Submitted by Runetang42 t3_11dfm05 in vermont

We got Consolidated Communications for our internet and I just got a call from them saying we're eligible for Fidium now, and that it's better and cheaper. Took a quick look and it doesn't seem like a bad deal but I thought I'd ask if anyone here has it. How is it? I've heard Fiber is generally better but I wanna make an informed decision before fucking with my internet

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seanner_vt2 t1_ja8bhww wrote

I've had a couple of hiccups but otherwise its been great! No outages, no throttling and no big bill as compared to Spectrum.

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_ja8erii wrote

Does Xfinity throttle usage? Sure seems like it this month.

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seanner_vt2 t1_ja8hw15 wrote

Yes they do, esp if you are a gamer or streamer and don't want to pay out the nose for higher speeds

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_ja8isib wrote

Our connection speeds are literally 50% of what they were just a couple weeks ago. Connected and wifi. Going to track speeds for a while to see if I can find a pattern in the throttling.

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seanner_vt2 t1_ja8rwsn wrote

If you still see it happening, if 'could' be the line coming in. Depending on how old it is, the bitter cold we had could crack the casing and that would affect speeds. But that is not a 100% guarantee of the issue. I would watch times/days when its happening. If there is a pattern then file a complaint with them.

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Runetang42 OP t1_ja8dk8w wrote

yea the common thing i'm seeing is what your switching from. The big problem with us is that my parents still have a landline and I talked to them just now and they said that they'd have to no longer bundle the internet and phone together so they wouldn't really be saving money. If it were just me it'd be a no brainer since I have verizon on my mobile with wifi calling.

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seanner_vt2 t1_ja8i2u1 wrote

How much is a landline now? And is it still copper? If it's not, is it worth having?

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anniedee82 t1_ja91ehi wrote

My landline is $72 per month. We are getting rid of it. We have 5g at my house now. There is no need for a landline.

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IndigoHG t1_ja9lka8 wrote

No need for a landline UNTIL YOU LOSE POWER...

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_jaas591 wrote

Cell phones still works pretty well when the power is out,

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flambeaway t1_jacmc0a wrote

Also my fiber works fine without power. Got a generator and a UPS on the modem.

I'd imagine trying to get through to GMP on the phone during a major outage would be a nightmare. I just let them know on the website.

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_jad8rof wrote

They always seem to know when I lose power. I assume the smart meters let them know.

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flambeaway t1_jadqdbb wrote

It's inconsistent for me. Sometimes they already know, sometimes they don't.

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Runetang42 OP t1_ja8ksr7 wrote

I'm not sure but I'm not the one paying for it since I'm paying for my mobile. The phone's generally work as does our internet. It's hard to compare though since Spectrum is infamously awful and I dunno how big an improvement i'd have.

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swaggity_swiggity t1_ja9enhj wrote

You can buy a device called an Ooma Telo ($80) and move landline service to it. It'll connect to your Fidium internet and your existing home handset, you can even move the same number over. Then all you have to pay is taxes for the phone line, which are less than $10 per month.

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pijpnord t1_ja8pw0l wrote

It’s supposed to be great according to one of their installers/techs. Symmetrical up/down.

Tbf, any upgrade from consolidated’s 7mb down, 1up dsl trash is going to feel like a Ferrari.

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Otto-Korrect t1_ja8y9xp wrote

It gives me my daily serving of fiber. I've been very regular since switching to it.

Unlike some suplements, it isn't all just optics.

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codyhallywood t1_ja8xqcu wrote

Wife and I had comcast (never ever again) and switched to Fidium. No outages, super fast, pretty cheap.... downside was having to have a guy come and do the install instead of just plugging into an existing line, but the guy was super chill and I loved talking with him.

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gownuts t1_ja8k275 wrote

I hopped on the install as soon as it was available to me last July and everything since has been great. A couple of blips outside of power outages, 5-10 minutes each, no action required and I don’t even notice half of them (observe through the app).

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1DollarOr1Million t1_ja8w25e wrote

I would love to have the option. Even if the down speeds were the same as I get now and for the same price, having it be symmetrical and fiber would still make it worth it. But that said it will be cheaper and faster than Comcast’s bullshit.

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FunkyOldMayo t1_jaag5ox wrote

I made the switch to Fidium last fall, absolutely love it.

Haven’t had a single issue and it’s cheaper than xfinity.

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mijaschi t1_jab9wsj wrote

keeping an eye on this. got a flyer on my door saying it was coming, with the prices. almost half what i pay for xfinity.

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Planague t1_jacb8d7 wrote

It's not as fast for me as they advertised, but faster than the DSL I had with Consolidated before, and much faster than Xfinity was for me when I tried it. That was a huge disappointment, it was actually slower than my DSL...

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KristoforC t1_jacehwx wrote

I started on fidium in fall. I haven't had any issues and totally happy with the speeds. I work from home everyday doing data. No problems at all. Internet hasn't even dropped once

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_ja8d8js wrote

Not sure but here are some real life Consolidated, Starlink, and XFinity stats for comparison.

https://imgur.com/a/r7HqAQP

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BudsKind802 t1_ja8f1vt wrote

I've been digging in to Fidium since my town is supposedly next on the list. I'm not sure the context of the Consolidated numbers provided here. Is that using their 50 Mbps plan? The 2 Gbps?

Reading /r/FidiumFiber, it looks like while some are able to get full 1Gpbs speeds, there are some equipment issues or congestion issues that could lead to slower speeds.

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Aperron t1_ja8kg0b wrote

The CCI test you attached is very unlikely to be Fidium, as even their lowest speed 50mbps plan is fully symmetrical and will nearly 100% of the time test at the fully 50/50. That has to be their DSL offering, and in a particularly lucky location to be getting such a decent speed over copper in VT.

Once you get to the gig sometimes it’ll show as 900/800 or some minor variation on a computer wired to their CPE. On wifi all bets are off.

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