DSL Extreme is a California-based provider of high speed Internet access for residential customers and businesses offering DSL, ADSL2+, Ethernet, and business T1 connectivity at lower prices. If you research the company on the Internet you will find a host of mixed reviews on this type of high speed Internet service.
Our plan in this post is to provide you with as many facts as possible about DSL Extreme to offer an unbiased review. Hopefully this information will give you the facts you need to know to begin making an informed decision on whether or not to use the DSL Extreme service.
DSL Extreme Plans
In addition to offering high speed Internet, DSL Extreme also offers website hosting, domain registration, and accelerated dial-up access services. That said the high speed Internet services are offered in two different types of plans to accommodate residential and business customers.
Residential High Speed Internet Access
The residential plan which is offered by DSL Extreme offers high speed DSL with data transfer speeds up to 15Mbps (megabits per second), technical support around the clock 24/7, and a free lease on a modem with a self-installation program. There are also no limitations on bandwidth usage and up to 70GB of email storage.
DSL Extreme offers four plans for residential customers which include the Basic, Basic+, Faster, and Fastest with monthly rates starting at $14.95 and ranging up to $19.95. The Basic plan offers download speeds of 768Kbps (kilobits per second) and upload speeds of 384Kbps under a one year contract.
The Basic Plus plan has a slightly faster download speed at 1.4Mbps with the same upload speed as the Basic plan under a one year contract. The Faster plan offers a download data transfer speed of 3.0Mbps with upload speeds running at 512Kbps under a one year contract. The Fastest plan is $19.95 per month and offers a download speed of 6.0Mbps and upload speed of 768Kbps under a one year contract.
The interesting part about these plans is the first three which include the Basic, Basic Plus, and Faster are all offered at $14.95 per month with varied download and upload speeds. All three plans also offer five dynamic IPs and a one year contract and have tech support around the clock 24/7. The Fastest plan offered at $19.95 has significantly faster upload and download speeds which is ideal for streaming multimedia. This plan also has five dynamic IPs and a one year contract with tech support around the clock 24/7.
Business High Speed Internet Access
DSL Extreme offers business plans that start at $295.00 per month with data transfer speeds up to 100Mbps and professional installation. Tech support is offered around the clock 24/7 for all plans with up to 70GB of email and access to a dedicated business specialist. The high speed Internet connection is achieved via Ethernet and T1 lines which offer the capacity to handle a staff of up to 200 people.
There are basically two plans offered with the choice of a business T1 connection with a data transfer rate of up to 6.0Mbps and a business Ethernet connection that offers speeds up to 100Mbps. There is also a price variance starting at $295.00 per month ranging up to $329.00 per month for the Ethernet connection. Additional packages are offered under both types of connections to reach a wide range of business requirements.
The Business T1 package has bonded services to achieve faster speeds, flexible IP addresses with different plans that vary in terms of download and upload speeds and bandwidth usage. The Business Ethernet package offers a virtual private network for secure networking, point-to-point or multi-point functionality, and end-to-end network monitoring services. Similar to the Business T1 package, the variety of plans that are offered under the Business Ethernet package vary according to download and upload speeds and bandwidth usage.
What Other’s Say
If you read some of the reviews online you will find pluses and minuses to using the DSL Extreme service. A common disadvantage of using the DSL Extreme service appears to be the fact that they obtain their bandwidth from a third party service provider which means they do not have control over an ever changing market. Additionally, customers have noted that when they experience problems getting their Internet access connected they are referred to the third party service provider for solutions.
Other customers have reported a seamless and hassle-free billing service and a reliable connection that has practically zero downtime. These clients also reported courteous customer service and on-the-spot tech support.
You Decide
Although we can provide you with a basic overview to help you get started with your decision about DSL Extreme, it is worth the investment of your time to do some research online to learn more about DSL Extreme if you are seriously thinking about using this company for high speed Internet access. The reviews vary to either extreme and are quite broad so it is important to visit a lot of different sites to get an idea of the big picture. Many of the negative reviews appear to be biased while others seem fair and unbiased however; you should spend some time reading customer feedback to make the best decision that will meet your high speed Internet connectivity needs.
I am going to small claims court for an unauthorized startup on an account. I am so desolate, DSLEXTREME cannot provide me service without a dry loop. Verizon never installed it after 2 failed service calls and dslextreme, who was suppose to wait for my call to start service, started the service without authorization and racked up $400 in charges, late fees and penalties. Also, their call center is in the Philippines which in itself is a big mess. I will be filing small claims paperwork on Monday. I have emails that prove my situation.
I’ve been having trouble since they got bought out almost a year ago with dropped internet service, slow service, and a lot of wait time — but this week it reached critical mass. When speed tests revealed that I was consistently receiving speeds in the low 300 kbs range, I called “tech” support (they may be in the Philippines, but their use of English when they’re trying to sell you on spending more when you’re not getting what you already pay for is better than that of most Americans, and when they’re just being mouthy, they use bigger words than most Oxford dons at high tea).
The full report of my troubles is at dslreports dot com slash comment slash 1434 slash 83521 under this same user name, but the jist of this comment is that I have now been told that all plans come with an expectation of 20% loss of speed on what is reported in this review, and that half the speeds reported in this review are “quite acceptable”.
This is after “tech” support hung up on me twice when I demanded to speak to a supervisor, their liveChat (or whatever they call it) went unanswered for more than an hour-and-a-half (until I closed the window), I received no timely response to my e-mail, and, when I complained publicly at the website mentioned above, was maligned, libeled, had private information revealed publicly by the GM for my state, and then had him cut off my service when I told him it wasn’t acceptable to do so.
In other words, I’m sorry, but your review sounds more like you read a glossy brochure than like you talked to actual clients, many of whom, like my cohort above, are starting to talk lawsuit.
I’ve never had any issues with them on the east coast, except for the fact that they do not offer good high speeds in my area ( Only 1.5Mbps / 448Kbps ).
That whole thing about not being close enough to distribution stations, etc…really is something that companies like this should be working to improve, especially considering the fact that the market for lower cost high-speed internet is in such demand right now. People are cutting their cable cords for a very good reason——-because the Big Cable Guys have been price-gouging their services for years.
The technology already exists to improve this particular problem with DSL and now that the FCC is finally putting the smack-down on corporate monstrosities like Comcast and Verizon, things just might improve in this regard.