Qualities of a good DSL connection

[umairhp]

Hey guys...wat do u think wat should be the qualities of a good DSL connection. In my view, it should be fast and cheap. Wat do you think?

[DawnM]

Fast and cheap are always the best things to have! But you also want to ensure you've got a good quality connection, that you are using an ISP that is dependable (you're up more than your down!), and that they have a good tech support system. There's nothing worse than having a problem in the evening when the kids go to sleep and there's no one available to help you out!

[jnjcasper]

I agree. Fast and cheap are the way to go! But the comment about good tech support is key also. Without it, you will have many frustrations.

[DawnM]

Speaking of tech support ... I stumbled across a site that has employees post stories about customers (including those who work in IT) . I'm sure some of them are made up but wow! They're funny as hell.

Here's the link: www.notalwaysright.com

[elizabethjade]

^ lol that's great!
I agree about the fast and cheap statement. Unfortunately, mine is not particularly either right now.

[ongtimmat69]

Due to some lacking filter features in the Broadband Choice search, among other things, i thought i might post and see if anyone could offer any advice or deals on adsl plans that would suit me.
I'm coming from DART and was extremely happy with my $64/m 10G plan, but am now fleeing the sinking hotkey ship.
The qualities i'm looking for are...

512/128 or better speed (512 is heaps, but MORE isn't a bad thing )

approx. under $70/m

Reliability, the odd dropout here and there isn't a big deal. Wouldn't want more than a couple hours downtime a month without a very good reason. Preferably the downtime would happen during 9-6 etc. when i'm not using it :P If you're as good as DART (was) or better i'd be happy. I don't like it when speed is inconsistent either, but having a couple hours of speed problems a month once again is no big deal, as long as it's not consistently slow. If i want 256k speeds i'd be on a 256k plan

Latency, i'm a gamer, i want low pings. I tend to play mostly optus and GA natural selection, among others. If i can get under 60ms to those servers on average i would be a very happy ... camper :P I was usually getting around 40-50 with DART.

NO excess usage charges. After some bad experiences with Bigpond cable, back in the day, i just don't want that potential baggage hanging over my head.

Downloads, i tend to average between 10-25G (my last 2 months have been about spot on 21). I'm looking for something in the range of 15-20G/m before any shaping kicks in.

Shaping...one of the major reasons i went with DART was they only shaped you to 128/128 after your cap. You can still play games very well at these rates! However, i have been unable to find any other providers with shaping this reasonable, some are 72k, and most are under 64. It's very depressing that no other ISP's offer a reasonable shape for gamers. I would be willing to pay an few extra bucks a month for a 128/128 shape.

No long contracts! 6 Months is to long! I can fully understand it for new users, but for users who are churning it seems cruel. I am quite a loyal customer, but don't like locking myself into something before i have a chance to try it and make sure it is right. I would be willing to go into a 6 month contract (no more) if i knew absolutely the provider was 100% solid on all the things i've mentioned above...and weren't about to get bought by hotkey :P

Also, preferably no port blocking or anything. It worries me that if they do it for some ports they may stray toward blocking others...That said, blocking the standard ports (<1024) doesn't bother me as i don't intend to run any servers that use those ports, it is more blocking standard bittorrent etc. ports that would worry me (I want to get my anime with no hassles please!).

Anyway, that's what i'm looking for if anyone bothered to read that far
Below are listed the ISP's i've found that somewhat fit the description, perhaps some people can comment on them with regards to their latencies, and reliability etc.
The biggest things i've found missing with most of these plans is the too slow shaping, or contract worries.

TPG 1.5Mb Value Unlimited $50 - 1.5 is tempting, price is tempting, but worries about their service, particularly for gaming, their 64k shape, and 6 month contract
Although i would probably rarely break the 20G cap, and it would only be in the last week of the cycle, the 64k shape still really bothers me. I have in the past consistently heard "Don't choose TPG if you play games"

Pacific Internet Express Offpeak 512 $55 - No quota/shape = Yay! the 128k shape during 8-6 weekdays doesn't bother me at all, i'm never home to use it at those times, except public holidays, and 128/128 is A-OK for gaming! However, 6 month contract, and i worry about blocked ports...I wonder what their pings to GA are like.

Eftel Freedom 512 $70 - Unlimited, No shape = Yay! They seem pretty good on the surface. What is their latencies/reliability like?

Westnet 512 $60 - 14G on + 14G off quota, and then evil, evil shaping to 72 and then 33k. I've heard mostly good things about Westnet, especially relating to gaming. I'd be quite willing to pay an extra $5 for the 128 shape, although it would almost be worth the extra $10 and get the 20G/20G quota...i doubt i'd ever manage to go over that! It would still bug me though

[eyezgl]

As of right now I'm using my beautiful WIFI, I did have earthli*k, but had some issues with them, I'm working from home and I love it. Me and my hubby just got our new home and I assume somewhere or some place near has a great router, because my connection is always Very Good. With that, do you guys think I should buy DSL anyway as a back up?

[Jake]

ok... how does that work? WIFI normally connects to a router (eg. yours). so are you paying for this wifi?

[Elrond Winfried]

You need a DSL router to replace the DSL modems. One router with two (or more) Ethernet ports, an Ethernet network card in each computer. Then you can run a cable from each computer to the router and they'll have equal access to your internet connection! It's also more reliable and secure than WiFi.