Tag Archive for: Sympatico

Total Internet Performance

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The Internet is just not happening with Kingston Online Services. They told me to expect 4 – 7 Mbps and I am achieving somewhere in the range of 300 – 400 kbps. That level of performance is just way too S-L-O-W.

So what to do? We live in the country and Bell’s WiFi service is rated at 2 Mbps. However, after almost a week of raising concerns with Kingston Online Services and getting no action, I decided to relook at Bell’s WiFi.

As I brought up Bell’s Internet page, which took several minutes to load, I noticed that there was a dialog box on the page where you can enter your telephone number to determine service availability. And so I punched our number in and up came this page.

Can’t be.

High-speed DSL? Right to our country estate?

I called Bell right away. And yes, our area supports high-speed DSL over the phone.

In denial: “I just moved and when I spoke with you a few weeks back you told me that there was no high-speed Internet service in our area. Are you sure that we have DSL?”

Bell sales desk: “Yes sir. We just recently upgraded the lines. Your phone supports high-speed Internet.”

The price is cheaper than Kingston Online Services. The bandwidth cap is much higher. And the speed. Well, let’s just say that accessing the Internet on dial-up speed is so old.

Thank heavens I wasn’t on a long-term contract with KOS.

I get my modem from Bell on Monday.

Still Online

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When I called to cancel my sympatico service, I had to choose the next effective billing date which was August 18th. Yesterday. Close enough as the move was scheduled to begin the same day.

Good news, particularly for my Twitter addicted daughter, is that we still have Internet access even though it was supposed to have shut down yesterday.

Pretty much every room in the house is now packed with the exception of our kitchen. It seems like a very strange environment right now. All the staircases are bound in furniture pads. All the hallways have red runners on them. And the movers have started to load the truck.

This house is no longer our home.

Email Change of Address

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4 weeks before we move. I am paralyzed with fear. My personal email address of the past 10 years has to go. Hundreds of email addresses on file with hundreds of sites must be changed.

Why not keep the original email address? Because it is Sympatico.

The country estate has no ADSL high speed service for Sympatico. The only offer from Bell is a 2meg wireless service with a 10gig monthly cap. 45 dollars a month and a dollar fifty for every gig above 10 to a maximum of 30 dollars.

I signed up with a different wireless provider. 7meg downstream and 20gig a month for 44 dollars.

I should have stuck with my own domain email. Which, if you are someone who corresponds with me through the blog, matters not. The email link at the bottom will continue to work just fine.