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Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast Broadband

by scott on 2006-12-14 11:18:59
Tags: comcast ISP verizon fios

I'm a long-time Comcast Broaband user and am going to try switching over to Verizon FiOS. They just ran the fiber optics down my street. I've been waiting for this.

Comcast offers a 6 Mbps download and 384 Kbps upload speeds as their base offering and for $10/mo more, you can get 8 Mbps / 768Kbps.

Verizon Fios offers the following three packages:

  • 5 Mbps/2 Mbps
  • 15 Mbps/2 Mbps
  • 30 Mbps/5 Mbps

I'll be getting the middle one, which is about the same price as the lower-bandwidth Comcast.

15MBps will be really nice, but it's the upload speeds that have been bothering me with Comcast. As a web developer, I do a lot of uploading, moving files around, etc. I do think that as personal video publishing becomes more and more popular (YouTube, etc.), Comcast is going to need to open that up.

I'll actually have them both installed here until I cancel Comcast. It'll be interesting to compare them side-by-side. I'll report back. in the meantime, check out Verizon Fios offers here.


Comments

by Paul on 2006-12-29 20:10:54 owner edit

Let me know how it tangles out. I am curious about switching myself....

by Paul (profile) on 2007-04-15 20:37:06

Hey Scott...
How did you ever make out with the comparison?? I'm looking to make the change from Comcast to Verizon...

Thanks

by scott (profile) on 2007-08-23 09:47:51

Wow, time flies! Sorry I haven't posted an update.

As it turns out, I still have both Verizon and Comcast installed here. The problem was that vonage was having a tough time with the verizon router so I just left the comcast stuff running for that.

Otherwise, I'm using Verizon FiOS for internet and it's great.

I do need to try the vonage again on Verizon and get the comcast turned off.

by esnelson (profile) on 2007-09-06 23:52:19

Comparing speeds - from speakeasy.net/speed test, going from Virginia to the Atlanta server:

Provider Download Speed Upload Speed
Comcast At Home 15 Mkps 450 kps
Comcast WorkPlace 4.4 Mkps 1.5 Mkps
Verizon DSL 2.7 Mkps 97 kps
Verizon FiOS– resid 6 Mkps 1.2 Mkps


So, if one’s goal is to download multimedia, Comcast at Home wins hands down. However, if the goal is to have a good upload speed for VoIP or a VPN, then Comcast Workplace and Verizon FiOS are better options. DSL this far from a Verizon switch is a poor choice, indeed.

by jimgoings (profile) on 2008-03-24 21:01:32

Keep in mind that Comcast cheats like crazy on speedtest sites. They offer good speeds for the first few seconds of any download which skews tests in their favor. Sustained speeds are where the real comparison should be made. Check out my review for more information and proof of what I'm talking about: http://www.jimgoings.com/2008/03/fios-vs-comcast-real-world-comparison.html

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