I believe that is phone service. I've always gotten over 1100 Mbps for my Android and the wife's I-phone here at home.

Yes, what does OOma have to do with NHEC's fiber? I am confused.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by jeffk

Why would you want to STAY with a company that has proven that they are willing to exploit you? As soon as you have the cheaper option, make the move.

I don't like doing business with companies that I have to fight with to do the right thing. It's unpleasant to me. Sometimes you don't have a choice so you have to deal with it. Otherwise, life to too short to have to keep looking over your shoulder.

I will see if they will be cheaper or not, but it's always worth making the call first.
In the end they are all the same, the squeaky wheel gets the grease

[Lakegeezer]

Ookla is the speedtest.net company, Ooma is the phone service. When doing speed tests, best results will be done directly at the modem or router. Also consider, many routers max out at 600-800 Mbps. The ones that can handle over a gig are expensive.

In my case, speed from Fidium is fine, but then I only purchased the 100/100 service. I'm getting a solid 111/112 speedtest results, measured at my router. If you are getting buffering with any streaming service and subscribe to an Internet speed of over 100 Mbps, the problem is likely in your LAN/WiFi or with the streaming service that you are using. It could be a bad Ethernet cable. Older spec'd Ethernet cables don't support speeds over 100 Mbps.

At Fidium's promotional price of $25 for 100/100, I can't complain. Next year, I'll see what NH Broadband offers and maybe switch back and forth.

In my case, I am still stuck with Spectrum (800/34 on speedtest). I haven't moved off my Roadrunner accounts yet and also use Spectrum Mobile, which is a great mobile service but requires Spectrum Internet. I also use a Spectrum Streaming package that is much less expensive than its cable-box service. Once I shed my 300+ email accounts (bank, medical, various service accounts, etc), I hope to shed Spectrum as well.

I have both Fidium and Spectrum (and a router than can load balance) because I upload a lot of videos and do cloud backup. Spectrum is limited to 40 Mbps upload, so Fidium gets me 2.5 faster speed (and a failover service) for only $25/month.

[TomC]

Originally Posted by tis

Yes, what does OOma have to do with NHEC's fiber? I am confused.

its just an advertisement on the speedtest page.

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by longislander

Last night, watching TV (The Old Man) I was irked by the buffering wheel circling around waiting for a connection while changing channels. Then the buffering seem to clear up. Went on my laptop and did a speedtest and ,voila, speedtest was over 500 Mbps download and close to same for upload. Just did OOkla and Google speedtest. Got 536 Mbps download and close to same on upload on Google. Got 436 Mbps download and 634 Mbps upload on OOgla. About 7:00 AM timeline. I haven't made any changes to my "stuff".

Have you tried Tcpoptimizer? I used it to speed up Windows wifi speed. I switch to optimal and change the internet speed to maximum. I notice an increase using OOKLA.

[codeman671]

Found this on a real estate newsletter I receive every Friday.

• Hub66, an internet service provider in New England, has been awarded $8.5 million in grants from the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ Broadband Matching Grants Initiative. These funds will bringing enhanced internet connectivity from Hub66’s fiber-optic network to underserved communities, including Alton, Bridgewater, Canaan, Cornish, Enfield, Plainfield and five of the islands in Gilford, according to a press release. (NHBR)

[garysanfran]

I wonder if a $8.5 million grant would have resolved Breezeline's problems instead of creating a new entity which will have problems of their own.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

It should take a heck of a lot of new subscribers to degrade a fiber line.

Most FTTx splits are generally 1 x 32, meaning 1 fiber from the head-end feeds 32 drops (homes), though newer networks may run 1 x 64. Depending upon the technology being used by the provider, multiple light wavelengths can be used to increase the amount of data that can be transmitted and received, the number of customers being serviced, or both.

The nice thing about fiber is that it is "future proof", meaning new fiber doesn't need to be installed to in order to provide more services, higher data speeds, and so on. Only the equipment at each end needs to be changed, and even then not all that often as much of the equipment at both ends already has a lot of the capabilities built-in and only needs a "turn of the dial" to increase data speeds.

[longislander]

Have you tried Tcpoptimizer? I used it to speed up Windows wifi speed. I switch to optimal and change the internet speed to maximum. I notice an increase using OOKLA.

Was not aware of this. Thanks for providing. Did install; a very slight increase in speed. Went to YouTube and noticed a lot of videos regarding TCP Optimizer. Thanks again.

[grantdylan]

Originally Posted by Weekend Pundit

Just for everyone's edification:

Fidium (Consolidated Communications) is installing fiber state wide in the areas they serve. They are basically doing the same thing TDS has been doing - building out fiber and then ripping out all of their copper. This does two things:

1. Fiber is future-proof as only the equipment at each end would need to be upgraded to handle ever increasing speeds and data capacity. (Note: In many cases all that's required for higher data speeds is 'throwing the switch' and not equipment replacement...until ever higher speed/capacity equipment comes online that may use different wavelengths than the existing ones being used.)

2. Copper is getting more expensive to maintain and it doesn't have the bandwidth of fiber. Then there's federal law which obligates telcos to share their copper infrastructure with competitors, but they aren't required to share their fiber infrastructure. So it becomes cheaper to decommission and remove all of their copper lines. (The salvage value of the copper is also a factor.)

Mind you, all of this applies to telephone companies, not cable companies. While they provide many of the same services they operate under different rules. If you get the electrical utilities involved in providing broadband services (like NHEC), they operate under yet another set of rules.

Cable has been providing broadband services for years, but depending upon the franchise agreements with the towns they serve there may be limitations regarding who can get service. The cable companies aren't obligated to provide service down roads that have only few homes over a specific distance. If a customer still wants service from the cable company they will need to pay the installation costs of running the cable between the nearest cable node and their home. That can run to thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. Some cable companies are great, some are OK, and some stink.

Then there's fixed wireless which is handled a number of different ways, some by the cell network operators and other by private providers (like Hub66, to name one). Some work better than others and I have no data regarding which is better. One advantage I can thing of is that some of them are 'portable', meaning that if there is cell service there is Internet service. However the costs are going to be high for some of them. I can't speak as to the private providers. (Hub 66 will be serving Locke's Island in Gilford in the near future if everything works out.)

Then there's satellite. Some are OK. Some are bad. And some are really good. All require the customer to buy the ground equipment needed to use the service.
cloud application development
I have used HughesNet in the past and it worked OK, though speeds were limited and it wasn't inexpensive. It had high latency due to the use of geosynchronous satellites. (Latency is a bad thing, particularly for gamers.) It could also be affected by heavy rain and snow.

Then there's StarLink which uses a constellation of thousands of low Earth orbit satellites and can provide higher speeds than other satellite Internet providers. I haven't priced out StarLink recently so I can't hazard a guess as to the cost.

thanks for info

[bobkatfly]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

In my case, I am still stuck with Spectrum (800/34 on speedtest). I haven't moved off my Roadrunner accounts yet and also use Spectrum Mobile, which is a great mobile service but requires Spectrum Internet.

FYI, I had both Spectrum TV/Internet and Spectrum mobile. Just recently sold my house and cancelled TV/Internet. They allowed me to keep mobile at the same rate.

[cjstevens1]

Hey All, I'm looking to switch to NH Broadband for internet only. Here's my question: Will the NH Broadband Tech run the fiber through my attic to an inside wall? I was originally going to use Fidium, but they will not run the fiber through the attic, the guy actually gave me a roll of fiber with the connectors to "self install", something that is not recommended. Anyhow, has anyone had this issue come up when the tech showed up to do the install? Any information would be helpful.

Thank you!

[TomC]

can't help you with that question, but I can tell you that the company they use for billing, Conexon, is like amateur hour... Why they chose a billing company in Kansas City is beyond me. My bill is supposed to be $49.95/mo. For January, they billed me $59.95. When I asked for an explanation, it was because they tacked on a late fee... the surprise is that I am on autopay, and they are responsible for withdrawing the money - which they did on-time! If I was tight on my checking account balance, I could have bounced this or another payment.

[garysanfran]

Originally Posted by TomC

can't help you with that question, but I can tell you that the company they use for billing, Conexon, is like amateur hour... Why they chose a billing company in Kansas City is beyond me. My bill is supposed to be $49.95/mo. For January, they billed me $59.95. When I asked for an explanation, it was because they tacked on a late fee... the surprise is that I am on autopay, and they are responsible for withdrawing the money - which they did on-time! If I was tight on my checking account balance, I could have bounced this or another payment.

"A billing systems error" could me lots of things from human error to computer malfunctions. Errors never seem to be for the benefit of the consumer.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by cjstevens1

Hey All, I'm looking to switch to NH Broadband for internet only. Here's my question: Will the NH Broadband Tech run the fiber through my attic to an inside wall? I was originally going to use Fidium, but they will not run the fiber through the attic, the guy actually gave me a roll of fiber with the connectors to "self install", something that is not recommended. Anyhow, has anyone had this issue come up when the tech showed up to do the install? Any information would be helpful.

Thank you!

May I take it the utilities attach to the house near an access to the attic? I am assuming your home has the utilities coming to you home by aerial cables? Or do your utilities come in underground? That sometimes can affect what can and cannot be done, or can and cannot be done easily (or cheaply).

For NHBB they may follow the electrical feed into your home since there is already relatively easy access and then run the fiber from there to wherever the Optical Network Terminal will be installed. I can't speak for how Fidium will do things.

[jeffk]

Fidium ran the fiber line from the outside box (fed by underground wires), through my basement, up through the floor, to the optical termination point in a bedroom (that's where my router is). They do NOT "fish" through walls.

My bet is that they don't go through attics either.
Why? My guess is time and cost. Stringing line in a basement and going up through the floor is quick and easy.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by jeffk

Fidium ran the fiber line from the outside box (fed by underground wires), through my basement, up through the floor, to the optical termination point in a bedroom (that's where my router is). They do NOT "fish" through walls.

My bet is that they don't go through attics either.
Why? My guess is time and cost. Stringing line in a basement and going up through the floor is quick and easy.

Even when they were 'just' Verizon, Fairpoint, or Consolidated and running twisted pairs for phone service they weren't likely to go through attics for the reason you cited. It's one thing if they were installing in a house under construction because then it was easy, or the electricians would string the wire and the telephone installers would then make the "punch down" connections when they finally installed phone service. Today, how many people are still using POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines?

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by jeffk

Fidium ran the fiber line from the outside box (fed by underground wires), through my basement, up through the floor, to the optical termination point in a bedroom (that's where my router is). They do NOT "fish" through walls.

My bet is that they don't go through attics either.
Why? My guess is time and cost. Stringing line in a basement and going up through the floor is quick and easy.

I had arranged an install time for Fidium, and when I came home they'd already run the wire from the street to their box they'd already mounted on my house...without confirming what the job would entail.

Their plan was to simply drill a hole through the side of my house into a finished basement wall and run an exposed wire to a nearby shelf where they'd place the router. If I wanted strong signal through the whole house, they would have had to run repeaters as they wouldn't fish the wire from the basement to the center of the room above where my main electronics center is.

Though I'd already had the chase prepared to get their wire from my attic straight down an already-opened wall cavity to the main electronics, they wouldn't have it.

I cancelled...and still have the Fidium box mounted to the side of my house. Awesome.

If looking into Fidium, I'd totally confirm what has to be done first.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

[BroadHopper]

In every case, most network providers will run the cable to an outside wall and install the modem. I advise my clients to install the PLNA box and connect the modem. In the center of the home, I install the wireless router and connect it to a PLNA box. This setup solves the problem.

I find this setup much more efficient than having a router on one end of the house and Wi-Fi extenders at the other end.

[Lakes Region Guy]

Please explain what PLNA box is and does. I'm not familiar with that term.

[BroadHopper]

Powerline network adapters are devices that extend your home network by using your home’s electrical wiring instead of an Ethernet cable. The adapters plug into your wall sockets and use Ethernet cables to connect to your router at one end and your device at the other. Powerline adapters are a great way to get a high-quality connection to distant parts of your house, which can also relieve stress on your Wi-Fi network.

[TomC]

Back in "the old days" when people listened to the "hi-fi" - a similar means was used to send audio all over the house.. it worked pretty well, except for bass tones since 60 Hz AC overlaps the audio spectrum. Low tones were intentionally rolled-off by device coupling the sound signal to the electrical wiring...

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

In every case, most network providers will run the cable to an outside wall and install the modem. I advise my clients to install the PLNA box and connect the modem. In the center of the home, I install the wireless router and connect it to a PLNA box. This setup solves the problem.

I find this setup much more efficient than having a router on one end of the house and Wi-Fi extenders at the other end.

I agree re: router & distant extender. I had that for years with nothing but issues. I finally got fed up with family members complaining that “ the internet is down” and replaced it with a mesh system that has a dedicated 6 gig backhaul. It required me to shut off the “wireless” signal from the Verizon router & extender but, it has been a year now without a complaint.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Powerline network adapters are devices that extend your home network by using your home’s electrical wiring instead of an Ethernet cable. The adapters plug into your wall sockets and use Ethernet cables to connect to your router at one end and your device at the other. Powerline adapters are a great way to get a high-quality connection to distant parts of your house, which can also relieve stress on your Wi-Fi network.

They are an adaptation of the old BPL (Broadband over Power Line) equipment that was tried by the electrical utilities to get into the Internet provider business years ago, but it had a number of problems when trying to provide service to neighborhoods. However, the technology worked quite well in individual homes since the wiring runs were quite short and the PLNA was born. The important thing is that it works and doesn't require running Ethernet cables in the home. It certainly shortens the install time.

[geordie]

Originally Posted by Weekend Pundit

Just for everyone's edification:
1. Fiber is future-proof as only the equipment at each end would need to be upgraded to handle ever increasing speeds and data capacity. (Note: In many cases all that's required for higher data speeds is 'throwing the switch' and not equipment replacement...until ever higher speed/capacity equipment comes online that may use different wavelengths than the existing ones being used.)

Most people have gigabit network hardware at best. So most people would have to replace everything to take advantage of speeds in excess of 1Gbps which are offered by Fidium and others. I use Fidium and could have gone for their faster service, but I'd have had to replace my wired infrastructure and the WiFi connected devices can't do that speed. Very few servers will give you gigabit speeds.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by geordie

Most people have gigabit network hardware at best. So most people would have to replace everything to take advantage of speeds in excess of 1Gbps which are offered by Fidium and others. I use Fidium and could have gone for their faster service, but I'd have had to replace my wired infrastructure and the WiFi connected devices can't do that speed. Very few servers will give you gigabit speeds.

Most folks won't even notice the difference in speeds without running a speed test. As we say in our engineering department, "All higher data speeds do for you after a certain point is allow you to wait just that much faster..."

[Descant]

I just talked to "Amy" with Huib66. She wanted to hook into our electricity short term while they are working on the island. In any event, they are converting everybody on the islands from RF to Fiber Optic. Price will be the same, automatic price reduction in the winter, etc. There is some info on their website but service on the islands is different from mainland and that doesn't appear readily on the website. Primary reason is to make service available to more customers since not all have line of site to an antenna. They have notes in their files for things like our neighbors getting their signal from us and not from the tower so they won't mess up and cut anybody off. Overall, she says, a better, faster signal esp. for things like video and ZOOM calls.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by Descant

I just talked to "Amy" with Hub66. She wanted to hook into our electricity short term while they are working on the island. In any event, they are converting everybody on the islands from RF to Fiber Optic. Price will be the same, automatic price reduction in the winter, etc. There is some info on their website but service on the islands is different from mainland and that doesn't appear readily on the website. Primary reason is to make service available to more customers since not all have line of site to an antenna.

Hub66 is installing service on Locke's Island and, as you mentioned, they will be using optical fiber to distribute the signal to all the homes on the island.