$19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)

[DaMadMonk]

http://www.acanac.ca/DSL.html

100 Gigs of Online Storage
12 month contract that you pay up front <$228 for the year
30 day money back policy if you don't like their services
<$34 (taxes in) a month after the one year deal is done
Unlimited downloads, No Capping :)


Don't know the expiry on this deal (NOTE: Looks like it ends January 31). So hurry up and get it. Worst case utilize their 30 day money back policy. Promo only available in Ontario and Quebec.


Here's a review of their services (79% approval rating);
http://www.dslreports.com/comments/2744

Thanks.

BTW, I've had Acanac since Sunday and have had no disconnections and a smooth 5mb service so far. I was with TekSavvy prior and would disconnect at least once a day. We have 3 computers, 2 of them were running WoW without lagging and the other one ran smoothly as well. Best Internet I've ever had.

[ipxxx]

http://acanac.ca/google-promo.htm?gclid=CM71oPiEvZcCFQVfFQodjW7kSg

100 Gigs of Online Storage
12 month contract that you pay up front <$228 for the year
30 day money back policy if you don't like their services
<$34 (taxes in) a month after the one year deal is done
Unlimited downloads, No Capping :)


Don't know the expiry on this deal. So hurry up and get it. Worst case utilize their 30 day money back policy.


Here's a review of their services (82% approval rating);
http://www.dslreports.com/comments/2744


:cheesygriPlease ********************************:cheesygri

Thanks.

BTW, I've had Acanac since Sunday and have had no disconnections and a smooth 5mb service so far. I was with TekSavvy prior and would disconnect at least once a day. We have 3 computers, 2 of them were running WoW without lagging and the other one ran smoothly as well. Best Internet I've ever had.

Throttled?

I have had Teksavvy for a few months now and have had 0 disconnects (so far) as far as I am aware....

[DaMadMonk]

Throttled?

I have had Teksavvy for a few months now and have had 0 disconnects (so far) as far as I am aware....

As far I understand it, everybody is throttled (TekSavvy included). Mother Bell owns the lines and they rent them to the smaller ISP's. Bell throttles everything, (their services and the smaller ISP's).

From their site;

Absolutely no ports are blocked
http://acanac.ca/more-info.htm

I've had Teksavvy for a few years, but this deal was too good of a deal to pass by. I was paying around $42 a month for what I'm getting now for $19. Tough to say no to that with a 30 day money back policy. Worst off, I can always go back to Teksavvy.

[feroxide]

Good luck with that...
Free internet service for life is a hot deal.

[DaMadMonk]

There is also some real geeky stuff about an online Pc and a backdoor way to stop throttling.

I have to look into it, but here is a blurb from somebody who has done it.

And also, the most important part, is the FREE ONLINE PC. It's basically a CentOS 5 online system, just like VPS, but without root access. You have to contact support to activate this, but once you do, it's amazing. I have not used it frequently, but I did do a speedtest from the online pc, and got an unbelievable 40M/10M connection!

* »gr310.ifrance.com/ISP/OnlinePC.JPG

But the most interesting part with the online PC is the SSH Tunnel. My BitTorrent speeds has gone from 30KBps to more than 540 KBps with the tunnel! I am blessed. They even tell you how to do it: »acanac.ca/SSH-Tunnel-U.htm

The SSH works perfectly, excepts that the server sometimes reset the connection. I recommend using Bitvise Tunnelier instead of PuTTY, because of the automatic reconnect feature.


Review by core2extreme
http://www.dslreports.com/comments/2744

[fredsmith]

:cheesygriPlease *************************************:cheesygri

So, that's a deal no one here has ever read about - NOT. Heck, they even sponsor a couple of threads and advertise on the site!!

And, soliciting for referrals is a real big NO-NO on this board, don't ask how I know . . . let's see . . . that's because I solicited for Acanac referrals and was actually banned temporarily for having done it. So I'm still short a few myself.

[troyousity]

Good luck with that...
Free internet service for life is a hot deal.

???.....
Please share how you are getting free internet for life.

[EAMAY]

noob here.....
Whats throttling?

[the_fm]

enjoy your ban?

[fredsmith]

noob here.....
Whats throttling?

Throttling is the practice of restricting throughput. Bell Canada (among others) does this on their front end for part of each day with torrent traffic.

Acanac, among others uses Bell's distribution network to get data to their facilty - those people using torrent clients see their download rates plummet during evenings and weekends.

Acanac offer a couple of solutions - one is to use their virtual PC and another is to establish a tunnel for your traffic - In the case of the tunnel Bell doesn't see the data as Torrent downloads and doesn't throttle it.

[fredsmith]

From their site;

Quote:
Absolutely no ports are blocked

That's not quite true - outbound port 25 is blocked to prevent spam bots from easily bypassing the local relay.

[DealGiver]

30 day guarantee, but im sure they'd charge you upfront w/o waiting for 30 days..... is the speed comparable to rogers express internet?

I'm on VOIP (vonage) so i think i can't use DSL/ADSL only cable

[DaMadMonk]

30 day guarantee, but im sure they'd charge you upfront w/o waiting for 30 days..... is the speed comparable to rogers express internet?

I'm on VOIP (vonage) so i think i can't use DSL/ADSL only cable

Haven't had Rogers Express for speed...

I don't have Rogers as they have a 30 gig downloading cap per month (as far as I know).

Don't know about the Guarantee as I haven't used it.

Don't sure about you not using dsl either, you would have to contact the ISP about it. I think you would be charged an extra $10 for connecting ($29 a month is still a decent deal).

[DaMadMonk]

So, that's a deal no one here has ever read about - NOT. Heck, they even sponsor a couple of threads and advertise on the site!!

And, soliciting for referrals is a real big NO-NO on this board, don't ask how I know . . . let's see . . . that's because I solicited for Acanac referrals and was actually banned temporarily for having done it. So I'm still short a few myself.

It's the first time I've posted a deal. Didn't know about it. If the powers that be think its an infraction worthy of a ban I have no issues with that.

RFD has given me much more then I've ever put into it. If I want some play, I got to play by the rules right?

[Mirx]

I'll vouch for Acanac, I had them for 10 months (I moved out of On/Qc before my year was up), and it was SEAMLESS from the switch over from Bell DSL. No cap, I had no issues with them, service was good.

[night_sky]

Their services are alright, and the $19/mo look pretty sweet. Howveer, you must pay one year's worth of service up front.

That's not the real kicker for the buyer beware alert: this pricing only lasts a year. Not only that, they automatically renew your service for additional year, and then tell you only after they have charged your credit card and everything, giving you no chance to opt out. Now I have to pay $42/mo, including the dry loop DSL fee. That's a really shady business practice, and I don't suggest you do business with them - I'm curently considering reporting them to an customer protection agency.

In their invoice they write: "No client is forced stay after the promo ends. We hope during the first year of service we have proved ourselves worthy of your business." However, this e-mail is dated December 25, while they charged my credit card December 24 for an extra year of service, and when I replied to their e-mail they wrote:

Hi,

As I checked, your account had been renewed on 2008-12-24 while we received your cancellation request 2008-12-29. (ed: this is false)
According to our user-agreement: (http://acanac.ca/User-Agreement.html):
”All credit cards are billed automatically on there renewal dates. If you do not want to renew your account, please cancel the account ON or BEFORE the renewal date..."
we can not terminate accounts after renewal date.


Best Regards,
Acanac Inc.

Also, I must mention that its crappy DSL modem/wireless router combo crashes twice every day, and the connection itself has gone down several times this year. Beware, and get what you pay for.

[troyousity]

Been using their services for over 2 years now. Its true they automatically renew your contract to another year unless you notify them you are going to discontinue the service. After one year their price is with tax and everything $32. Which is still decent. In the 2 and a half year, I have experienced service interruption just once which took about a week to fix. After that its been pretty good. They also offer solution to bypass bell throttling and that works great with unlimited bandwidth.

There you go....try it for a year and before your contract ends notify them you will discontinue.

[fredsmith]

30 day guarantee, but im sure they'd charge you upfront w/o waiting for 30 days..... is the speed comparable to rogers express internet?

I'm on VOIP (vonage) so i think i can't use DSL/ADSL only cable
You can use ANY high speed connection - DSL (as long as your connect rate is reasonable), Cable or wireless.

If you don't have a hardline you can get a dry DSL - which is a phone line without a dial tone - costs $8/month, though

[fredsmith]

I should mention that I've been with Acanac for almost three years. Yes, they do renew your account automatically unless you tell them IN ADVANCE. Then again, if you bothered to read the terms and conditions you'd realise that

Sending them an e-mail on Christmas eve or Christmas day is not reasonable, since almost every administration office is closed for the holidays. Also, realise that it isn;t when you send the message that counts, it is when they receive it . . . you chose the notification method and you get to suffer the consequences of delay.

They also clearly tell you that they charge a year in advance - then again, it is less than $240, tax included in that first year, which can be less than you'll pay some other ISPs just to get started.

Indeed, their DSL modem may not be the best - then again it is FREE. Want a better one? Go out and buy one outright. That's what I did.

Note that they charge up front, but if you cancel within the 30 days they will refund you every penny you paid. If they didn't charge up front, then lots of people would subscribe to the service and simply refuse to pay - this way they don't have to deal with deadbeat subscribers, which allows them to reduce their cost of operations..

Want a better deal still? Subscribe to their 20 Meg service for $25/month tax included for the first year!!!

[sf1]

I emailed them 2 months ahead of time and cancellation was no problem,
they did offered me $25 for the 2nd year, for 2 years term
but for that price, I'd rather join Teksavvy without contract.

BTW this deal is only good and hot for first time customer, $19 a month 1 year contract for 5M service is great, the only time I had disconnect and speed problems with Acanac was when they were giving out free trials.... and it was posted on RFD to make things even more out of control. After that, it was rock solid so I hope they don't give anymore free trials to make the customers who paid for service suffer.

[jshebib]

i've been with them for almost 2 years, going to switch at the end of the current 1 year term with them. they are ok if you're looking for basic service without any support.

[fredsmith]

they did offered me $25 for the 2nd year, for 2 years term but for that price, I'd rather join Teksavvy without contract.
I checked out Teksavvy before renewing with Acanac - their unlimited rate is $39.95 plus taxes ($29.95 plus taxes for the capped service - $33.80 tax included). So their capped service costs about the same as Acanac's unlmited second year rate. And Acanac offers their virtual PC, online storage and many, many mailboxes for your money - not to mention their smoking $10/month VOIP service.

Also, Acanac don't offer everyone the 2 year-$25/month deal, which is smoking hot, by the way, especially since it is tax included. It is sort of a 'retention plan'.

[sf1]

I checked out Teksavvy before renewing with Acanac - their unlimited rate is $39.95 plus taxes ($29.95 plus taxes for the capped service - $33.80 tax included). So their capped service costs about the same as Acanac's unlmited second year rate. And Acanac offers their virtual PC, online storage and many, many mailboxes for your money - not to mention their smoking $10/month VOIP service.

Also, Acanac don't offer everyone the 2 year-$25/month deal, which is smoking hot, by the way, especially since it is tax included. It is sort of a 'retention plan'.

teksavvy 200G/mo "capped" is more than enough for me, actually thats like unlimited for me already.
2 years contract was the deal breaker for me,
I don't need those virtual PC fancy stuffs as I don't download a lot. And I have landline, if I go with VOIP that means I have to pay extra $10 for dry loop.

I believe most ppl joined teksavvy for their customer service anyway. All DSL services are almost the same quality speed since they are from Bell.

[Kero_1116]

I should mention that I've been with Acanac for almost three years. Yes, they do renew your account automatically unless you tell them IN ADVANCE. Then again, if you bothered to read the terms and conditions you'd realise that

Sending them an e-mail on Christmas eve or Christmas day is not reasonable, since almost every administration office is closed for the holidays. Also, realise that it isn;t when you send the message that counts, it is when they receive it . . . you chose the notification method and you get to suffer the consequences of delay.

They also clearly tell you that they charge a year in advance - then again, it is less than $240, tax included in that first year, which can be less than you'll pay some other ISPs just to get started.

Indeed, their DSL modem may not be the best - then again it is FREE. Want a better one? Go out and buy one outright. That's what I did.

Note that they charge up front, but if you cancel within the 30 days they will refund you every penny you paid. If they didn't charge up front, then lots of people would subscribe to the service and simply refuse to pay - this way they don't have to deal with deadbeat subscribers, which allows them to reduce their cost of operations..

Want a better deal still? Subscribe to their 20 Meg service for $25/month tax included for the first year!!!
Where is the 20 Meg service?

I can't seem to find the link. It seems like a good deal!

[kleptodathief]

anyone in scarboro on this deal? i wanna c a speedtest thanx! also BT is good to go?

[Delroy666]

As far I understand it, everybody is throttled (TekSavvy included). Mother Bell owns the lines and they rent them to the smaller ISP's. Bell throttles everything, (their services and the smaller ISP's).


Anyone know for sure if Acanac supports MLPPP? If so, you can use the Tomato MLPPP firmware in a router that supports it (e.g. WRT54GL) to bypass Bell's throttling (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=594003). I've been doing it with my Teksavvy connection for a while and it works great. If Acanac also supports it, I'm halfway tempted to switch.

[oakville]

"All DSL services are almost the same quality speed since they are from Bell."

i thought only the "last mile" is from Bell, then each ISP have their own solution to provide rest of the connection to internet.

I am with teksavvy, as you said, for customer service.

[OMV]

Anyone know for sure if Acanac supports MLPPP? If so, you can use the Tomato MLPPP firmware in a router that supports it (e.g. WRT54GL) to bypass Bell's throttling (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=594003). I've been doing it with my Teksavvy connection for a while and it works great. If Acanac also supports it, I'm halfway tempted to switch.

Acanac unoffcially supports MLPPP on some of their gateways. You have to force Tomato to connect only to MLPPP servers, or it will sometimes connect to one that is MLPPP enabled and sometimes to one that isn't.

I was an Acanac customer for almost 2 years and was very satisfied with the service.

[lillilland]

I'm currently on the $19/month Acanac year 1 deal... if I cancel and don't renew, can someone else in my household sign-up for the deal? (ie. is it once a person or once per household?)

[ephemera]

seems like a good deal. Do you have to get their modem or can you use your own? I just got a speedtouch 516.

When the year is up, do they force a new one year contract upon you or is it then month by month?

[bikerider97]

Acanac did charge me 50$ for the modem when I took a year with them. Funny I was looking on their web site and they say that they do not have to buy back your modem. I have not called them yet about this. Will be finishing this month and I leaving them for teksavvy. Looking for support at night and waiting almost 1hr, listening to the voice saying: you are caller 15 please stay on the line to retain your priority. Pretty bad service. Sorry not for me. Will be joining a group at teksavvy and will get the group price.

[AFG34]

I have been with acanac for 4 months and for that much money, its definitely worth it!

be aware, their customer service is horrible.

[forrestsun]

I saw one of their banner says "for Ontario and Quebec" but can't find any fine print on their website. Can anyone confirm whether their service is good for Quebec resident? My cousin who lives in Montreal are currently charged a insanely $90 for using Bell DSL. Thanks!

[fredsmith]

seems like a good deal. Do you have to get their modem or can you use your own? I just got a speedtouch 516.

When the year is up, do they force a new one year contract upon you or is it then month by month?
It is up to you. If you do nothing, they will charge you for the next year at the standard rate. If you tell them in advance what you want to do they'll charge you accordingly - month-to-month is (obviously) the most expensive:

I just wandered to their web site and the renewal rates for regular DSL are as follows:

$39.95 - Month-to-Month
$37.95 - 3 Months
$35.95 - 6 Months
$33.95 - 12 Months
In addition, there's an unpublished $24.95 2 year rate

They have various rates, depending on the length of your term. Terms are prepaid. Interesting, all of their rates include taxes. There is a month-to-month, a 3 month, a 6 month and so on. but you can renew for a year and cancel at any time and they will refund the difference between the rate you would have paid for the period you were with them (i.e. for a single month) and what you gave them for the period you started out with.

And any 'standard' DSL modem will work . . . I use a Siemens 6520.

They provide service in Quebec and Ontario wherever Bell can provide DSL service.

As to support - it is DSL. It works, it is intermittent or it is down. I for one only need support to complain when the service is down or misbehaving. There is little that a Teksavvy technician can do that I can't figure out for myself - and I can't get my N95-4 to connect to Acanac's VOIP service - Nokia's supoprt simply is useless . . . IMO the best support is the research you do yourself.

As the OP mentioned, one of the interesting features they offer is that they credit one month of service for each referral you get and if you get 10 referrals for a service (DSL is a service, VOIP is a different service), your service from then on is free . . . but do not solicit referrals on this board.

The 20 Megabit DSL was advertised widely - interesting enough, now that I'm looking I don't see it on their web site and no advertising panels have popped up while I was looking just now, but they were everywhere when I wasn't . . . I know that Bell is doing some testing in Montreal ONLY and that the rollout has yet to begin, so maybe Acanac pulled their advertising because it was premature.

But there have been some developments in the DSL world, if you haven't been following;

Bell has petitioned the CRTC to allow it establish TRAFFIC CAPS ON ALL NEW DSL circuits and to bill for overage - existing customers with no limits will apparently remain the way they were as long as they don't change ISPs . . . The CRTC has apparently approved this, but appeals have been filed.

So it is being challenged, but don't hold your breath. I understand that this has prompted a number of ISPs to consider developing an alternative network to get around Bell's draconian rules and manipulation of the CRTC.

[feroxide]

???.....
Please share how you are getting free internet for life.

I was only pointing out the fact that the HOT DEAL will be for OP, provided that he whores enough referrals through this thread. I am paying for my service with Acanac, and have no problems with their service. Their tech support maybe lacking for some, but if my internet is working I don't have a need for support.
DaMadMonk, thanks for sharing the 'deal'.

[CatDog]

cant find any info on acanacs 20mbit service?

Anybody have anymore info?

[Inno]

I am about 8 months into my first year with Acanac and need to warn folks about what happened to me.

For years I had been getting a bit over 5 Megs of speed with Bell but when I switched to Acanac Bell downgraded my line so I can only get 600K. Acanac and I both complained to Bell but to no avail.

So I will not be renewing after my one-year commitment is up. I should have quit during my initial 30 day trial but was still optimistic that the speed problem could be fixed. Now I see that it is hopeless. I am sure that if I switch back to Bell I will get my 5 Megs back right away. So sleazy of them.

[junkmonk]

I'm looking to join a teksavvy group too within the next week./

I and one other are signed up with teksavvy and have been for the last 5 months. would be willing to sign up for a group with people that are reliable and will hold a steady service with teksavvy.

I've heard nothing but bad things about acanac. did a lot of resaerch before choosing teksavvy.

[ipxxx]

As far I understand it, everybody is throttled (TekSavvy included). Mother Bell owns the lines and they rent them to the smaller ISP's. Bell throttles everything, (their services and the smaller ISP's).

MLPPP is the key which Acanac, from the posts above, does not offer (at this time??) consistently across the board...Teksavvy on the other hand (from what I understand) does - it works for me anyways

[mts]

For those who's on the market for DSL you can check this up: http://www.ca.inter.net/
I'm with them for 3 or 4 years, no contract, 29.95/month (+tax).

[nice4]

I am about 8 months into my first year with Acanac and need to warn folks about what happened to me.

For years I had been getting a bit over 5 Megs of speed with Bell but when I switched to Acanac Bell downgraded my line so I can only get 600K. Acanac and I both complained to Bell but to no avail.

So I will not be renewing after my one-year commitment is up. I should have quit during my initial 30 day trial but was still optimistic that the speed problem could be fixed. Now I see that it is hopeless. I am sure that if I switch back to Bell I will get my 5 Megs back right away. So sleazy of them.

This seemed like Bell plays game AND Acanac is also on its max. support capability, no wonder my friend complainted Acanac is very slow on peak hours everynight but much better after mid-night.

Bell on the other hand is much worst these days, their customer service is just ****** as you can think of.

[Excessiveplayer]

The idea of prepaying just turns me off for some reason. I know 260 is not alot of money but still...I can't help myself think that this company could go belly up and lose all of my money. :(

[DaMadMonk]

The idea of prepaying just turns me off for some reason. I know 260 is not alot of money but still...I can't help myself think that this company could go belly up and lose all of my money. :(

Thought about that and it is a risk. But as far as I can tell this won't happen. As well, its only a risk for 6 months for me since I'm paying half of what I would of paid with Teksavvy and will be getting better benefits overall (so far more stable connection and huge online storage with method to by pass Bell throttling).

[Mel Boracis]

I was thinking of signing up with Acanac last week too but reviews seemed to be hit or miss with the biggest complaint being frequent disconnects. If any Scarborough users can chime in, I might reconsider and sign up but what I've read so far has me concerned enough to stick with Rogers until my promotional pricing ends.

[ShaTR]

Been with them for about 15 months or so now for their business DSL service (at the office of course. Rogers extreme at home)

First month, had a couple odd times of downtime, but was resolved in less than an hour. after that, its been smooth sailing. currently paying monthly on business service (52.95/month) but better than any other business service so far.

edit: Can anyone explain to me how to get the 20mb service or a lower monthly price for regular service? If so, i would be very greatfull. thanks.

[fredsmith]

I am about 8 months into my first year with Acanac and need to warn folks about what happened to me.

For years I had been getting a bit over 5 Megs of speed with Bell but when I switched to Acanac Bell downgraded my line so I can only get 600K. Acanac and I both complained to Bell but to no avail.

So I will not be renewing after my one-year commitment is up. I should have quit during my initial 30 day trial but was still optimistic that the speed problem could be fixed. Now I see that it is hopeless. I am sure that if I switch back to Bell I will get my 5 Megs back right away. So sleazy of them.
Has it ocurred to you that you should be lodging a complaint with the CRTC against Bell for doing what they did?

Acanac uses Bell to supply their front end. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON whatsoever for Acanac's performance to differ from that of Bell at that level - to do what they did is what's known as a predatory practice - FYI you won't get back to 5 megs unless you sign up with Bell, because whomever you go with will use the same DSLAM as Bell has connected you for Acanac.

AND, recognise that there is NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER in terms of the DSL front end - in fact if you have Sympatico DSL service and I gave you my Acanac login information you could replace the values in your router with mine and you'd be connected to Acanac - through the same physical connection that connects you with Sympatico. So this garbage about speeds is simply political bull spewed by Bell, who are penalising second tier ISP subscribers..

How do I know? Because I was with Bell and switched to Acanac and all was fine. Then, on the official changeover day my speed degraded - it was fine for the 2 weeks before the changeover date - and I was connected to Acanac because they'd e-mailed me my login information - after threatening to sic the CRTC on Bell my speed mysteriously went back up.

Complaining to the authorities that regulate Bell is the answer, not migrating back to them - after all, if you do then you are simply reinforcing Bell's immoral and illegal practices.

[fredsmith]

I was thinking of signing up with Acanac last week too but reviews seemed to be hit or miss with the biggest complaint being frequent disconnects. If any Scarborough users can chime in, I might reconsider and sign up but what I've read so far has me concerned enough to stick with Rogers until my promotional pricing ends.
I'd suggest signing up with Acanac so that you can overlap services provided by Rogers and Acanac.

Time it so you can get a couple of weeks of Acanac service so you can evaluate it and then either cancel Rogers or cancel Acanac based on the results you achieve (Acanac will refund you in full if you cancel within 30 days).

The financial difference is simply too great not to evaluate the service.

[Electricute]

anybody know if its extra for dry loop/naked dsl?

[fredsmith]

anybody know if its extra for dry loop/naked dsl?

$8 per month

http://acanac.ca/NakedDSL.htm

[atc789]

My Bell Sympatico contract expires on the 7th of January, if i switch over to Acanac, can i cancel the service if i am not happy with it? Would i be reimbursed the price of the modem? Are there any other fee's involved?

Thanks

[fredsmith]

My Bell Sympatico contract expires on the 7th of January, if i switch over to Acanac, can i cancel the service if i am not happy with it? Would i be reimbursed the price of the modem? Are there any other fee's involved?

Thanks
I suggest you call them tomorrow and ask them directly.

But from what I've read you will get a full refund and they should reimburse you for the modem if you return it to them prepaid.

[zero_]

i have used them for a little over a month, up link is slow, but for this price, can not expect much
also cust service is not as bad as i have read before, called them twice during a normal weeknight, got in touch with someone in about 5-10min
after the first year, the second year is priced at 33/month (tax included)

[zero_]

I was thinking of signing up with Acanac last week too but reviews seemed to be hit or miss with the biggest complaint being frequent disconnects. If any Scarborough users can chime in, I might reconsider and sign up but what I've read so far has me concerned enough to stick with Rogers until my promotional pricing ends.

actually i m in scarborough and i am switching from rogers. Speed based on speedtest.net looks pretty bad, 3000Kb/s vs 5000Kb/s for download, 500Kb/s vs 700Kb/s for upload. However for this price and unlimited download/upload, i rather give my business to acanac.

[Inno]

Has it ocurred to you that you should be lodging a complaint with the CRTC against Bell for doing what they did?

Acanac uses Bell to supply their front end. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON whatsoever for Acanac's performance to differ from that of Bell at that level - to do what they did is what's known as a predatory practice - FYI you won't get back to 5 megs unless you sign up with Bell, because whomever you go with will use the same DSLAM as Bell has connected you for Acanac.

AND, recognise that there is NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER in terms of the DSL front end - in fact if you have Sympatico DSL service and I gave you my Acanac login information you could replace the values in your router with mine and you'd be connected to Acanac - through the same physical connection that connects you with Sympatico. So this garbage about speeds is simply political bull spewed by Bell, who are penalising second tier ISP subscribers..

How do I know? Because I was with Bell and switched to Acanac and all was fine. Then, on the official changeover day my speed degraded - it was fine for the 2 weeks before the changeover date - and I was connected to Acanac because they'd e-mailed me my login information - after threatening to sic the CRTC on Bell my speed mysteriously went back up.

Complaining to the authorities that regulate Bell is the answer, not migrating back to them - after all, if you do then you are simply reinforcing Bell's immoral and illegal practices.

I did complain to the VP of Bell, Kevin somebody, but did not mention CRTC. Will try that. I have no intention of going back to Bell.

[Electricute]

$8 per month

http://acanac.ca/NakedDSL.htm

kills any kind of deal if there was one

[Fox]

Is this Internet service good enough for online gaming (PS3) in terms of speed and monthly usage?

[DaMadMonk]

Is this Internet service good enough for online gaming (PS3) in terms of speed and monthly usage?

I've had two ppl on my network play WoW without any lagging so it should be fine.

[Mel Boracis]

Originally Posted by fredsmith
$8 per month

http://acanac.ca/NakedDSL.htm

kills any kind of deal if there was one

Not really. You'll have to pay a fee for a dry-loop (for dsl) no matter who you go with unless you go with cable and it's still cheaper than what you'd get with Rogers without some serious haggling. I don't know what other cable isp's there are to avoid the dry-loop fee. I know 3web offers cable but there's a pricey setup fee for cable and they charge $10/month for dry-loop. 3web reminds me of the comments I've read about acanac: disruptions, poor customer service, etc. But they were solid when I had them for a couple of months (only problems were trying to get setup for a week and then them not refunding the modem deposit for months). In the end, I found the service good but I wouldn't recommend them because of the headache I went through despite it only costing me $10/month. I don't want to go through the same experience with acanac so I'm still wavering... $240 isn't that much but having a stable, reliable connection is much more important to me than saving a couple of dollars. It's the one-year contract that kills it for me. I might try it and eat the costs if it turns out to suck for me/my area but then I also lose my Rogers promotional pricing :(.

[Viper98]

would the throttling be the same as Cybernet?

I currently have cybernet and roger sin the house and bandwidth throttling is so bad on cybernet that is bothers me. I understand it's due to bell and not them so I'd assume it will be just as bad on acanac right?

[DaMadMonk]

would the throttling be the same as Cybernet?

I currently have cybernet and roger sin the house and bandwidth throttling is so bad on cybernet that is bothers me. I understand it's due to bell and not them so I'd assume it will be just as bad on acanac right?

Yes and no...

Mother Bells owns the lines and throttles most anything that is in use on those lines.

Acanac does have a online pc thingy that seems to be a way around throttling and as well as there is a modem way thingy that was posted earlier on this thread that might work out as well.

[synaptech]

I used Acanac for a year. When it works, it generally works well. When it's broke, you learn why it's $19. Frankly I found it was absolutely not worth the hassle. If your time means anything to you, Acanac is not worth the money. All technical and customer service was by email. The technical support is a joke because no one reads your issue -- they instead copy and paste random replies. The owner is quick to reply and quite helpful, but it wasn't enough. I actually went back to Bell -- that's how bad my experience was. Considering Techsavvy for next ISP.

[pyrrho]

I can't believe anyone would go back to Bell. If you're into any kind of peer-to-peer file sharing, Bell charges you for OTHER PEOPLE'S uploads. There's no plan they have that will cover that! For example, I have the 60GB plan: my present bandwith amount expanded so far this period is 298 GB!! I'm not going to pay an extra $30 a month for other people's uploading. So I was looking around for another provider, and the OP has given me what I was looking for. Bell's service ain't so great either. There have been at least 3 days during the last period where service was down for at least 8 hours.

[fredsmith]

I used Acanac for a year. When it works, it generally works well. When it's broke, you learn why it's $19. Frankly I found it was absolutely not worth the hassle. If your time means anything to you, Acanac is not worth the money. All technical and customer service was by email. The technical support is a joke because no one reads your issue -- they instead copy and paste random replies. The owner is quick to reply and quite helpful, but it wasn't enough. I actually went back to Bell -- that's how bad my experience was. Considering Techsavvy for next ISP.
Hmm . . . very different from my experience. Their support is by e-mail, but I would not call their responses 'random' by any means.

Over the past couple of years I have seen perhaps 3 major outages - the big one (lasted five hours) was Bell's problem - a fiber became 'accidentally' disconnected and Bell supposedly had checked and reported the problem to be outside their facility, when the reality was that it was something they did.

Of the others, one was due to network upgrades - When Acanac (actually Bell) changed front ends. Another was due to a DNS issue that caused a 2 hour problem - however these days I use a third-part DNS that provides site filtering . . . that way the kids can't get around into TOO much trouble unless they know the IP addresses for the flagged sites.

I ran a tech support facility for 10 years in a previous life. Unless you describe the problem you are experiencing properly, the reaction might not be what you expect and you might interpret the answers as 'random'. GIGO.

[fredsmith]

I can't believe anyone would go back to Bell. If you're into any kind of peer-to-peer file sharing, Bell charges you for OTHER PEOPLE'S uploads. There's no plan they have that will cover that! For example, I have the 60GB plan: my present bandwith amount expanded so far this period is 298 GB!! I'm not going to pay an extra $30 a month for other people's uploading. So I was looking around for another provider, and the OP has given me what I was looking for. Bell's service ain't so great either. There have been at least 3 days during the last period where service was down for at least 8 hours.
'Other people' can only upload what YOU make available. Bell is simply metering 'traffic'. I'm not in support of throttling, per-se but there is such a thing as being reasonable.

Yes, there are some things beyond your control - but if everyone pulls 300 gigs per month the core of the net will become too congested to carry legitimate traffic.

I run a torrent client, but I limit upload bandwidth and the number of concurrent uploads I allow.

[bozotheclown]

I have been with Acanac for about 5 months now and I must say its well worth it!!! Bandwidth is no where near the 5mb but I cann't complain for constant 3+MB... I leave the PC on overnight and let it finish downloading with no issues... quick question, anyway of getting the 19 per month deal after the 1st year is up?

ANy info would be greatly appreciated.

[[H]ackerK]

I have been with Acanac for about 5 months now and I must say its well worth it!!! Bandwidth is no where near the 5mb but I cann't complain for constant 3+MB... I leave the PC on overnight and let it finish downloading with no issues... quick question, anyway of getting the 19 per month deal after the 1st year is up?

ANy info would be greatly appreciated.

Well there was a letter showing how much each actually to Acanac per month, and you will see the first year @ 19/mo they are losing money for it

IMHO Acanac is pretty much trouble free for me in the past 2+ years. And Iam happy with their service once you have the right people on the other end. My most impressive service is it only took a few hours for them to get to Bell to bump up my 3Mbps line to 5Mpbs (search for my posts)

[jshebib]

I used Acanac for a year. When it works, it generally works well. When it's broke, you learn why it's $19. Frankly I found it was absolutely not worth the hassle. If your time means anything to you, Acanac is not worth the money. All technical and customer service was by email. The technical support is a joke because no one reads your issue -- they instead copy and paste random replies.

similar experience

[k288]

Do I have to buy the modem? And if I a don't like it in a month, can I get a refund for the modem? Oh and how fast is this compare to Rogers? thx

[sannin]

Been with them for almost 8 months. Quite excellent for the money.

In terms of the CS, they should implement a status update when you call in to let you know if there are problem on an area. I remember 1 time where I had to hold for 40 mins @ 24th place on the line and when it was my turn, the stupid thing says that they are busy and hangs up! When I finally got a hold of someone, they mentioned how there was indeed a service disruption but will be restored in a few hours!

Other than that, screw ROGERS and BELL and spend your money somewhere else.

[k288]

How often/ frequently does it go down? Is BT really that fast?? Their demo shows 2000kb/s? How slow does internet get when you are BTing?

[fredsmith]

Do I have to buy the modem? And if I a don't like it in a month, can I get a refund for the modem? Oh and how fast is this compare to Rogers? thx
Cable is faster than DSL - unless, of course your segment is bogged down due to oversubscription - that was why I left my local cable carrier in the first place. That, and the cost factors.

From the Acanac we site:

Do I have to buy a DSL modem, or is it included for free?

There is a $49.95 fee for a DSL modem. Once your service is terminated Acanac may choose to buy back the modem at the same price. There is no obligation to purchase the hardware from our customers.

http://acanac.ca/DSL-FAQ.htm


Note that you can pick up a quality DSL modem cheaply locally. I've heard that the one Acanac provides isn't the best . . . When I was with Cable (Videotron), I had the option of buying my modem or renting it. I bought it at the time and it was worthwhile because I was with them long enough that the investment paid dividends. When they changed technologies they wanted me to buy the replacement modem . . . I told them that since THEY changed the technology, they had two choices . . . 1. replace my modem for free or 2. release me from my contractual obligation.

My understanding was that I was not alone in making those demands and they sent me a new modem which they required I return at the end of my term - they STILL managed to charge me $240 (which I had credited) because they thought I didn't send it back - but what, of course, about my original modem investment? Lost.

[fredsmith]

I have been with Acanac for about 5 months now and I must say its well worth it!!! Bandwidth is no where near the 5mb but I cann't complain for constant 3+MB... I leave the PC on overnight and let it finish downloading with no issues... quick question, anyway of getting the 19 per month deal after the 1st year is up?

ANy info would be greatly appreciated.

If you are measuring ~3400 kbps on the speed tests then you are on a 5 megabit connection. The 5 meg rate is known as the 'channel rate' while the 3xxx number you see is the 'net' capacity after overhead.

If your test was returning ~2400 kbps you'd be on a 3 megabit connection.

The only way to get the $19 rate again is to move and change your name and phone number. They don't make money at that rate.

The next best is to ask if they'll go longer than a year - the rate can be very good, but isn't offered to just anyone.

[CatDog]

does anybody have any news on the 20mbit service?

I called.. got no where.

[synaptech]

Look, I know the difference and I know GIGO. If they trained monkeys to handle their tech support I might have had a better experience. Tech support do not read the problem - they simply reply with a canned answer and hope you go away.

For the first several months I had minor issues that were all resolved, but suddenly things stopped working. Acanac blamed Bell, Bell blamed Acanac and I was left without service. The issues were with Acanac. I was very patient and explained the issues to the nth degree. When I finally had enough I emailed the owner to cancel my service (another rant - have you tried to cancel your service through "customer support"?) and was promptly taken care of - it never should have had to come to me contacting the owner to get the issue resolved.

As for your previous life, you shouldn't be so quick to assume that I am also one of the masses that don't understand GIGO. My current life deals with these issues and by no means was there Garbage In.


Hmm . . . very different from my experience. Their support is by e-mail, but I would not call their responses 'random' by any means.

Over the past couple of years I have seen perhaps 3 major outages - the big one (lasted five hours) was Bell's problem - a fiber became 'accidentally' disconnected and Bell supposedly had checked and reported the problem to be outside their facility, when the reality was that it was something they did.

Of the others, one was due to network upgrades - When Acanac (actually Bell) changed front ends. Another was due to a DNS issue that caused a 2 hour problem - however these days I use a third-part DNS that provides site filtering . . . that way the kids can't get around into TOO much trouble unless they know the IP addresses for the flagged sites.

I ran a tech support facility for 10 years in a previous life. Unless you describe the problem you are experiencing properly, the reaction might not be what you expect and you might interpret the answers as 'random'. GIGO.

[wanderingcat]

Can someone recommend a good DSL modem to work with Acanac please?

I can not find anyone from Bestbuy, Futureshop or staple or the source.

The only one I find from the Canada Computers is quite expensive: $70
http://images.tigerdirect.ca/skuimages/large/D700-5562.jpg
-Link DSL-2320B, ADSL 2/2+ Ethernet/USB Modem

http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019709&cid=NT.896

The tigerdirect has a couple, too but also expensive:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:160|&Sort=4

[Inno]

Can someone recommend a good DSL modem to work with Acanac please?

I can not find anyone from Bestbuy, Futureshop or staple or the source.

The only one I find from the Canada Computers is quite expensive: $70
http://images.tigerdirect.ca/skuimages/large/D700-5562.jpg
-Link DSL-2320B, ADSL 2/2+ Ethernet/USB Modem

http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019709&cid=NT.896

The tigerdirect has a couple, too but also expensive:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:160|&Sort=4

If you want cheap, I am using a 2Wire modem/wireless router combo that I bought from Canada Computers for around $20. These are refurbs from AT&T in the US. Mine works fine. Nice to have router and modem all in one unit, less clutter.

Speedtouches work fine too. They are usually available cheaply on Craigslist etc.

[Redscott]

I had Bell DSL back in 2001-2002. Later I got a cell phone and tried to cancel my Bell land line but Bell insisted I could not get DSL dry loop service. They were firm that I had to keep my land line bell phone service for DSL service to function. I told the rep that I new better and cancelled everything just to make my point. The DSL service was perfect and it never went down for me in West Island Montreal for 2 years. I switched to Videotron since.

Lately Tired of Videotron uncompetetive costs, usage caps and surcharges I cancelled 2 months ago and signed up for Acanac. I was paying over $70 monthly for Videotron. I don't expect my DSL line reliability or quality to be anything else but what it was 7 years ago which was perfect. So far very satisfied. Zero problems with line or Acanac modem I purchased.

Oh and Bell and Videotron CSRs if you are reading this you can both kiss my A## :twisted:. You are too greedy for your own good.

[wanderingcat]

If you want cheap, I am using a 2Wire modem/wireless router combo that I bought from Canada Computers for around $20. These are refurbs from AT&T in the US. Mine works fine. Nice to have router and modem all in one unit, less clutter.

Speedtouches work fine too. They are usually available cheaply on Craigslist etc.

Thank you very much!

[[H]ackerK]

would the throttling be the same as Cybernet?

I currently have cybernet and roger sin the house and bandwidth throttling is so bad on cybernet that is bothers me. I understand it's due to bell and not them so I'd assume it will be just as bad on acanac right?

Yup. your are correct.

Bell put on traffic shaping starting from 16:30EST - 02:00EST daily and the worst is from 18:00 - 01:00, doesn't seems to matters if it is weekend, weekday or holiday.... Basically from what I have read, is whatever they can't tell what it is, will get capped. And some VPN user complains about this as well, because their VPN speed get reduced, but Bell claims if the VPN is config "correctly" they should not be capped....

One good thing w/ Acanac is they are not counting how many bits/bytes you have transfered like Rogers/Bell did.

[tyfriend]

How to check for availability?? :confused::confused:

[DaMadMonk]

How to check for availability?? :confused::confused:

If you have DSL in ON/Quebec, you should be able to get it. Call in otherwise to check.

[tyfriend]

If you have DSL in ON/Quebec, you should be able to get it. Call in otherwise to check.

I think Bell recently introducted DSL to our area... after a 10 year wait. :confused:

Anyways I tried my availability number at Teksavvy and turns out I don't live in the service area. So would that mean I wouldn't have it with this company?

[Fox]

I've had two ppl on my network play WoW without any lagging so it should be fine.

I'll have to check it out. I thought I'd quickly go over 5MB with that kind of usage.

[k288]

I think Bell recently introducted DSL to our area... after a 10 year wait. :confused:

Anyways I tried my availability number at Teksavvy and turns out I don't live in the service area. So would that mean I wouldn't have it with this company?

Ok between Techsavvy and Acanac (providing both are available), which one would you guys recommend? Reliability and prices factored in?

[DaMadMonk]

Ok between Techsavvy and Acanac (providing both are available), which one would you guys recommend? Reliability and prices factored in?

I just made the switch over from Teksavvy to Acanac.

So far Acanac in terms of performace (WoW lag in particular) wins hands down. Only 1-2 disconnects thus far compared to Teksavvy one a day. I haven't played with the 100 gig storage or online PC yet, but so far after 5-6 days with Acanac, Acanac hands down without considering the price.

With the Price, it can't be beat for what I have asked.

[mizermalice]

I just made the switch over from Teksavvy to Acanac.

So far Acanac in terms of performace (WoW lag in particular) wins hands down. Only 1-2 disconnects thus far compared to Teksavvy one a day. I haven't played with the 100 gig storage or online PC yet, but so far after 5-6 days with Acanac, Acanac hands down without considering the price.

With the Price, it can't be beat for what I have asked.

really? you're the first one i've heard to say acanac wins in terms of performance. i am swaying towards switching now too...

[dinesh_zee]

Even Acanac's 2nd year (i.e., regular) price is cheaper than TekSavvy's regular price for dry-loop with 200gb cap.

TekSavvy: 29.95 + 9.10 (band-rate for ottawa) = 39.05 +tax = $44.12
Acanac: 34 + 8 (dry-loop) = $42

Considering the cap, online-pc, throttle work-around, etc Acanac seems better if 1-yr contract is ok with you.

Also, as per TekSavvy's dry loop page they charge # Activation Fee - $19.99, # Servicing Fee - $19.99. These fees are for dry loop dsl only?

[apvm]

Can someone recommend a good DSL modem to work with Acanac please?

I can not find anyone from Bestbuy, Futureshop or staple or the source.

The only one I find from the Canada Computers is quite expensive: $70
http://images.tigerdirect.ca/skuimages/large/D700-5562.jpg
-Link DSL-2320B, ADSL 2/2+ Ethernet/USB Modem

http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019709&cid=NT.896

The tigerdirect has a couple, too but also expensive:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:160|&Sort=4

This one work fine and is $25

http://www.pcvonline.ca/productDetails.aspx?prodID=6620

[DaMadMonk]

really? you're the first one i've heard to say acanac wins in terms of performance. i am swaying towards switching now too...

At the price I was willing to sacrifice some performance. But I've had better performance with Acanac.

[dinesh_zee]

This one work fine and is $25

http://www.pcvonline.ca/productDetails.aspx?prodID=6620

http://www.speedtouch.ca/typesearch.php

50+shipping from speedtouch AD

[Mr. Robo]

This seemed like Bell plays game AND Acanac is also on its max. support capability, no wonder my friend complainted Acanac is very slow on peak hours everynight but much better after mid-night.

Bell on the other hand is much worst these days, their customer service is just ****** as you can think of.

That's Bell throttling your connection with Acanac between 6pm to 2am. I'm only getting 30kb/sec downloading during this time. 2am to 6pm is back to normal downloading speed.

[dmdsoftware2]

Throttled?

I have had Teksavvy for a few months now and have had 0 disconnects (so far) as far as I am aware....

He had a static IP (from the sound of what he was doing) and static IPs with Teksavvy are disconnection prone. My last static IP would have disconnects every few hours. Current one is a little better (at least once a day). Some network issue they haven't resolved.

[maltrass]

When Acanac DSL went down for extended period of time, say for couple of days or more, do they provide dialup internet as backup?

[DaMadMonk]

When Acanac DSL went down for extended period of time, say for couple of days or more, do they provide dialup internet as backup?

I've never had to go that route with anybody. The most was a few hours (other then the blackout a few yrs back).

I've been with Rogers, Bell, Teksavvy, and now Acanac for the past 12 years or so.

[X360]

I have had Teksavvy for a few months now and have had 0 disconnects (so far) as far as I am aware....
Probably you got disconnected but haven't notice... unless you log and check your modem log...

There are many disconnection problems lately from TekSavvy... problem because of too many people using MLPPP to bypass Bell throttle... and it is confirmed by the TekSavvy's owner...

two blades on ERX6 reloaded. the cause appears to be directly related to MLPPP from what the Juniper tech is saying. they are flat out asking me to disable MLPPP. Currently looking into segregating the MLPPP stuff onto it's own chassis and we would need to have those who want MLPPP enabled to ask for it. it's clearly the source of these problems right now.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21668537-Super-Slow-internet-speed-just-hit-me-like-a-ton-of-bricks
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21558008-Argg-GigE-AGAS-connections-3-4-just-dropped-offline
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21001254-erx03torpppoeca-not-working-from-time-2-time
....

[Homeo]

been with bell for 7years now and they'rereally turning out to be greedy b@stards. Paying $55/month for 5MB DSL on a grandfathered plan that isn't capped. I called to get a better rate citing customer loyalty and they gave me the finger...
Goodbye Bell. I'm Calling acanac and will try to keep my current Bell DSL modem. That's the least they can do.

[fredsmith]

been with bell for 7years now and they'rereally turning out to be greedy b@stards. Paying $55/month for 5MB DSL on a grandfathered plan that isn't capped. I called to get a better rate citing customer loyalty and they gave me the finger...
Goodbye Bell. I'm Calling acanac and will try to keep my current Bell DSL modem. That's the least they can do.
You'll likely get dinged big time for the modem. They ARE that greedy.

Check out Ebay (canada) and Craigslist for cheap modems

[Homeo]

You'll likely get dinged big time for the modem. They ARE that greedy.

Check out Ebay (canada) and Craigslist for cheap modems

I just called them and cancelled. Told them i'm switching to acanac.. I would divulge the tactics that bell used to downplay acanac but that would be too much laughter for one thread. They really feel that bundled spam and antivirus software is actually worth money. ok i can't resist
-->Bell guy: "They charge you upfront and if you cancel they're going to charge you a cancellation fee for breaking the contact" I'm thinking to myself WTF? - fear mongering at it's worst.. never mind that it's completely untrue.

Question: Can anyone else confirm that the online-PC really is free with this plan? on the site the charge 23/month for it

[OMV]

Question: Can anyone else confirm that the online-PC really is free with this plan? on the site the charge 23/month for it

Yes, the online PC is free with this plan.

[Inno]

You'll likely get dinged big time for the modem. They ARE that greedy.

Check out Ebay (canada) and Craigslist for cheap modems

They will send you a prepaid box for the modem to be returned by Purolator. It is a tracked package so if you don't return it they will bill you. If you have an old junker Bell modem, throw that in. :lol:

[tyfriend]

I'm gonna give them a call on monday to see if they are available in my area.

[ephemera]

That's Bell throttling your connection with Acanac between 6pm to 2am. I'm only getting 30kb/sec downloading during this time. 2am to 6pm is back to normal downloading speed.

Is bell throttling all acanac traffic at those times or is it just torrent traffic?

[outlier617]

I had the same thing. . It was outrageous. . I reduced to some slower, capped plan recently for 29.99 per month but refused to do it under contract. . I just need time to say goodbye to my email address as I've had it for a decade or more. . I am considering Acanac and Techsavvy for the switch. . But I'm an internet dummy so need a place with VERY good technical support. .I am open to suggestions.


been with bell for 7years now and they'rereally turning out to be greedy b@stards. Paying $55/month for 5MB DSL on a grandfathered plan that isn't capped. I called to get a better rate citing customer loyalty and they gave me the finger...
Goodbye Bell. I'm Calling acanac and will try to keep my current Bell DSL modem. That's the least they can do.

[Mayoo]

one of the best company ... i been with them for 3years .. no issues .. no capping .. Free SSH tunnerl service during BELL throtelling hours ..

[[H]ackerK]

Free SSH tunnerl service during BELL throtelling hours ..

?? Any more details?

[fredsmith]

I had the same thing. . It was outrageous. . I reduced to some slower, capped plan recently for 29.99 per month but refused to do it under contract. . I just need time to say goodbye to my email address as I've had it for a decade or more. . I am considering Acanac and Techsavvy for the switch. . But I'm an internet dummy so need a place with VERY good technical support. .I am open to suggestions.
None of these companies are application support houses. They connect you to the internet and after that you are pretty much on your own - if you need THAT level of support, then you have to find it locally.

As to your decade old e-mail account, what you should now do is to set up an ISP-independent one - Gmail, Hotmail, Live.com, Yahoo, mail.com or whatever. That way you are able to switch around without worrying about who you need to notify. Doesn't matter that your Acanac account comes with 100 mail boxes. Don't use them, except perhaps for throwaway mail.

Be aware of one thing with Acanac. They block port 25. That means that if you use POP mail you will have to use their relay for outbound mail. SSL and non-standadard services won't have that limitation because they run on ports other than 25.

[Mayoo]

ackerK;8009597']?? Any more details?


http://acanac.ca/SSH-Tunnel-U.htm

[Evil Baby]

Probably you got disconnected but haven't notice... unless you log and check your modem log...

There are many disconnection problems lately from TekSavvy... problem because of too many people using MLPPP to bypass Bell throttle... and it is confirmed by the TekSavvy's owner...


http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21668537-Super-Slow-internet-speed-just-hit-me-like-a-ton-of-bricks
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21558008-Argg-GigE-AGAS-connections-3-4-just-dropped-offline
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21001254-erx03torpppoeca-not-working-from-time-2-time
....



my parents connection is complete garbage from Teksavvy. It goes down all the time. They're going to have to switch back to Cogeco. Does this MLPPP bypass only affect teksavvy customers or would it affect all Bell Customers?

[DaMadMonk]

I just checked my connection speed, its at 6meg download :cheesygri

[fredsmith]

Is bell throttling all acanac traffic at those times or is it just torrent traffic?

Torrent only . . .

If you think Bell is bad, you should see what my unlimited AT&T data plan that I have for my aircard does to torrents . . .

[wanderingcat]

This one work fine and is $25

http://www.pcvonline.ca/productDetails.aspx?prodID=6620

thanks!

[kookieMonster2k2]

Does anyone have any experience with Acanac dry loop in a condo building.
Currently, I"m with Rogers, however, through the whole time with them, my speeds really suck on their hi speed express.
I would think that most of my building is on Rogers, thus the bottlenecking of my service.
I'm hoping that Acanac will at least be higher, but not less than Rogers.
Also, I've been getting email's stating that I am close to the cap of 60GB.
WTF They changed my grandfathered plan to this crap.
So I called them yesterday and disconnected.
They tried to keep me with 20% off for 12 months but, I'm just sick and tired of ole Rogers.
They can't keep me happy in the mobile, internet, and cable tv department.
So I've started cancelling all my services.
I'll have to hold onto the mobile as I want to retain my number, but I did drop the BB plan since I'm on m2m and bought my BB outright.
I'll be shopping around for a better plan with better perks and a better phone.

I know there is a lot in here, but my main concern for this post is how Acanac Dry loop performs in condos in north york.

CIAO

BUHBYE ROBBERS.

BTW I'm looking into purchasing a DSL modem for Acanac instead of 'renting' theirs. Who knows if they will return your $50 deposit if you decide to quit them after the year. It states that Acanac has the decision whether to refund the 'deposit' or not in their FAQ's.
So, I been looking on Kijiiji and they have Speedstream 5200 E240 for ~ $30. It is factory unlocked but they give you the choice of Bell firmware vs factory firmware. Which should I choose for Acanac?

[fredsmith]

Does anyone have any experience with Acanac dry loop in a condo building.
Currently, I"m with Rogers, however, through the whole time with them, my speeds really suck on their hi speed express.
I would think that most of my building is on Rogers, thus the bottlenecking of my service.
I'm hoping that Acanac will at least be higher, but not less than Rogers.
Also, I've been getting email's stating that I am close to the cap of 60GB.
WTF They changed my grandfathered plan to this crap.
So I called them yesterday and disconnected.
They tried to keep me with 20% off for 12 months but, I'm just sick and tired of ole Rogers.
They can't keep me happy in the mobile, internet, and cable tv department.
So I've started cancelling all my services.
I'll have to hold onto the mobile as I want to retain my number, but I did drop the BB plan since I'm on m2m and bought my BB outright.
I'll be shopping around for a better plan with better perks and a better phone.

I know there is a lot in here, but my main concern for this post is how Acanac Dry loop performs in condos in north york.

CIAO

BUHBYE ROBBERS.

BTW I'm looking into purchasing a DSL modem for Acanac instead of 'renting' theirs. Who knows if they will return your $50 deposit if you decide to quit them after the year. It states that Acanac has the decision whether to refund the 'deposit' or not in their FAQ's.
So, I been looking on Kijiiji and they have Speedstream 5200 E240 for ~ $30. It is factory unlocked but they give you the choice of Bell firmware vs factory firmware. Which should I choose for Acanac?
Rogers is cable, no? If so, then Rogers will be faster most of the time, subject to loading on your assigned segment. Depending on your wired connection to the CO, you can expect connection rates of up to 5 megabits. Less if there are any line/distance/quality issues

As to firmware loads, either will work - I had Bell, now I have generic in my Speedstream (downloaded it) and ther's no performance difference . . . it just doesn't say 'Bell' on the management screens is all.

As to buying vs renting - if Acanac didn't refund your money if/when you left, then you'd have purchased a modem - sounds pretty much like a wash to me. Buying lets you decide what to get. Renting means that Acanac likely has to provide a bit of support in case of problems.

Leaving Rogers phone (wired or wireless)? Welcome to the era of number portability . . . you can leave when you like (subject to contractual commitments) and you can take your number with you, so long as you are in a major market.

[wanderingcat]

http://www.speedtouch.ca/typesearch.php

50+shipping from speedtouch AD

thanks!

this one and another:

TP-LINK TD-8816 EXTERNAL ADSL2/2 MODEM + Ethernet Router - TD-8816

$25 from http://www.pcvonline.ca/productDetails.aspx?prodID=6620

which one is a better buy in terms of value / price?

Thanks a lot

[madeals]

For years I had been getting a bit over 5 Megs of speed with Bell but when I switched to Acanac Bell downgraded my line so I can only get 600K. Acanac and I both complained to Bell but to no avail.


What happened to me is exactly opposite. When I moved to my current address, I was with Bell and was getting approx. 2500kbps and after few days suddenly my speed went down to 2100kbps. My complains were of no use. After moving to Acanac, first time I called customer support, the guy was trying to preach me nonsense and hung-up in the middle. I am not sure about my complain about that stupid guy but my speed went up to 3400kps.


After being with Acanac for 1yr, I moved to TechSavvy (without contract, cheaper than Acanac). I consider my experience with Acanac was more pleasant than my experience with Bell.

[[H]ackerK]

Does anyone have any experience with Acanac dry loop in a condo building.


Two of my friends, both live in a condo (one @ mid-town GTA, one in RH), both has dry loop. And both of them are happy with the speed and service. Only one said when someone buzz from downstair, he get disconnected briefly, but then he didn't use filters, I guess that's the reason why. He also used the VoIP from Acanac as well, no complain so far.

[malletking]

Does anyone have any experience with Acanac dry loop in a condo building.
...

I'm living in a condo building as well and using Rogers cable internet now.

I tried to apply for Acanac Dryloop DSL before getting Rogers. But after two weeks from the time I applied Acanac service, I got a response from Bell technician said the whole condo building is "captured" by Rogers, and Bell can't even install landline/dryloop for this building.

[[H]ackerK]

I'm living in a condo building as well and using Rogers cable internet now.

I tried to apply for Acanac Dryloop DSL before getting Rogers. But after two weeks from the time I applied Acanac service, I got a response from Bell technician said the whole condo building is "captured" by Rogers, and Bell can't even install landline/dryloop for this building.

That's kinda BS. does that mean there is not even POTS line in the building?

[tomtong]

It's not BS. Rogers spent a lot of money to sign contract with builders not to use other Telco other than Rogers. The purchase and sales agreement will have that condition listed in it. My friend's area also has the same restriction and have to wait for 10 years for the contract to expire.

[[H]ackerK]

It's not BS. Rogers spent a lot of money to sign contract with builders not to use other Telco other than Rogers. The purchase and sales agreement will have that condition listed in it. My friend's area also has the same restriction and have to wait for 10 years for the contract to expire.

Oh that's stinks! Makes me even hated rogers even more. I would be pissed to buy a unit in a condo where Rogers is my only choice.

Because somehow I was under the impression POTS (i.e. Bell land line) is Essential Services and Rogers Cable is not.

And does Rogers phone service is regulate as bell landland? It would be sucks if you try to call 911 and the line is out of service because power went out...

ok, that reminds me next time if I even buy a condo, gotta make sure this is not the case....

[Mayoo]

I don’t work for Acanac and below are my two cents

In most cases problems are NOT from Acanac's point.

1. Most people for some reason compare Cable with DSL. They aren’t the same!!!. Major Player for DSL would be "how far you are from CO" & the quality of your line. See this link to find out how far you are from your CO
http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/ci...&search=Search

If your modem is working, then make sure DSL light is ON . then go to Modem configuration (192.168.1.1) -> modem status and get the values for below stats

DS Line Attenuation
US Line Attenuation

Line Attenuation
Measure of how much the signal has degraded between the DSLAM and the modem: maximum signal loss recommendation is usually about 60dB. The lower the dB the better for this measurement.

20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues

Add the values and divide by 18. That will tell you how far your are from CO too

The more far you are the slow speed you will get.

3. Get the below values from the stats

US Margin
DS Margin

Make sure the values follow the below ranges

6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent
29dB or above is outstanding

So if your values fall under the bad area then you need to fix your phone lines. You can also contact Acanac for this as well

Again I don’t work for Acanac but I am using them since 2007 and they are the best I got so far.

I quit Rogers cause they charged for Bandwidth
I quit BELL cause they do traffic shaping
Acanc is the only one didn’t do all those and also allowd me to use SSH client to overcome the traffic shaping issue during 4PM – 2AM

[Inno]

I think this link works for Toronto. You can change the search for other regions:

http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/city?city=TORONTO&state=ON&search=Search

[Inno]

I don’t work for Acanac and below are my two cents

In most cases problems are NOT from Acanac's point.

1. Most people for some reason compare Cable with DSL. They aren’t the same!!!. Major Player for DSL would be "how far you are from CO" & the quality of your line. See this link to find out how far you are from your CO
http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/ci...&search=Search

If your modem is working, then make sure DSL light is ON . then go to Modem configuration (192.168.1.1) -> modem status and get the values for below stats

DS Line Attenuation
US Line Attenuation

Line Attenuation
Measure of how much the signal has degraded between the DSLAM and the modem: maximum signal loss recommendation is usually about 60dB. The lower the dB the better for this measurement.

20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues

Add the values and divide by 18. That will tell you how far your are from CO too

The more far you are the slow speed you will get.

3. Get the below values from the stats

US Margin
DS Margin

Make sure the values follow the below ranges

6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent
29dB or above is outstanding

So if your values fall under the bad area then you need to fix your phone lines. You can also contact Acanac for this as well

Again I don’t work for Acanac but I am using them since 2007 and they are the best I got so far.

I quit Rogers cause they charged for Bandwidth
I quit BELL cause they do traffic shaping
Acanc is the only one didn’t do all those and also allowd me to use SSH client to overcome the traffic shaping issue during 4PM – 2AM

Thanks for this useful info.

This is what I am getting with Acanac now:

"DSL Connection Details
DSL Line (Wire Pair): Line 1 (inner pair)
Protocol: G.DMT Annex A
Downstream Rate: 672 kbps Upstream Rate: 160 kbps
Channel: Interleaved
Current Noise Margin: 8.0 dB (Downstream), 17.0 dB (Upstream)
Current Attenuation: 63.0 dB (Downstream), 31.5 dB (Upstream)
Current Output Power: 15.3 dBm (Downstream), 12.0 dBm (Upstream)
DSLAM Vendor Information: Country: {0x0F} Vendor: {ALCB} Specific: {0x00}
PVC Info: 0/35"

There are big discrepancies between the Up and Down Attenuations and Margins, so I don't know how to interpret this.

When I calculate distance from CO I get 5 km, but I am only about 1.7 km from my nearest CO at 19 Main Street.

I was getting 5+ megs with Bell, then as soon as I switched to Acanac my speed dropped to the pathetic numbers you see here. Looks like Bell moved me to a further away CO. Acanac has not been able to fix.

Anyone have any ideas? I am desperate after 9 months of lousy service.

Thanks in advance.

[look30]

my parents connection is complete garbage from Teksavvy. It goes down all the time. They're going to have to switch back to Cogeco. Does this MLPPP bypass only affect teksavvy customers or would it affect all Bell Customers?

I'm with Teksavvy and extremely happy.
My 2c is that there is a problem with your line and switching to Acanac will not fix it.

Call Teksavvy and complain and get a tech guy to test the line.
Check your installation and cables you're using and try to get quality cables to connect , preferably where the phone lines enters your house.
I only had a problem once with slow connection and it turned out that the extension cord I bought from $ Store was causing it.

[Homeo]

Thanks for this useful info.

This is what I am getting with Acanac now:

"DSL Connection Details
DSL Line (Wire Pair): Line 1 (inner pair)
Protocol: G.DMT Annex A
Downstream Rate: 672 kbps Upstream Rate: 160 kbps
Channel: Interleaved
Current Noise Margin: 8.0 dB (Downstream), 17.0 dB (Upstream)
Current Attenuation: 63.0 dB (Downstream), 31.5 dB (Upstream)
Current Output Power: 15.3 dBm (Downstream), 12.0 dBm (Upstream)
DSLAM Vendor Information: Country: {0x0F} Vendor: {ALCB} Specific: {0x00}
PVC Info: 0/35"

There are big discrepancies between the Up and Down Attenuations and Margins, so I don't know how to interpret this.

When I calculate distance from CO I get 5 km, but I am only about 1.7 km from my nearest CO at 19 Main Street.

I was getting 5+ megs with Bell, then as soon as I switched to Acanac my speed dropped to the pathetic numbers you see here. Looks like Bell moved me to a further away CO. Acanac has not been able to fix.

Anyone have any ideas? I am desperate after 9 months of lousy service.

Thanks in advance.

read some of the earlier posts.. someone mentioned that bell does this deliberately to second tier DSL suppliers and this is breach of CRTC regulations.

[fredsmith]

ackerK;8013830']Two of my friends, both live in a condo (one @ mid-town GTA, one in RH), both has dry loop. And both of them are happy with the speed and service. Only one said when someone buzz from downstair, he get disconnected briefly, but then he didn't use filters, I guess that's the reason why. He also used the VoIP from Acanac as well, no complain so far.
The reason for the disconnect is that the building has a door entry intercom system that captures the phone line. It breaks the connection between the CO and the subscriber and connects his phones to the building intercom for the duration of the conversation. Newer systems bridge the DSL signals, his does not.

This type of intercom is becoming a liability as more and more people migrate to a wireless-only solution and don't have physical phone lines connected to anything in their apartments.

[Inno]

read some of the earlier posts.. someone mentioned that bell does this deliberately to second tier DSL suppliers and this is breach of CRTC regulations.

That is exactly my suspicion! Does anyone have a contact at CRTC where a complaint can be filed?

I have had numerous contacts with Bell and they refuse to fix this.

[bowlofwonton]

I thought its good anywhere in Ont/Que, but got this noticed instead...

Acanac Inc. DSL Service

Hello
Sorry after further investigation we can not offer DSL at your location. We thank you for your order and apologize for your inconvenience.
We do however offer dial up service and our DSL coverage foot print increase every month. So call back in the future if you are still interested in our DSL service. Thanks


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ticket ID: xxx-xxxxxx
Tracking URL: Click Here
Department: Sales
Created On: 05 Jan 2009 06:16 AM
Last Update: 05 Jan 2009 06:16 AM
Status: Closed

Too bad...was looking forward to the unlimited DL.

[rkrk]

A newbie question. Do I need to have subscription for home phone service to get DSL? Bell has lines in our building but I chose to go with Vonage and use Rogers for cable.

I currently have internet with Rogers and would love to move away from them. This seems to be a good deal if I can do it without getting a home phone.

[ymlccc]

I checked out Teksavvy before renewing with Acanac - their unlimited rate is $39.95 plus taxes ($29.95 plus taxes for the capped service - $33.80 tax included). So their capped service costs about the same as Acanac's unlmited second year rate. And Acanac offers their virtual PC, online storage and many, many mailboxes for your money - not to mention their smoking $10/month VOIP service.

Also, Acanac don't offer everyone the 2 year-$25/month deal, which is smoking hot, by the way, especially since it is tax included. It is sort of a 'retention plan'.

Well, they also offered me that "25/month tax in retention plan", but I just don't feel comfortable to hand over $600 in one shot... Can I pay them once a year? this way even when they bankrupt, i can still keep the damage "a bit" lower...;)

[spong]

A newbie question. Do I need to have subscription for home phone service to get DSL? Bell has lines in our building but I chose to go with Vonage and use Rogers for cable.

I currently have internet with Rogers and would love to move away from them. This seems to be a good deal if I can do it without getting a home phone.

If you don't have an analog phone line, they need to install what they called a 'DSL dry loop' and it will increase the monthly cost

[FinderRO]

Can someone recommend a good DSL modem to work with Acanac please?

I can not find anyone from Bestbuy, Futureshop or staple or the source.

The only one I find from the Canada Computers is quite expensive: $70
http://images.tigerdirect.ca/skuimages/large/D700-5562.jpg
-Link DSL-2320B, ADSL 2/2+ Ethernet/USB Modem

http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019709&cid=NT.896

The tigerdirect has a couple, too but also expensive:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:160|&Sort=4

I have the Dlink DSL-2320B for 8 months now (when I switched from Bell - 5Mbps to Teksavvy - 5Mbps) and it is working great. Got it from Infonec.
I recommend that you go for it, as I've had almost no disconnecting problems and better speed compared to what I was getting when using Bell and their modem.

Also people need to keep in mind the fact that a good DSL modem is not a part that needs constant upgrading. You pay for it once and you will have it for years. This one is ADSL 2+ capable so it is futureproof.
Unless it breaks down because of other factors (i.e. overvoltage on the lines), you will have it for a long time. I expect at least 5 years of usage from a DSL modem. So I believe 70$ is not a lot for such a long period of time.
I can`t understand the people that try to find and then buy the cheapest DSL modem and in the same time they are looking for the best and most stable internet provider. And then complain about low speeds and disconnects.
If this is what you buy then this is what you get, if you want to save $50 on a modem that will provide daily internet to your PCs for years to come..

Just my 2 cents..

[boonjaca]

If you don't have an analog phone line, they need to install what they called a 'DSL dry loop' and it will increase the monthly cost

What is considered an analog phone line, I'm guessing these ones aren't:

http://acanac.ca/Phones.htm

So that means I have to pay the dry-loop fee??

[fredsmith]

Well, they also offered me that "25/month tax in retention plan", but I just don't feel comfortable to hand over $600 in one shot... Can I pay them once a year? this way even when they bankrupt, i can still keep the damage "a bit" lower...;)
Of course you can pay them once a year - it's called the 'annual plan'. But that isn;t $25/month.

Seriously though - from their perspective if you pay for a single year what prevents you from subscribing to the 2 year plan and then telling them to take a hike when it comes time to pay them for the second year . . . nothing. And they HAVE been around for quite a while.

I paid. If they do go bankrupt, it may well be my loss - but I don't expect that to happen. So I paid . . . If Rogers told me I could save 30% on my cellular bill by prepaying the service for 2 years in advance, I would do that too - anyone else out there offering you immediate >15% annual returns on your money?

[ymlccc]

Of course you can pay them once a year - it's called the 'annual plan'. But that isn;t $25/month.

Seriously though - from their perspective if you pay for a single year what prevents you from subscribing to the 2 year plan and then telling them to take a hike when it comes time to pay them for the second year . . . nothing. And they HAVE been around for quite a while.

I paid. If they do go bankrupt, it may well be my loss - but I don't expect that to happen. So I paid . . . If Rogers told me I could save 30% on my cellular bill by prepaying the service for 2 years in advance, I would do that too - anyone else out there offering you immediate >15% annual returns on your money?
well, i don't even I know it's a good deal.

i had some bad experiences before, and i don't want that to happen again. so, if they can work my way, i will be more than happy to use their service.

[Redscott]

. . I just need time to say goodbye to my email address as I've had it for a decade or more. . Word to the wise...stop using ISP provided e-mail service. G-Mail is your Friend ;)

Works with all pop3 e-mail clients so your not stuck with HTML only access.

[vn2000]

can I order acanac dsl and still have Bell dsl on the same phone line for the 30 day trial period? I appreciate your advice.

regards.

[brandnew]

can I order acanac dsl and still have Bell dsl on the same phone line for the 30 day trial period? I appreciate your advice.

regards.
....

[fredsmith]

can I order acanac dsl and still have Bell dsl on the same phone line for the 30 day trial period? I appreciate your advice.

regards.
You can have ONE DSL carrier on a line. If you have Sympatico, then that is what you have.

However you can CONNECT to other Bell-hosted ISPs (like Acanac) by changing the settings in you modem or touter (depending on whether you set the PPPOE data in the mdoem or in your firewall) and connect to any of them.

Theory says that you will then be testing the ISP's routing and back end . . .

You would normally order the change for a specific date - knowing what that date is would allow you to issue a termination order to Bell to coincide with the target instalation date from Acanac.

However the reality is that Bell doesn't actually have to 'do' anything except deactivate your Sympatico account and password, since all data flows through the same front end. However many people report degradation of their connection after a change . . . the modem connect rates may drop, for example. There's no logical explanation for this except that Belll might be manipulating your connection in retaliation for your cancellation.

Read through the thread if you need more information.

[vn2000]

for all the info'. Great forum!

Now can I attach 2 modems to the same phone line at 2 locations and use 1 with Bell and 1 with Acanac? That way when I'm completely happy with Acanac I can notify Bell to cancel my account?

Regards.

[Inno]

You can have ONE DSL carrier on a line. If you have Sympatico, then that is what you have.

However you can CONNECT to other Bell-hosted ISPs (like Acanac) by changing the settings in you modem or touter (depending on whether you set the PPPOE data in the mdoem or in your firewall) and connect to any of them.

Theory says that you will then be testing the ISP's routing and back end . . .

You would normally order the change for a specific date - knowing what that date is would allow you to issue a termination order to Bell to coincide with the target instalation date from Acanac.

However the reality is that Bell doesn't actually have to 'do' anything except deactivate your Sympatico account and password, since all data flows through the same front end. However many people report degradation of their connection after a change . . . the modem connect rates may drop, for example. There's no logical explanation for this except that Belll might be manipulating your connection in retaliation for your cancellation.

Read through the thread if you need more information.

This is what happened to me: dropped from 5.5 megs to 600k! I recommend that you don't terminate Bell until AFTER your Acanac account is installed. My Bell was terminated before Acanac activated me so there was a dead period in there. When Bell re-connected me they did so to a distant CO. They have refused to fix it after 9 months!!

[fredsmith]

well, i don't even I know it's a good deal.

i had some bad experiences before, and i don't want that to happen again. so, if they can work my way, i will be more than happy to use their service.
It's your money. But YOU do the math.

Up front, you save $313 the first year (at $19) when compared with Teksavvy's uncapped account (which is $45.10 per month in Quebec, tax included).

From then on you save about $70 per year using Acanac and paying up front, compared to paying Teksavvy monthly - with 5% interest compounded monthly figured in and no income tax paid against that 5% (and who will pay you 5%?)

Moving to the 2 year plan you lay out abour $228 less over the period when compared to paying Acanac for two annual plans - and then, because Acanac costs $10 less per month than the same plan from Teksavvy, you save even more.

Your call - I went with the up 2 year plan instantly when they offered it.

[fredsmith]

for all the info'. Great forum!

Now can I attach 2 modems to the same phone line at 2 locations and use 1 with Bell and 1 with Acanac? That way when I'm completely happy with Acanac I can notify Bell to cancel my account?

Regards.
One modem per line - one connection per PPPOE source at a time.

[CurryStick]

I've been using Acanac for just 1 month now and the service has been great. Set their modem up in Bridge mode, that way my router controls my connection. Only had to reconnect once after a disconnect, other than that no downtime at all. The no cap is a god send, I was on Rogers before and keeping under 60GB a month is a joke, even for an average user. This way I don't have to worry about what I do online.

The only mild disadvantage is I'm only getting 2.5Mbit/s with them, but that's fine as my computer is on 24/7 so downloads finish overnight.

[Redscott]

The only mild disadvantage is I'm only getting 2.5Mbit/s with them, but that's fine as my computer is on 24/7 so downloads finish overnight.
I'm getting the same speed. Not sure what my line is good for since my last DSL service was with bell back in 2001 and it was only 1.5Mbit/s back then. I don't do Torrents or huge downloads but anything is better than Videotrons 10gb caps.

[ymlccc]

It's your money. But YOU do the math.

Up front, you save $313 the first year (at $19) when compared with Teksavvy's uncapped account (which is $45.10 per month in Quebec, tax included).

From then on you save about $70 per year using Acanac and paying up front, compared to paying Teksavvy monthly - with 5% interest compounded monthly figured in and no income tax paid against that 5% (and who will pay you 5%?)

Moving to the 2 year plan you lay out abour $228 less over the period when compared to paying Acanac for two annual plans - and then, because Acanac costs $10 less per month than the same plan from Teksavvy, you save even more.

Your call - I went with the up 2 year plan instantly when they offered it.
Thanks man, I feel you.

I believe it's a personal thing, once I trusted a calling card company and bought 15x$10 cards and they went bankrupt silently, they were in the business for more than 5 years... I learned my lesson the hard way... I believe 99% of the chance Acanac won't have any financial problem in the future, but once it happened, it's my butt on the line to suffer the loss.

On another hand I have to admit so far I don't have any major problem with them except once twice a week or once per month I'll have to reset the modem... It's no biggie and so far so good. My neighbor is using VIF in Montreal and they don't have to sign a contract, and I can get a good deal with same service for $30 a month tax-in...

My contract is due in TWO days, and the guy in retention department has yet to reply my email regarding to "yearly" payment thing... Don't get me wrong, I don't mind signing a two year contract, but hey I don't have any other companies asking me to pay everything up front once. For example, Fido, I am on retention plan with lots credits on my account, I don't need to pay 3 years of service up front, believe me, I am totally happy with my fido plan now and don't want them to be out of business one day.

I am just wondering why Acanac can't do it?

[josipm]

I'm getting the same speed. Not sure what my line is good for since my last DSL service was with bell back in 2001 and it was only 1.5Mbit/s back then. I don't do Torrents or huge downloads but anything is better than Videotrons 10gb caps.

I am getting the same as you guys. 2.5

Where are you located? I was hoping to get at least 4. I might cancel if teh VOIP sucks.

[wanderingcat]

I have the Dlink DSL-2320B for 8 months now (when I switched from Bell - 5Mbps to Teksavvy - 5Mbps) and it is working great. Got it from Infonec.
I recommend that you go for it, as I've had almost no disconnecting problems and better speed compared to what I was getting when using Bell and their modem.

Also people need to keep in mind the fact that a good DSL modem is not a part that needs constant upgrading. You pay for it once and you will have it for years. This one is ADSL 2+ capable so it is futureproof.
Unless it breaks down because of other factors (i.e. overvoltage on the lines), you will have it for a long time. I expect at least 5 years of usage from a DSL modem. So I believe 70$ is not a lot for such a long period of time.
I can`t understand the people that try to find and then buy the cheapest DSL modem and in the same time they are looking for the best and most stable internet provider. And then complain about low speeds and disconnects.
If this is what you buy then this is what you get, if you want to save $50 on a modem that will provide daily internet to your PCs for years to come..

Just my 2 cents..

Thank you very much!

[CurryStick]

I am getting the same as you guys. 2.5

Where are you located? I was hoping to get at least 4. I might cancel if teh VOIP sucks.

I'm in Scarborough near Kennedy/Ellesmere, I'm guessing its far from Bell. I'm considering their VOIP service as well, but will need to read more before I commit myself.

[MJB]

I'm in Scarborough near Kennedy/Ellesmere, I'm guessing its far from Bell. I'm considering their VOIP service as well, but will need to read more before I commit myself.

You can go to the following link to check how far you are from 'your' switch [LINK (http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco?)]. Input your area code and first three digits of phone number (prefix). Next click on "Detailed Switch Info" under Misc to see where your switch is on a map.

[rivermist]

Is there any info about what a good distance is ?
Or what kinds of speeds one should expect ?

I'm approx 3km from my CO .... what kinds of speeds should I expect ?

For example:
0..1km excellent ... should expect close to 100% of profile
1km-3km good ... should expect close to 80% of profile
3km-5km poor ... should expect close to 65% of profile


You can go to the following link to check how far you are from 'your' switch [LINK (http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco?)]. Input your area code and first three digits of phone number (prefix). Next click on "Detailed Switch Info" under Misc to see where your switch is on a map.

[rkrk]

If you don't have an analog phone line, they need to install what they called a 'DSL dry loop' and it will increase the monthly cost

Thanks!

[alpwhite46]

I'm on bell and they have promised me upgrades... (since their upgrade of service to 3...and 5 megabits per second)

i've been stuck on 1.5 and been paying a spanking 50$ a month!!... so today i finally called to see whats up and he says that my area is green and i should be getting either 5 or 7... (of which obviously i'm not even close) but they will switch me down to 39 (to the 2 megabit conection since it wont make a diffeerence) and they said they can't compensate my previous hassles because i was supposedly in the 2.5 - 5 megabit range... ha ha!


so tech guy says im far from the headquarters... which is interesting...guess i'm in a dead-zone...

etobicoke (kipling & bloor) so i don't live in the boonies...

therefore the fastest i can get is 1.5 (well he said 2.3) but i'm getting 1.5 through speedtest.net (which is 100% accurate)...

so therefore techsavy and acanec won't be any different...

however i could still save money with acanec...

[MJB]

Is there any info about what a good distance is ?
Or what kinds of speeds one should expect ?

I'm approx 3km from my CO .... what kinds of speeds should I expect ?

For example:
0..1km excellent ... should expect close to 100% of profile
1km-3km good ... should expect close to 80% of profile
3km-5km poor ... should expect close to 65% of profile

Yes, I have seen such a post recently but can't immediately find it. I may have booked marked it at home! I will update the thread if I find it again.

[Mayoo]

I don’t work for Acanac and below are my two cents

In most cases problems are NOT from Acanac's point.

1. Most people for some reason compare Cable with DSL. They aren’t the same!!!. Major Player for DSL would be "how far you are from CO" & the quality of your line. See this link to find out how far you are from your CO
http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/ci...&search=Search

If your modem is working, then make sure DSL light is ON . then go to Modem configuration (192.168.1.1) -> modem status and get the values for below stats

DS Line Attenuation
US Line Attenuation

Line Attenuation
Measure of how much the signal has degraded between the DSLAM and the modem: maximum signal loss recommendation is usually about 60dB. The lower the dB the better for this measurement.

20dB and below is outstanding
20dB-30dB is excellent
30dB-40dB is very good
40dB-50dB is good
50dB-60dB is poor and may experience connectivity issues
60dB or above is bad and will experience connectivity issues

Add the values and divide by 18. That will tell you how far your are from CO too

The more far you are the slow speed you will get.

3. Get the below values from the stats

US Margin
DS Margin

Make sure the values follow the below ranges

6dB or below is bad and will experience no synch or intermittent synch problems
7dB-10dB is fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions
11dB-20dB is good with no synch problems
20dB-28dB is excellent
29dB or above is outstanding

So if your values fall under the bad area then you need to fix your phone lines. You can also contact Acanac for this as well

Again I don’t work for Acanac but I am using them since 2007 and they are the best I got so far.

I quit Rogers cause they charged for Bandwidth
I quit BELL cause they do traffic shaping
Acanc is the only one didn’t do all those and also allowd me to use SSH client to overcome the traffic shaping issue during 4PM – 2AM

Another thing to add .. if you have excellent values and still low speed then it means ur in the "low profile" which was done by ur previous provider. your down stream value should be 5056 etc .. if you see low then call acanac and then will be happy to raise ur profile to 5056

[razrsharp]

I usually hate writing about bad service, but I thought I should share my experience with other fellow RFD-ers.

So I signed up with the acanac promo just after xmas last year... they took 3 weeks to send a modem, even though they said it was sent right away - turns out it wasn't. Fine i thought, they extended my renewal date (albeit, to a week short of when i actually got the modem), and I had to call the company twice to make sure the thing was coming. That didn't bother me.

Since about a month ago my internet has not worked with them. Although i took a week or so to complain about it since it was intermittently on and off, I finally did. That was over 3 weeks ago. Just last week after SEVERAL emails back and forth with them they finally acknowledged that my modem was faulty, which i did suspect and mentioned to them from the very beginning. Fine i guess, they had to go through the motions of calling bell, sending out a tech, etc., to verify that i'm not just some crazy customer who knows nothing about technology. That didn't bother me either.

What finally burned me with them however, is that I've been trying to resolve this connection issue with them, and trying to connect with billing at the same time for my renewal costs, and i literally just get copy-and-paste email responses- they hardly ever read my emails and replied with accuracy. As it turns out they never sent a replacement modem as they "assumed" I was canceling my account - which i never officially did. I simply think that because I was inquiring about the newer, more expensive rates for the 2nd year they internally decided not to spend the $$ to ship my new modem, and not to fix my internet for the past month.... that's what led to my cancellation of their service, period. I couldn't tolerate their pasted emails when I was pouring my heart out looking for real answers to solve my problem - i loathed the entire experience, and wish it upon no one.

Excuse the rant, but i had to vent somewhere...

[fredsmith]

As it turns out they never sent a replacement modem as they "assumed" I was canceling my account - which i never officially did.
.
.
.
.
Excuse the rant, but i had to vent somewhere...
Yeah, stuff happens, and sometimes their people aren't all that swift on the uptake, especially in the billing group.

On the other hand, you wanted (and deserved) a replacement modem, even if you only had a week left on your term and they didn't want to spend the $$$ to ship it since you hadn't agreed to renew . . . too bad for them. That is NOT pro-active customer support.

On the other hand, consider that they have a pretty large client base and the vocal minority is just that; a minority. In general things do tend to go well with them.

I wish you well witth your next ISP.

[dgege]

Yeah, stuff happens, and sometimes their people aren't all that swift on the uptake, especially in the billing group.

On the other hand, you wanted (and deserved) a replacement modem, even if you only had a week left on your term and they didn't want to spend the $$$ to ship it since you hadn't agreed to renew . . . too bad for them. That is NOT pro-active customer support.

On the other hand, consider that they have a pretty large client base and the vocal minority is just that; a minority. In general things do tend to go well with them.

I wish you well witth your next ISP.

There is a lot of Acanac trashing that I see going around. I don't want to dispute their validity at all (sometimes things don't turn out well), but don't forget that usually the happy people don't express themselves.
This is the reason why I'm posting this, I've been with acanac for over 3 months now and it's going great. I have converted 3 other friends (2 more on the way), and they are all very happy with the service.
Of and don't forget that they give you a 30 days money back guarantee!

[Cataha]

Just wanted to add my two cents.

I recently signed up for Acanac myself. I live in downtown Ottawa. I had heard all the horror stories, and was a little worried about it. But, I figured even if the connection was slower than I had before, the savings would be worth it. It took about four business days to get the service up. I had canceled Bell a couple of weeks before, so the line was cold. I also had my own modem (Speedtouch 516) so I didn't have to wait for them to send theirs.

Once the service was up, I initially had a 3mbps connection. I attempted to call their tech support to bump it up to the proper speed, but once I got to a rep the line just went dead. Since I didn't feel like waiting again, I just let it be. This morning I woke up and the connection was automatically bumped up to 5mbps. When I logged on to play World of Warcraft, my ping was the same (if not lower) than what it was with Bell Canada.

So far, I'm quite pleased. If it remains as stable as the DSL was with Bell for the rest of the year, I won't hesitate to pay the $24.95/month rate for two years. I'll post again when I've tried out their online computer service to get around Bell's throttling.

[tigger03]

teksavvy 200g/mo "capped" is more than enough for me, actually thats like unlimited for me already.
2 years contract was the deal breaker for me,
i don't need those virtual pc fancy stuffs as i don't download a lot. And i have landline, if i go with voip that means i have to pay extra $10 for dry loop.

I believe most ppl joined teksavvy for their customer service anyway. All dsl services are almost the same quality speed since they are from bell.

+1

[mracer]

Does anyone have a link to the promo code for the $24 2 year retention deal? Acanac is not acknowledging it?:mad:
TIA
Mike:confused:

[fredsmith]

Does anyone have a link to the promo code for the $24 2 year retention deal? Acanac is not acknowledging it?:mad:
TIA
Mike:confused:

There is no 'code' that I am aware of. It is not $24. It is not 'official' in the sense that it isn't a published rate. It is not offered to everyone, so the idea is to be nice and hope that they offer it to you.

[rkobylka]

There is no 'code' that I am aware of. It is not $24. It is not 'official' in the sense that it isn't a published rate. It is not offered to everyone, so the idea is to be nice and hope that they offer it to you.

My acanac 1 year promo was going to run out on Jan 23rd however I was really impressed with their service and sent them an email asking them for a deal to renew and they offered me the 2 year deal at $25 a month all in. So just ask them what they can do for you.

[chrisanthony14]

it would be good if they had usenet services..

[alpwhite46]

Just to give everyone a heads up this offer is available only until end of january.

[alpwhite46]

Just to give everyone a heads up this offer is available only until end of january.

[Fox]

Thanks.

Are most of you buying your own modem, or going with the Acanac one?

[DaMadMonk]

Thanks.

Are most of you buying your own modem, or going with the Acanac one?

I have one (Speedtouch 516).

[fredsmith]

Just to give everyone a heads up this offer is available only until end of january.
After all this time they are finally withdrawing it? Not much time left then to solicit referrals!!

[dgege]

Just to give everyone a heads up this offer is available only until end of january.

Which offer? The 19$/month? If it's true, that sucks, I have some referrals that are coming in the next months!!

[Fox]

I have one (Speedtouch 516).

Ahh.. I have a router, but no modem.

[Freebasedog]

I'm not clear on the dry loop situation, I just know that I cannot use this without one. Can Acanac set this up if I do not have a phone line? Or do I need to start some account with bell to get a line?

[Dave98]

I'm not clear on the dry loop situation, I just know that I cannot use this without one. Can Acanac set this up if I do not have a phone line? Or do I need to start some account with bell to get a line?

You need to at least have the physical phone line itself. Dry loop is when you don't have landline phone SERVICE.

You'll need dry loop otherwise and it costs extra every month for your DSL service.

[Sandman]

Acanac offerring $605 for a two years term, need to pay upfront and tax included (approx. $25 per mth, tax included). Good offer but Pay in advance for 2 years ?? :idea:

[Freebasedog]

You need to at least have the physical phone line itself. Dry loop is when you don't have landline phone SERVICE.

You'll need dry loop otherwise and it costs extra every month for your DSL service.

Yes that's the thing, I have no home phone. I moved into a new condo, so chances are it's wired for everything, but I have never had any kind of home phone service. So I'm wondering if the Dry Loop needs to be setup via Bell or what.

[fredsmith]

Acanac offerring $605 for a two years term, need to pay upfront and tax included (approx. $25 per mth, tax included). Good offer but Pay in advance for 2 years ?? :idea:

I did. It is $25.11 per month tax included - a pretty good deal if you ask me. Not everyone gets offered that plan, by the way.

[fredsmith]

Yes that's the thing, I have no home phone. I moved into a new condo, so chances are it's wired for everything, but I have never had any kind of home phone service. So I'm wondering if the Dry Loop needs to be setup via Bell or what.

Bell has records of that kind f thing and Acanac will arrange it if the place has a pair to the C.O.

[dtam9999]

Just to give everyone a heads up this offer is available only until end of january.

thanks for the info

[ramaslamma]

IS ACANAC like bell? How is the service compared to Rogers?

[jamewoong]

IS ACANAC like bell? How is the service compared to Rogers?
to tell the truth, if you WANT less hassle, go with another ISP, really. this company offers the lowest price in the actual market (I agree), but you'll get a lot of DISCONNECTION in a week (duration is between 30 secs up to 3 hours) + each week, a server maintenance or something similar, so no connection for approx. 45 minutes (during the morning - weekend).

so, if you are playing online game, this is annyoing!

also, if you have trouble, it will take over 1 week to fix the problem if it's not their server problem.

pay more to get less hassle or pay less to have hassle - you bet! ;)

and also, THINK BEFORE YOU BET, because once you pay, you can't get your $$$ back as it's 1 YEAR CONTRACT! may be you won't get any problem before the 1 month trial, but if it happen after that ONE MONTH, you re doomed. lol
BTW, I've had Acanac since Sunday and have had no disconnections and a smooth 5mb service so far. Best Internet I've ever had.
you'll need to explore the Internet world if this is the best ISP... no discon so far? may be you are the lucky #, the 10% group that doesn't have trouble and discon.

[bojangles]

I signed up for their 1 year service. Let me tell you, I will CANCEL after my term is up.

My speed wasn't spectacular but it got worse when my profile was lowered.
I got the run around, had a ticket created but still no resolution. It seems that whomever follows up w/ profile updates is "unavailable" for 1 week now.

Let me tell you something, the stories about having bad Customer Service = TRUE. I have been calling them for 4 days and still no updates. I'll be calling their billing team soon to cancel my service. I can't believe I even recommended their service to a couple of friends of mine. But at least they'll enjoy the savings but I will advise them to cancel it after year's end.

another point w/ their CS, this happened on 2 diff occasions. My dsl connection was disconnected and when i called their tech line, I was on 25th place, by the time I got into 1st, the comp. voice says that the lines are busy and hanged up. I waited for 45 mins. They should've at least implemented a voice automated status update message telling people that there dsl issues in a particular region.

To the rest of you, go to either TekSavvy and join a group to get a discount or sign up for Velcomm or even Yak.

To Paul if he reads this, you are about to loose another customer.

[fredsmith]

I signed up for their 1 year service. Let me tell you, I will CANCEL after my term is up.

My speed wasn't spectacular but it got worse when my profile was lowered.
I got the run around, had a ticket created but still no resolution. It seems that whomever follows up w/ profile updates is "unavailable" for 1 week now.

Let me tell you something, the stories about having bad Customer Service = TRUE. I have been calling them for 4 days and still no updates. I'll be calling their billing team soon to cancel my service. I can't believe I even recommended their service to a couple of friends of mine. But at least they'll enjoy the savings but I will advise them to cancel it after year's end.

another point w/ their CS, this happened on 2 diff occasions. My dsl connection was disconnected and when i called their tech line, I was on 25th place, by the time I got into 1st, the comp. voice says that the lines are busy and hanged up. I waited for 45 mins. They should've at least implemented a voice automated status update message telling people that there dsl issues in a particular region.

To the rest of you, go to either TekSavvy and join a group to get a discount or sign up for Velcomm or even Yak.

To Paul if he reads this, you are about to loose another customer.

Tell me something;

Why should I or your friends cancel OUR subscriptions just because YOU had a problem?

Shouldn't that decision be theirs to make based on THEIR experience? Perhaps THEIR experience is positive, as mine and apparently many others' has been.

As to your profile being lowered . . . , maybe they are impacted by high demand and have been doing triage if they have limited staff and perhaps have taken a few days to submit the request to change your profile (or, perhaps if they have and Bell has done nothing about it). Has your life been negatively impacted in a meaningful way?

Perhaps they are overwhelmed with 'last mile issues' (which would be Bell Canada's problem) because of weather issues and at least YOU have service. I'll presume that your speed is still 3 megs if all that's happened is that you've noticed a profile downgrade, based on your rant.

Who do you think downgraded your profile (assuming that it has been downgraded and that you aren't simply dealing with a line noise issue or similar)? Do you think that Teksavvy would not have had the same problem? After all, they use the same connection from the DSLAM to your home - and if it is Bell who is slow, then Teksavvy could not have done better - but you'd be out of pocket by $70 plus taxes a year.

[fredsmith]

to tell the truth, if you WANT less hassle, go with another ISP, really. this company offers the lowest price in the actual market (I agree), but you'll get a lot of DISCONNECTION in a week (duration is between 30 secs up to 3 hours) + each week, a server maintenance or something similar, so no connection for approx. 45 minutes (during the morning - weekend).

so, if you are playing online game, this is annyoing!

also, if you have trouble, it will take over 1 week to fix the problem if it's not their server problem.

pay more to get less hassle or pay less to have hassle - you bet! ;)

and also, THINK BEFORE YOU BET, because once you pay, you can't get your $$$ back as it's 1 YEAR CONTRACT! may be you won't get any problem before the 1 month trial, but if it happen after that ONE MONTH, you re doomed. lol

you'll need to explore the Internet world if this is the best ISP... no discon so far? may be you are the lucky #, the 10% group that doesn't have trouble and discon.

What? You sir are eiher hyperbole-ic (I just made up the word) or just plain fuill of s**t.

First of all, you CAN and DO get all your money back if you cancel during the 30 day trial period. If you cancel AFTER that period you would get back the difference between what you used and what you paid - for example, if you stayed 3 months, they'd deduct the amount they'd charge for a 3 month contract and send you the difference.

Second, if you have disconnects, it isn't Acanac - it is Bell and the quality of your 'last mile' connection, as delivered by Bell. Acanac has no control over that. Bell does. Maybe it is even YOUR router or the power to your router that is the source of the problem. I suspect you don't have a carrier class device installed (no, Linksys is not carrier class).

And what underlying data do you use to presume that that 90% of the client base has had issues?

You obviously have an axe to grind for some reason and your comments and arguments should and can be discarded as being from the 'noisy fringe'.

[_pOtEnZa_]

just adding my 2 cents here, ordered anacac about 6 days ago, bell tech came yesterday, had about 2 hours downtime switching from bell to anacac, for now it seems ok, did a speed test and got 3200kbs so im ok with that (im pretty far from teh switch) , hopefully itll stay like that, dosent seem to disconect a lot for now, well see in the future !

[thomsonst780]

Is this avail in BC?

[SomeOtherDude]

I'm considering either TechSavvy or Acanac, after being tired of Bell and Rogers.
Can someone with better expertise than me answer these questions:

1) I live in a condo, is this alright?

2) If I don't have have an activated Bell voice line (I use my cell phone exclusively), so can I still get DSL?

3) I'm not a download junkie. I mainly check email, surf the web, occasionally watch youtube, and occasionally download torrents. I just want half decent speeds (2M+) and most importantly good reliability (it sucks being down for no reason and waiting for customer service!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[dirtmover]

To the rest of you, go to either TekSavvy and join a group to get a discount or sign up for Velcomm or even Yak.


As someone who has used both Acanac and TekSavvy I can tell you that I could not tell the difference between QOS and speed with the two providers.

I only switched when the introductory year finished with Acanac because the TekSavvy package worked out to a lower cost than Acanac. Yes, I know, I'm not comparing apples to apples basesd on limits and features but the TekSavvy package gives me all I need.

If Paul reads this, develop some more competetive package options and you might be able to retain more customers!

[Freebasedog]

I'm considering either TechSavvy or Acanac, after being tired of Bell and Rogers.
Can someone with better expertise than me answer these questions:

1) I live in a condo, is this alright?

2) If I don't have have an activated Bell voice line (I use my cell phone exclusively), so can I still get DSL?

3) I'm not a download junkie. I mainly check email, surf the web, occasionally watch youtube, and occasionally download torrents. I just want half decent speeds (2M+) and most importantly good reliability (it sucks being down for no reason and waiting for customer service!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I am in the same situation, and according to what they told me when I called this should be fine. There is an additional charge of $8 per month for the Dry Loop for people who do not subscribe to a home phone line, so long as the physical line is in the building.

[oolloo]

I heard rumors that Acanac is just trying to get a larger customer base before selling off their company. Potentially a new owner would sweep up this company, raise prices and keep all customers to lazy to change isp. I've heard this from a couple of source who work in the industry. It also justifies the prices they are offering.

[redmileage99]

I heard rumors that Acanac is just trying to get a larger customer base before selling off their company. Potentially a new owner would sweep up this company, raise prices and keep all customers to lazy to change isp. I've heard this from a couple of source who work in the industry. It also justifies the prices they are offering.

Even that's the case, they shouldn't raise price if you already signed up for 1 year or 2 year service with current price. If they raise price after your term finishes, you can always jump ship.

[kin0kin]

I called in 6-7 times since activation last week. I've only got 2 techs who actually helped me with something. The other times, these ppl had no idea wtf they were doing. My land lady having Rogers phone + me trying to get Acanac into the basement + bell doesn't want to even verify a jack is working for me is a PITA.

customer service-wise....teksavvy hands down.

[jamewoong]

What? You sir are eiher hyperbole-ic (I just made up the word) or just plain fuill of s**t.

First of all, you CAN and DO get all your money back if you cancel during the 30 day trial period. If you cancel AFTER that period you would get back the difference between what you used and what you paid - for example, if you stayed 3 months, they'd deduct the amount they'd charge for a 3 month contract and send you the difference.

Second, if you have disconnects, it isn't Acanac - it is Bell and the quality of your 'last mile' connection, as delivered by Bell. Acanac has no control over that. Bell does. Maybe it is even YOUR router or the power to your router that is the source of the problem. I suspect you don't have a carrier class device installed (no, Linksys is not carrier class).

And what underlying data do you use to presume that that 90% of the client base has had issues?

You obviously have an axe to grind for some reason and your comments and arguments should and can be discarded as being from the 'noisy fringe'.

1st of all, just want to tell you that if you cancel after the 1 month TRIAL, they will charge you their REGULAR PRICE which is $34/month (you get poor service and have to pay $34 - give me a break! --> this concerne the one that want to cancel their service).

Second, the disconnection is not from bell, but their server (that's what i read in their forum). Or... are you telling me that Bell is trying to trick people and disconnect them every week? I doubt... I'm saying this because my friend was with Bell (switch to Acanac) and LESS THAN 3 DISCONNECTIONs for the whole year. with acanac, disconnection EVERY WEEKS.

I don't understand why you argue for Acanac (may be u work for them) or u r their LOYAL customer ( i undersand this)? If everything is good for you, then okay... i'm just saying what i think of them after my trial with their service. you don't have to shoot like that and trying to reverse... because everything i said is a FACT - it happen or will happen to everyone!

And next time, please READ. the 10% is the one that DOESN'T HAVE A SINGLE DISCONNECTION OR CONNECTION PROBLEM! I didn't said that 90% of user have trouble... And 10% is already generous... because every company have problems...

[mjavor]

So what is the actual download cap of this unlimited download package?

[dgege]

So what is the actual download cap of this unlimited download package?

I can tell you that from personal experience, there is none. And I download a lot :)

[fredsmith]

1st of all, just want to tell you that if you cancel after the 1 month TRIAL, they will charge you their REGULAR PRICE which is $34/month (you get poor service and have to pay $34 - give me a break! --> this concerne the one that want to cancel their service).

Second, the disconnection is not from bell, but their server (that's what i read in their forum). Or... are you telling me that Bell is trying to trick people and disconnect them every week? I doubt... I'm saying this because my friend was with Bell (switch to Acanac) and LESS THAN 3 DISCONNECTIONs for the whole year. with acanac, disconnection EVERY WEEKS.

I don't understand why you argue for Acanac (may be u work for them) or u r their LOYAL customer ( i undersand this)? If everything is good for you, then okay... i'm just saying what i think of them after my trial with their service. you don't have to shoot like that and trying to reverse... because everything i said is a FACT - it happen or will happen to everyone!

And next time, please READ. the 10% is the one that DOESN'T HAVE A SINGLE DISCONNECTION OR CONNECTION PROBLEM! I didn't said that 90% of user have trouble... And 10% is already generous... because every company have problems...

Wow, you certainly are vociferous. Your first point was made by me when you originally bullsh*tted everyone by saying that they couldn't get ANY refund. I suggest that YOU read - obviously your tirades are driven by something more than simple observation . . likely your perceptions are skewed by disappointment due to unreasonable expectations.

First of all, you have 30 days to cancel and get ALL your money back. If you cancel your account before your term is up, why shouldn't they charge you based on the time you used - if you are with them 3 months and you cancel, you ought to pay for 3 months at the rate you would have paid had you signed up for 3 months in the first place - after all, you COMMITTED to 12 months to get an advantageous rate and now want to leave early.

It is obvious that you don't quite understand the business model - do you also try to return items to Best Buy and Future shop after their return deadlines and compain about that?

Be happy that they allow you to leave and will refund you anything at all. Try that with Videotron or Sympatico (the latter presuming that you commited to get a better rate) and with all cellular carriers and you will discover that you will be hit with penalty charges (Videotron won't let you leave at all - Rogers is $20/month to a max of $200 - Telus has a $400 cap on the penalty).

I don't work for Acanac. In fact I've also had issues with my connection from time to time - it is called 'life'.

I don't argue FOR Acanac - I argue against senseless dolts like you who b*tch and whine about things that simply don't make sense. If YOU took the time to apply reason to your rediculous arguments you'd probably save yourself a lot of angst.

Most of the readers here may be newbies and your irrational rants require rebuttal (I suspect that if you AREN'T a newbie, you are horribly demanding and I for one would not want you as my customer).

But I'll wager that 100% of ALL DSL customers connected to Bell's front end have had at least one disconnection. Why? Because Bell has had failures and has implemented changes from time to time that require (and result) in disconnections. Many people actually have a life and don't sit online 24/7 and thus may not NOTICE those disconnections, because they do tend to be transient. By the way, you really need to read things properly - a 'disconnection' is not physical. It is 'logical'. It just means that the data doesn't get from one end to the other. No one unplugs anything, as you seem to imply.

However there is ample evidence that Bell does take pro-active measures to affect the connections of clients who switch to alternative ISP clients - the profile on my line went from 5 to 3 megs when I switched - now, why would THAT be? We KNOW that Acanac always orders a 5 meg profile. A 5 meg profile had worked before I switched to Acanac, yet afterward the line was set to a 3 meg profile (discovered thanks to a friendly Bell Technician) and when the profile was reset to 5 megs, my line stats were reduced - interesting enough, according to the Bell tech, my line card had changed from a DSLAM located close by to one about 6 blocks further away.

Now, do you believe that Acanac requested a degraded connection? Of course not.

But Bell was losing about $25 per month in revenue based on what Acanac pays them and what I had been paying before I switched - if they can somehow demonstrate that alternative ISPs are somehow 'less reliable', then for the cost of having a tech who is already doing cross connects moving one pair of wires, they might generate any number of $300 annual revenue increases by having clients switch back . . . and if they are dealing with a new subscriber, and if there is a less loaded DSLAM a bit farther (and thus in a less desirable performance point) from a dense urban client constellation, why wouldn't they assign the alternate ISP's customers to THAT one and save the prime connection points for themselves?

Teksavvy's clients get connected to the same places that Acanac's do - so if the problem is the last mile, then their clients will suffer the same as Acanac's. If the problem is Bell's network then you'll have the same lapses for any ISP as well.

[fredsmith]

I called in 6-7 times since activation last week. I've only got 2 techs who actually helped me with something. The other times, these ppl had no idea wtf they were doing. My land lady having Rogers phone + me trying to get Acanac into the basement + bell doesn't want to even verify a jack is working for me is a PITA.

customer service-wise....teksavvy hands down.

I am confused . . . you have a Rogers line and managed to get Bell to put DSL on it for Acanac and now you are complaining that Bell won't verify Rogers' line? That makes no sense.

How you managed to get Bell to apply a DSLAM to a Rogers line is interesting. I was under the impression that they woudn't do this because it leads to a lot of finger-pointing. Carriers tend to be pretty territorial about the plant equipment..

Did you switch from Teksavvy and did you have similar issues with their activation by which you make that statement? If not, then what is your 'comparison' based on?

Bell is Bell and Acanac (and Teksavvy) both use Bell - could Teksavvy have somehow coinvinced Bell to come and check your Rogers jack when they wouldn't do it for Acanac?

By the way. Bell WILL come and check your jack if you are willing to pay them. But the simplest way to check a jack is to plug in a phone and see if you have a dial tone. Generally (but not always) if there is a decent DSL carrier on one jack in a home it will work with all the other jacks - you may well have a bad filter or bad phone/answering machine somewhere.

There is a very important distiction that must be made. ISPs are SERVICE providers. They have nothing at all to do with the medium by which their signal gets to your home. They subcontract that to Bell (in some cases to Rogers or Cogeco Cable, among others) and if there are issues, their recourse is to call the FACILITY provider.

[sir_belamy]

This all sounds like a bad marriage....staying with Rogers @ $50/month:cry:

[fredsmith]

This all sounds like a bad marriage....staying with Rogers @ $50/month:cry:

Cable is faster than DSL most of the time . . . . but we are discussing the difference between 'regular priced' services that have caps, blocked ports and such against a fully open (except port 25) DSL service with no other limits that costs all of $19, inclusing taxes for the first year of service - the difference is substantial - Your $50 (presumably plus tax) costs you $600 PLUS tax. Acanac is less than $228 INCLUDING taxes - which is a substantial amount of after tax money . . .

Time to get ready to go skiing . . . have a great day

[DrewCypher]

I used to use Canaca (a brother company of Acanac) as my reseller web hosting provider.

The were by far the WORST company I have ever dealt with. Poor customer support and MASSIVE overselling of server resources.

They were cheap.. but cheap and crappy.

So I can only imagine how bad Acanac is.

Be warned. This deal is fridgid as far as I am concerened. :!:

[DrewCypher]

Yes.. it is a pretty far stretch for me to imagine how bad a company is based on how bad a company was.

Thanks for the English lesson professor! :p

[alpwhite46]

Yes guys the 19$ thing is up until January 31st...i have already cancelled with Bell, just waiting till about the 24th to sign up with Acenac.

[dgege]

Yes guys the 19$ thing is up until January 31st...i have already cancelled with Bell, just waiting till about the 24th to sign up with Acenac.

Where do you guys see that?

[Inno]

Yes guys the 19$ thing is up until January 31st...i have already cancelled with Bell, just waiting till about the 24th to sign up with Acenac.

I had a problem last year when I did that: Bell cut my connection, then moved it to a far-distant C.O. so I got very slow speed, under 1 Meg. I had been getting 5.5 with Bell for years.

I suggest that people not cancel Bell until after you switch to Acanac. Won't cost much to have both going at the same time for a few days.

Not sure it would have helped in my case but maybe. After 10 months I am still under 1 meg in spite of efforts by Acanac and myself.

[darknestgirl]

My acanac 1 year promo was going to run out on Jan 23rd however I was really impressed with their service and sent them an email asking them for a deal to renew and they offered me the 2 year deal at $25 a month all in. So just ask them what they can do for you.

For the first year promo of 18.95$/month there is no news about the date that it would end so as for right now the special offer is still available until further notice.

And yes i'm a regular customer with acanac and a active member of their community forum where you can read one of the administrator answer about the promo code.

It's still available and there is no expired date yet

[Venom Soldier]

For the first year promo of 18.95$/month there is no news about the date that it would end so as for right now the special offer is still available until further notice.

And yes i'm a regular customer with acanac and a active member of their community forum where you can read one of the administrator answer about the promo code.

It's still available and there is no expired date yet

What's the additional cost for the dry loop DSL? Thanks

[soarlow]

how can you have bell and acanac both at the same time (the overlap time when you are transitioning over?) I thought you have to cancel one completely to get the other since they are both DSL?

Can you have Acanac and Rogers at the same time? and then cancel rogers?

Also, are people buying DSL modems for acanac, and if so, what's a good one for what price?

[X360]

What's the additional cost for the dry loop DSL? Thanks
+ $8 / month (tax included) regardless of what Band you have...

http://www.acanac.ca/NakedDSL.htm

Other ISPs might charge you more if you not on Band A

Band A $7.25/mo.
Band B $9.10/mo.
Band C $10.22/mo.
Band D $10.98/mo.
Band E $15.91/mo.
Band F $16.20/mo.
Band G $25.10/mo.

http://www.teksavvy.com/en/resdrydsl.asp?ID=9&mID=1

[darknestgirl]

It's 8$/month for the dry loop

And yes until your previous company didn't cancel your internet you'll have both(when you line is activated with acanac), the reason we ask not to cancel the internet before your line is activate with Acanac it's to prevent you to not have internet at all until the activation date but since bell is asking for a 30 days notice you have to tell them about it, as for the modem Acanac doesn't sell it, it's 49.95$ for deposit refundable if you return it.

[Inno]

how can you have bell and acanac both at the same time (the overlap time when you are transitioning over?) I thought you have to cancel one completely to get the other since they are both DSL?

Can you have Acanac and Rogers at the same time? and then cancel rogers?

Also, are people buying DSL modems for acanac, and if so, what's a good one for what price?

You don't need to cancel one to get the other. Most of us here did the one-month free trial with Acanac while we were still with Bell. You just have to log in under the username and password for whichever provider you want to connect to.

[darknestgirl]

Well the month free Acanac service is not available anymore. But the 30 days money back guaranteed is still there ;)

[paul_rfd]

Who do you think downgraded your profile (assuming that it has been downgraded and that you aren't simply dealing with a line noise issue or similar)? Do you think that Teksavvy would not have had the same problem? After all, they use the same connection from the DSLAM to your home - and if it is Bell who is slow, then Teksavvy could not have done better

6 month ago, I switched to Acanac from Bell Sympatico. With Acanac my initial speed test was excellent 6Mb but my speed browsing slow with BIG latency. I am very close to a DSLAM (<1km) and I had a free option - optical connexion - with Bell: 10Mb. I switched only because I didn't appreciate the 30 GB cap and even 60GB offer.

There is 3 problems :
1. Bell downgrade your Adsl profile for commercial purpose.
2. ISP server with too many customer and/or incompetent network and support team.
3. Your modem and computer setup with software firewall / AV (kaspersky security 2009).

Good ISP can make a difference with competent support, better DNS server, call Bell for upgrade your profile and be more persuasive (lawyer) if necessary.

Now my speed is almost correct for surfing (again Fast Path) after 3 months of problems ! I will switch with an other ISP because the cap 200GB by month is enough. I think I will try Teksavvy.

I want to cut my bill phone Bell because it's not fair his attitude. -1

[kikiya]

I have Bell and they suck big time- my contract got over last month and I didn't remember so for this month they have charged $27 extra....
Anyways I will be happy to go with Acanac -my questions are if we move in the area- from one house to other will there be extra cost for transfer? Also will SMC Barricade Router-SMC7004VWBR will work well? I could not find this on their website- your help is appreciated.
Kikiya

[fredsmith]

I have Bell and they suck big time- my contract got over last month and I didn't remember so for this month they have charged $27 extra....
Anyways I will be happy to go with Acanac -my questions are if we move in the area- from one house to other will there be extra cost for transfer? Also will SMC Barricade Router-SMC7004VWBR will work well? I could not find this on their website- your help is appreciated.
Kikiya
Interesting enough Acanac has covered this topic in their FAQ somewhere - I recall reading it. The answer is that there is no charge if you move.

The quick answer regarding your equipment is that you have a router. You'll need a DSL modem between the phone line and the router if you don't already have one.

I happen to have one of those routers - I use it as a paperweight because I found it to be flakey - and SMC has replaced it twice. But yes, it can be used with virtually any internet provider.

There are two ways to set it up; Most DSL modems already have the PPPOE client needed to connect to an ISP. You need to put the account number and password into the modem if you use it that way. If you do this, you would set up the WAN interface on your router to get an IP address assigned by the DHCP host (Dynamic IP address).

The alternative is to select the PPPOE interface in the router and put the account and password information into the router - the modem has adequate intelligence to recognise this and to operate in 'bridge' (pass through) mode.

[kikiya]

Thank you very much Fredsmith for your help-I was under the impression that a wireless DSL/router has modem in it but I was wrong-
Now if i use it at home (1 Lap top and 1 PC) and yes I need wireless would I still need need DSL Modem as well as DSL Router and both has to be wireless? Please advise.
many thanks,
kikiya

[dgege]

I have Bell and they suck big time- my contract got over last month and I didn't remember so for this month they have charged $27 extra....
Anyways I will be happy to go with Acanac -my questions are if we move in the area- from one house to other will there be extra cost for transfer? Also will SMC Barricade Router-SMC7004VWBR will work well? I could not find this on their website- your help is appreciated.
Kikiya

First move is free, 20$ is charged for the subsequent moves.

[fredsmith]

Thank you very much Fredsmith for your help-I was under the impression that a wireless DSL/router has modem in it but I was wrong-
Now if i use it at home (1 Lap top and 1 PC) and yes I need wireless would I still need need DSL Modem as well as DSL Router and both has to be wireless? Please advise.
many thanks,
kikiya

Indeed. You need the router plugged in to your DSL (or Cable, if that's the way you eventually decide to go) modem.

The 'Cable/DSL' nomenclature is confusing, because it does give the impression that the modem is included when the reality is that the device is simply a router that is INTENDED to be plugged into a Cable or DSL modem.

The connection between the modem and the router willl be on a wired Ethernet connection (the WAN port on the router, plugged into the Ethernet connection of the modem).

The Barricade can handle both of your computers and more . . . it has 4 wired Ethernet connections plus the WiFi connection . . . Note that it is a WiFi 'B' - 11 megabit connection - faster than your DSL connection but slower than the 54 megabits (and more) that current routers provide. Having said that, 11 megabits is 'fast enough'. But my experience with this particular device is, as I said that it is not as reliable as others out there, though perhaps they have a frmware upgrade available that improves upon this.

It IS a good place to start, since you already have it. But if it does lock up, keep in mind that you should try to reset it (power it off and back on) before calling for help.

[kikiya]

Thanks Fredsmith, once again.

So if i understand correctly I do need a DSL Modem(in this case with Acanac) but do I absolutely need a 'Router'? The Bell service that I've they sent me 2Wire and it's just one thing(perhaps-modem, which obviously I'll be returning them)- and I'm connected wirelessly on laptop. So I don't know why should now I would need two peices Modem + Router?
I don't still've the Baricade- I was planning to buy a cheap one?
So now would you suggest me something else here?
Many-many thanks- sorry for my lack of knowledge, if u find some questions funny (you can laugh and answer-lol)
kikiya.

[fredsmith]

Thanks Fredsmith, once again.

So if i understand correctly I do need a DSL Modem(in this case with Acanac) but do I absolutely need a 'Router'? The Bell service that I've they sent me 2Wire and it's just one thing(perhaps-modem, which obviously I'll be returning them)- and I'm connected wirelessly on laptop. So I don't know why should now I would need two peices Modem + Router?
I don't still've the Baricade- I was planning to buy a cheap one?
So now would you suggest me something else here?
Many-many thanks- sorry for my lack of knowledge, if u find some questions funny (you can laugh and answer-lol)
kikiya.
What Bell provided you was a combination router/modem - they DO make them, it's just that your router is just that - a router only.

If it is their little black one it is probably a Siemens Speedstream 6520 - they have another model they're providing these days - not sure just what that model is, though it is simple to check.

Bell will want their modem back - they will (might) send you a box to return it to them. If they don't you will be able to change the login parameters and use Bell's modem. if they do, you'd best send them their modem because they charge a LOT more than it's worth if you don;t.

So yes, you will need a DSL modem. You can rent Acanac's (one time deposit, usually refunded when/if you cancel) or just buy one on Craigslist or Ebay or from a retailer. You can even buy a combination modem/router if you want.

[marbss]

I'm on VOIP (vonage) so i think i can't use DSL/ADSL only cable

This statement is not entirely true. I'm using two VOIP lines with Teksavvy They are working fine. If DSL is good in your area - VOIP will be fine.

[Freebasedog]

What Bell provided you was a combination router/modem - they DO make them, it's just that your router is just that - a router only.

If it is their little black one it is probably a Siemens Speedstream 6520 - they have another model they're providing these days - not sure just what that model is, though it is simple to check.

Bell will want their modem back - they will (might) send you a box to return it to them. If they don't you will be able to change the login parameters and use Bell's modem. if they do, you'd best send them their modem because they charge a LOT more than it's worth if you don;t.

So yes, you will need a DSL modem. You can rent Acanac's (one time deposit, usually refunded when/if you cancel) or just buy one on Craigslist or Ebay or from a retailer. You can even buy a combination modem/router if you want.


Anyone have any suggestions for good, affordable DSL modems? Or modem/wireless router combos?

[InSaNehb]

I switched from AEI internet to Acanac for 6 months now and its #1...i download at 600kb/s and upload at 100kb/s! I had to change my router cuz i had to keep resetting it! As for customer service, i emailed them few time and got an answer within 24hrs on weekdays. All my phones are jacked with filters since I dont want to lose my connection while playing games...

Anyway im happy saving 400$/year and if u guys have more money to spend go ahead. I just like when ppl blame something w/o verifying the truth behind!

[Inno]

Anyone have any suggestions for good, affordable DSL modems? Or modem/wireless router combos?

People seem to like the 2wire combo. Places like Canada Computers sell them refurb for around $20. Also Caneris sells them. Mine works fine.

[paul_rfd]

I just like when ppl blame something w/o verifying the truth behind!
Yeah and I don't like people speak about situation they don't know and don't understand.
Do you know all the truth or you are just lucky with your adsl connexion ? :lol:

[cache]

People seem to like the 2wire combo. Places like Canada Computers sell them refurb for around $20. Also Caneris sells them. Mine works fine.

+1. go for the 2wire modem. i've been using it for 2 years now. worth every penny.

[Diamondog]

Acanac customer for 18 months, got the initial deal at $18 and change a month for first year and second year at like $32 or something. I have had ONE outage in that time for a few hours and always have the same speed. I pull down 300 gb's a month religiously with them and not a PEEP from them...GO FU%K yourself ROGERS/BELL lol

[chickenbones]

Looks like they are charging $50 bucks for the modem now? At least that's what the website is saying. They will buy it back at the same price when you cancel.

[mong]

Looks like they are charging $50 bucks for the modem now? At least that's what the website is saying. They will buy it back at the same price when you cancel.

It's normal if they charge you $50 because it's a deposit. It's always been like this as far as I remember.

[mikeguy82]

I am a subscriber to acanac and the service is great, tech support is great, my speedtest is around 4400kbps on average and upload at about 600kbps. There is a backdoor way to increase your utorrent download speeds, usually it is at 30kbps with bell throteling, but goes up to 150 the backdoor way read some more about this here :
http://community.acanac.com/acanac/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5903
I do not have a phone line with bell so I had to get dry loop, I believe that is an extra $5 approx, I forgot exactly, but it's ok since I never returned bell's old modem, witch by the way works with acanac.
Also important, never got an email from them stating that I was downloading illegal content... etc as some of you might have recieved from Bell/Rogers, stating that if you do not comply they will cancel your account!
DOWNLOAD AWAY!

[alpenrock]

all these ppl who write about the reviews are most of them are newbies
when I check their olfer posts they only review about ACANAC. most of the ppl who write about ACANAC are employes or customer service people.

[alpenrock]

[Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
I have one (Speedtouch 516).

I have one (Speedtouch 516).
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 4th, 2009, 04:43 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
I just checked my connection speed, its at 6meg...

I just checked my connection speed, its at 6meg download :cheesygri
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 3rd, 2009, 06:16 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
I've never had to go that route with anybody. ...

I've never had to go that route with anybody. The most was a few hours (other then the blackout a few yrs back).

I've been with Rogers, Bell, Teksavvy, and now Acanac for the past 12 years or...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 3rd, 2009, 04:24 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
At the price I was willing to sacrifice some...

At the price I was willing to sacrifice some performance. But I've had better performance with Acanac.
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 3rd, 2009, 06:36 AM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
I just made the switch over from Teksavvy to...

I just made the switch over from Teksavvy to Acanac.

So far Acanac in terms of performace (WoW lag in particular) wins hands down. Only 1-2 disconnects thus far compared to Teksavvy one a day. I...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 3rd, 2009, 01:35 AM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
If you have DSL in ON/Quebec, you should be able...

If you have DSL in ON/Quebec, you should be able to get it. Call in otherwise to check.
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 2nd, 2009, 05:00 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
Yes and no... Mother Bells owns the lines...

Yes and no...

Mother Bells owns the lines and throttles most anything that is in use on those lines.

Acanac does have a online pc thingy that seems to be a way around throttling and as well as...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 2nd, 2009, 03:31 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
I've had two ppl on my network play WoW without...

I've had two ppl on my network play WoW without any lagging so it should be fine.
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 2nd, 2009, 02:15 AM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
Thought about that and it is a risk. But as far...

Thought about that and it is a risk. But as far as I can tell this won't happen. As well, its only a risk for 6 months for me since I'm paying half of what I would of paid with Teksavvy and will be...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 1st, 2009, 08:53 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
It's the first time I've posted a deal. Didn't...

It's the first time I've posted a deal. Didn't know about it. If the powers that be think its an infraction worthy of a ban I have no issues with that.

RFD has given me much more then I've...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 1st, 2009, 08:50 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
Haven't had Rogers Express for speed... I...

Haven't had Rogers Express for speed...

I don't have Rogers as they have a 30 gig downloading cap per month (as far as I know).

Don't know about the Guarantee as I haven't used it.

Don't...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 1st, 2009, 07:45 PM
Replies: 228 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By DaMadMonk
There is also some real geeky stuff about an...

There is also some real geeky stuff about an online Pc and a backdoor way to stop throttling.

I have to look into it, but here is a blurb from somebody who has done it.



Review by...

[DefiKojiro]

Do you need to have a home phone service for this? I just use Rogers to my cell phone, so I will not be paying to have home phone at my apartment (although I imagine all the wiring is there, the service just isn't active).

[alpenrock]

Jan 19th, 2009, 01:15 AM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
What Bell provided you was a combination...

What Bell provided you was a combination router/modem - they DO make them, it's just that your router is just that - a router only.

If it is their little black one it is probably a Siemens...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 18th, 2009, 11:25 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
Indeed. You need the router plugged in to your...

Indeed. You need the router plugged in to your DSL (or Cable, if that's the way you eventually decide to go) modem.

The 'Cable/DSL' nomenclature is confusing, because it does give the impression...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 18th, 2009, 09:25 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
Interesting enough Acanac has covered this topic...

Interesting enough Acanac has covered this topic in their FAQ somewhere - I recall reading it. The answer is that there is no charge if you move.

The quick answer regarding your equipment is that...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 17th, 2009, 12:42 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
Cable is faster than DSL most of the time . . . ....

Cable is faster than DSL most of the time . . . . but we are discussing the difference between 'regular priced' services that have caps, blocked ports and such against a fully open (except port 25)...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 17th, 2009, 12:00 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
I am confused . . . you have a Rogers line and...

I am confused . . . you have a Rogers line and managed to get Bell to put DSL on it for Acanac and now you are complaining that Bell won't verify Rogers' line? That makes no sense.

How you...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 17th, 2009, 11:44 AM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
Wow, you certainly are vociferous. Your first...

Wow, you certainly are vociferous. Your first point was made by me when you originally bullsh*tted everyone by saying that they couldn't get ANY refund. I suggest that YOU read - obviously your...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 15th, 2009, 12:24 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
What? You sir are eiher hyperbole-ic (I just...

What? You sir are eiher hyperbole-ic (I just made up the word) or just plain fuill of s**t.

First of all, you CAN and DO get all your money back if you cancel during the 30 day trial period. If...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 15th, 2009, 12:16 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
Tell me something; Why should I or your...

Tell me something;

Why should I or your friends cancel OUR subscriptions just because YOU had a problem?

Shouldn't that decision be theirs to make based on THEIR experience? Perhaps THEIR...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 15th, 2009, 03:14 AM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
Bell has records of that kind f thing and Acanac...

Bell has records of that kind f thing and Acanac will arrange it if the place has a pair to the C.O.
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 15th, 2009, 03:12 AM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
I did. It is $25.11 per month tax included - a...

I did. It is $25.11 per month tax included - a pretty good deal if you ask me. Not everyone gets offered that plan, by the way.
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 13th, 2009, 10:10 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
After all this time they are finally withdrawing...

After all this time they are finally withdrawing it? Not much time left then to solicit referrals!!
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 12th, 2009, 12:11 PM
Replies: 230 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By fredsmith
There is no 'code' that I am aware of. It is not...

There is no 'code' that I am aware of. It is not $24. It is not 'official' in the sense that it isn't a published rate. It is not offered to everyone, so the idea is to be nice and hope that they...

[mong]

Do you need to have a home phone service for this? I just use Rogers to my cell phone, so I will not be paying to have home phone at my apartment (although I imagine all the wiring is there, the service just isn't active).

You should be able to but you'll have to call them to confirm. If indeed it's available at your place, you'll have to pay an additional charge for dry-loop since you don't have a phone line. I don't know the price for it although I'm pretty sure it was written somewhere on their website.

[mingyang]

Do you need to have a home phone service for this? I just use Rogers to my cell phone, so I will not be paying to have home phone at my apartment (although I imagine all the wiring is there, the service just isn't active).

ask for dry loop service

there should be activation charge for dry loop and additional monthly cost

[alpenrock]

Jan 17th, 2009, 08:55 PM
Replies: 233 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By darknestgirl
Well the month free Acanac service is not...

Well the month free Acanac service is not available anymore. But the 30 days money back guaranteed is still there ;)
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 17th, 2009, 08:20 PM
Replies: 233 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By darknestgirl
It's 8$/month for the dry loop And yes until...

It's 8$/month for the dry loop

And yes until your previous company didn't cancel your internet you'll have both(when you line is activated with acanac), the reason we ask not to cancel the...
Forum: Hot Deals Jan 17th, 2009, 06:11 PM
Replies: 233 [Comp] $19 (taxes in) a month for High Speed Internet 5mb unlimited downloads (Acanac)
Views: 26,949 Posted By darknestgirl
Acanac special offer of 18.95$

For the first year promo of 18.95$/month there is no news about the date that it would end so as for right now the special offer is still available until further notice.

And yes i'm a regular...

[fredsmith]

all these ppl who write about the reviews are most of them are newbies
when I check their olfer posts they only review about ACANAC. most of the ppl who write about ACANAC are employes or customer service people.
Pretty strong accusation.

For your information, I have no ties to Acanac beyond the fact that I subscribe to their VOIP and DSL services.

If I have the knowledge and experience, why shouldn't I provide answers to questions asked and correct misinformation where it exists? My posts are informational and simply answer the questions or correct the claptrap that people like you spew.

I notice that most of the biggest complainers here seem to have little or no experience with Acanac's service (and those that have, seem to very possibly have unreasonable expectations of just what 'Technical Support' their ISP should be providing and how it should work), Bell's politics and the performance of 'other ISPs' by comparison. They simply 'presume' that one will be better than the other - and what of the poster who said he had dealt with Canaca, so that by association Acanac HAD to provide poor service?

Who I am is someone who HATES seeing misinformation posted by the likes of you.

I have spent decades working in the datacom sector around the globe (running a support division for a high tech company for a number of years as well) and many of the readers here live in a utopian world, expecting to be led by the hand, too lazy to even research claims. It doesn't take long before the rumour becomes 'fact' unless someone jumps in to correct the disinformation..

There are no inaccuracies in my posts that I am aware of and, if you research other topics in which I have been active, you'll find that this passion for accuracy stretches way beyond DSL connectivity. The automotive threads, in particular seem to be filled with this type of garbage.

I argue against bullsh*t wherever I encounter it - and I've encountered a huge, steaming pile it with you, sir.

I can't speak for 'damadmonk', but he's probably someone like me. He said he was a new subscriber and is probably hoping for unsolicited referrals. Some of us are. Maybe he IS an employee? Would it matter if he was? Redflagdeals exists to disseminate information about good deals - and paying $19 a month for DSL service is a VERY good deal.

Darknestgirl posted that she hosts a forum at Acanac - is she an employee? I don't know. She may be, or she might just be an active member of their user groups. I have friends who do the same thing for Linux and other software and hardware products out there. That doesn't make them employees. It makes them helpful.

And what would you say about the likes of 'jamewoong', who is so full of cr*p with HIS accusations regarding the company's performance and such that he even contradicts his own statements and takes credit for those of others. . . . maybe that he works for Bell or Teksavvy?

You sir, are a Troll.

Get real. get a life and stop filling newbie heads with this type of garbage. My posts are based on my real life experiences (rather than 'imagination', as the 'canaca poster' said was HIS reason for saying that Acanac was less than an ideal provider).

Perhaps a friend of mine was right when he sent me the following youtube link yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L3QVn4JyYA&NR=1

The views expressed in that video are not mine, nor of reflagdeals' management - but they might just explain why this thread stretches for 16 pages and why there are others like it.

[gordga]

Originally Posted by alpenrock View Post
all these ppl who write about the reviews are most of them are newbies
when I check their olfer posts they only review about ACANAC. most of the ppl who write about ACANAC are employes or customer service people.


I have been a member for years and Acanac is really good. I am a happy customer. REALLY NASTY THING TO SAY ABOUT SUCH A GOOD COMPANY.............:cheesygri

[Cheapster]

We should be careful about what is written by suspecting the newbies here cause some are indeed CR and spamming us. Those that have been around a long time with many posts have nothing to lose and are only posting their
opinions good or bad. I for one have been thinking about switching from our big mother BELL!

[kin0kin]

After some struggle, I've finally got my line hooked up.

My landlady lives above me and she is using rogers and rogers home phone. when I paid for the service online, I was told that the service was activated a few days later and that Bell had done what was necessary at the demarcation point (external). Tried and tried to connect but couldn't get a signal for a few days. Then I tried to make a ticket, but out of the 5 calls I made, only 1 rep knew what he was doing, and opened the ticket for me. 3 of them didn't know what they were doing. 1 of them "opened" a ticket but when I called in the 4th time, it didn't exist. Bell and Rogers were pointing fingers as to who should take care of the line. It's a Bell line, so eventually Bell had to deal with it.

I got my friend who knows how to deal with phone wiring to check out the demarcation point for me at the mean while but there was a lock on the box that didn't belong to me, nor the land lady. Took me another few phone calls to Bell to find out that it wasn't theirs either. So I went ahead and cut that cr@p off. Lines seem to be "connected" and continuity was found with latch test. Still...couldn't get no signal.

Bell came and knocked on my door, telling me that the demarcation point is 1000000% working. He then told me that he can't come in and check/verify the line since I'm with Acanac. I asked how much would he charge if I had to get him to do it and he asked me to call Bell. Gone he went.

Tried again but no luck. Called Acanac another 3 more times and finally someone created a ticket for me. This lady seems to be more senior than the other jokers. Talk about Cx service. She told me it's likely Rogers who locked the box.

Sunday came and a tech came in the morning. Checked the Bell line that came into the breaker box ad couldn't hear no dial tone. Went out to the external box and figured that it wasn't actually wired properly. (so what kind of crack was the other Bell guy smoking? and the first one...if that ever came)

Got a dial tone finally but couldn't get a signal. Tested and tested then he decided to check it out at the terminal. 15 mins later he came back and told me that the port wasn't connected for my line. He then found signal but my crappy modem couldn't get anything. Went out to infonec and got myself a 516.

After testing with DMT, I noticed that I was put at 3008/800 fast path by Bell. Called in yesterday and asked to be put on 5 meg, fast path. ATM, profile still hasn't been changed...but should be changed soon.

The whole process, from activation to actually getting the line to work took about 3 weeks. It was no different when I had Teksavvy but Teksavvy customer service is million times better than Acanac. I only got 1 stuck up guy from Teksavvy from the many times that I called in.

[fredsmith]

Hey KinOkin;

Glad to hear that you finally resolved your issues, but, as I said originally, the issues were not Acanac's, but rather Bell. That Rogers was in the picture clouded the issue.

The Bell idiot who said he wouldn't come in was *not* correct. It wasn't that you ARE with Acanac, but that you AREN'T with Bell.

Bell is responsible only to what is known as the 'Demarc' (demarcation point). That outdoor unit is that point. When I moved in to my present home I had Bell relocate my demarc to a jack in my furnace room, which makes my arguing more persuasive when it would otherwise be. Easier to deal with during the winter, too.

Even so, that didn't give them the right to not verify the signal - as the second repair tech pointed out, there was no signal and you were previously told that there was . . . The first Bell repair tech probably only tested for dial tone, which of course has nothing to do with the DSL - the installer had wired the DSLAM to the wrong pair - and then didn't check his work. Then the first repair tech refused to verify the circuit - so you had a comedy of errors that were all Bell's fault.

This type of thing happens when there are multiple companies involved. And Bell, who is responsible for all of the network between your home and Acanac has neatly turned home wiring into a cash cow. The don't take responsability for it and threaten to charge the consumer if they have to visit and don't find any problems.

I can tell you from experience that they often 'quietly' repair problems on their side and then send bills for the service, when they have no right to. But how can the consumer tell?

Seems to me that you might want to write a VERY nasty letter to Bell, with a copy to the CRTC - because it may have been incompetance, but it also may have been predatory practice. Maybe you can get Bell to compensate you with a cash credit of some sort!

I've never used Acanac's phone-in support - e-mailing their online support and opening the trouble ticket that way has always worked for me - AND it provides an audit trail.

I know that seems counter-intuitive; after all, if your service is down, then how can you e-mail them for decent support? But that is one reason you have no setup fee and the rate is as low as it is.

And now, of course Bell has provisioned your line with 3 meg service, even though Acanac specifically ordered 5 megs . . . another Bell issue worth reporting.

Why do we think Bell did this?

Because they *can* get away with it for most people - then they can claim that 'their DSL service is faster'. Of course they don't tell you that the only reason is because they are lame-a**es.

[belgiangenius]

Just got the annual "Rogers is hiking its fee huge" notice in the mail yesterday.

I expected this actually might not happen this year in view of the economy, but it seems Rogers doesn't care.

This deal is timely. Time to dump Rogers.

[billybee]

I had Acanac for a year but had some issues so I went with Bell. But it turned out the issues were from Bell's side and Bell could not resolve them. I went back to Acanac with a reduced speed of 1-1.5MB/s and now I am happy. Not sure what the deal is with the referrals, but I would be happy to participate.

[Mel Boracis]

Acanac is on the list of spammers at digitalhome.ca, so there is atleast some precedent to them posing as forum members for the purposes of solicitation.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=699849&postcount=27

I don't think some of the posters mentioned work for Acanac but it's probably something to watch out for.

A couple of pages back, some people mentioned the 2wire modem was a good one. I can't find this at canada computers, can someone provide a link? Second question: are the router/modem combos good from a router point of view. I just bought a wrt54gl router- if I get the combo, is my brand new router redundant? :(

[fredsmith]

Acanac is on the list of spammers at digitalhome.ca, so there is atleast some precedent to them posing as forum members for the purposes of solicitation.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=699849&postcount=27

I don't think some of the posters mentioned work for Acanac but it's probably something to watch out for.

A couple of pages back, some people mentioned the 2wire modem was a good one. I can't find this at canada computers, can someone provide a link? Second question: are the router/modem combos good from a router point of view. I just bought a wrt54gl router- if I get the combo, is my brand new router redundant? :(
Well, I don't work for them. Neat link by the way . . . does that mean that I can't post a negative review of Bell, Videotron, Rogers or Teksavvy if I use Acanac as my ISP?

To answer the question - you only need one router. If your modem has a built in router you don't need another one, though it doesn't hurt to be behind TWO firewalls.

By the way almost ALL DSL modems have routers that are smart enough to disappear should the connecte computer or router initiate a PPPOE session, but not all have switches or WiFi . .

A combo unit has the disadvantage of being stuck handling a DSL connection, making this type of device almost unuseable if you decide to move to alternative connection technologies such as cable or fibre.

Then again, these things are cheap enough that it won't be the end of the world if you scrap the router should that happen.

The firewalls in most of these devices, whether they are modem/routers or just routers are pretty good.

[fredsmith]

I had Acanac for a year but had some issues so I went with Bell. But it turned out the issues were from Bell's side and Bell could not resolve them. I went back to Acanac with a reduced speed of 1-1.5MB/s and now I am happy. Not sure what the deal is with the referrals, but I would be happy to participate.
You can't provide a referral, since you were with them before . . .

[fredsmith]

Just got the annual "Rogers is hiking its fee huge" notice in the mail yesterday.

I expected this actually might not happen this year in view of the economy, but it seems Rogers doesn't care.

This deal is timely. Time to dump Rogers.
Have you tried negotiating a reduction?

Cable is *faster* than DSL.

If their internet division is anything like their wireless, they would likely grant you a retention discount.

[Fishing]

all these ppl who write about the reviews are most of them are newbies
when I check their olfer posts they only review about ACANAC. most of the ppl who write about ACANAC are employes or customer service people.

+1

Pretty strong accusation.

For your information, I have no ties to Acanac beyond the fact that I subscribe to their VOIP and DSL services.

If I have the knowledge and experience, why shouldn't I provide answers to questions asked and correct misinformation where it exists? My posts are informational and simply answer the questions or correct the claptrap that people like you spew.

I notice that most of the biggest complainers here seem to have little or no experience with Acanac's service (and those that have, seem to very possibly have unreasonable expectations of just what 'Technical Support' their ISP should be providing and how it should work), Bell's politics and the performance of 'other ISPs' by comparison. They simply 'presume' that one will be better than the other - and what of the poster who said he had dealt with Canaca, so that by association Acanac HAD to provide poor service?

Who I am is someone who HATES seeing misinformation posted by the likes of you.

I have spent decades working in the datacom sector around the globe (running a support division for a high tech company for a number of years as well) and many of the readers here live in a utopian world, expecting to be led by the hand, too lazy to even research claims. It doesn't take long before the rumour becomes 'fact' unless someone jumps in to correct the disinformation..

There are no inaccuracies in my posts that I am aware of and, if you research other topics in which I have been active, you'll find that this passion for accuracy stretches way beyond DSL connectivity. The automotive threads, in particular seem to be filled with this type of garbage.

I argue against bullsh*t wherever I encounter it - and I've encountered a huge, steaming pile it with you, sir.

I can't speak for 'damadmonk', but he's probably someone like me. He said he was a new subscriber and is probably hoping for unsolicited referrals. Some of us are. Maybe he IS an employee? Would it matter if he was? Redflagdeals exists to disseminate information about good deals - and paying $19 a month for DSL service is a VERY good deal.

Darknestgirl posted that she hosts a forum at Acanac - is she an employee? I don't know. She may be, or she might just be an active member of their user groups. I have friends who do the same thing for Linux and other software and hardware products out there. That doesn't make them employees. It makes them helpful.

And what would you say about the likes of 'jameswoong', who is so full of cr*p with HIS accusations regarding the company's performance and such that he even contradicts his own statements and takes credit for those of others. . . . maybe that he works for Bell or Teksavvy?

You sir, are a Troll.

Get real. get a life and stop filling newbie heads with this type of garbage. My posts are based on my real life experiences (rather than 'imagination', as the 'canaca poster' said was HIS reason for saying that Acanac was less than an ideal provider).

Perhaps a friend of mine was right when he sent me the following youtube link yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L3QVn4JyYA&NR=1

The views expressed in that video are not mine, nor of reflagdeals' management - but they might just explain why this thread stretches for 16 pages and why there are others like it.


you rag on a guy for posting what seems like an astute observation. i haven't gone through the whole thread, but you seem to be posting like crazy defending Acanac or getting on someone's case if they say something negative (post #182 replying back to Bojangles and i'm sure there are more)

[ephemera]

wow a lot of weirdness going on. I was on the fence with acanac and teksavvy and after going thru this thread I went with teksavvy.

[InSaNehb]

all these ppl who write about the reviews are most of them are newbies
when I check their olfer posts they only review about ACANAC. most of the ppl who write about ACANAC are employes or customer service people.

scam? it cost u nothing to try and then cancel if ya not happy...but i guess some ppl are lazy to try and save few hundreds per year! As for a student...every bucks count and thats why I like RFD

Oh yeah im a Newbie...I joined in 2007 and waited until now to defend Acanac

[zoolander]

A few years ago I did the research for a new ISP and it came down to Teksavvy, Velcom and Acanac.
After reviewing each of their prices, policies, reported download speeds (not advertised, user run), and customer feedback across several message boards, Acanac was the cheapest but had the most issues with billing and customer support.
I also was not in favour of Acanac's full year payment.

I ended up choosing Velcom $30/m, 5MB unlimited. Teksavvy is now $40/m for unlimited. Velcom has been my proven workhorse consistently, a key word, >3MB.
At this very moment, 3673kb/s using Speedtest.net.
Oh, I forgot, I have 3 downloads going on in the network, so the test figure should be higher.
Velcom has never incorrectly or double billed me, always charged my cc the same day every month. When I initially set up, their customer support spent a significant amount of time on the phone helping me to configure my router by finding the pdf manual online, wasn't their router, wasn't their job to do it. They never brushed me off and asked me to call my router's support line instead.

For home phone (not a fan of VOIP issues), I will be using Teksavvy $22/m, severing all ties to Bell.

[wish_bringer]

I have been using them for nearly a year. I'm sure it is throttled (but that is probably Bell). The price is right, though, given that there are no caps, and even without a Bell phone line it is still < $30 a month. One thing to be warned of, is that their DNS servers go down a lot. I configured all my gear to use http://www.opendns.com/ instead, and I have no issues.

[fredsmith]

A few years ago I did the research for a new ISP and it came down to Teksavvy, Velcom and Acanac.
After reviewing each of their prices, policies, reported download speeds (not advertised, user run), and customer feedback across several message boards, Acanac was the cheapest but had the most issues with billing and customer support.
I also was not in favour of Acanac's full year payment.

I ended up choosing Velcom $30/m, 5MB unlimited. Teksavvy is now $40/m for unlimited. Velcom has been my proven workhorse consistently, a key word, >3MB.
At this very moment, 3673kb/s using Speedtest.net.
Oh, I forgot, I have 3 downloads going on in the network, so the test figure should be higher.
Velcom has never incorrectly or double billed me, always charged my cc the same day every month. When I initially set up, their customer support spent a significant amount of time on the phone helping me to configure my router by finding the pdf manual online, wasn't their router, wasn't their job to do it. They never brushed me off and asked me to call my router's support line instead.

For home phone (not a fan of VOIP issues), I will be using Teksavvy $22/m, severing all ties to Bell.

3372/647 here today and I'm at a sub-optimal connection point (thanks Bell).

To the best of my knowledge no one has EVER been double-billed by Acanac. On the other hand Bell was ALWAYS double billing me.

Your CSR was going beyond the call of duty . . . congrats

If you are operating using DSL in a residential environment, then you are still cabled via Bell and your entire connection to the ISP is via Bell - exactly the same as with almost any alternative ISP.

And, Teksavvy's is a Bell reseller. Their phone offering is simply a Bell Canada phone lline, switched through a Bell switch and serviced by Bell - it's just that Teksavvy is billing you. While I have an Acanac VOIP line (I have an ATA, but I travel and use a soft phone when on the road and because it has unlimited North American calling for less than $10 tax included), I will ALWAYS keep a hardline because they work through power outages, provide proper voice quality and are simply 100% reliable.

So if you are switching to Teksavvy 'cut ties with Bell', it ain't gonna happen.

[jamewoong]

scam? it cost u nothing to try and then cancel if ya not happy...but i guess some ppl are lazy to try and save few hundreds per year! As for a student...every bucks count and thats why I like RFD

Oh yeah im a Newbie...I joined in 2007 and waited until now to defend Acanac

you just mess up with your speech... AS A STUDENT, every bit counts. BUT AS A STUDENT, paying the FULL AMOUNT IN ONE SHOOT is something crucial!

[fredsmith]

you just mess up with your speech... AS A STUDENT, every bit counts. BUT AS A STUDENT, paying the FULL AMOUNT IN ONE SHOOT is something crucial!
Why?

Is someone paying you big after-tax interest? Or are you better off paying someone a setup charge and twice as much each month?

AS A STUDENT (your caps) paying as little as possible over all is what counts.

[fredsmith]

I have been using them for nearly a year. I'm sure it is throttled (but that is probably Bell). The price is right, though, given that there are no caps, and even without a Bell phone line it is still < $30 a month. One thing to be warned of, is that their DNS servers go down a lot. I configured all my gear to use http://www.opendns.com/ instead, and I have no issues.
OpenDNS has another benefit in that they are a family-safe DNS resolver. No porn (OK, very little porn) with OpenDNS if you set it up properly.

[Mel Boracis]

Well, I don't work for them. Neat link by the way . . . does that mean that I can't post a negative review of Bell, Videotron, Rogers or Teksavvy if I use Acanac as my ISP?

No, I know you don't work for Acanac and the information you've provided on this thread has been very helpful. But that's my point, alot of us use these discussions to help us make our decisions. To maintain the integrity of this, it's important to keep the spamming to a minimum. As I said, you and other have provided alot of good (and technical) help so I'd hate to see the thread closed because someone doesn't follow the rules like spamming the site. Not that that's happening here...I'm talking about the MDG threads ;)

So, moving on: What modem is Acanac currently providing and is it any good (worth the $50 fee)?

[fredsmith]

+1




you rag on a guy for posting what seems like an astute observation. i haven't gone through the whole thread, but you seem to be posting like crazy defending Acanac or getting on someone's case if they say something negative (post #182 replying back to Bojangles and i'm sure there are more)

Had it been an astute observation, I wouldn't have ragged on him.

He picked 3 people and I know that at least two of them (myself being one) are simply users. The third seems to be as well.

As to my answer to Bojangles, I had to go back and see which post you were referring to . . . . that was the person who advised that we should all cancel our subscriptions because he had a negative experience.

Hey. If I have a negative experience, I'll report it, but I'll be da*ned if I'm going to insist that everyone else inconvenience themselves because of what happened to me.

All of us and all of his friends should consider the report and then make up our own minds about what we are going to do. He went way beyond what is reasonable when he exhorted us to change our ISPs.

I don't go out and tell people to sign up with Acanac . . . but when people report the problems they had with Bell and attribute it to Acanac, it requires explanation. When people make false statements about such things as Acanac's refund policy, I rebut that. When they complain because Acanac doesn't provide 24 hour handholding for router configuration, I rebut that - the reality is (and I've posted about this in other threads), if you are a whiner and are unable to support yourself, then maybe you should spend more money elsewhere.

I don't defend Acanac. I explain the errors in posts, unless, of course they get personal.

I spent a long time running a department that provided very high tech customer support to engineers. I know how these things go. I happen to enjoy helping people and some of the readers hopefully have received some benefit from all this.

When I see the garbage that some people try to pass as fact, I feel the need to separate the reality from the bullsh*t. It is all about facts.

[Inno]

Acanac is on the list of spammers at digitalhome.ca, so there is atleast some precedent to them posing as forum members for the purposes of solicitation.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=699849&postcount=27

I don't think some of the posters mentioned work for Acanac but it's probably something to watch out for.

A couple of pages back, some people mentioned the 2wire modem was a good one. I can't find this at canada computers, can someone provide a link? Second question: are the router/modem combos good from a router point of view. I just bought a wrt54gl router- if I get the combo, is my brand new router redundant? :(

Try Caneris for the 2wire.

[Fishing]

Had it been an astute observation, I wouldn't have ragged on him.

He picked 3 people and I know that at least two of them (myself being one) are simply users. The third seems to be as well.

As to my answer to Bojangles, I had to go back and see which post you were referring to . . . . that was the person who felt that we should all cancel our subsctrriptions because he had a negative experience.

Hey. If I have a negative experience, I'll report it, but I'll be da*ned if I'm going to insist that everyone else inconvenience themselves because of what happened to me.

All of us and all of his friends should consider the report and then make up our own minds about what we are going to do. He went way beyond what is reasonable when he exhorted us to change our ISPs.

I don't go out and tell people to sign up with Acanac . . . but when people report the problems they had with Bell and attrribute it to Acanac, it requires explanation. When people make false statements about such things as Acanac's refund policy, I rebut that. When they complain because Acanac doesn;t provide 24 hour handholding for router configuration, I rebut that - the reality is (and I've posted about this in other threads), if you are a whiner, then maybe you should spend more money elsewhere.

I don't defend Acanac. I explain the errors in posts, unless, of course they get personal.

I spent a long time running a department that provided very high tech customer support to engineers. I know how these things go. I happen to enjoy helping people and hopefully some of the readers hopefully have received some benefit.

When I see the garbage that some people try to pass as fact, I feel the need to correct. It is all about facts.

i think Bojangles felt bad that he referred friends to a service that he felt sucked. i would feel pretty bad if i referred someone to Bell.

so what if he is telling people to stay away from Acanac? that's his right. just like you get to tell everyone how great Acanac is. you tell Bojangles that his friends should make their decision based on their own experience and not what he says. well prior to signing with Acanac they have 0 experience with Acanac. it's hard to make a decision based on 0 experience. if they sign up for Acanac and it stinks, it's too late. they probably would think they should have listened to Bojangles.

I'm not bashing Acanac. I'm pretty tempted by the price they have. I'm actually switching to Teksavvy today from Bell, and depending on how it goes, I may go to Acanac as it is half the price. I debated between the two for a while, but i figure with Tekksavvy i can leave whenever i want and go to Acanac or someone else. the only thing that worries me about Acanac is that I will be paying a full year in advance and if i want out, i've heard it's hard to get your money back.

[fredsmith]

i think Bojangles felt bad that he referred friends to a service that he felt sucked. i would feel pretty bad if i referred someone to Bell.

so what if he is telling people to stay away from Acanac? that's his right. just like you get to tell everyone how great Acanac is. you tell Bojangles that his friends should make their decision based on their own experience and not what he says. well prior to signing with Acanac they have 0 experience with Acanac. it's hard to make a decision based on 0 experience. if they sign up for Acanac and it stinks, it's too late. they probably would think they should have listened to Bojangles.

I'm not bashing Acanac. I'm pretty tempted by the price they have. I'm actually switching to Teksavvy today from Bell, and depending on how it goes, I may go to Acanac as it is half the price. I debated between the two for a while, but i figure with Tekksavvy i can leave whenever i want and go to Acanac or someone else. the only thing that worries me about Acanac is that I will be paying a full year in advance and if i want out, i've heard it's hard to get your money back.
I don't tell ANYONE how 'great' Acanac is. In fact I've made no secret about the fact that I've had problems with them from from time to time.

As you said, you can leave Acanac anytime you like too.

And, if it 'stinks' it should start smelling long before the 30 day trial is up. So there's no risk. You get to find out for yourself whether it is good or not.

But if Bojangles' friends already signed up and he is advising them not to renew (as he says he will do), then he is making the decision for them . . . and THAT was why I took him to task. We are all supposedly big boys and girls here and can make up our own minds as to whether we made a good or a bad decision.

Had he suggested that something was *better* and explained why, it would have been a different matter. Had he suggested that people not begin with them and explained why, that would not be a problem. But to telll us not to renew because HE had a problem? That is wrong.

I don't recall hearing about anyone who has failed to get a refund. But even if you were having a problem, since you pay by credit card, the card issuer will give you the money you are due if you can document the situation for them. That's one reason why it is important to put things in writing.

My personal recommendation would be to start with Acanac and to move to someone else if you are having issues beyond ones related to DSL (because Teksavvy uses the same front end as Acanac and the rest of them).

[belgiangenius]

Have you tried negotiating a reduction?

Cable is *faster* than DSL.

If their internet division is anything like their wireless, they would likely grant you a retention discount.

They've done so in the past, but it's always a hassle. The discount doesn't get it down to $30 a month and the discount keeps disappearing from the account. The regular price for Express will be almost $50 per month now, which is really ludicrous in view of the prices of their competitors. It's time to join the current times and do some fat cutting, and Rogers is huge fat. :)

I've ordered the DSL modem and filters....now...Acanac or Teksavvy? Acanac is only cheaper in the first year, and when you look at DSL reports, apparently Acanac suffers from huge lag?

[Ohboiya]

Does anyone know how long these guys have been in business and whether they're in good financial condition? If you prepay and they go under ... you're SOL ...

[morglum82]

Does anyone know how long these guys have been in business and whether they're in good financial condition? If you prepay and they go under ... you're SOL ...

I wonder if mastercard//visa will refund you based on their policy that they refund you if you dont receive a service/good you paid for, like last fall when they refunded my Zoom Airlines ticket..

[fredsmith]

Does anyone know how long these guys have been in business and whether they're in good financial condition? If you prepay and they go under ... you're SOL ...

There's always *some* risk - no matter who you are dealing with.

I've been with them for 3 years and they've been around for longer than that . . . their sister company, Canaca was founded in 1998 according to their web site, but I can't find anything similar about Acanac

The first year is a relative giveaway, though I can't say whether you could get money back through your credit card if they did go under.

Everyone who is with them seems to opt for the annual plans (you won't find unlimited access for less money than they charge). Me included.

[zoolander]

Reviews of Acanac and others...
http://www.dslreports.com/gbu

Somebody is very active in this thread considering they're not the OP which is fine but re: Bell's infrastructure, most of us aren't ignorant.
Let me rephrase, I will severe all billing ties with Bell after moving my phone services to Teksavvy :rolleyes:

BTW, this Acanac promo was the same 3 years ago when I was looking for a new ISP, special offer my a$$.

[Ohboiya]

I wonder if mastercard//visa will refund you based on their policy that they refund you if you dont receive a service/good you paid for, like last fall when they refunded my Zoom Airlines ticket..

no ... that's a special law / regulation that protects travel consumers ...

[alpenrock]

+1




you rag on a guy for posting what seems like an astute observation. I haven't gone through the whole thread, but you seem to be posting like crazy defending acanac or getting on someone's case if they say something negative (post #182 replying back to bojangles and i'm sure there are more)
its better to go with bell or rogers. Couple of bucks more but good service.

[kin0kin]

Tried to get my speed profile changed from 3 to 5meg and was told by Acanac that Bell is seeing a LOT of errors after changing my line to 5 megs. My line stat is more than capable of handling 5meg. I guess Bell didn't like the fact that I've downloaded 30+gb worth of stuff in just a few days after my line finally works. :idea: I had to force the tech to re open the ticket and put a note in Bell saying that if there's really tons of error, I'd request a switch again. I guess I'd need at least 5-6 more phone calls to be able to get them to put me on 5 meg...:mad:

[Homeo]

signed up with Acanac today. Been following most of this thread and figured i'd chime in with my 2cents.

Facts:
I currently have BOTH Bell DSL and Acanac and using the SAME modem for both, just switching passwords to go from one to the other

All tests done on speedtest.net with the closest recommended server
Bell Sympatico ( Bell charges me $55/month for this plan)

3448 kbpsDN
642 KBPS up

Server Toronto
Ping 151ms Distance < 50 miles
------------------------------------------
Speed with Acanac
http://www.speedtest.net/result/397018298.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

So far so good.

[tyfriend]

Its been 2 weeks since I paid for a full year up front. And I have not had any internet from Acanac. I have been on the phone with them about setting up my dry-loop and nothing has happened so far. I will need to call them on Monday again(5x already).

[Cyanne]

I've been with acanac for a year and a half now.

My comments: service has been just as reliable as i was with my previous providers (Teksavvy, Bell...). i.e. I have lost service before, but only very seldom (maybe once every 6 months, at most). and it was a blip--very quickly restored. Speed has been just as good, if not better, than Bell.(Same Bell lines, no throttling)

The one clear downside to Acanac is that they have no newsgroups. But I haven't really used newsgroups for a decade anyway, so I'm easily able to forgo that. (plus there are free newsgroup servers around if I really wanted).

After I first switched to them I had negative things to say about their tech support: It took forever to get through to a person. However, I only needed to talk to a person once during the first year, and the one time I needed to do so so far during the second year the wait was far more reasonable. It's too small a sampling to really draw conclusions from, but note that for general questions, if you push the button for "sales" you get through right away.

I haven't tested their mail servers because I've been using my own for years. So no comment there. I know many people prefer gmail, which wouldn't involve them either. They also offer 100GB of online storage space, which sounds very nice, but I've never had occasion to try it out either.Still, it's nice to know that it's there as an option if I want it.

I haven't had DNS problems at all. Might be because I entered the addresses of their DNS servers in my network settings. (They are 67.55.0.11 and 67.55.0.13)

The first year price is INCREDIBLE. By far the best, no contest. I considered switching the second year, but ultimately didn't because the service had been reliable and when I did the math, I discovered I'd only be saving about $2 a month with the cheapest alternative. Plus their service is unlimited, and I got free VOIP with them (more on that in a bit). Remember their prices INCLUDE tax. Realizing that made all the difference. They offered one year of FREE local VOIP service to acanac dsl customers who wrote a review of their service on another site. I did that some months ago and have been enjoying that for a while now. I can check if it's still offered if anyone is interested. I cancelled my landline, witched to dry loop with acanac for $8/mo., and am now completely free of Bell! Yes, my dsl line is still technically with Bell, but acanac gets to deal with them, not me :). But this thread is about acanac, not Bell, so I'll leave my rants about Bell for another occasion. Some ask how can I go without a landline, but it hasn't been difficult for me at all. I have my modem and ATA on a battery backup for short outages, and I have my cell as a backup. I never used my landline much anyway.

Overall, I'm glad a made the decision to sign up with them both at the amazing opening rate and at the regular rate the second year. Feel free to PM me with questions ***********************

[Cyanne]

Its been 2 weeks since I paid for a full year up front. And I have not had any internet from Acanac. I have been on the phone with them about setting up my dry-loop and nothing has happened so far. I will need to call them on Monday again(5x already).

Oh, ouch. This sounds similar to the problem I had this year (after I cancelled my Bell phone line and switched to dry loop--my issue of the year, this year). The problem was with Bell scheduling someone to come to my place to do whatever they had to do. When you call back ask if they've scheduled an appointment with Bell yet to set it up. I'm not sure why Bell should have to come to the customer's house, but evidently they do?

[Kfox]

I currently have bell internet thru a dry loop, can anyone tell me the process to switch this to acanac?

[fredsmith]

I currently have bell internet thru a dry loop, can anyone tell me the process to switch this to acanac?


Simply call Acanac and subscribe to their service. Then, cancel Bell shortly AFTERWARD, letting them know that you are now with Acanac..

[tyfriend]

Oh, ouch. This sounds similar to the problem I had this year (after I cancelled my Bell phone line and switched to dry loop--my issue of the year, this year). The problem was with Bell scheduling someone to come to my place to do whatever they had to do. When you call back ask if they've scheduled an appointment with Bell yet to set it up. I'm not sure why Bell should have to come to the customer's house, but evidently they do?


Thanks for your reply,

Unfortunately they did send a bell rep to my house to come fix the problem. He did not come inside, but rather went around the house to fix some of the wiring. Still it did not fix the problem so I will have to call them again.

[spinbot]

Just wanted to add a few comments ( as I work for an ISP )

1. This is cheaper than the wholesale rate most ISP's pay for DSL circuits ( I believe where I work, it costs us $21.50-$22.50/month per DSL client )

2. Most disconnection issues wouldn't be the fault of the ISP. It's typically your DSL connection from Bell. If you are running to close to your line capacity or the noise on the line is too high, you may get disconnected. Reducing speed some can help.

3. Switching from one DSL provide to another shouldn't result in a lower profile from Bell. Your line capacity/speed from your home to Bell should be the same. If your profile is reduced, then Bell (Nexxia.. the wholesale division), is messing with you. Your new ISP's tech support should be able to contact Nexxia and have your profile increased.

4. If you profile is the same and speeds are slower with one ISP over another, then that would be because the one ISP has less bandwidth going out to the Internet and is being affected by load on the network ( ie. things slow down between 4pm and 10pm during peak usage ).

5. As most DSL problems are line related, no matter who you go with, they need to contact Nexxia(Bell) to have your line or DSLAM looked at. With a bit of reading, you can do the other troubleshooting yourself ( ie. remove all phones/filters and test, try a different phone jack or test from the demarcation point, get a better router, etc )

Even though I work for an ISP, we don't allow unlimited bandwidth ( even for staff ), so this is a deal even for me. I have a teksavvy LOGIN account , that only costs $10/month, so I think I would hold on to it for back-up or my primary connection .. either/or. I guess teksavvy doesn't offer this service anymore, so I wouldn't want to drop as I would likely move away from Acanac after the year is up.


EDIT: I was just looking at the support hours ( Monday to Friday for DSL ) and noticed one funny comment:
* If your service is down after hours please e-mail our emergency department.

Most people don't have alternate ways to get connected, so if your service is DOWN, you cannot EMAIL them :P

SIDE NOTE: Some ISPs, like where I work, offer all DSL clients a dialup connection (without about 20 hours) as backup. This isn't something ISP's like Teksavvy or Acanac offer as they aren't "local ISPs" and lack the local access numbers ( 1-800# aren't practical with dialup due to the per minute cost to the ISP )

[mong]

EDIT: I was just looking at the support hours ( Monday to Friday for DSL ) and noticed one funny comment:
* If your service is down after hours please e-mail our emergency department.

Most people don't have alternate ways to get connected, so if your service is DOWN, you cannot EMAIL them :P

SIDE NOTE: Some ISPs, like where I work, offer all DSL clients a dialup connection (without about 20 hours) as backup. This isn't something ISP's like Teksavvy or Acanac offer as they aren't "local ISPs" and lack the local access numbers ( 1-800# aren't practical with dialup due to the per minute cost to the ISP )

Actually, I think you can ask for a dialup connection by phone when your connection has been down for too long. Not sure if they still do it today though.

[ferret4it]

I switched over from bell this past week and so far it seems I'm getting faster speeds but there is a longer lag before loading web pages but as long as the speed stays high I can totally live with it for $18 a month.

Bye Bye forever Bell, you piece of garbage!

http://www.speedtest.net/result/397388005.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

[Yragorn]

im curious, can i use Acanac in another house? If so how?

My relative is going in vacation for 2-3 months and she gave me the green light to try and use her internet, without modifying too much things that would screw up the settings when she comes back.

I was considering testing Acanac at home, since i had trouble with Bell years ago.

We tried to simply bring the modem and it just doesnt work.

[radical]

They offered one year of FREE local VOIP service to acanac dsl customers who wrote a review of their service on another site. I did that some months ago and have been enjoying that for a while now. I can check if it's still offered if anyone is interested.


Hey, can you check if this is still available? Thanks :).

[Fp1]

I'm looking to sign up for high speed, what is the best LT option? I don't want the hassle of switching every year and don't want setup problems more than 2 times a year....which is the cheapest option for someone in Toronto?

I don't need unlimited either, just enough for an average user.

3web is about $26 a month, seems like the best deal, anyone have other suggestions?

[Whitedart]

im curious, can i use Acanac in another house? If so how?

My relative is going in vacation for 2-3 months and she gave me the green light to try and use her internet, without modifying too much things that would screw up the settings when she comes back.

I was considering testing Acanac at home, since i had trouble with Bell years ago.

We tried to simply bring the modem and it just doesnt work.

No. for you to use the relative's dsl, you would have to use it at their location. DSL is wired to the physical address the service is provided at by the phone line to that address.
It is impossible to borrow their modem and use it at your location, if you do not have your own dsl.

[Yragorn]

No. for you to use the relative's dsl, you would have to use it at their location. DSL is wired to the physical address the service is provided at by the phone line to that address.
It is impossible to borrow their modem and use it at your location, if you do not have your own dsl.


Aw thx for the reply,

I think ill have to play with the fire then.

[kin0kin]

after my second call to acanac, bell switched me to 5mb fast path. now i average 4mb download at newsgroup. :cheesygri

[aZian_]

Has anyone been able to get retention discounts from rogers for their internet?

because i do want to switch, but because i don't have bell phone line it'll be abit more work

EDIT: i just called rogers, originally i'm on lite, and asked if they have any contract deals like ancanac and they offered me same price as lite for a year on express

[phed]

I am in an apartment, can I drop Bell's land line and switch to Acanac using their phone service and DSL?

Can I keep my phone number from Bell?

[naveed3434]

$8 a month for a dry loop, still better than TechSavvy

[kiasu]

I'm planning to help my friend switch over to Acanac dryloop ADSL. She rent a room in a house. Here's the question:
1. Would there be a lot of hassles to go through to get the dryloop?

2. She doesnt have landline, that's why she is getting the dryloop. If there's any fix need to be done, does the technician need to come in to the house or just outside the house? Reason I am asking is she work until pretty late on weekday like 6pm or 7pm

3. Which modem (Brand name and model please) would you recommend? And buy from which store for a better price?

4. Anyone who has experience with dryloop are welcome to put in more words..

I am just worry about it will take like more than 1 or 2 weeks to get it done.

Thank you for anyone who reply...appreciate..

[carldufourm]

For the ones of you that have Acanac without a dry loop, which landline company / package are you getting? Which one is good / cheap? Cause right now I have Bell 5 MB Internet + Landline with like 10 options, but its cost me around 120$ a month (taxes included), so I was thinking about switching to Acanac, but was wondering which other comapny was good for the landline.

Thanks

[taile]

I want to sign up but before I do so, I called their tec dept and ask for an availability check and they can't find my address, Sheppard Ave W in toronto! This is just so strange.

[Inno]

For the ones of you that have Acanac without a dry loop, which landline company / package are you getting? Which one is good / cheap? Cause right now I have Bell 5 MB Internet + Landline with like 10 options, but its cost me around 120$ a month (taxes included), so I was thinking about switching to Acanac, but was wondering which other comapny was good for the landline.

Thanks

I switched to Primus for my landline at the same time as I switched to Acanac for DSL. According to the Acanac CSR this caused my DSL speed to drop from 5.5Megs to 600K!

Now I have to pay $8 per month for a dry loop, even though I already have a land-line (from Primus)!

Crazy! I am not happy with this surprise extra charge that Acanac says is necessary. I am requesting an adjustment from them for this since this was not the deal I signed up for.

So, bottom-line: Acanac and Primus seems to be a bad combo.

[tyfriend]

This deal is HOT HOT HOT!

[gunnhed]

before making any commitments, you may want to check out dslreports.com (search acanac in the forums section). i download about 150 gigs a month, and was looking for an ISP with unlimited. i did research for about a month, and i've seen too much negative feedback on acanac. i'm aware that any company that provides a service will have some negative reviews, but there were just too many with acanac for me to feel confident about giving them my money. the majority of what i've read is that the first 3 months are fine, and then after that the speed and/or connection drops out drastically. i wouldn't necessarily blame acanac for those issues as their connections are 'rented' from bell, but what got to me the most from my research was the level of intolerable service provided from them. i have 3 friends that are using acanac now (2 from montreal and 1 from toronto) and they have confirmed the issues i've read about. service was fine for the first 3 months, and then after that, they were reporting 90 - 130k/s. 2 of the 3 friends had to wait nearly 2.5 weeks to get a tech to come in and check their connection (one of them has dry loop, the other doesn't). basically, they waited a week to get a response from acanac, and then acanac puts in a request to bell, and then bell at their leisure will send someone to attempt to fix their problem. the other friend didn't bother contacting acanac, as she doesn't download that much, and is rarely online outside of work hours. anyways, there's a reason why they ask for the full 12 month payment in advance. and lastly, i've seen this deal from acanac ever since i started looking for a new ISP (which was about a year and a half ago).

[sassysue]

hey guys stupid question how good is voip on acanac? i need suggestions thanks

anyways i had acanac before and there service was really good and i went to teksavvy there service was ok but i resigned up with acanac

i just need more info with bell because seriously i wanna get rid of them lol

Thanks

[alesto]

before making any commitments, you may want to check out dslreports.com (search acanac in the forums section). i download about 150 gigs a month, and was looking for an ISP with unlimited. i did research for about a month, and i've seen too much negative feedback on acanac. i'm aware that any company that provides a service will have some negative reviews, but there were just too many with acanac for me to feel confident about giving them my money. the majority of what i've read is that the first 3 months are fine, and then after that the speed and/or connection drops out drastically. i wouldn't necessarily blame acanac for those issues as their connections are 'rented' from bell, but what got to me the most from my research was the level of intolerable service provided from them. i have 3 friends that are using acanac now (2 from montreal and 1 from toronto) and they have confirmed the issues i've read about. service was fine for the first 3 months, and then after that, they were reporting 90 - 130k/s. 2 of the 3 friends had to wait nearly 2.5 weeks to get a tech to come in and check their connection (one of them has dry loop, the other doesn't). basically, they waited a week to get a response from acanac, and then acanac puts in a request to bell, and then bell at their leisure will send someone to attempt to fix their problem. the other friend didn't bother contacting acanac, as she doesn't download that much, and is rarely online outside of work hours. anyways, there's a reason why they ask for the full 12 month payment in advance. and lastly, i've seen this deal from acanac ever since i started looking for a new ISP (which was about a year and a half ago).

I've been using Acanac for almost 12 month. Went dead offline twice during a year (for up to two hours) - not bad at all. Never had less than 3.5 meg down (speakeasy); upload between 280 and 500 (speakeasy). I am in Ottawa and this is not dry loop. Considering that after first year of service price goes up to $37 or so, I will be calling Acanac to check for possible discounts. At least three of my colleagues switched to this service following my recommendations - in the city and outskirt - and I did nor hear much complains yet. Downloads are close to those mentioned above - between 60 G and 150 Gig per month. For the starting price of $17 or whatever, would highly recommend Acanac (even with contract), based on my experience.

[andrij]

I've been with acanac for more then 1 year.
It's a nice provider considering that they don't limit your internet connection for p2p as opposed to Rogers and Bell.
Download for me right now is 4329 kb/s
Upload - 507 kb/s

Got couple of issues of dropping connection for about 30 min but they were resolved.

[fredsmith]

hey guys stupid question how good is voip on acanac? i need suggestions thanks

anyways i had acanac before and there service was really good and i went to teksavvy there service was ok but i resigned up with acanac

i just need more info with bell because seriously i wanna get rid of them lol

Thanks

I have their VOIP. I use it as a spare line at home on an ATA and with a softphone when I travel (as I am now . . .) I connect when on the road via an AT&T unlimited data plan sing 3G.

Essentially their VOIP is as reliable as your internet connection - so it depends on the quality of your connection to te web.

With either termination, the service sounds perfect - when I am on a non-optimal connection it can get choppy.

If you have a home burglar alarm do not get rid of your hard line.

[basilmurphy]

I see they have a 30 day money back guarantee - does anyone know if this includes the $50 modem cost?

I see that it says refund the fees, but I don't know if modem is considered a "fee" since it's not a rental. They claim they MAY buy it back from you when you end the service.

[Inno]

I see they have a 30 day money back guarantee - does anyone know if this includes the $50 modem cost?

I see that it says refund the fees, but I don't know if modem is considered a "fee" since it's not a rental. They claim they MAY buy it back from you when you end the service.

If you already have DSL, e.g. Bell etc., you can simply use their modem for the trial period. Simple.

If not, buy one for $20 off craigslist or refurb 2Wire etc.

[basilmurphy]

If you already have DSL, e.g. Bell etc., you can simply use their modem for the trial period. Simple.

If not, buy one for $20 off craigslist or refurb 2Wire etc.

Yeah I'm currently on Rogers cable. I have no real technology related issues with the service. Always max out my download speeds. The cost is getting a bit much, always going into the over limit. I believe I'm paying just under $90/mo for internet. (Extreme + $25 over limit + taxes and stuff)

I don't care about having the fastest connection, speed is rarely an issue within reason. Mainly just want solid service at a better price.

[Anirudthan]

I just ordered this morning and already I received a confirmation email and they already have sent my modem via fedex. According to the tracking number it has been picked up and dropped at the fedex facility in miss. Tom I should be getting it.

Before ordering this morning spoke to Acanac people 3 times. So far, the sales rep were really really nice compared to the ones at bell.

So far A++ service, will comment abt the actuall internet service once everything is up and running:|

[dtam9999]

ordered yesterday and receive my username and password today. it said that line activation will take 3 to 7 days, but since i am still with my current provider till the first week of feb. i tested the login and it worked. i suspect that my current connection rate will remain the same considering i will still be using Bell's lines

[Anirudthan]

I'm in the same boat as you .

[Cataha]

http://www.speedtest.net/result/399181392.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I live in downtown Ottawa. Thought I'd share my results.

[Anirudthan]

Wow, that's impressive all for under $20:lol:
I can't wait...

[LOVEISDEAD]

http://www.speedtest.net/result/399186017.png
Speedtest w/ Teksavvy

I've been w/ Teksavvy since Aug2008 but Acanac will be my next provider!!

[Yragorn]

http://www.speedtest.net/result/399181392.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I live in downtown Ottawa. Thought I'd share my results.

Omg you're so lucky.

I speedtested my relative's internet and came up with 3.4MB and 632 kb upload at ~50 miles.

[Cataha]

Omg you're so lucky.

I speedtested my relative's internet and came up with 3.4MB and 632 kb upload at ~50 miles.

Yeah, I'm sure my results are not typical. It might just be the region I'm located in, but I don't think I should be getting 6mbps on a 5mbps profile. Also, I am using the Speed Touch 516 which is a recommended modem.

I'm just about finished my first month still... So, perhaps they'll return it to normal speed after? If not, I'll defiantly sign up for the two-year offer once this year is over.

[HKPolice]

You get what you pay for. I had one of their free trial logins before and they're horrible. If you play games online, it'll add at least 20ms lag compared to other ISPs and peak bandwidth is reduced during peak hours.

Most users who just surf will probably not notice much of a difference, but for gamers and enthusiasts that want the lowest latency, stay away. 1 year contract = huge commitment and forget about getting your money back once you sign up. Even though they do have a money back policy, I've read so many horror stories about it.

[Inno]

ordered yesterday and receive my username and password today. it said that line activation will take 3 to 7 days, but since i am still with my current provider till the first week of feb. i tested the login and it worked. i suspect that my current connection rate will remain the same considering i will still be using Bell's lines

I hope you are correctd, but don`t assume that your speed will nessarily stay the same.

Mine dropped from 5 megs to 600K when I dumped Bell. After 10 months Acanac has still not managed to get it back to where it should be. I am only 1km from the nearest CO but Bell switched me to a CO 5 km away!

[Totoriko]

I've been using Acanac for almost 12 month. Went dead offline twice during a year (for up to two hours) - not bad at all. Never had less than 3.5 meg down (speakeasy); upload between 280 and 500 (speakeasy). I am in Ottawa and this is not dry loop. Considering that after first year of service price goes up to $37 or so, I will be calling Acanac to check for possible discounts. At least three of my colleagues switched to this service following my recommendations - in the city and outskirt - and I did nor hear much complains yet. Downloads are close to those mentioned above - between 60 G and 150 Gig per month. For the starting price of $17 or whatever, would highly recommend Acanac (even with contract), based on my experience.

is your landline with Bell?

[gunnhed]

I've been using Acanac for almost 12 month. Went dead offline twice during a year (for up to two hours) - not bad at all. Never had less than 3.5 meg down (speakeasy); upload between 280 and 500 (speakeasy). I am in Ottawa and this is not dry loop. Considering that after first year of service price goes up to $37 or so, I will be calling Acanac to check for possible discounts. At least three of my colleagues switched to this service following my recommendations - in the city and outskirt - and I did nor hear much complains yet. Downloads are close to those mentioned above - between 60 G and 150 Gig per month. For the starting price of $17 or whatever, would highly recommend Acanac (even with contract), based on my experience.

i don't doubt that your connection is decent. i'm not implying that all accounts suck with acanac. As i stated in my original post, i was deterred from signing up with them and prepaying for a full year after i read the numerous reviews/complaints on dlsreports.com. and the majority of them were based on either speed, dropouts, or customer service. if i'm one of the unlucky, and my speed does drop after 3 months, i don't want to wait a few weeks to get it fixed. if i've paid for a particular service, i expect to get that service in full, not just for a portion of the month. again, i'm not saying that everyone on acanac has had problems. but i only know 3 people with acanac, and all 3 have had complaints. for me, 240+ bucks isn't worth the potential risk (or hassle) of slow speeds and dropouts for and 'unlimited' connection. while they don't have caps on bandwidth usage, if you're downloading at a few hundred kb/s, it is a limitation as to how much you can use/download.

[basilmurphy]

I don't know what boat other people are in, but I look at myself.

I'm paying ~$85/mo to Rogers including the $25 cap on over usages.

So for ~$300 (1 year + modem + taxes and stuff)... I basically need to live with it for approx 4 months while not paying for Rogers and then if I choose to go back to Rogers I haven't really "lost" money. If crap happens in the first 30 days hopefully the refund will kick in... even if they give me hassle for it, if they pay out in the end it still seems like a good chance.

I called up Rogers today, laid it out that I was going to try this. Asked if they could do "anything" for me. All I got was the standard "If you bundle and sign a contract" but it was the standard bundle deal. They forwarded me to retentions but it was closed at that hour.

Not expecting them to match the DSL, but if they'd knock "something" off the price (even with a contract) I might be tempted to stay where I am since I know it works.

edit:

For anyone who cares, got through to Rogers retentions - I don't know the magic words to use, I just said straight up I was thinking of leaving for DSL. They offered me 20% off the internet service for a 1 year contract. They said they could not do anything about the bandwidth caps (not even increase it by an amount) or with the over limit charges. I'd end up saving $10.99+tax/mo she said.

[whampoa]

For the ones of you that have Acanac without a dry loop, which landline company / package are you getting? Which one is good / cheap? Cause right now I have Bell 5 MB Internet + Landline with like 10 options, but its cost me around 120$ a month (taxes included), so I was thinking about switching to Acanac, but was wondering which other comapny was good for the landline.

Thanks

You should be able to cut your Bell bill by up to half by calling Bell billing, and then have you transfer over to cancellation/retention service agent.

First they will give you the runaround and try to up-sell you with other bundle that cost more.

Don't give up and stick to your gun. Insist on a better deal, keep calling and talk to a different rep, if needed.

They will eventually relent and give you credit plus discount, if you have more than one service with Bell.

[kiasu]

Can someone post the link where I can see what kind of ISP around my area? I tried few threads and couldnt find the link.

Thank you.

[dtam9999]

Acanac is doing great right now... I just signed up a couple of days ago and set up MLPPP today on my router and its working! Bye bye Bell throttle!

[Anirudthan]

Ordered yesterday and got the modem today.
Hooked it up found out the speed is the same as what i have with bell.
Download 2.1Mbps.
You think it will go up after one week since it just got activated or should I just call in tom.

[tomtong]

Acanac is doing great right now... I just signed up a couple of days ago and set up MLPPP today on my router and its working! Bye bye Bell throttle!

Is Acanac officially support MLPPP? According to the fixppp.org, Acanac is currently working on enabling MLPPP support, to various degrees.

[dgege]

Is Acanac officially support MLPPP? According to the fixppp.org, Acanac is currently working on enabling MLPPP support, to various degrees.

Not officially, but some of the gateways do support MLPPP, I tried it, it works.

[dtam9999]

Is Acanac officially support MLPPP? According to the fixppp.org, Acanac is currently working on enabling MLPPP support, to various degrees.

I had to disconnect a couple of times initially until i connected with the proper gateway. Been connected for 14 hours and I been transferring over 300 kB/s using utorrent during the throttling hours (4pm to 2am). So far so good!

[cache]

I had to disconnect a couple of times initially until i connected with the proper gateway. Been connected for 14 hours and I been transferring over 300 kB/s using utorrent during the throttling hours (4pm to 2am). So far so good!

really? how did you achieve that? I've been using Bitvise Tunnelier and UTorrent but the thing keeps connecting/disconnecting and I rarely get above 100kb/s...

[jaysoulz]

I've been a year with Acanac.

My comment:
Everything works fine after the activation. Connection is 5008/600. After few months, the connection keeps disconnecting every week. One month before the end of the 1st year contract, there's a problem with the connection. Sometime it works, sometime not (I unplug / plug the AC at least 6 hours a day for the whole week). Call them and cannot find the problem, so I have to wait 48 hours. Call them back and they open a bell ticket. Another 48 hours. No response, I call them back and they send me directly to Bell sale reps... A technician comes and notice that the modem is "dead". Call them again and they send me the new modem (I send this broken modem back to them). Receive the modem after 48 hours and everything is great. Now, connection is 6008/600. What is this? A better speed near at the end of the contract??? :( They send me email asking if everything is okay...

Except the disconnection, everything is great. I even want to stay with them, but $34/month is too expensive for a student... :(

My review:
You get what you pay for... If you really want to use them, then try them for 1 month. Stay if you are satisfied. Make sure that if there's any problem, call them asap to fix the problem because you have to know that it will take at least 1 week if it's not the problem from the server. Of course, there's no direct support and it their main weakness, but they rent from Bell, so... We can't do anything on it.

[Green_Star]

Is it $19/month after one year? Because I have to go with dry loop, so if it goes to $34 after an year, the total will be around $42, that is almost equal to Rogers cable.

[mong]

Is it $19/month after one year? Because I have to go with dry loop, so if it goes to $34 after an year, the total will be around $42, that is almost equal to Rogers cable.

It's only for the first year. If you want to continue with them with a better deal, you'll have to email them and ask for a retention. After the first year, you can always switch to teksavvy or velcom. A bit of a hassle but it saves you money :razz:

[Green_Star]

It's only for the first year. If you want to continue with them with a better deal, you'll have to email them and ask for a retention. After the first year, you can always switch to teksavvy or velcom. A bit of a hassle but it saves you money :razz:

As I am located in waterloo, I do not think teksavvy will offer there service here. Thanks.

[Ohboiya]

the first question on the sign up screen is to provide an "activation phone number" and the next question is for the "local phone provider".

what's that mean? i don't have a phone @ home ... i use my mobile ...

[Inno]

the first question on the sign up screen is to provide an "activation phone number" and the next question is for the "local phone provider".

what's that mean? i don't have a phone @ home ... i use my mobile ...

Sounds like you might need a "dry loop". There needs to be a land-line they can use for the DSL signal, even if there is no live phone service on it.

What happens if you leave the activation phone number field blank?

[kin0kin]

Initially I was getting incomplete blocks from all my newsgroup download and after some test I noticed that I was getting lots of packet loss @ MTU 1500. I think this is why Bell didn't want to put me at 5 mb...

After lowering my MTU to 1480 or something and testing with dslrepot tweaktest, I've been able to get everything downloaded perfectly.

I'm wondering how do ppl get 6 mb out of the line when we only paid for 5mb. Would Acanac/Bell give me 6mb speed profile if I ask for it?

[sassysue]

As I am located in waterloo, I do not think teksavvy will offer there service here. Thanks.

hey they do sinse i live in cambridge and i had teksavvy for 26.00 all in

[alpwhite46]

Well i can say i'm really happy with the switch...modem came in on tuesday (i ordered it on friday) so 2 business days...
my dsl connection was connected right away but i had to make a bridge to get it to work properly...

no hassle, and surprisingly enough i did speed test and noticed from bell's 1480kbps i went to 2400 with acanac..

interesting ?


http://www.speedtest.net/result/400443518.png

[sassysue]

stupid question guys but my light ios orange any idea what does that mean? its the signal it was red before when my line was disconnected but now its orange any ideas?

[alpwhite46]

not sure but poke around here
http://acanac.ca/docs/

[maxaudet]

MTU stuff : PPPOE max MTU should be set at 1492

[sassysue]

fast service so fast but my internet hasn;t been fully activated i called tech support and wow first ring they picked up i used phone number 1-866-281-3538 call that for support or billing or w/e it was fast and easy thanks alot guys i resigned up witht he same promo under my wifes name :)

[runeash]

Has anyone tried using the 2wire modem from bell with acanac with some configuration change ofcourse

[sassysue]

Has anyone tried using the 2wire modem from bell with acanac with some configuration change ofcourse

i used to use a 2wire modem with acanac do not what u mean by bell 2wire? anyways i used 2 wire modem with acanac so i can confirm it works

[FroogleDude]

Wow, that's impressive all for under $20:lol:
I can't wait...

Yeah, thats an awesome deal. http://**************/img/1856/y08m1110mhmd/2.gif

[samson]

I'm wondering how do ppl get 6 mb out of the line when we only paid for 5mb. Would Acanac/Bell give me 6mb speed profile if I ask for it?

I recently asked for a 6 MB profile but was told my line is at full sync. I have good snr and attenuation and had 6 MB with sympatico. But I dont want to push the issue since I have been happy from day 1 (its almost a year now) and I dont want BELL messing up my profile.

[samson]

It's only for the first year. If you want to continue with them with a better deal, you'll have to email them and ask for a retention. After the first year, you can always switch to teksavvy or velcom. A bit of a hassle but it saves you money :razz:

Acanac has a 2 yr deal for just over 25$ (tax incl)...but you have to sign up for 2 yrs. You can use the contact form on their website to inquire.

[tomtong]

Has anyone tried using the 2wire modem from bell with acanac with some configuration change ofcourse

I just unlocked the Bell 2701HG-G last night. :cheesygri

[anh2003]

Sign on to get the service back in Jan 18th; charged my credit card for service and dry loop. Then they advise me that Bell showed up wrong house, though ironically there are no other street with similar name as mine except for North and if so there is no such house number. Then the rescheduled date was yesterday but when I called TSR said our house can only get .512 mbps so they cancelled the order. But never even called me to confirm. Funny thing is before paying them, I had driven around the neighborhood and found there are 2 RDSLAM at 0.4km and 1.2km from my house, this was brought up by previous bell technician who told me that to get faster speed I would have to cancel with Bell Sympatico then re-signed again but also request to be put on remote dslam.
Now 2 wks without internet at home because Acanac dropped the ball on this conversion from Roger's 40% friends & family expired, I have to look for another provider!

IMO stay away from Acanac

[joeboo]

Anyone know if I can "suspend" by Bell DSL account and sign up with these guys for a month or so to see if they are reliable? I am reluctant to leave Bell as I am on an older plan with true unlimited up and downloads?

[kin0kin]

MTU stuff : PPPOE max MTU should be set at 1492

b]By default, it is. However, it should be set at whatever MTU that doesn't give you packet loss:

http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks

[whampoa]

Now 2 wks without internet at home because Acanac dropped the ball on this conversion from Roger's 40% friends & family expired, I have to look for another provider!

Did you request to activate Acanac DSL the day your Rogers Internet service expire?

I always overlap my ISP service, if I need to switch to a different provider, for at least two weeks before my current contract expire or cancel.

That way I will have time to compare and test the new service and make sure the provider and/or Bell technician fix any technical issues.

And also, Acanac do provide for a 30 days money back for the first month, if not satisfy.

I am with you on one thing though, it really suck to have your service down for a day, let alone weeks.

[mong]

Anyone know if I can "suspend" by Bell DSL account and sign up with these guys for a month or so to see if they are reliable? I am reluctant to leave Bell as I am on an older plan with true unlimited up and downloads?

Since you've been with Bell for a while, you can ask for a month or 2 suspension on your account without charge. I did it before when I went to travel to Asia for 2 months (I was also on that unlimited account! But it was getting too expensive for my taste over the last few years. It was like $45/month including the modem rental). I'm not too sure if there is actually a fee for it now but I suggest to ask for it. Just tell them you're going on a trip for about a month and there won't be anyone to use the internet so you would like to suspend your account for a month.

For future knowledge, if you ever plan to cancel with Bell, you have to give a 30 days advance notice. Also, if you connect with a new company, always do it a week or 2 before the end of your internet disconnection. That way if there is any problem in-between the changes, at least you'll have internet.

[dirtmover]

Acanac has a 2 yr deal for just over 25$ (tax incl)...but you have to sign up for 2 yrs. You can use the contact form on their website to inquire.

Where is the 2yr deal advertised. I cant' find it :confused:. They never told me about this 14 months ago when I canceled or else I would have stayed with them :(.

[tomtong]

After testing with my unlock Bell 2-wire modem tonight, I'm very impressed. With my superold Alcatel SpeedTouch Home, I can barely hit 1.5Mb/s.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/401199943.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Now to find the bridge mode from this modem. I want to keep using my WRT54GL as main router.

[mong]

Where is the 2yr deal advertised. I cant' find it :confused:. They never told me about this 14 months ago when I canceled or else I would have stayed with them :(.

That's because you have to ask for it. It's a retention promo that they have. Whether or not you can continue with that promo after the first 2 years, you'll have to ask them about it.

[MJB]

Is there any info about what a good distance is ?
Or what kinds of speeds one should expect ?

I'm approx 3km from my CO .... what kinds of speeds should I expect ?

For example:
0..1km excellent ... should expect close to 100% of profile
1km-3km good ... should expect close to 80% of profile
3km-5km poor ... should expect close to 65% of profile

Took me a while but I finally found the info :arrowu:

This [Link] (http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4676) provides what a good DSL distance is (in feet). This is how you determine where 'your' switch is [LINk] (http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco?). Just input your area code and first three digits of phone number (prefix). Next click on "Detailed Switch Info" under Misc to see where your switch is on a map. Of course the phone lines won't likely travel 'directly' (as the crow flies) from your house to the switch.

For TONS of DSL info see BROADBAND FAQ (http://www.dslreports.com/faq/faq).

[fredsmith]

Took me a while but I finally found the info :arrowu:

This [Link] (http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4676) provides what a good DSL distance is (in feet). This is how you determine where 'your' switch is [LINk] (http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco?). Just input your area code and first three digits of phone number (prefix). Next click on "Detailed Switch Info" under Misc to see where your switch is on a map. Of course the phone lines won't likely travel 'directly' (as the crow flies) from your house to the switch.

For TONS of DSL info see BROADBAND FAQ (http://www.dslreports.com/faq/faq).

Unfortunately, the DSL connection is often nowhere near the cental office.

[alpwhite46]

A little update:

I tested the download speed through newsgroups last night... very impressed compared to bell

with bell i had a constant 180 kb/s...with acanac i was getting a constant 280 kb/s...
i called them if they can "put it to a 5 megabit connection, he said sure just to call on monday morning though because that's when that can be done or something.

[spinbot]

You wouldn't normally expect any real change in speed as your line can only handle so much ( which is determined by your distance from the Central Office/ Remote of Bell ).

Here is what an ISP is able to see, when they check your line. This is for my home line.. you can see what my capacity and what percentage of it I am running at. I will never get anything quicker than 3000Kbps. Bell only guarantee's 1000Kbps.

http://www.gochuckyourself.com/images/Line_Stats.JPG

[OpportunityChaos]

is it true that this 18.85/month deal expires today jan 31st? i can't find any info on site on when they will stop this promo.

[zander]

is it true that this 18.85/month deal expires today jan 31st? i can't find any info on site on when they will stop this promo.

There is no validity to that rumour. That deal has been around for a long, long time and there is no word from Acanac of it expiring any time soon. Here (http://community.acanac.com/acanac/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7806) is a recent discussion on Acanac forums from a couple of weeks ago.

[dtam9999]

really? how did you achieve that? I've been using Bitvise Tunnelier and UTorrent but the thing keeps connecting/disconnecting and I rarely get above 100kb/s...

I'm connected to the ISP at 4032 kbps DL. So far 3 days and no disconnects. To set up MLPPP, I had been reading on DSLReports for a new provider and found these 2 threads which helped me set up MLPPP (Speedstream 4200 + Linksys WRT54GS v4) and select Acanac.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20484600-TomatoMLPPP-released-evade-throttle-or-bond-two-DSL-lines

(The above thread is long, but well worth it)

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20711920?hilite=mlppp

[kleptodathief]

so its 20bux first 12 months and 40bux AFTER...

i bet u get around 3000kb/s on speedtest if ur in scarboro area?


im looking for a better deal then my rogers xtreme 9800kb/s for 70bux a month! :mad:

[nice4]

My sister currently with Rogers in Woodside Sq. area Scarborough, thinking to switch to Acanac becasue the deal however, do concern about the DSL line. Anyone in that area can put some comments about the connection with Acanac around that area ???

[Cyanne]

so its 20bux first 12 months and 40bux AFTER...

i bet u get around 3000kb/s on speedtest if ur in scarboro area?


im looking for a better deal then my rogers xtreme 9800kb/s for 70bux a month! :mad:

If you pay for a year up front, it's $33.95/mo. in the second year, INCLUDING tax. That puts it right there with the best competing prices ($29.20 before tax in QC).

My sister currently with Rogers in Woodside Sq. area Scarborough, thinking to switch to Acanac becasue the deal however, do concern about the DSL line. Anyone in that area can put some comments about the connection with Acanac around that area ???

Does she have rogers cable or rogers dsl? the speed should be the same as rogers dsl (if not better).

[edhamo]

I would watch you - I have heard stories of them scaming people and not giving their money back!!!

[spinbot]

Does she have rogers cable or rogers dsl? the speed should be the same as rogers dsl (if not better).

"9800kb/s" ...... not very likely DSL at those speeds :)

[fredsmith]

I would watch you - I have heard stories of them scaming people and not giving their money back!!!

Really?

Have a link to a verified claim you care to share? The BBB hasn;t had anything of substance.

[swell9]

$50 for a modem?
no thanks

[Cyanne]

$50 for a modem?
no thanks

That's not for the modem. It's just a deposit for the modem, which you have to give back when you stop using the service (and then you get the deposit back). But you don't have to get their modem at all; you can use your own instead. Of course, I doubt you can buy one for under $50.

[spinbot]

Speedtouch 516 are sold to retailers for under $40 ( thus the reason they only ask for a $50 deposit ). That being said, retail price isn't the same as the price ISP's pay. Just check Kijiji. People screw Smypatico all the time and don't return their modems ( people that don't care about their credit record ), so you can pickup a used one fairly cheap.

[sassysue]

so i just got a regular dsl modem 2wire with no MLPPP may0be i do not really no till i get into the main panel 1 question thow is it common for it to ask a password? because i do not no the password for that modem and i had this modem before and it never had a password!

[dirtmover]

That's because you have to ask for it. It's a retention promo that they have. Whether or not you can continue with that promo after the first 2 years, you'll have to ask them about it.

I did ask and they wouldn't budge. I guess they weren't interested in retention back then. Oh well, their loss!

[Cyanne]

so i just got a regular dsl modem 2wire with no MLPPP may0be i do not really no till i get into the main panel 1 question thow is it common for it to ask a password? because i do not no the password for that modem and i had this modem before and it never had a password!

The wpa password key will be printed on the unit. On the router label there will be 10 characters inside a set of braces []. That's the password.

[sassysue]

The wpa password key will be printed on the unit. On the router label there will be 10 characters inside a set of braces []. That's the password.

where thow?at the bottom are u sure about the 2wire modem thow

[tomtong]

Here's detail instruction from Bell.

http://service.sympatico.ca/index.cfm?method=content.view&category_id=615&content_id=11208

or you can check this thread http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/s...ighlight=2wire for detail instruction to make it work.

[bigfatdeal]

I would watch you - I have heard stories of them scaming people and not giving their money back!!!

First off they take payment with Visa and if they scammed people Visa would refund their money.

Secondly, this is your first post so I call BS on you!

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

If you live in the Dupont and Lansdowne area, their service appears to be quite horrible. Both myself and someone I know live in the apartment complexes there, both signed up for Acanac, and both of us are regretting the decision. Right now I've been without service from them for over 2 weeks. My friend has been without for over 3 weeks.

If this isn't resolved within the next couple of weeks, I'll be demanding a refund of some sort.

[fredsmith]

If you live in the Dupont and Lansdowne area, their service appears to be quite horrible. Both myself and someone I know live in the apartment complexes there, both signed up for Acanac, and both of us are regretting the decision. Right now I've been without service from them for over 2 weeks. My friend has been without for over 3 weeks.

If this isn't resolved within the next couple of weeks, I'll be demanding a refund of some sort.

I suspect you just don't understand how it all works. It isn't Acanac you should be upset with.

'They' have little to do with the connection to your home beyond ordering it from Bell.

So if it isn't working in your area, it likely won't work any better for almost any DSL provider except, possibly Bell, since THEY operate the distriobution network and THEY often put subscribers on less than ideal DSLAMs.

So, if you are moving to Acanac from Bell, you might just want to file a formal complaint with the CRTC alleging predatory practices. Because it should work exactly the same for Acanac as it did for Bell.

[Inno]

How does one file a "predatory complaint with CRTC"? Please provide a link.

[erexa]

Guys we have a new house and we don't have phone jacks in our house.

I asked from Bell what type of Internet they can provide me at this address and they only noticed Wireless which means again they don't have phone jacks installed(RJ-11)

I am locked to use Rogers cable. Right now it's 37 mo for 6 months but after it will jump to 45 mo and plus 3 mo for modem

Despite it i had a phone jacks I have DSL modem which I can use with any DSL provider, like Acanac or Teksavvy.

Do you know how could I easily and cheep install the phone jack in my house? I don't want to pay 100 something to Bell to do it. Or maybe I don't have any other option?

Please help me. Any help would be appreciated. Just trying to minimize my expenses

[belgiangenius]

I recently ordered a speedtouch 516 from Amazon.ca. With the $10 coupon, it shipped for around $60, all included.

I signed up for Teksavvy. Great experience, great customer support. These guys know their stuff! It felt so good cancelling Rogers.

BTW, I hear Bell gets about $18 per month from these 3rd party DSL providers, so those of you expecting Acanac to extend your $18 per month year subscription aren't being reasonable.

Personally, I chose Teksavvy because customer service and quality of service are important to me. Teksavvy has an A+ reputation. Acanac doesn't seem to be that highly rated yet.

[Inno]

Guys we have a new house and we don't have phone jacks in our house.

I asked from Bell what type of Internet they can provide me at this address and they only noticed Wireless which means again they don't have phone jacks installed(RJ-11)

I am locked to use Rogers cable. Right now it's 37 mo for 6 months but after it will jump to 45 mo and plus 3 mo for modem

Despite it i had a phone jacks I have DSL modem which I can use with any DSL provider, like Acanac or Teksavvy.

Do you know how could I easily and cheep install the phone jack in my house? I don't want to pay 100 something to Bell to do it. Or maybe I don't have any other option?

Please help me. Any help would be appreciated. Just trying to minimize my expenses

You can install your own jacks in your house (Radio Shack sells the parts) or look in the phone book for telephone service companies. Do you have a line from the nearest pole to your house? If not, you might need Bell to do that part.

[warty]

I'm on TekSavvy and have been for months, as has my brother. Great service, responsive crew, and no indecipherable accents on their tech support number. There's even a forum where they'll respond to you.

TekSavvy unofficially supports using MLPPP to bypass Bell's throttling. It works easiest if you use Tomato on a router.

[aquos]

I called Bell to let them know that I am considering Acanac and their 18.95 promo for unlimited. They responded that the government has legislated that no provider will be able to offer unlimited service as of June 2009. So if I paid for one full year upfront, as of June, I would not be getting what I paid for. Is there any truth to this?

[Cataha]

I called Bell to let them know that I am considering Acanac and their 18.95 promo for unlimited. They responded that the government has legislated that no provider will be able to offer unlimited service as of June 2009. So if I paid for one full year upfront, as of June, I would not be getting what I paid for. Is there any truth to this?

When I quit with Bell, I was told something similar. But, I think the date the rep quoted was November. It seems to be a bold face lie, because I can't find anything online about it and you'd think it'd make big news on DSLReports.com. Destroying unlimited internet outright doesn't seem something they could squeak by quietly. (also, in my search another person was told October 1st by a retention rep)

Retention reps have to make certain quotas of customers saved. When reps simply aren't given any positive points to make with educated consumers, sometimes they'll just lie. It's often a lot easier.

[number8888]

When I quit with Bell, I was told something similar. But, I think the date the rep quoted was November. It seems to be a bold face lie, because I can't find anything online about it and you'd think it'd make big news on DSLReports.com. Destroying unlimited internet outright doesn't seem something they could squeak by quietly. (also, in my search another person was told October 1st by a retention rep)

Retention reps have to make certain quotas of customers saved. When reps simply aren't given any positive points to make with educated consumers, sometimes they'll just lie. It's often a lot easier.

Yeah that's an outright lie. I haven't heard anything from the 3rd party ISP's and if something like this happens people on DSLreport forums would be rising a stink about it. Also I don't think the governement (probably CRTC) has jursidiction to legislate something like this.

[whampoa]

Guys we have a new house and we don't have phone jacks in our house.

I asked from Bell what type of Internet they can provide me at this address and they only noticed Wireless which means again they don't have phone jacks installed(RJ-11)

I am locked to use Rogers cable. Right now it's 37 mo for 6 months but after it will jump to 45 mo and plus 3 mo for modem

Despite it i had a phone jacks I have DSL modem which I can use with any DSL provider, like Acanac or Teksavvy.

Do you know how could I easily and cheep install the phone jack in my house? I don't want to pay 100 something to Bell to do it. Or maybe I don't have any other option?

Please help me. Any help would be appreciated. Just trying to minimize my expenses

If it's your new house, there's should be phone jacks in each room, if you specify the location of each jacks during the design consultation period with your builder.

That been said, it's up to you to do the wiring in the NID (Network Interface Device) or Demarc point, as Bell like to say.

http://www.bell.ca/support/PrsCSrvPns_Moving_Wiring_Repair.page?sel=3

Connect all the wires down in the basement to the wire coming from the NID to your house, usually near the electrical panel.

It's not that hard to do, if you have basic network wiring skill and a few Google would help too.

I believe Bell Technician charge around $100 to show up, $70 and up per jacks installation.

An independent contractor price vary, browse through your yellowpage and ask two or more contractors for pricing.

I called Bell to let them know that I am considering Acanac and their 18.95 promo for unlimited. They responded that the government has legislated that no provider will be able to offer unlimited service as of June 2009. So if I paid for one full year upfront, as of June, I would not be getting what I paid for. Is there any truth to this?

That's a total BS, it's like the government telling you what size of toilet paper to use.

It's not the first time Bell is out and out lie to you, and it won't be the last. You can bank on it.

[nasersid]

I'm on TekSavvy and have been for months, as has my brother. Great service, responsive crew, and no indecipherable accents on their tech support number. There's even a forum where they'll respond to you.

TekSavvy unofficially supports using MLPPP to bypass Bell's throttling. It works easiest if you use Tomato on a router.

If you dont mind telling me how much you pay for Teksavvy I am on Acanac currently but my contract expires shortly and their retention prices are not attractive I have read somewhere around $34. Can teksavvy do better than that. Please let us know. Thanks

[codyuk]

Just called Bell to get my new contract which was $29.95, the best he could offer was $39.95 plus $2 modem rental.

So I told him thanks but no thanks.

Put my order in for Acanac and got the confirmation an hour later.
Set up my spare modem and all is good.

Same profile as before, setup e-mail accounts etc took about 30 mins.

I am so happy to be rid of Bell.

Thankyou Acanac for getting the devil off my back.:cheesygri

[number8888]

Guys we have a new house and we don't have phone jacks in our house.

I asked from Bell what type of Internet they can provide me at this address and they only noticed Wireless which means again they don't have phone jacks installed(RJ-11)

I am locked to use Rogers cable. Right now it's 37 mo for 6 months but after it will jump to 45 mo and plus 3 mo for modem

Despite it i had a phone jacks I have DSL modem which I can use with any DSL provider, like Acanac or Teksavvy.

Do you know how could I easily and cheep install the phone jack in my house? I don't want to pay 100 something to Bell to do it. Or maybe I don't have any other option?

Please help me. Any help would be appreciated. Just trying to minimize my expenses

Sounds like that Bell didn't even bother putting phone lines into the area. This happened to some houses in Woodbridge where Futurway (FCI) put in fiber for providing phone service and so Bell didn't put down any copper line at all in the area.

After that FCI was bought by Rogers and so everybody has to switch to Rogers. There's no phone line to the house and so no Bell service (and hence no DSL).

I hate to say it but you might be SOL and are stuck with Rogers.

There are some suggestions from this thread. Hope it helps:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21182957-Desperately-need-a-new-isp-in-woodbridge

[S150PM]

If you dont mind telling me how much you pay for Teksavvy I am on Acanac currently but my contract expires shortly and their retention prices are not attractive I have read somewhere around $34. Can teksavvy do better than that. Please let us know. Thanks

If you use < 200GB / month then you can join TekSavvy group rate $27.99 Premium (inscrease $1 recently)... No special group rate for unlimited ($40 + tax / month expensive)
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21822622-TSI-group-rate-price-hike
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526728

If you need unlimited bandwidth you can go with Velcom RFDgroup group rate 28.45$ + tax / month

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=665875

Acanac 2nd year - $34 / month 1 year prepaid (tax included)

[S150PM]

Yeah that's an outright lie. I haven't heard anything from the 3rd party ISP's and if something like this happens people on DSLreport forums would be rising a stink about it. Also I don't think the governement (probably CRTC) has jursidiction to legislate something like this.
There is a rumor since last year that Bell want to apply "usage based billing" for all the new DSL subcribers.

Just got back from the conference and here is what Bell is proposing.

512Kbps service will be limited to 2GB per month
5Mbps service will be limited to 60GB per month

They did not disclose what the overcharges will be, but don't expect it to be cheap. Simply put DSL as we know it right now will no longer exist.
We find this proposal to be totally unexceptable. The only good news is that it will not affect current clients. So as long as you don't change ISP's you can keep your current unlimited connection. Bell proposes to start shadow billing in October and usage based billing in Jan of 2009.

This has given me a new sense urgency to setup our own equipment at the CO. I will be approaching a few other ISP in the next little while to see if we can come to some type of agreement. We prefer not to do this alone.

As for having control of the profile: They hope to offer us this ability towards the end of the year.

Best Regards,
Paul
www.acanac.ca
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20872676?hilite=usage+based+billing

So better change ISP now for unlimited and don't switch the ISP later when CRTC allows Bell to apply the "usage based billing" for their wholesales.

[silvery]

after my second call to acanac, bell switched me to 5mb fast path. now i average 4mb download at newsgroup. :cheesygri

I just signed up for Teksavvy. Do they default you at 3mbps unless you request them to get bell to up you to 5Mbps??

[fredsmith]

Just called Bell to get my new contract which was $29.95, the best he could offer was $39.95 plus $2 modem rental.

So I told him thanks but no thanks.

Put my order in for Acanac and got the confirmation an hour later.
Set up my spare modem and all is good.

Same profile as before, setup e-mail accounts etc took about 30 mins.

I am so happy to be rid of Bell.

Thankyou Acanac for getting the devil off my back.:cheesygri

If you are changing e-mail accounts you'd be better off being ISP agnostic. Get a Gmail or Hotmail or Live mail account so you can change providers and keep your e-mail address.

Something you can do with Acanac you couldn't do with Bell is to operate a server.

[setell]

Did anybody go from Cogeco to Acanac in Kingston? How was the speed difference? I gotta find a new internet provider as Cogeco is charging a arm and a leg for just "ok" quality. I miss Eastlink :(

[Mel Boracis]

Guys we have a new house and we don't have phone jacks in our house.

I asked from Bell what type of Internet they can provide me at this address and they only noticed Wireless which means again they don't have phone jacks installed(RJ-11)

I am locked to use Rogers cable. Right now it's 37 mo for 6 months but after it will jump to 45 mo and plus 3 mo for modem

Despite it i had a phone jacks I have DSL modem which I can use with any DSL provider, like Acanac or Teksavvy.

Do you know how could I easily and cheep install the phone jack in my house? I don't want to pay 100 something to Bell to do it. Or maybe I don't have any other option?

Please help me. Any help would be appreciated. Just trying to minimize my expenses

I doubt Bell even knows if you have or don't have phone jacks. If they say you can only have wireless, maybe you don't even have the necessary lines for high speed dsl in your area. We only have 2 jacks in our house. I was all set to sign up with Acanac (even bought the speedtouch 516 modem) but then I found out that our lines will only allow us 512 kbps speeds. :( So if Bell says you can't have dsl, I'd be inclined to believe them.

Looks like we're both stuck with Rogers. If anyone is ***********************

[sassysue]

ok got my internet all green lights up today

so now how long does the line fully gets functional like 1 full day or what about 3 hours ago my light turned from orange to green i currently have a 2wire modem

another question also will acanac internet come auto matic or my router would kick in it already has my username and pass i did a new internet account thru ie 6 broadband PPPoE any ideas?

Am i doing this right or wrong/>

[tomtong]

ok got my internet all green lights up today

so now how long does the line fully gets functional like 1 full day or what about 3 hours ago my light turned from orange to green i currently have a 2wire modem

another question also will acanac internet come auto matic or my router would kick in it already has my username and pass i did a new internet account thru ie 6 broadband PPPoE any ideas?

Am i doing this right or wrong/>

When you said got your internet all green lights up, does it means all five of them?


The Power light goes solid green.
The Ethernet goes solid green means you have the PC connected to the router.
The Wireless light goes solid green when enabled.
The DSL light goes solid green means you have the DSL line ready.
The Ethernet light goes solid green means you have successfully connected to the internet. If you haven't enter your Acanac id and password, I think it was red.


Your router comes from Bell and Acanac won't be provisioning your router, ie update the user id and password remotely. You have to enter it yourself. Try 192.168.1.254 to the main page...

Here's the manual from Bell:
http://service.sympatico.ca/img_gallery/2701_UserGuide_Sympatico_EN.pdf

[Inno]

When you said got your internet all green lights up, does it means all five of them?


The Power light goes solid green.
The Ethernet goes solid green means you have the PC connected to the router.
The Wireless light goes solid green when enabled.
The DSL light goes solid green means you have the DSL line ready.
The Ethernet light goes solid green means you have successfully connected to the internet. If you haven't enter your Acanac id and password, I think it was red.


Your router comes from Bell and Acanac won't be provisioning your router, ie update the user id and password remotely. You have to enter it yourself. Try 192.168.1.254 to the main page...

Here's the manual from Bell:
http://service.sympatico.ca/img_gallery/2701_UserGuide_Sympatico_EN.pdf

On the 2Wire the 5th light is `internet` not `ethernet`. Ethernet is the 2nd light.

The wireless light does not have to be on to have a connection to the intenet but the other 4 do need to be lit green.

[zander]

ok got my internet all green lights up today

so now how long does the line fully gets functional like 1 full day or what about 3 hours ago my light turned from orange to green i currently have a 2wire modem

another question also will acanac internet come auto matic or my router would kick in it already has my username and pass i did a new internet account thru ie 6 broadband PPPoE any ideas?

Am i doing this right or wrong/>

Full activation may be a day or two behind. I suggest phoning Acanac tech support and asking when your specific account is scheduled for full activation. My DSL was connected on Thursday, for example, (meaning all green lights) but my account was fully active only the following day. In some casees, there may be some internet activity/ability 'leeching' through even before full activation.

[sassysue]

i only have 3 lights n my modem the newer ones have 5 i guess? mine is all 1 in

Here it is http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31MNRXNW79L._SL500_AA280_.jpg


it is 2wire 1000hw

[Inno]

i only have 3 lights n my modem the newer ones have 5 i guess? mine is all 1 in

Here it is http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31MNRXNW79L._SL500_AA280_.jpg


it is 2wire 1000hw

Mine looks older (2700 HG-B) and has five lights. Also all-in-one.

[RFDkit]

I received my modem 4 days after I placed the order. The instruction sheet says wait 8 days to be activated. I plugged in the modem and only see 2 green lights- Power and Ethernet. Does it really take the full 8 days?

[sassysue]

yea still not working today activation date was yesterday

anyways is there any difference i gotta connect versus xp i never used internet on vista except wireless

[tomtong]

Mine was activated after a few days while I saw the Line Sync was solid but no communication from Acanac. I have to call them and they forward me an email about the details. When you see your 2wire 1000hw Broadband light solid orange (page 10), it means you have DSL and no connection to the ISP.

http://www.2wire.com/pages/pdfs/1000_series_Gateway_Install_Guide.pdf

[bigfatdeal]

Here is my experience thus far with this company and let me say I am highly impressed.

I ordered the service on Friday last week, the modem arrived on monday this week (faster then expected)

Hooked everything up power cycled the modem and the internet worked right away flawlessly.

The billing department answers the phone right away, and everyone there speaks clear fluent English which is a definite plus!

So far so good with this company and I am very happy I switch from bell my internet was costing me damn near $100 a month with them!

The only problem I have with it is with utorrent you have to use a special program and change your ports around to get it to work at a good speed, but if you know what your doing its not a big deal! Plus they even have online flash videos to walk you through setting it up on their website!

The speed is great too! I am very very pleased thus far

[aZnRYcEbOi]

Ordered last Friday, and got my Modem today.

Using the a link I found in this thread, it looks like I am just under 1km away from the nearest central office.


with Bell DSL, using Bell's SpeedStream 4200 modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403895803.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


with Acanac DSL, using SpeedStream 4200 modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403897593.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


with Acanac DSL, using Acanac's Aztech DSL605EU modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403901727.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


Any ideas on how I can boost up my upload speed with this new modem??? Or should I buy a better modem?

Let's see how this goes!

[chinese zzz]

Ordered last Friday, and got my Modem today.

Using the a link I found in this thread, it looks like I am just under 1km away from the nearest central office.


with Bell DSL, using Bell's SpeedStream 4200 modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403895803.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


with Acanac DSL, using SpeedStream 4200 modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403897593.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


with Acanac DSL, using Acanac's Aztech DSL605EU modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403901727.png (http://www.speedtest.net)



Let's see how this goes!

I don't see many differences....

I'm using Bell too.... hate to having limite...:mad:

[aZnRYcEbOi]

I don't see many differences....

I'm using Bell too.... hate to having limite...:mad:

Main difference is my upload speed has been cut to half when using Acanac's modem. Not sure why.

[njchan]

I currently do not have a land line (using sympatico on a dry loop).

my contract expires in March ...

looking to sign up with Acanac ... is it still $19? even if I don't have a phone line? or is there an additional charge?

[Cyanne]

I currently do not have a land line (using sympatico on a dry loop).

my contract expires in March ...

looking to sign up with Acanac ... is it still $19? even if I don't have a phone line? or is there an additional charge?

you'll need to pay an additional fee for dry loop. I currently have this, and it's 8$/month from acanac.

[tomtong]

Ordered last Friday, and got my Modem today.

Using the a link I found in this thread, it looks like I am just under 1km away from the nearest central office.


with Bell DSL, using Bell's SpeedStream 4200 modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403895803.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


with Acanac DSL, using SpeedStream 4200 modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403897593.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Are you behind a router?

with Acanac DSL, using Acanac's Aztech DSL605EU modem:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403901727.png (http://www.speedtest.net)


Any ideas on how I can boost up my upload speed with this new modem??? Or should I buy a better modem?

Let's see how this goes!

Are you behind a router?

[bigfatdeal]

yah any tips on boosting the upload speed? I am using a Dlink router. I also run opendns. When I hook up the modem only my upload is like 600k but when I hook up the router it drops to 200-300k why would this be?> anyone know

[tomtong]

yah any tips on boosting the upload speed? I am using a Dlink router. I also run opendns. When I hook up the modem only my upload is like 600k but when I hook up the router it drops to 200-300k why would this be?> anyone know

I have the same problem with my Linksys WRT54GL. Download and Upload is about 2/3 behind the router.

PC direct connect to modem
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403061948.png

PC connect to WRT54GL then to modem
http://www.speedtest.net/result/403079356.png

[aZnRYcEbOi]

Are you behind a router?

Yes, behind a Linksys WRT54G Ver.2 with no modifications.

All 3 tests that I did was behind the same router. THe only thing I changed was the modem.

Any ideas? Could the Acanac modem have a pre-set that is limiting my upload speed?

[lazychild]

Is this deal still on?

Do they use the same central stations as bell?

[fredsmith]

Is this deal still on?

Do they use the same central stations as bell?

It is still on AND they use Bell's infrastructure as their front end - however Bell doesn't always play fair. Read the various threads for some background.

I'm about to subscribe my father - yippee, another referral!!

[longdong]

just switch from Bell Sympatico to Acanac, it's fast for the delivery (Fedex as the same day that I order). So I received the package on the next day, it's fast. Just change the Bell modem by the Acanac modem, after 5 minutes everything was up and working .

I check the speedtest from different sources, so the download speed and the upload speed are almost the same or better (especially the upspeed is better with acanac, closed to 850kb instead of 550kbs from Bell).

I'm a happy new customer of Acanac so far (first week with Acanac)

[chumo]

I just received my Acanac modem. It says that when the PPP light is on then the service is connected. On the modem, there is no PPP light.

It has: Power, Ethernet, DSL, USB, Internet lights

Im guessing they mean once the internet light is on then its connected?

They did say it could take 8 business days to be activated, but I received my modem so quick, its been like 3 days since I placed the online order.

I guess I'll just keep trying

[Anirudthan]

I got my modem last week before my activation date and i got a speed of
2Mbps but after the activation date I am getting
http://www.speedtest.net/result/405007539.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I did not even have to call, just happened automatically. For the price this is amazing speed and no limits. Torrent here I come. There is a way around the throttling in which I am gonna find out leter this week.

All in all excellent!!!!

[KingofMay]

Switched from Bell to Ananac. Happy with the change.

[RFDkit]

I just received my Acanac modem. It says that when the PPP light is on then the service is connected. On the modem, there is no PPP light.

It has: Power, Ethernet, DSL, USB, Internet lights

Im guessing they mean once the internet light is on then its connected?

They did say it could take 8 business days to be activated, but I received my modem so quick, its been like 3 days since I placed the online order.

I guess I'll just keep trying

I got the service connected by Bell 6 days after I placed the order.

[lazychild]

It is still on AND they use Bell's infrastructure as their front end - however Bell doesn't always play fair. Read the various threads for some background.

I'm about to subscribe my father - yippee, another referral!!

Thanks for the reply.

So basically everything is the same as Bell (except service and price). DSL (PPoE) and everything?

What if I only have 1 phone line and with Bell now (still on contract), and then I also sign up for Acanac, do I have to go for the dry-loop feature?

Please advise.

[mr_yellow]

Thanks for the reply.

So basically everything is the same as Bell (except service and price). DSL (PPoE) and everything?

What if I only have 1 phone line and with Bell now (still on contract), and then I also sign up for Acanac, do I have to go for the dry-loop feature?

Please advise.

If you have a phone line with bell, that means you *don't* need the dry-loop feature.

Dry-loop is basically needed if you don't have *any* number registered (regardless of provider) to your line.

[innacana]

as you ppl know much better, can you suggest me from the following? Bell is offering me $50.89+Tax for basic phone without any feature and Performance internet (its a winback promo, for the same price of Essential Plus). For almost same services Acanac Internet is $18.95 and analog phone from Teksavvy is $22.28+Tax. Which one do you guys think better? TIA

p.s. Bell is waiving connection fee, but Teksavvy wants $25 for new connection

[sassysue]

for all of us on acanac please order this modem u can throttle thru bells caps

Go to my post for more info

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8210555#post8210555

[Inno]

If you have a phone line with bell, that means you *don't* need the dry-loop feature.

Dry-loop is basically needed if you don't have *any* number registered (regardless of provider) to your line.

That is the theory. HOWEVER: I have a land-line with Primus so for some reason Bell switched my phone line to connect to a very far distant C.O. therefore my speed went from 5 megs to 600k.

Acanac now tells me that the only way they can fix this is by me paying an extra $8 per months for a dry-loop, even though I already have a landline!

So two weeks ago I paid the $8. It was supposed to be put in within 5 days. As of today still no dry loop, still no 5 megs. Crazy!

[Cyanne]

That is the theory. HOWEVER: I have a land-line with Primus so for some reason Bell switched my phone line to connect to a very far distant C.O. therefore my speed went from 5 megs to 600k.

Acanac now tells me that the only way they can fix this is by me paying an extra $8 per months for a dry-loop, even though I already have a landline!

So two weeks ago I paid the $8. It was supposed to be put in within 5 days. As of today still no dry loop, still no 5 megs. Crazy!

wow. That sound like more bs from Bell. Getting you back for leaving, apparently. :mad: Dammit. I feel like you should be able to do something! I just haven't figured out what yet.

[bigfatdeal]

best internet company ever. I was paying around $90-100 a month with bell getting 2megs speed and 300k upload

now here are my speeds with acanac as of today.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/405168865.png

Everything they promised me they have delivered on (speeds, shipping time, tech install day and time) everything has been so smooth. Based on my experience I would say a lot of the negative comments about this company might be user related issues, and not acanacs fault.

[Anirudthan]

One thign I don't understand is that when I was with bell they said my line was only allowed 2.5MBps and they cannot make it higher.

But with acanac I am getting 6MBps.

How is this possible when they use bell's line? That means bell was screwing me over:mad:

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

I suspect you just don't understand how it all works. It isn't Acanac you should be upset with.

'They' have little to do with the connection to your home beyond ordering it from Bell.

So if it isn't working in your area, it likely won't work any better for almost any DSL provider except, possibly Bell, since THEY operate the distriobution network and THEY often put subscribers on less than ideal DSLAMs.

So, if you are moving to Acanac from Bell, you might just want to file a formal complaint with the CRTC alleging predatory practices. Because it should work exactly the same for Acanac as it did for Bell.

They still handle giving tickets to Bell.

After extensive calls to them, I still don't have internet, but they have promised to extend my contract for the time missed. As long as they put enough pressure on Bell and get the problem fixed, they'll be alright in my book.

[sassysue]

anyone else having problems with internet with acanac on vista? because i am i got 2 new modems and same **** it reads the new ip the guy from tech support says its vista any suggestions ? before i run out and buy a windows xp pro cd err

He also told me he spent almost 1 hour the other day on the phone and the guy was having the same problem so im guessing its vista lol

modem is TD-8816

I already did the install the ipconfig see the modem and its ip address any suggestion would really help ty

[fredsmith]

anyone else having problems with internet with acanac on vista? because i am i got 2 new modems and same **** it reads the new ip the guy from tech support says its vista any suggestions ? before i run out and buy a windows xp pro cd err

He also told me he spent almost 1 hour the other day on the phone and the guy was having the same problem so im guessing its vista lol

modem is TD-8816

I already did the install the ipconfig see the modem and its ip address any suggestion would really help ty

I did a quick search and the modem you have is indeed a full router. You simply plug the power, phone line and Ethernet cables in and then you configure the modem. While the device can be used as a modem only, it can also serve as a router (suggested) which is simplest to manage. It will serve as a firewall in addition to unloading all of the potential protocol issues from the computer.

But it isn't the operating system. It is either configuration or a hardware issue - and if Vista can see the modem (based on your statement about the IP address), then it could well be something as simple as the wrong password or login name stuck in the modem.

However, ipconfig can't see the modem, per-se. It simply reports what IP address, DNS and gateway the computer is 'using'. If it isn't set up for 'automatic IP assignment, then it'll say the same thing no matter what is plugged in to the network jack. If you have a couple of devices on the network, the IP address could well have been assigned by the wrong piece of hardware.

So set up your computer with a 'conventional' TCP driver and set for an automatically assigned IP address. Then go into the modem and set that up with the account and password information that Acanac supplied.

First step; Does the model see the DSL carrier? There is a light that says 'ADSL' - and it is usually lit when connected. If the ADSL light is off, then you might have a bad line cord, a misplaced filter - or even that there's no carrier on the line. It isn't unheard of that Bell terminates a line on the wrong pair.

Second step; Open your browser and enter the IP address reported by ipconfig as your gateway address - if you are asked for a password or are greeted by some other valid web page, then you are getting to the modem . . . . configure from there.

If you don't see the modem, then you need to start looking for other problems. The modem could be bad - the settings in the computer wrong - the Ethernet port on the computer bad or incorrectly configured.

Acanac requires you to use the entire as-assigned e-mail address as the login name PLUS the name and password are case sensitive.


OK, pretty simplistic, I guess, but you have to start somewhere and the basic functionality in Vista certaily supports DSL connectivity - and Acanac doesn't impose anything special on the process.

[kuge2008]

Does anybody know where I can buy adsl filter? Because I need more,acanac just provided 2.Thanks.

[innacana]

I know soliciting referrals on this board is prohibited, but if I am a new Acanac customer and request to receive referral from someone (just so that it helps someone and that $1/month dont go waste) is that gonna be prohibited as well?

************************************************** ***************************

[mcg]

Acanac doesn't support MLPPP, do they?

[leff]

I'm currently with Videotron and paying $32 per month for cable internet (20 gb download limit, 10 upload) My contract is ending in a couple of months and I wanted to know if it's worth switching to Acanac? Can I use the modem I used for Videotron's cable internet with Acanac or is it better to buy one from them or just buy it in store myself? Thanx


http://www.speedtest.net/result/406418378.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

[dtam9999]

Acanac doesn't support MLPPP, do they?

it is supported, but not on all their gateways, so its like a crapshoot connecting to the right one. you can use the modified tomato firmware on a Linksys router... it has the option to maintain a MLPPP connection, otherwise it would disconnect and try again.

[mong]

I'm currently with Videotron and paying $32 per month for cable internet (20 gb download limit, 10 upload) My contract is ending in a couple of months and I wanted to know if it's worth switching to Acanac? Can I use the modem I used for Videotron's cable internet with Acanac or is it better to buy one from them or just buy it in store myself? Thanx


http://www.speedtest.net/result/406418378.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Cable internet in general is always more stable than DSL so it really depends on your needs. Whether it's worth it or not is too subjective if you ask me. What are you looking for anyway? Better pricing? Better internet line for gaming? Unlimited bandwidth? Stable connection? Downloads? Streaming? Setting up a server? Just regular surfing? Is customer service important? etc. etc. If you're happy with Videotron and that you've been with them for quite some time, just call and ask for a retention.

Videotron -> cable
Acanac -> DSL

Just stating the obvious but they're both different so obviously they'll both use different modem. Acanac aren't selling you a modem anyway. They just ask for a $50 deposit that you'll get back once you return the modem. You can either use theirs or purchase a dsl modem somewhere else. You can get a cheap modem for ~$30 so it's really up to you.

[dirtmover]

Does anybody know where I can buy adsl filter? Because I need more,acanac just provided 2.Thanks.

You only need one if you put it at the demarcation point and run an unfiltered line direct to your modem.

[Diamondog]

Something to think about before signing up with these guys:

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697264&highlight=recommend

[fredsmith]

Something to think about before signing up with these guys:

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=697264&highlight=recommend


Yup - one unhappy customer makes lots more waves than 100 satisfied ones.

E-mail is the BEST way to deal with them because it provides an audit trail . . I gather you were 3 months into the second year commitment? I don't recall seeing that you gave them 30 days notice . . . you said they charged you for 3 months, which I take to be a 'second' 3 months into the second year.

I'm not siding with them, but you may have accidentally given them the impression that you wanted 3 months more service if you mentioned that term alongside your cancellation - since you'd renewed for a year and wanted tio leave - the cancellation might have been properly handled had you said 'effective immediately'.

I left them once, but went back. I found Bell's billing practices to be so horrible - and I couldn't configure my e-mail the way I wanted because Bell residential blocks a number of critical ports, messing up my ability to send mail from home apliances because they want SSL on port 990 - most telemetry gear does simple POP on port 110 and SMTP on port 25.

I didn't have billing issues when I left them, but my last renewal didn't go as smoothly as I'd have liked.

I run a couple of servers and have a fair amount of traffic, so it is unbeatable for the price - and I don't need their tech support except to fix what they break on their side.

[sahilz]

Unfortunately Acanac's tech support leaves a lot to be desired. There are many many threads on DSLReports.

[Blitzo]

Cable internet in general is always more stable than DSL so it really depends on your needs. Whether it's worth it or not is too subjective if you ask me. What are you looking for anyway? Better pricing? Better internet line for gaming? Unlimited bandwidth? Stable connection? Downloads? Streaming? Setting up a server? Just regular surfing? Is customer service important? etc. etc. If you're happy with Videotron and that you've been with them for quite some time, just call and ask for a retention.

Videotron -> cable
Acanac -> DSL

Just stating the obvious but they're both different so obviously they'll both use different modem. Acanac aren't selling you a modem anyway. They just ask for a $50 deposit that you'll get back once you return the modem. You can either use theirs or purchase a dsl modem somewhere else. You can get a cheap modem for ~$30 so it's really up to you.

I find gaming on ADSL much much better. Better response and lower pings. Download/upload speeds are faster with cable.

However, I have seen some ads from Acanac banners stating up to 20 Mbit/s (2.5 MB/s) download speeds. Is this true?

[Inno]

You only need one if you put it at the demarcation point and run an unfiltered line direct to your modem.

This may seem simple to you but it requires a certain amount of knowledge and tools to splice a filter into the demarc point in the line that feeds all the phones. Then string a new unfiltered line to the modem, perhaps drilling through walls etc.

Much easier to just plug in a few cheap filters for your phones, no cutting required. No need for costly service calls when your landline is messed up.

[loudsubz]

I signed up last friday, bell tech came wednesday to connect and test our dryloop, and friday I had internet. Getting around 3.5 mbps on a slow comp and on my first try, will test again later.

So far so good.

[tomtong]

Does anybody know where I can buy adsl filter? Because I need more,acanac just provided 2.Thanks.

Just go to Bell store and ask for one. 90% of the time they won't ask which ISP you're with and they are free! :lol:

[tomtong]

Yes, behind a Linksys WRT54G Ver.2 with no modifications.

All 3 tests that I did was behind the same router. THe only thing I changed was the modem.

Any ideas? Could the Acanac modem have a pre-set that is limiting my upload speed?

After I upgrade my Tomato 1.23 to the Tomato/MLPPP 1.19mp2 and configure the SingleLink, I got back the high speed.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/406668455.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

[Inno]

Here are my results. After 12 months it has not improved at all and I am 1 km from the nearest CO. Too bad Bell moved me to one 5 km away and Acanac has not been able to move me back.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/406913922.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

[loudsubz]

anyone have directions on how to configure the modem properly with any brand router (linksys, dlink etc)

I was reading about setting it up in bridge mode, but some people had issues where they had to reboot every day.

[fredsmith]

Here are my results. After 12 months it has not improved at all and I am 1 km from the nearest CO. Too bad Bell moved me to one 5 km away and Acanac has not been able to move me back.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/406913922.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Indeed. That is the result of predatory practices by Bell.

As counseled in one of the other threads, have you bothered to complain to the CRTC and/or Industry Canada?

[bigfatdeal]

I just called their tech support recently and they walked me through setting up my modem/router in bridge mode! They were very helpful and really knew their stuff. I don't know where people get off saying their tech support "leaves something to be desired." Thats just BS, I talked to 2 different reps because my cell phone died and I had to call back and they both knew what to do easily!

My internet has been running smoothly and quickly for a few weeks now, no outages and really fast torrent speeds.

Acanac is probably the best internet company I have ever had. I have tried Bell (slow and capped, throttled to **** way over priced! per gig billing damn near $100 a month for their service) Rogers (limited downloads, super slow during peak hours) Cogeco (kinda expensive some slowdowns they will shut your internet off if you download more then the 60gig a month limit)

After reading all the negative reviews about Acanac I was really questioning whether I should sign up with them, ultimately paying $100 a month for internet with bell forced me to switch because I could not afford it. I am so glad I went with my gut and switched its been great! huge savings for me! As a bonus my speeds went from 2500k down with bell to 4800 with acanac and 150k up with bell to 600 with acanac!

[Inno]

Indeed. That is the result of predatory practices by Bell.

As counseled in one of the other threads, have you bothered to complain to the CRTC and/or Industry Canada?

Do you know how to contact the CRTC? Is there a form on a website or what?

[innacana]

sorry I am new to DSL connections. I have got my Bell phone and acanac next week. Do I need only a dsl modem, or filters and other stuff as well? is it wise to buy a dsl from CTY which is on sale, or buy from Acanac? any input would be appreciated. TIA

[sahilz]

Buy a DSL modem from Caneris. http://www.caneris.com/Hardware?t=P

Unless Acanac gives you better price.

[tomtomtom]

sorry I am new to DSL connections. I have got my Bell phone and acanac next week. Do I need only a dsl modem, or filters and other stuff as well? is it wise to buy a dsl from CTY which is on sale, or buy from Acanac? any input would be appreciated. TIA

I got a TP link $24.99 modem from CTY. Fast internet speed, Connecting directly to a computer works great

Except, I have some issues connecting the modem to my brand new LINKSYS router under both bridge mode and router mode. The router can't get WAN IP (router mode, keep giving 0.0.0.0) or login with PPPoE (bridge).

After some reset, i get wireless internet to two computer, but not the third computer. It got me so tick off and so close to tossing that outta the window. Is this a faulty router? (I will return if it is)

[sahilz]

I got a TP link $24.99 modem from CTY. Fast internet speed, Connecting directly to a computer works great

Except, I have some issues connecting the modem to my brand new LINKSYS router under both bridge mode and router mode. The router can't get WAN IP (router mode, keep giving 0.0.0.0) or login with PPPoE (bridge).

After some reset, i get wireless internet to two computer, but not the third computer. It got me so tick off and so close to tossing that outta the window. Is this a faulty router? (I will return if it is)

Does the router work if connected directly to one machine? If it does, try a different LinkSys/Dlink router behind it in bridge mode. If it doesn't, try flashing the firmware, if any available.

[tomtomtom]

Does the router work if connected directly to one machine? If it does, try a different LinkSys/Dlink router behind it in bridge mode. If it doesn't, try flashing the firmware, if any available.

directly - sometimes. After a reset: yes, after a while: no.

Flashed with latest DD-WRT already. Same ***** issue.

return for another?

[innacana]

which one did you buy?

http://www.cty.ca/main.asp?dir=Networking&category=Router%20(Wired)

I got a TP link $24.99 modem from CTY. Fast internet speed, Connecting directly to a computer works great

Except, I have some issues connecting the modem to my brand new LINKSYS router under both bridge mode and router mode. The router can't get WAN IP (router mode, keep giving 0.0.0.0) or login with PPPoE (bridge).

After some reset, i get wireless internet to two computer, but not the third computer. It got me so tick off and so close to tossing that outta the window. Is this a faulty router? (I will return if it is)

[mingyang]

which one did you buy?

http://www.cty.ca/main.asp?dir=Networking&category=Router%20(Wired)

check PCVillage

[innacana]

pcvillage ($33) is more expensive than the CTY price ($25). I asked if they will PM. the rep asked me CTY price and instantly said they dont do PM with that big of difference on price. I have lost my words!!!! WTF.

check PCVillage

[wanderingcat]

After I upgrade my Tomato 1.23 to the Tomato/MLPPP 1.19mp2 and configure the SingleLink, I got back the high speed.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/406668455.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Impressive!

here is mine: modem DLink 2320B, Router: Linksys WRT54G

rogers high speed express plus

http://www.speedtest.net/result/329244916.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

express

http://www.speedtest.net/result/408510642.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

acanac $19+$8 = $27

http://www.speedtest.net/result/409285047.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

[wanderingcat]

Even the speed diagrams above show Acanac is ~60% of Rogers' speed, but open a web page with Acanac is much much slower ... you have to wait a couple seconds to see the first character of the web page, the it took much longer time to load the full page.

With Rogers, pages open nearly right away. :mad:

Another weird thing is I can't open redflagdeals.com! (I am posting using Rogers). All other web are okay! :mad:

Even tried to ping redflagdeals.ca and .com, but got ".... unreachable" !!! :mad:

Anyone can help , please!

I will call Acanac's tech support tomorrow anyway - they are pretty helpful :cheesygri

[sahilz]

Can you tracert to rfd? How about telnet to port 80 on rdf server?

[SaraLee]

I've just been reading a lot of comments regarding people using different modems. Would you recommend getting the modem directly from Acanac? If not, why not?

[OpportunityChaos]

finally changed to acanac from bell!

strange thing is that i'm using the same bell modem 2wire for my acanac service right now and it works.

[Azenha]

finally changed to acanac from bell!

strange thing is that i'm using the same bell modem 2wire for my acanac service right now and it works.

Oh course it works.

There are only two internet backbone infrastructures in Ontario - Bell runs the DSL network, and Rogers runs the Cable network. Everyone else, for a lack of a better word, re-sells Bell and Rogers.

When you subscribe to Acanac, your internet traffic runs along the same lines and through the same gateways, routers, and switches as does the regular paying Bell customer (with some minor variances).

Personally, I'm with 3Web and I get the same service levels as my neighbours who pay twice as much for Rogers hi-speed. When I go down, they go down, and vise-versa. Whenever I have a problem, I call 3Web and they put in a ticket with Rogers. In fact, I've had Rogers call me on a few previous occasions to advise that my ticket had been resolved.

Bottom line is that no matter who you subscribe to, you'll be on either the Bell network or the Rogers network. In western Canada it's either Bell or Shaw Cable. The only differences are that you'll pay a fraction of what Bell/Rogers customers pay, your billing will be handled by your ISP, and your e-mail is with your ISP. Otherwise, internet traffic is essentially the same, using the same hardware, etc.

[mr_yellow]

Oh course it works.

There are only two internet backbone infrastructures in Ontario - Bell runs the DSL network, and Rogers runs the Cable network. Everyone else, for a lack of a better word, re-sells Bell and Rogers.

When you subscribe to Acanac, your internet traffic runs along the same lines and through the same gateways, routers, and switches as does the regular paying Bell customer (with some minor variances).

Personally, I'm with 3Web and I get the same service levels as my neighbours who pay twice as much for Rogers hi-speed. When I go down, they go down, and vise-versa. Whenever I have a problem, I call 3Web and they put in a ticket with Rogers. In fact, I've had Rogers call me on a few previous occasions to advise that my ticket had been resolved.

Bottom line is that no matter who you subscribe to, you'll be on either the Bell network or the Rogers network. In western Canada it's either Bell or Shaw Cable. The only differences are that you'll pay a fraction of what Bell/Rogers customers pay, your billing will be handled by your ISP, and your e-mail is with your ISP. Otherwise, internet traffic is essentially the same, using the same hardware, etc.

Actually, the real reason that the bell DSL modem still works is because it's a standard ADSL modem that's accepted all over the world. You can buy a ADSL modem from hong kong and use it here (as long as you input the correct DSL user/pass). It has nothing to do with the fact that 3web or acanac resells "bell" lines..

[spinbot]

Actually, the real reason that the bell DSL modem still works is because it's a standard ADSL modem that's accepted all over the world. You can buy a ADSL modem from hong kong and use it here (as long as you input the correct DSL user/pass). It has nothing to do with the fact that 3web or acanac resells "bell" lines..

That may not be 100% accurate as DSL modems have VCI/VPI settings, that if are set incorrectly, would result in your connection not working properly ( ie. you might connect, but no traffic across the line ). In at least Ontario, the settings are 0,35. SpeedTouch 516's come in at 8,35 , so if they aren't updated or if someone hits the reset button on the back, the modem will not work.

And their is one big difference, even though everyone uses the same infrastructure, and that is the bandwidth coming into the ISP. If you go with someone other than Bell, your traffic is bachhauled through their infrastructure into the ISP and then out to the Internet. If the ISP has over sold their bandwidth, your 5mbps connection with Sympatico may not equal the 5mbps connections with the other ISP. Near the earlier days of DSL Sympatico did exactly that. Thier 1mbps connection was about 1/5th to 1/1oth the speed of the 1mbps connection the ISP I worked for sold.

[tomtong]

For 2Wire modems, they also require the correct ISP key to log onto Bell as well. I flashed the 2Wire firmware with 3rd party and have a SingTel key that does not work with Bell.

[nightwalker]

For 2Wire modems, they also require the correct ISP key to log onto Bell as well. I flashed the 2Wire firmware with 3rd party and have a SingTel key that does not work with Bell.

just curious, what's the benefit of flashing 2wire modems?

[dinesh_zee]

Did anyone recently cancel/terminate their DSL service with Acanac? If yes, did you pay for the modem return or did you use Acanac's Fedex account?

At the time of sign up I was convinced by the Acanac sales team and by the Acanac representatives here in RFD that I can use their Fedex account to return the modem. But now, when I want to actually return they are saying that I am responsible for the shipping costs. :confused: any advice?

[cui5]

Did anyone recently cancel/terminate their DSL service with Acanac? If yes, did you pay for the modem return or did you use Acanac's Fedex account?

At the time of sign up I was convinced by the Acanac sales team and by the Acanac representatives here in RFD that I can use their Fedex account to return the modem. But now, when I want to actually return they are saying that I am responsible for the shipping costs. :confused: any advice?

I am using my own DSL modem so i returned theirs right away. At that time, it was no problem to use their fedex account to ship it.

[Inno]

After 12 months of very slow (600K) speeds with Acanac, they finally managed to get me back to around 5 megs. It took a lot of nagging on my part but it finally paid off. Bell had to come out and rewire my connection to a closer CO, which I had been saying all along.

My speed seems to fluctuate, mostly from 4500 to 5000.

[whampoa]

After 12 months of very slow (600K) speeds with Acanac, they finally managed to get me back to around 5 megs. It took a lot of nagging on my part but it finally paid off. Bell had to come out and rewire my connection to a closer CO, which I had been saying all along.

My speed seems to fluctuate, mostly from 4500 to 5000.

How's your upload speed and latency after the rewiring?

[Inno]

How's your upload speed and latency after the rewiring?

Upload is around 600. Latency varies between 30 and 60 most times. Funny how every time I do a speed test (using DSLReports) the numbers are quite different.

I tried using Speedtest.net and get wildly higher numbers like this, which I don't trust:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/412003532.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Next time I used Speedtest.net I got this:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/412016905.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

[wanderingcat]

Can you tracert to rfd? How about telnet to port 80 on rdf server?


Thanks !

tracert didn't succeed either. did't try the telnet.

i started another thread about this problem, and seems now i found a way to fix it, please have a look:

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=700080

[carldufourm]

I have a 2wire modem/rooter from bell, I know some people said it will work with acanac, but do I need to flash it?

I'm currently with bell for the telephone line and the internet, and I'd like to switch internet to Acanac. Does anybody have a good suggestion for the telephone line, like a good combination Acanac + (cheap phone line company lol)?

Thanks a lot

[josipm]

They had problems yesterday. Today it is better but not as it was before.

Anyone else have problems yesterday?

[Inno]

They had problems yesterday. Today it is better but not as it was before.

Anyone else have problems yesterday?

Last night my speeds were really low, under 1 meg. Glad to hear that it was not just me!!

[Germack]

Last night my speeds were really low, under 1 meg. Glad to hear that it was not just me!!

Had the same problem.

[Inno]

I have a 2wire modem/rooter from bell, I know some people said it will work with acanac, but do I need to flash it?

I'm currently with bell for the telephone line and the internet, and I'd like to switch internet to Acanac. Does anybody have a good suggestion for the telephone line, like a good combination Acanac + (cheap phone line company lol)?

Thanks a lot

I was able to use a 2Wire modem (AT&T refurb) and a Bell Speedstream very easily, no flashing needed. You just need to put in your Acanac user name and password.

[Trigger]

Last night was the worst night of service I've had since joining them. I've been with them for almost two years, and while I had a tiny bit of downtime here and there (about 15 minutes a couple of times during the afternoon), last night was by far the worst it has been.

For a few hours, I had almost no connectivity. Hopefully things get better.

Trigg

[nightwalker]

is anyone else experiencing extremely slooooooow internet from acanac lately?

normally it's pretty good but lately it's been having some hiccups

[ItemFinder]

is anyone else experiencing extremely slooooooow internet from acanac lately?

normally it's pretty good but lately it's been having some hiccups
They are experiencing some sort of network outage. It's only affecting Acanac right now, so just hang tight.

[wedgin]

They are experiencing some sort of network outage. It's only affecting Acanac right now, so just hang tight.

Bad timing on their part for an outage. I was just browsing this thread to investigate getting the service setup next month when I move. I may go back to TekSavvy instead.

[kin0kin]

line was down...like totally down and can't connect to host. I thought my modem/router went haywire. After resetting things and messing around for a little while...the modem connects again. :p

[yesman]

i'm down since thursday :mad:, no DSL light on my modem. They said they would send a bell tech on friday or saturday, but bell never showed up. Tried calling them on saturday, no phone tech support on weekends.

[bojangles]

I'm curious if anyone was able to get their 50$ back from the modem deposit after canceling their service?

Do they send a pre-paid box to put the modem and ship it back to them?

[sahilz]

On the other hand, you will have numerous tech support for TekSavvy on DSLR, as well as phone support on the weekends.

[[H]ackerK]

is anyone else experiencing extremely slooooooow internet from acanac lately?

normally it's pretty good but lately it's been having some hiccups

ah so it wan't my gateway. I was trying to figure out why it was so slow and losing ping over the weekend....

[big_willy]

Question to Arcanac Users -

How realiable is their service, do you experiance downtime at all? I trade futures/options and downtime is not acceptable.

Thanks

[entity]

i've also been noticing a slowdown for the last few days.. reset everything..
sometimes disconnecting and reconnecting via the DSL modem's web config page helps for a bit and then it slows down again after a while. Line stats seem fine..

for the guy who asked, generally I have had very few downtime issues with Acanac. all-in-all, it has been very reliable and you definitely can't complain about the price. After the first year is up, I guess then it MAY become an issue as their price becomes par with what teksavvy is charging, but I'm not sure if Teksavvy is any better since they both use Bell lines.

My 1 year contract ends in a month, I also wonder how they go about with the modem return thing.. if they send a prepaid box or what.. I will probably go back to them after the two free months I get from Bell expires :)

[tomtong]

I have problem on Friday night intermittently and the worst on Saturday night. No connection at all, even connected, no internet access can go through, but VOIP is fine. These are for my ML/PPP firmware. After I flashed my firmware back to Tomato on Sunday, everything goes fine.

Not sure if it's bad timing or firmware/connection related.

[Green Lantern]

For the past few days I've been getting frequently disconnected... same experiences with others on their forums...

I'm stilll getting DC'ed often...

[Trigger]

For the past few days I've been getting frequently disconnected... same experiences with others on their forums...

I'm stilll getting DC'ed often...

Any word from Acanac on this issue? One of them usually watches this forum. Acanac... why the slowdowns and what's the ETA on getting this fixed? Mine is so slow that I can't work from home any more...

[hellinar]

it was really bad yesterday (slow and frequent disconnections) and I submitted an online ticket.

They got back to me saying that they were attacked and should have it under control, it has been fine today.

[sassysue]

me too alot of problems slowness lately

[dinesh_zee]

bit off-topic...

can i use a DSL acount from one reseller in another resellers's line?

for example, if i have an active dry-loop DSL account with Acanac, can I use my friend's active dry-loop DSL account with TeckSavvy by just replacing the username and password in the modem? (assuming my friend's modem is turned off at that time)

[robinto]

bit off-topic...

can i use a DSL acount from one reseller in another resellers's line?

for example, if i have an active dry-loop DSL account with Acanac, can I use my friend's active dry-loop DSL account with TeckSavvy by just replacing the username and password in the modem? (assuming my friend's modem is turned off at that time)

Answer is "YES".
You might need to release/renew your ip.

[Inno]

me too alot of problems slowness lately

My download speeds are all over the map right now. Sometimes only 2 or 3 megs, sometimes 4 or 5. The upload is more consistent around 600. Latency is very variable too: between 25 and 60.

[kookieMonster2k2]

Does anyone have any experience with Acanac dry loop in a condo building.
Currently, I"m with Rogers, however, through the whole time with them, my speeds really suck on their hi speed express.
I would think that most of my building is on Rogers, thus the bottlenecking of my service.
I'm hoping that Acanac will at least be higher, but not less than Rogers.
Also, I've been getting email's stating that I am close to the cap of 60GB.
WTF They changed my grandfathered plan to this crap.
So I called them yesterday and disconnected.
They tried to keep me with 20% off for 12 months but, I'm just sick and tired of ole Rogers.
They can't keep me happy in the mobile, internet, and cable tv department.
So I've started cancelling all my services.
I'll have to hold onto the mobile as I want to retain my number, but I did drop the BB plan since I'm on m2m and bought my BB outright.
I'll be shopping around for a better plan with better perks and a better phone.

I know there is a lot in here, but my main concern for this post is how Acanac Dry loop performs in condos in north york.

CIAO

BUHBYE ROBBERS.

BTW I'm looking into purchasing a DSL modem for Acanac instead of 'renting' theirs. Who knows if they will return your $50 deposit if you decide to quit them after the year. It states that Acanac has the decision whether to refund the 'deposit' or not in their FAQ's.
So, I been looking on Kijiiji and they have Speedstream 5200 E240 for ~ $30. It is factory unlocked but they give you the choice of Bell firmware vs factory firmware. Which should I choose for Acanac?

Alright.
I've had acanac hi-speed DSL with a dry loop since the 2nd week of February and I have nothing to complain about it.
The bell tech said that I was almost 5 mb download and 800 kb upload, which is pretty close to max.
When I download torrents, i'm hitting speeds of 150 kb - 400 kb/s combined on average.
With Rogers, I was lucky to hit 50 kb/s.
I guess the Rogers bottleneck is clearly evident at my condo building.
Also, speedtests indicate that I d/l at 4.2 mb and u/l at 620 kb/s.
Still not to bad.
Also best bang for your buck.

BTW I opted not buying Acanac's modem and went to infonec and picked a Speedtouch 516 for $59.99. (You can get it cheaper at www.caneris.com) and it is working out GREAT!!! It was easy to install.

[Inno]

My download speeds are all over the map right now. Sometimes only 2 or 3 megs, sometimes 4 or 5. The upload is more consistent around 600. Latency is very variable too: between 25 and 60.

My speeds are more consistent this morning. Hope the problems are solved.

[chrisanthony14]

do they offer usenet services as yet?

[innacana]

already upset with acanac. they have delayed 3 dates for new connection within last 12 days. trying to give excuse about technical difficulty. everytime I call, rep confirms connection within next 3/4 days, but the story change again after 3/4 days. when I complained, they told me that billing will be adjusted from the day of connection (acanac already billed me for the year) as if they are doing me a favour or compensating me. Rogers would have offered discounts or compensation in this situation. final connection date is set for this tuesday, if they have another story again, I am out from them. very unprofessional of them and disappointing.

[kookieMonster2k2]

already upset with acanac. they have delayed 3 dates for new connection within last 12 days. trying to give excuse about technical difficulty. everytime I call, rep confirms connection within next 3/4 days, but the story change again after 3/4 days. when I complained, they told me that billing will be adjusted from the day of connection (acanac already billed me for the year) as if they are doing me a favour or compensating me. Rogers would have offered discounts or compensation in this situation. final connection date is set for this tuesday, if they have another story again, I am out from them. very unprofessional of them and disappointing.

Yeah.
Unfortunately, with cheap deals like this, it's really a crapshoot.
Luckily for me, on the date that they were activating, the bell tech called for a appointment @ 6 pm but I was in the office at that time.
Good thing is that he said he could come back for his last stop @ 9 pm.
So I rushed home so that I can make this appointment as I didn't want any future excuses or delays.
The tech showed up at 8 pm, set up the dry loop, and its been good since.

I'm assuming that once you do have the service up, it'll be fine, and would be the best bang for your buck.
Good luck.
kookie

[alesto]

I am very unhappy with Acanac now also. I have used their service for 12 month - had couple of days with no connection - not too bad. I have never seen speeds close to 5 Meg down, but never complained much about 2.4 - 2.5 Mb down and 380 - 480 kb up. 12 month is over and I received email and receipt from Acanac for $400 with a change been charged to my CC for another year of service at regular price ($34 or so). That is fair. I made a mistake and did not cancel in advance so they auto renewed my subscription.
Now...
That is where my adventure began. I have tried to contact someone live at Acanac to switch to per month billing (which is $39 per month or so) and to get my money refunded back with absolutely no luck. One can call and talk to Acanac "Sales" - nice and very polite people - they will refer you to billing@acanac.com to get your inquiry resolved - sounds fair. However, after I emailed my request to get money refunded to CC, to switch me to per month billing and to provide me with Return label for the modem to that address I received nice description of Acanac rates - see below.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear valued client,

Our rates are as follows

1 month @ 39.95
3 month @ 37.95
6 month @ 35.95
12 month @ 33.95

All prices include taxes and all rates that are more than 1 month are required to be paid in full up front.

Thank you
Louis DiBiase
Retention Department Manager
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I sent another email with the very same three points:
- to get money refunded to my CC for anual subscription
- to switch to per month billing at $39 whatever
- to explain modem return/deposit refund policies and to provide me with return label

I received exactly the same email template - see above for the second time. Hmmm...

I spoke with nice Acanac "sales" team over the phone again and explained that I have not been able to get answers to my questions over email. They expressed all possible empathy and suggested to contact billing@acanac.com if I need to get my money back, switch my contract, get return label and so on...

Here we go again.

I send another email with the same three questins to billing@... and received another reply from a different person now - no more templates - real person.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hello,

we have replied you ... already.
Please refer to this ticket ID and reply on it.

Thanks for your attention and cooperation.

Best Regards,
Acanac Inc.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Only one problem that they replied to me twice, by sending their prices and without answering either one of my questions.:mad:

[jamewoong]

Only one problem that they replied to me twice, by sending their prices and without answering either one of my questions.:mad:
You know what? If I'm you, I'll try to contact them in any way until at least 2 weeks passed. If they still don't resolve this matter, then do it by yourself. They bill you a full year term, but if you cancel it, you'll have to pay the regular price... So let's say that you use almost 1 month, so the regular price is $40 tx included, then subtract it from the amount that you've paid (the full year).

Next, call your credit card and ASK THEM to make a CHARGE-BACK (-$50 for the modem if you don't want to return it). Tell them about your story... They will fix it or will tell you what to do... Why you keep running like a dog? I hate when company doesn't response directly to their customer!

But as I said, give them 2 weeks which is more than enough to fix this.

///
I paid for an online usernet service and they did't activate my full privilege account, so after few weeks of sending them an email - no response, so I call my credit card and they make a charge back... Everything is DONE.

You are protected when using a credit card... Don't let them fool you!

[alesto]

... you'll have to pay the regular price...

... Why you keep running like a dog? I hate when company doesn't response directly to their customer!


I have no problem paying regular price, while looking for other options. I just hate when small companies - nice and easy to deal with at first (I was following Acanac since the day they were mentioned first at this site), taking this route and becoming "existing customers hating" monsters.

:mad:

[alesto]

:mad:

as of 02/22/2009 9.17 pm

Acanac

Speakeasy — Speed Test
Test your internet connection speed!

By measuring the download and upload rate from the following locations you are able to accurately measure your current line throughput or internet connection speed.
Last Result:
Download Speed: 2519 kbps (314.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 489 kbps (61.1 KB/sec transfer rate)

[nightwalker]

ya...i'm really sick of acanac right now too

slow as hell!

I wonder if it's because of the recession so massive amount of new customers

[Inno]

ya...i'm really sick of acanac right now too

slow as hell!

I wonder if it's because of the recession so massive amount of new customers

What kind of speeds are you getting? Mine ranges from around 2megs up to 5. Every time I run a test I get a different speed. Don't know why it is not a consistent 5 megs.

[innacana]

how come you had a Bell rep coming to you, I dont have any appointment with them, or am I missing something? are they coming because you are having dry-loop or you are getting modem from Acanac? Acanac just gave me access info and said it will be connected automatically, and am not getting modem from them. so why Bell rep?

Yeah.
Unfortunately, with cheap deals like this, it's really a crapshoot.
Luckily for me, on the date that they were activating, the bell tech called for a appointment @ 6 pm but I was in the office at that time.
Good thing is that he said he could come back for his last stop @ 9 pm.
So I rushed home so that I can make this appointment as I didn't want any future excuses or delays.
The tech showed up at 8 pm, set up the dry loop, and its been good since.

I'm assuming that once you do have the service up, it'll be fine, and would be the best bang for your buck.
Good luck.
kookie

[firechkn]

Looks like Acanac just auto renewed me as of yesterday. I totally forgot about my renewal date.

Anyways, I'm thinking of canceling and looking for another deal. Will they give me a hard time for the 1 day into the renewal date for a full refund? Also, what's my chances of receiving the promo price again or do I have to be away for some time before they consider me a new customer again?

Thanks.

[zander]

Looks like Acanac just auto renewed me as of yesterday. I totally forgot about my renewal date.

Anyways, I'm thinking of canceling and looking for another deal. Will they give me a hard time for the 1 day into the renewal date for a full refund? Also, what's my chances of receiving the promo price again or do I have to be away for some time before they consider me a new customer again?

Thanks.

If I had to guess, I'd say you'd either have to have been away from them for a year to sign up again for the same promo at the same address and name. I don't know the odds of getting a full refund after an auto renewal. I'd hope for a best case scenario of them charging you for one month's usage. Good luck.

[BluEL]

:DI've been with Acanac since Sept. 07. I had some referrals which pushed my contract to Jan. 09 (free for the extra months of course). I too forgot to inform them of my intentions (either to renew or cancel), so they billed me for $400 for one more year. I got one more referral which pushed me over for another month. I asked them to refund my $400, and it was done without much hassle. The refund appeared in about a week. No problems.

I've since renewed for two years on their 2-yr retention plan--$600, which works out to about $25/month. Not too shabby at all. The only thing is, of course, $600 up front.

The speeds aren't the fastest, but I can live with it for the price. And yes, no caps. Connection has been great. Downtime has almost been ZERO (at least when I'm at home). And surprisingly, customer service has been great. They respond quickly, and billing/refunds follow up quite quickly. I've never called them. Everything is done via email, which seems to be quite good as far as responsiveness goes.

Just my experience. All I ask now is that they don't go belly up for the next 2 years!!!

[mystery]

This is why it is not good to sign on to a contract. If you are unsatisfied, you are stuck with them for a year!

I'm with Teksavvy for about $30 per month including taxes, and don't have to be on any stupid contract. The connection has been fast and reliable. Their technical support (which I rarely needed) is top-notch.

[firechkn]

Thanks, I will try for this. I've been pretty satisfied with the service so far.


.

I've since renewed for two years on their 2-yr retention plan--$600, which works out to about $25/month. Not too shabby at all. The only thing is, of course, $600 up front.

[mr_yellow]

Just thought I'd chime in to see if other's are getting similar speeds.

I recently reflashed my router where I had DD-WRT QoS feature limiting my bandwidth to ~500k/sec or 4.3 mbit/sec for the last few years (that was the max I was able to get 2 years ago). I decided to flash my trusty WRT54G to the tomato firmware just for fun. Afterwards I realized my torrents were going at 750k/sec or 6+mbit/sec... WHoa! where'd that speed come from?

I'm in the downtown toronto core, but does anyone know when they upgraded the area? WOW... this is awesome... =) If it's been like this for a while now, I'm going to kick myself for all the "wasted" bandwidth!

I easily get 6.5mbit down and 650kbit up when not throttled by bell (those bastards)...

Happy Acanac customer.

[uddinf]

Has anyone had issues getting a refund from them as per their 30 day satisfaction guarantee?

I signed a 1 year contract but have been very displeased with the service so far (double billed me, billed me for modem which I didn't order, said dry loop would be installed on Feb19th but nobody showed up when I took a day off work).

I am going to ask for a refund but just want to know if others were able to get a refund.

[alesto]

:mad: My nightmare with Acanac is in full swing (see Post #501)

Here is the latest reply from "friendly" Acanac retention manager.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear valued client,

As per the user agreement that you agreed to upon signing on with Acanac, the service will be automatically renewed unless the client sends us an e-mail stating they do not want to renew on or before the service is renewed.


Please read the user agreement located on our website.


Best Regards
Louis DiBiase
Retention Department Manager
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have no problem with that except of the fact that I received modem from Acanac on 02/21/08 - they shipped out that modem on 02/19/2008 (I have saved all Fedex slips) and I contacted them (called in and emailed) exactly two days before year contract expired on 02/19/2009 (being lazy, waited until last minute) with a request to switch me to per month billing.
and now on 02/23/09 they replied that I am under new default contract. Hmmm...

Getting better any minute now, eh?

[Fox]

I apologize if I couldn't pick this out among the 35 pages of this thread but:
- Is the modem that Acanac provides good, or is there a better one?
- An specific recommendations on a modem?

[firechkn]

I feel your pain. I received the same email today.

I was one day late to cancel the auto-renewal bs. How can they expect you to remember a year from now your renewal date? No reminder at all, now they've are charging my credit card $407 for another year of service.

When I try to cancel or at least get a different contract I get this agreement crap from Louis.

Since I was never warned, I feel I've been had into this ghost contract. At least Mastercard agrees with me and will dispute this charge for me.

Until now I've had no problems with Acanac. I will never go back again seeing how they treat there customers.



:mad: My nightmare with Acanac is in full swing (see Post #501)

Here is the latest reply from "friendly" Acanac retention manager.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear valued client,

As per the user agreement that you agreed to upon signing on with Acanac, the service will be automatically renewed unless the client sends us an e-mail stating they do not want to renew on or before the service is renewed.


Please read the user agreement located on our website.


Best Regards
Louis DiBiase
Retention Department Manager
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have no problem with that except of the fact that I received modem from Acanac on 02/21/08 - they shipped out that modem on 02/19/2008 (I have saved all Fedex slips) and I contacted them (called in and emailed) exactly two days before year contract expired on 02/19/2009 (being lazy, waited until last minute) with a request to switch me to per month billing.
and now on 02/23/09 they replied that I am under new default contract. Hmmm...

Getting better any minute now, eh?

[fredsmith]

Responding to the last few messages;

Most annual auto-renewal businesses (Like Bell and Videotron) require 30 days advance notice of cancellation - and you probably didn't realise, but the renewal and operational dates are NOT the same. If you are with Videotron and try to cancel even a day after their renewal point they WILL hit you with a severe penalty, even in your 4th or 5th year - ask me how I know.

The contract date is the date of their activation e-mail and the 'service date' is likely 2 or 3 days after they ship the modem or schedule the DSL connection. It is the contract date you need to respect.

As to the fact that they charged you when the renewal date came around, what did you expect? The terms of service you agreed to were 'annual rate with automatic renewal' and you waited beyond the last minute to notify them . . .

Doh!

That you file a dispute with Mastercard is inappropriate, because you actually were obligated to pay the fee. Mastercard may reverse the charge, but Acanac COULD (but probably won't) charge you for falsely claiming you were wrongly charged. They have the right to compensation for this (because you wrongly claimed you were improperly billed) and in any case could get Mastercard to stick you with at least the $40 charge (for one month, as per the terms of their agreement with you).

Such actions by a subscriber are actually inappropriate and high handed.

Certainly double billing and the inability to get resolution is another matter, but don't blame Acanac because you, as the subscriber forgot to send a timely notice of cancellation or sent it after the renewal date. By the way, Teksavvy specifically requires five business days advance notice, so he who complained would have been charged by Teksavvy too.

Next time do the prudent thing and notify the provider of your intention WELL IN ADVANCE. If they still charge you you'll be able to complain about their service.

Acanac WILL cancel your service and refund your money - likely you are responsible for a month of service at the monthly rate. The reality is that if you are pleasant, they'd probably waive the charge.

As to paying $600 for 2 years up front, the $5/month * 24 = $120 savings (compared to Teklsavvy's capped rate) PLUS the fact that the price is tax included and there are no caps FAR outweighs any 'savings' you would have had by paying them monthly - how much interest do you think you could earn on a $600 declining balance deposit over a 24 month period? Simple enough - at 3% is would be about $36 taxable dollars against saving $120 PLUS the tax on Teksavvy's cappd rate. Makes a compelling argument.

However the 2 year rate keeps being mentioned - and it is NOT available to most people, so the financials ought to be compared using the annual $34 rate - and the savings are still there, but somewhat less compelling when compared to Teksavvy's capped application.

Even so, with everything else being equal that 'no cap' is the deal maker and the real comparison at Teksavvy is actually their $40 (plus tax) rate compared with Acanac's $34 (tax included) rate and that IS a money maker.

I've used more than 200 Gigs each of the last few months and I'm not a gamer. I run a mail server. I have a web server. I have kids. My downloads are because I don't watch live television - I download (and archive) HD episodes of the shows I am interested in and watch them at my leisure. For me Acanac rocks - >400kB download rates when Bell isn't throttling.

[BluEL]

I agree with "fredsmith." It is in your contract that the renewal will be automatic. So, just set up a reminder for 11 months down the road.

For me, getting the refund was pretty painless. I also was dealing with "Louis" from Acanac. He responded quickly to my emails and was professional in handling my situation. The key here is to be polite. No need for threats or rude emails (not saying anybody here was rude or threating).

Anyway, I got my refund, but then decided to stick with them on their 2-yr deal. Yeah, $600 up front, but the savings and no-cap are just too tough to pass on.

[X360]

We're in the recession period... Any company can be bankruptcy without warning...

It is OK for 1 year prepaid at special price $18.95/month... because you can only try to risk around 4 months = equal to the amount you pay for Bell DSL... After 4 months, if Acanac go under, you kinda loose not much...

Acanac prepaid works similar like Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme...

For second year, you have to prepaid $407 which is a higher amount... If you're not lucky, the ponzi scheme won't be able to support and Acanac go under... You might loose larger amount of money...

[antman59]

wow. I refuse to go with anyone that does auto renewals for a year. Used to be with Voxcom and went through that. I would suggest don't give them your business. If they don't get your business they will have to change their ways or go bye bye.

[straingguy]

a consumer payed for a service, and the service cannot use because of a unprovided part is consider a failure to provide this service.
Acanac is send the modem 5 days later but still charge for service of this 5 days is illegal. Do they provided a alternative way to clients to access to the internet? if not, they are open to a class action lawsuit.
For the 30 days (or 5 days or ...) cancellation. Acanac better spelled it out up front, even that could be challenge easy in course.
Ask any lawyer, they will tell you the same thing.

[alesto]

see Post #501 and #515

I was never rude nor threatening - I had no reason to be unhappy with Acanac until this last occurence. I never have seen speeds as they promised - it never actually went above 2500 - 2800 kbps download for me - but I never complained nor bugged Acanac tech support - not even once within this last 12 month period. I agree at the most with fredsmith as contract is my responsibility, however... see #515 :)

And I do believe that as straingguy put "... a consumer paid for a service, and the service cannot use because of a unprovided part is consider a failure to provide this service.". That was not renewal - that was the date of original service activation. How can I be charged for high-seed internet service if ISP did not even have modem send out my way from their warehouse?

And one more point. I did not ask to cancel the service (as per fredsmith "...require 30 days advance notice of cancellation"), I requested to transfer me to per-month billing.
:mad:

[mong]

a consumer payed for a service, and the service cannot use because of a unprovided part is consider a failure to provide this service.
Acanac is send the modem 5 days later but still charge for service of this 5 days is illegal. Do they provided a alternative way to clients to access to the internet? if not, they are open to a class action lawsuit.
For the 30 days (or 5 days or ...) cancellation. Acanac better spelled it out up front, even that could be challenge easy in course.
Ask any lawyer, they will tell you the same thing.

For future reference for new customers, email/open a ticket with them to establish the right starting date of your internet. That's what I did and it took less than 2 min to write to them.

Anyway, does anyone know if the 2 year retention plan is renewable? Or is it a one-time thing like the 1st year promo?

[mystery]

The 200GB cap on Teksavvy is more than enough for most users. I download quite a lot, and have NEVER exceeded my cap. I'm at 54GB right now near the end of February. The tax charged for me in Ontario by Teksavvy is just the GST, as they are based in Quebec, so that's not a big deal.

Around $30 a month including taxes WITHOUT CONTRACT (you get $1.00 for every referral you make, and I made one) for fast, reliable service and technical support that knows what they're doing, is a deal.

And yes, contracts in this economy are not recommended. What if Acanac "goes under" in the middle of your contract?

Further, Teksavvy is rated higher than Acanac:

http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2564/68296

http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2744/72878

[Inno]

The 200GB cap on Teksavvy is more than enough for most users. I download quite a lot, and have NEVER exceeded my cap. I'm at 54GB right now near the end of February. The tax charged for me in Ontario by Teksavvy is just the GST, as they are based in Quebec, so that's not a big deal.

Around $30 a month including taxes WITHOUT CONTRACT (you get $1.00 for every referral you make, and I made one) for fast, reliable service and technical support that knows what they're doing, is a deal.

And yes, contracts in this economy are not recommended. What if Acanac "goes under" in the middle of your contract?

Further, Teksavvy is rated higher than Acanac:

http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2564/68296

http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2744/72878

Isn't there some kind of "group RFD buy" option for teksavvy that knocks a couple bucks off?

[Inno]

see Post #501 and #515

I was never rude nor threatening - I had no reason to be unhappy with Acanac until this last occurence. I never have seen speeds as they promised - it never actually went above 2500 - 2800 kbps download for me - but I never complained nor bugged Acanac tech support - not even once within this last 12 month period. I agree at the most with fredsmith as contract is my responsibility, however... see #515 :)

And I do believe that as straingguy put "... a consumer paid for a service, and the service cannot use because of a unprovided part is consider a failure to provide this service.". That was not renewal - that was the date of original service activation. How can I be charged for high-seed internet service if ISP did not even have modem send out my way from their warehouse?

And one more point. I did not ask to cancel the service, I requested to transfer me to per-month billing.
:mad:

My Acanac service startup was delayed due to technical difficulties. I asked for some consideration and they extended my one-year end date by a couple of months to compensate.

When I had persistently slow speeds due to problems with my line they again extended my end-date.

You need to email their billing department outlining what the problem is and ask for an adjustment due to delayed service or poor service.

[dgege]

Just wanted ot give my 2cents. I'm with Acanac and it did get a little time for me to start getting the 5Mbps service (I was only getting 3Mbps at first). I can tell you that a simple ticket suffices to get them to adjust your starting period. They gave me 2 more weeks, which is the time it took Bell to bump me to the higher profile.
Now, about the automatic renewal, I'm torn. On one hand, they do what other companies do and auto-renew unless you cancel. Where I don't agree with their practice is that they give you NO warning at all. With other companies (at least Videotron, with whom I was before), they send you a letter warning you that you are nearing the end of your current contract and that it will get auto-renewed unless you cancel. I think this is better practice and maybe Acanac should look into something like that (letter, email, phone call).
But all in all, I highly recommend them, I already have 5 or 6 referrals and they are all happy :)

[fredsmith]

The 200GB cap on Teksavvy is more than enough for most users. I download quite a lot, and have NEVER exceeded my cap. I'm at 54GB right now near the end of February. The tax charged for me in Ontario by Teksavvy is just the GST, as they are based in Quebec, so that's not a big deal.

Around $30 a month including taxes WITHOUT CONTRACT (you get $1.00 for every referral you make, and I made one) for fast, reliable service and technical support that knows what they're doing, is a deal.

And yes, contracts in this economy are not recommended. What if Acanac "goes under" in the middle of your contract?

Further, Teksavvy is rated higher than Acanac:

http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2564/68296

http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2744/72878

My experience has been positive - I don't need to check out DSLreports to find out if someone else is better - I get THE best rate and no caps or blocks for less than what Teksavvy wuold charge - as to Acanac 'going under', why would they? This is a very interesting business - if they are making money and growing (which by all acounts they are) then why should they go bankrupt?

And if they did, and if I lost 3 or 4 months of my payments, I'd still be way ahead of what Bell or Videotron charge - and, depending on the term also ahead of Teksavvy.

[innacana]

Here is my experience so far with Acanac:

- Signed up with Acanac on Feb 11 and received confirmation with bill on 12th.
- Called on 12th to change my phone number because Bell forced me to change my phone number. Acanac said they have to re-submit application with Bell and confirmed my connection for Feb 17th.
- Bell connected my phone on 14th
- Called Acanac on 17th, rep gave some weird excuses and moved my service date for 20th
- Called again on 20th and again they have craps and moved to 24th. rep even denied that there was any promise for 20th
- Called 24th, they explained no service on the installation day and service would be on 25th. enough patience already, its just 1 more day. fine.
- no connection in dsl modem on 25th. rep confirmed possible connection error and created a ticket with Bell for possible repair and possible connection for Feb 27th.

I am fed up already with them and its been more than 2 weeks. what should I do?

[fredsmith]

Here is my experience so far with Acanac:

- Signed up with Acanac on Feb 11 and received confirmation with bill on 12th.
- Called on 12th to change my phone number because Bell forced me to change my phone number. Acanac said they have to re-submit application with Bell and confirmed my connection for Feb 17th.
- Bell connected my phone on 14th
- Called Acanac on 17th, rep gave some weird excuses and moved my service date for 20th
- Called again on 20th and again they have craps and moved to 24th. rep even denied that there was any promise for 20th
- Called 24th, they explained no service on the installation day and service would be on 25th. enough patience already, its just 1 more day. fine.
- no connection in dsl modem on 25th. rep confirmed possible connection error and created a ticket with Bell for possible repair and possible connection for Feb 27th.

I am fed up already with them and its been more than 2 weeks. what should I do?
What you need to understand is that this isn't Acanac's fault - Bell handles the installations and such - Acanac can only 'ask' and 'report'. They have no control. I suspect that one part of the problem was probably your number change in the middle of the process.

One thing you might do is to call Bell directly and ask why they are stonewalling.

[dtam9999]

Here is my experience so far with Acanac:

- Signed up with Acanac on Feb 11 and received confirmation with bill on 12th.
- Called on 12th to change my phone number because Bell forced me to change my phone number. Acanac said they have to re-submit application with Bell and confirmed my connection for Feb 17th.
- Bell connected my phone on 14th
- Called Acanac on 17th, rep gave some weird excuses and moved my service date for 20th
- Called again on 20th and again they have craps and moved to 24th. rep even denied that there was any promise for 20th
- Called 24th, they explained no service on the installation day and service would be on 25th. enough patience already, its just 1 more day. fine.
- no connection in dsl modem on 25th. rep confirmed possible connection error and created a ticket with Bell for possible repair and possible connection for Feb 27th.

I am fed up already with them and its been more than 2 weeks. what should I do?

It seems from what I read in this thread... sending an e-mail to tech support / customer service is preferred since things seems to get done quicker, at minimum, you have a record of the complaint.

[nuberific]

Thanks for spreading this deal. I switched over from Teksavvy for a year for this deal. Even though I'll miss their great customer service, I can't justify the extra cost. Acanac seems to be a bit slower though, but no issues and as long as I steer clear of their service, I think I'll be ok.

[innacana]

well I can understand the Bell's part and being Acanac unable. But why conflicting information and false promises? And also why 5 days of late to re-apply to Bell (even rep mentioned it was wrong and confusing) and providing me false info? I dont have internet for 2 weeks and have important things to do. I am just fed up on this whole thing !!!

What you need to understand is that this isn't Acanac's fault - Bell handles the installations and such - Acanac can only 'ask' and 'report'. They have no control. I suspect that one part of the problem was probably your number change in the middle of the process.

One thing you might do is to call Bell directly and ask why they are stonewalling.

[alesto]

It seems from what I read in this thread... sending an e-mail to tech support / customer service is preferred since things seems to get done quicker, at minimum, you have a record of the complaint.

one would think so....

See Posts #501 and #515

In my case, ticket has stayed "On hold" since 23 Feb 2009 11:33 AM.
No updates from Acanac rep. since. You should also take in consideration that person taking care of my issue is a manager!!! (which I never asked for...) - what could you expect from a regular support tech ? There were no plan of action given to me, no expectations setup - just silence... ticket is "on hold".
I am wondering what is their service agreement says in this case... Based on my latest experience, I am afraid that internet or voip issue could be hanging on hold for days also.

I have nothing left from that positive experience I had had for the last 12 month with Acanac. Now I know why my experience was positive... I never had paid attention to slower speeds and "no service" windows and I never had to contact Acanac to get resolution.
I wish that my experience would be an exception - recent "bad" one and Acanac will keep up their good job, but something telling me that ignorance and disrespect to the customers that started to build up around this company could be an indication of bigger issues going on the background.
I spent over 6 years in ISP tech support/customer support and number of indicators shown by this company representative (manager in my case) during this week made me hesitant about dealing with them ever, despite good prices and fairly steady service.

[rkrk]

Here is my ordeal with Acanac:

Submitted and paid for the service on Feb 5. They were very fast in charging the credit card. Was promised service by Feb 9

The bell representative came in the morning on 11th in the morning. Didnt even bother to arrange an appointment with me. I wasnt home and he went back.

Called Acanac and they set an appointment for Feb 13th. They didnt give me evening appointment. Had to take day off with loss of pay. No one showed up.

After repeated calls the bell guy set me up with dry loop on Feb 19th. Internet was working but capped at 3 mbps.

Made a request to them on 19th to give me the promised 5 mbps. They said they will. Repeated calls to Acanac till today. No resolution yet. Now they say it may take another 5 days more and no guarantee of that even!!

Very frustrated to say the least :mad:

Did anyone have similar experience. What did you guys do to resolve it?

[lazychild]

wow. According to the last few pages, the services and feedback seems to be getting worse and worse. Whats going on?

Questions. If I only have 'one' phone line and is with BELL at the moment. Do I need to go with the Acanac's naked (dry loop) DSL?, since the line is already occupied by BELL? Or can I simply use regular Acanac's DSL?

Please advise.

[queens49]

wow. According to the last few pages, the services and feedback seems to be getting worse and worse. Whats going on?

Questions. If I only have 'one' phone line and is with BELL at the moment. Do I need to go with the Acanac's naked (dry loop) DSL?, since the line is already occupied by BELL? Or can I simply use regular Acanac's DSL?

Please advise.

For billing problems, I'd say it's user fault and not Acanac. Their terms and conditions are stated in the User Agreement. The last post about service not being connected, seems to be a Bell issue, not Acanac. Acanac can't really do much if Bell won't send out a technician to set things up. A lot of people have posted that Acanac has extended their contracts for free if there are delays.

For getting Acanac DSL, if you keep the Bell phone line, I don't think you would need to go with Dry Loop. Dry Loop is only required if you have no phone service.

[josipm]

Anyone getting latency issues right now?

[innacana]

and how do you explain conflicting information and false promises by Acanac?

For billing problems, I'd say it's user fault and not Acanac. Their terms and conditions are stated in the User Agreement. The last post about service not being connected, seems to be a Bell issue, not Acanac. Acanac can't really do much if Bell won't send out a technician to set things up. A lot of people have posted that Acanac has extended their contracts for free if there are delays.

For getting Acanac DSL, if you keep the Bell phone line, I don't think you would need to go with Dry Loop. Dry Loop is only required if you have no phone service.

[rkrk]

For billing problems, I'd say it's user fault and not Acanac. Their terms and conditions are stated in the User Agreement. The last post about service not being connected, seems to be a Bell issue, not Acanac. Acanac can't really do much if Bell won't send out a technician to set things up. A lot of people have posted that Acanac has extended their contracts for free if there are delays.

For getting Acanac DSL, if you keep the Bell phone line, I don't think you would need to go with Dry Loop. Dry Loop is only required if you have no phone service.

I paid Acanac for my service and not Bell. It is Acanac's responsibility to get the issue resolved through Bell. I do not deal with Bell directly.

Just blaming everything on Bell doesnt work out for the customer.

When I do not pay the bill on time I cant just say that my employer has delayed the cheque and it is not I who is delaying payment.

It is my responsibility to pay the Bill. Period.

I think Acanac should take more responsibility and try to resolve it proactively. Good for them, good for the customer.

I am all for companies like Acanac who provide affordable services and would love to see them grow bigger, but looks like they have to be more firm with Bell and make them accountable for their service levels.

On a positive note, the people that I dealt with at Acanac are very professional, nice and willing to help. A far cry from the kind of service you see at Rogers/Bell.

That is the reason I didnt cancel with Acanac though I could and get my money back.

Even with all these little issues I would still say they are much much better than Bell/Rogers. I would encourage others to sign up too.

[fredsmith]

So you're a 'top poster'. I'll reply in kind.

Acanac is probably giving you answers based on general experience - they have no information, but they DO have a contract with Bell that quite probably specifies the SLA (Service Level Agreement) and response times - so that's what they quote.

However sometimes things get botched or fall outside of that might be considered a 'normal' problem - and if, for example your phone number got changed AFTER you placed your order, then it gets very strange and is no longer 'typical'.

At that point all bets are off with regard to response times and such.

well I can understand the Bell's part and being Acanac unable. But why conflicting information and false promises? And also why 5 days of late to re-apply to Bell (even rep mentioned it was wrong and confusing) and providing me false info? I dont have internet for 2 weeks and have important things to do. I am just fed up on this whole thing !!!

[innacana]

First of all, whats this suppose to mean?

So you'rer a 'top poster'. I'll reply in kind.

I am going to disregard your reply because it doesnt even answer my question. and by the way, do you work for Acanac or associated by any chance?

Acanac is probably giving you answers based on general experience - they have no information, but they DO have a contract with Bell that quite probably specifies the SLA (Service Level Agreement) and response times - so that's what they quote.

However sometimes things get botched or fall outside of that might be considered a 'normal' problem - and if, for example your phone number got changed AFTER you placed your order, then it gets very strange and is no longer 'typcal'.

At that point all bets are off with regard to response times and such.

[alesto]

...
Questions. If I only have 'one' phone line and is with BELL at the moment. Do I need to go with the Acanac's naked (dry loop) DSL?, since the line is already occupied by BELL? Or can I simply use regular Acanac's DSL?

Please advise.

Just Acanac DSL - you do not need dry loop if you have an active phone line already

[25jai]

does Acanac have a test account that i can request for so i can try their service? I'm currently with Bell high speed, and i'm not liking how i'm being charged $50+ per month and getting the same speed that i can get for $19/month from Acanac. Also with bell throttling from 5pm to god knows what they call peak hours is, which is probably 2am, i'm really pissed with that issue.

I just want to know if they have a test account to test out the speed so that i can maybe consider switching to Acanac, without signing up anything yet.

[fredsmith]

First of all, whats this suppose to mean?



I am going to disregard your reply because it doesnt even answer my question. and by the way, do you work for Acanac or associated by any chance?

I'm not going to bother to import my part of the message you responded to. Anyone interested can read what this is about;

1. A 'Top Poster' is someone who responds to a message by putting his text ABOVE that of the message he is responding to.

It makes threads counter-intuitive, because to follow the thread one must read such messages 'bottom to top' instead of the more natural 'top down'.

2. How did I not answer your question?

You are upset that you don't have service about a couple of weeks after you placed your order. You asked what to do.

I said that Acanac has no control over the physcial installation and that you did yourself no favours by changing your phone number AFTER you placed your initial order with Acanac.

You wondered why they give you 'wrong' information and I explained that they gave you the information that applies to the 'typical' installation because that is the way it usually works and it was a 'typical' reply, likely better thand more satisfying to you at the time than "I don't know".

You mentioned that you placed your order and then changed your phone number the next day (for some unspecified reason). So who knows how that may have complicated Bell's records.

Acanac can only tell you what the usual time delays are. And Bell will do the work (or may have already done the work and connected the service to someone else's line - it isn't unheard of). But Acanac can only push - and Bell will do whatever they do at whatever pace they choose to do it.

Your options are to cancel your order with Acanac, or to simply be patient and allow Bell to work out their issues.

As to telling you what to do (which was the original question), I am not your mother and so can only make suggestions - and mine is that you would probably do well to be patient and to simply send a polite e-mail asking if there is anything you or they can do to help move your connection along more quickly.

Oh, and if you'd bother to read through a bunch of the threads about Acanac, you will discover that I am a subscriber, just like you - except that my service is already connected (and has been for a couple of years).

[alesto]

... do you work for Acanac or associated by any chance?

Nothing wrong with being or not being a part of the company that we are discussing here. Insiders point of view could be really helpful and we always have appreciated any inside.


I do have a question to fredsmith, thou...
You suggested "... to simply be patient and allow Bell to work out their issues" as service not being installed on schedule date.
I had no internet connection with a red internet light on the modem two days ago and message on Acanac tech support line advised me that Bell had experienced issues in 514... and 613... area code - that is two thirds of Montreal and Ottawa all together - and we are blaming Bell again. (Oh, and my Bell modem was happily connected at that very same moment at that very same address) so... Where exactly Acanac responsibilities start at your opinion, if any single issue that I did see so far has been blamed to "evil" Bell?

...simply send a polite e-mail asking if there is anything you or they can do to help..

As you can see from my experience with Acanac - Posts #501, #515 and more after that, I had sent four very nice and professional emails to their support team and none of them been answered - every single reply (excluding reply from "shipping" group, which was friendly and informative) came back as an irrelevant template with information that I never asked for.
About being patient... my ticket sitting "on hold", without resolution nor expected date of resolution for over three business days. What is your definition of "patience" in this case ans should I expect any kind of professionalism towards me from the company that suppose to compete for my business?

:mad:


Main point of this forum is to bring up, to share, to discuss the issues as we are facing challenges and to find the best way to proceed. Staying positive and friendly will also be helpful. That was a side comment. :)

[lazychild]

Just Acanac DSL - you do not need dry loop if you have an active phone line already

Thanks for your reply.

So I DONT need dry loop, even if my current line is 'occupied' by bell sympatico DSL?

Thanks

[yesman]

Here is my ordeal with Acanac:

Submitted and paid for the service on Feb 5. They were very fast in charging the credit card. Was promised service by Feb 9

The bell representative came in the morning on 11th in the morning. Didnt even bother to arrange an appointment with me. I wasnt home and he went back.

Called Acanac and they set an appointment for Feb 13th. They didnt give me evening appointment. Had to take day off with loss of pay. No one showed up.

After repeated calls the bell guy set me up with dry loop on Feb 19th. Internet was working but capped at 3 mbps.

Made a request to them on 19th to give me the promised 5 mbps. They said they will. Repeated calls to Acanac till today. No resolution yet. Now they say it may take another 5 days more and no guarantee of that even!!

Very frustrated to say the least :mad:

Did anyone have similar experience. What did you guys do to resolve it?

im in the same situation as you regarding the lowered profile, i called last week, they told me they will have a bell tech within 48 hours, nobody showed up, i called them 2 days after the 1st call, there was no ticket on my account they guessed everything went fine and they closed it, they reopened another one, and was told another 48 hours. Monday came and still no resolution, i called them and found out my ticket was closed again, so they have to open another ticket, from then on i call them everyday to check the status. I just called them today and was told that my request for raised profile be put in first :rolleyes: as they can only submit 10 raise profile requests a day.

[alesto]

Thanks for your reply.

So I DONT need dry loop, even if my current line is 'occupied' by bell sympatico DSL?

Thanks

Two DSL modems will NOT live on one line - not from my knowledge.

[fredsmith]

I do have a question to fredsmith, thou...
You suggested "... to simply be patient and allow Bell to work out their issues" as service not being installed on schedule date.
I had no internet connection with a red internet light on the modem two days ago and message on Acanac tech support line advised me that Bell had experienced issues in 514... and 613... area code - that is two thirds of Montreal and Ottawa all together - and we are blaming Bell again. (Oh, and my Bell modem was happily connected at that very same moment at that very same address) so... Where exactly Acanac responsibilities start at your opinion, if any single issue that I did see so far has been blamed to "evil" Bell?



Actually, if you had no DSL carrier then either your modem or Bell's network was messed up. The DSL light has NOTHING to do with Acanac and everything to do with Bel, who operate the front end.

The real test is if you have access to a B1 login and password. If you can't connect to Acanac, try to log in to Bell - if you can do that then the problem MIGHT be Acanac - then again it might not. For who knows if Bell was actually delivering the data stream to the ISP?

However you also have to know that Bell operates TWO DSL subnetworks. One the classic (5 megs max) DSLAMs and the other is their newer 7 Megabit DSLAMs - and Bell rserves the connections to the new network for their end users unless there's no other option.

So in my case I am connected to a more distant older DSLAM where had I been subscribed to Symatico, I would have had my connection terminated on the closer, 7 meg system.

[infamouskid]

acanac sucks. very bad experience with them. dont give them your credit card info EVER!

[alesto]

Actually, if you had no DSL carrier then either your modem or Bell's network was messed up. The DSL light has NOTHING to do with Acanac and everything to do with Bel, who operate the front end.

The real test is if you have access to a B1 login and password. If you can't connect to Acanac, try to log in to Bell - if you can do that then the problem MIGHT be Acanac - then again it might not. For who knows if Bell was actually delivering the data stream to the ISP?

However you also have to know that Bell operates TWO DSL subnetworks. One the classic (5 megs max) DSLAMs and the other is their newer 7 Megabit DSLAMs - and Bell rserves the connections to the new network for their end users unless there's no other option.

So in my case I am connected to a more distant older DSLAM where had I been subscribed to Symatico, I would have had my connection terminated on the closer, 7 meg system.

I ordered/connected Bell modem (Sympatico - whatever) two days ago after I understood that my business with Acanac goes nowhere, and yes, I do have access to B1, and yes that was my first test - I disconnected Bell modem from my primary phone line and connected it to the line that I have had with Acanac for over a year and that bell modem was connected ok with solid internet light immediately.
I can not say how accurate that test was, but at the moment, that was good enough to suspect Acanac issue, been blamed to Bell.

To be honest, my recent experience with Acanac has been a killer - I was watching that company since the day when they were mentioned first time on RFD, before I decided "to save money". Big mistake, huge!
Considering amount of time it cost me already - I am willing to pay every single penny back to that company for the year I used their service and let it go.

[spinbot]

Two DSL modems will NOT live on one line - not from my knowledge.

No, they cannot as they will fight for line sync. Either one is on, or the other.

I have 2 DSL providers ( Teksavvy and KOS ). I just change the ID/Password in my router when I want to change connections.

[alesto]

Actually, if you had no DSL carrier then either your modem or Bell's network was messed up. The DSL light has NOTHING to do with Acanac and everything to do with Bel, who operate the front end.



From my knowledge, red DSL light will be an indication of modem not getting correct provisioning from ISP, rather than "no carrier signal"
Which can explain why Bell modem picked up connection on that very same line at the same time, unlike Acanac modem.

I have much more experience with cable technologies than with DSL so I could be not 100% accurate in my conclusions.

[lazychild]

Two DSL modems will NOT live on one line - not from my knowledge.

exactly what I thought.

Thats why I always wonder why everyone says it should be OK.

Can someone please confirm this?


Thanks

[fredsmith]

From my knowledge, red DSL light will be an indication of modem not getting correct provisioning from ISP, rather than "no carrier signal"
Which can explain why Bell modem picked up connection on that very same line at the same time, unlike Acanac modem.

I have much more experience with cable technologies than with DSL so I could be not 100% accurate in my conclusions.

Modem provisioning is provided by Bell from the DSLAM, not Acanac.

In fact, THAT is a primary issue - Bell often arbitrarily downgrades user profiles to 3 megs or less when installing third party ISP connections where they will crank THEIR clients up to 5 or 7 Megabits (the latter if they have connected to the latest generation DSLAMs). They often need to be 'pushed' to properly provision the interface cards.

Acanac provides ONLY login authentication for the end-to-end connection between the computer or router and their portal.

[fredsmith]

exactly what I thought.

Thats why I always wonder why everyone says it should be OK.

Can someone please confirm this?


Thanks
People said what they did because you weren't initially clear that there was already DSL service and a modem on the line in question. When you say that a line is 'with Bell' it implies that Bell provides the telephone service. Hence the confusion.

You can only connect one modem to a line.

From there, if the modem is operated in bridge mode you can log in to one (or more) ISPs from each PPPOE enabled device on your LAN, though it is more traditional to log in from the modem (which usually has a built in router) or from a separate router/firewall that handles connections on a NAT basis.

Now, if you were planning to move from Bell to Acanac, then you can use the same line. You would use Bell's modem (and simply change the login parameters to those of Acanac) or another modem, after you'd have disconnected Bell's to return it to them.

[fredsmith]

I ordered/connected Bell modem (Sympatico - whatever) two days ago after I understood that my business with Acanac goes nowhere, and yes, I do have access to B1, and yes that was my first test - I disconnected Bell modem from my primary phone line and connected it to the line that I have had with Acanac for over a year and that bell modem was connected ok with solid internet light immediately.
I can not say how accurate that test was, but at the moment, that was good enough to suspect Acanac issue, been blamed to Bell.

To be honest, my recent experience with Acanac has been a killer - I was watching that company since the day when they were mentioned first time on RFD, before I decided "to save money". Big mistake, huge!
Considering amount of time it cost me already - I am willing to pay every single penny back to that company for the year I used their service and let it go.
Hmm - so if I understand correctly you were able to use the Bell modem on the Acanac line and to connect to Bell with that combination successfully.

That would imply that the problem lies outside of the Home-to-DSLAM wiring, but doesn't eliminate the other two likely possible problems; The Acanac modem itself and the login authentication.

The next step should probably have been to stick the Acanac-provided account and password information into your Bell modem to see if it would connect to Acanac. If it did, then the modem you were trying to use to connect to Acanac is possibly defective - or you have the wrong login information programmed into the Acanac modem. You can always enter your B1 information into Acanac's modem to see if you could use that to connect to Bell to be certain whether it is a hardware or an authentication issue.

If the Bell modem doesn't connect to Acanac, then either you have entered the Acanac login information wrong or Acanac has their account database set up wrong - both are simple fixes.

If you couldn't make things work on a known good DSL circuit the problem is more than likely improperly configured account and password information. The problem could be at either end, but is most likely at yours.

Troubleshooting is a science, not an art.

[alesto]

Hmm - so if I understand correctly you were able to use the Bell modem on the Acanac line and to connect to Bell with that combination successfully.

That would imply that the problem lies outside of the Home-to-DSLAM wiring, but doesn't eliminate the other two likely possible problems; The Acanac modem itself and the login authentication.



You got that right and BTW I never suspected that issue was anyhow related to modem itself and still doubting that it had anything to do with Bell network either. As I mention before message on Acanac help line had stated that Acanac service in 514... and 613... areas was down because of "Bell" outage.
"Login authentication" with red DSL light could be an issue, but not on the modem side. I never touched nor changed settings aka user name and password on Acanac equipment. Ever.
And light became happily green in a couple of hours. (powercycling did not work originally; modem reset was not suggested by Acanac support line message)

About testing both modem/changing passwords - I did not have interest in doing so, nor need to so (thank you for your suggestion thou). I never treated Acanac connection at home as something important enough to spend my time to troubleshoot it.

Acanac issue (or problem with Acanac modem, whatever way you want to put it) modem was rectified in about two hours after I lost connection, without me interacting with Acanac (I told you that I have enough patience and never called/contacted Acanac within last 12 month).

[alesto]

Ticket that I opened with Acanac back on 02/19/2009 is sitting "On hold", without any upgrades since 23 Feb 2009 11:33 AM. End of another business week is here...

see posts #501, #515 and others

I am acting very nicely and patiently as been advised by fredsmith.

Apparently this service provider - Acanac is very genteel and you as a customer shell stay very nice and patient, unlike with other ISPs like Bell, Rogers and others, you know - you can demand to get your issue resolved to your satisfaction from other ISPs only.

:mad:

[25jai]

so is there a test acount that i can request from them to try out their service?

[hothummer]

Can someone please help me with the settings for Acanac. I moved from Sympatico and am having a lot of dropped connection issues.

I have a DSL modem into a Primus VOIP gateway which runs into a wireless router. I have the gateway set to DHCP and the wireless modem set to Dynamic IP.

A guy at Primus tech support told me to set the gateway to PPPoE and use my Acanac login info but the gateway wont seem to let me. It tries to reboot but just hangs. Am I correct that if I change the gateway to PPPoE, I have to change my wireless modem to PPPOe as well?

Thanks

[Moosemilk]

Got this deal with the dry loop and VOIP service and am getting decent numbers for being about as far away as I can be from the switching station that covers my area.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/419803249.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

We had some trouble setting the whole thing up though.

The trouble started with not being able to indicate on the online order form that we wanted a dry loop connection. We were reassured when we called and they said they noticed that we had signed up for VOIP and DSL without a telephone number and had already added the dry loop to our request. They said that we didn't need to be home when the technician came around which should have been on February 12. In the meantime our Primus service ran out and we were without a phone and Internet. When we called to find out what was happening they told us a Bell technician had come by but no one was home. They were apologetic when we told them that they had said we didn't need to be there but didn't offer any compensation, just a new time when a technician would come by. That was last Monday. I saw a Bell technician in the neighborhood but he never actually showed up to our door. I wasted a bunch of cell phone minutes trying to figure out why but in the end all we got was another date that they would come by (today).

So, it took us 2 weeks to get our Internet service and it's been good so far but I've yet to try the VOIP.

[innacana]

waiting for connection

[alesto]

Troubleshooting is a science, not an art.

You cannot break the rules, if there are no rules.

This is a difference between artist and general laborer. One of them is following rules, another one is creating rules.

[fredsmith]

Can someone please help me with the settings for Acanac. I moved from Sympatico and am having a lot of dropped connection issues.

I have a DSL modem into a Primus VOIP gateway which runs into a wireless router. I have the gateway set to DHCP and the wireless modem set to Dynamic IP.

A guy at Primus tech support told me to set the gateway to PPPoE and use my Acanac login info but the gateway wont seem to let me. It tries to reboot but just hangs. Am I correct that if I change the gateway to PPPoE, I have to change my wireless modem to PPPOe as well?

Thanks
Essentially, you set whatever the 'front' device is; the one that is connected to the DSL modem to PPPOE and enter the Acanac login information in that device - in my case it is a Linksys RT31P2 VOIP gateway/router.

For my installation I also put a fixed IP address on the VOIP router's LAN segment into the DMZ.

I then set my firewall (and, no, I didn't really need to use a separate router behind the first one, but mine has a WiFi AP and it made sense to set it up that way) to the IP address previously defined as the DMZ and my LAN is wired to the LAN ports of THAT router using a different network segment.

I don't use DHCP on my LAN. Everything uses assigned fixed IPs, which makes hosting things a lot simpler for me.

So the rule is;

PPPOE on the router connected to the modem (or you can put the PPPOE and account data into the modem) and everything behind that will be either manually fixed IP addresses or DHCP (most people use DHCP).

Depending on how standard Primus' implementation is, you might find it simpler to put the Primus box in the DMZ - that will let it do whatever it wants in terms of interacting with the internet.

[fredsmith]

so is there a test acount that i can request from them to try out their service?

Not right now.

Last year (was it last year? Or was it the year before?) they offered an 'if you already have DSL we'll let you log into our gareway and use it for up to 30 days' program, but that expired.

They do offer a 30 day refund policy and there's no setup charge, so you can sign up and pay them $228 and try it out. If you aren't happy, you can cancel within 30 days and get your money back.

They also have a referral program that is very interesting. If you get 10 clients for them who stay beyiond the 30 day period, your service is free.

No soliciting allowed on redflagdeals though.

[fredsmith]

Ticket that I opened with Acanac back on 02/19/2009 is sitting "On hold", without any upgrades since 23 Feb 2009 11:33 AM. End of another business week is here...

see posts #501, #515 and others

I am acting very nicely and patiently as been advised by fredsmith.

Apparently this service provider - Acanac is very genteel and you as a customer shell stay very nice and patient, unlike with other ISPs like Bell, Rogers and others, you know - you can demand to get your issue resolved to your satisfaction from other ISPs only.

:mad:

After a week I'd update the record if I was you, asking if there's been any progress - that was part of the 'be patient' recommendation too. It may have dropped down on someone's activity queue and needs to be 'bumped'.

[Insurance-Broker]

Guys,
My renewal is coming soon and just want to know what are my options. I paid for a whole year back in April 08 for 275. Any option to get the same deal or similar?

[alesto]

Guys,
My renewal is coming soon and just want to know what are my options. I paid for a whole year back in April 08 for 275. Any option to get the same deal or similar?

There were couple of people here posted that they got similar or a bit more expensive deals on annual renewals.
However, cost of the service (close to $20) is leaving them with almost zero profit, so...

Check their email with a breakdown of their costs below

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Acanac Inc. High Speed Internet
INVOICE # **********

Thank you for your continued support in using Acanac Inc for your high speed internet needs. This notice is to inform you that we have successfully renewed your account for another 12 months of service

Your invoice amount for an entire year of service is: $407.40 (12 months of service)
......

Some clients are unsure as to why the $18.95/mo promo price is not available for the 2nd , 3rd or 4th year and here is why:

Acanac's cost of running a DSL client on a monthly basis:

Bell Charges: $19.50 a month plus $1.00 per month, on all GAS Accesses existing as of the effective date of this tariff and for each GAS installation or re-installation (move) until such time as the associated GAS access is disconnected or terminated.

For proof of CRTC tariff prices please visit the following link:

http://www.bce.ca/en/aboutbce/regulatoryinformation/tarrifs/index.php/ItemView.asp?Tariff=GT%20%20%20&Part=%20%20%205%20%20%20%20%20%20&Item=%205410%20%20%20%20%20

Bandwidth and Tech support is about $4.50 per month Other expenses including Rent, Servers and professional fee's: $2.30
Total monthly running costs: $27.30

During the first year of service Acanac loses about $8.35 each and every month. Please also keep in mind that we have not included all expenses. Acanac for example still has to pay the GST on all DSL sales.

.................

Acanac continues to try and innovate by offering features that no other service provider does. We will do this as much as we can without placing any additional financial burden on our clients.

We hope that this has been informative to you the client. If you have any other questions or concerns please do not hesitate to give us a call.
Best Regards,
Acanac Inc.
http://www.acanac.ca
++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Considering that company getting bigger and changing their approach to their customers recently, they will be probably saving on customer service to minimize damage caused to them by increased customer base...

Could you imagine this:
with one customer this company has lost "$8.35 each and every month" - $8.35
with 100 customers this company has lost 100 X "$8.35 each and every month" - $835
with 1000 customers this company has lost 1000 X "$8.35 each and every month" - $8350
and so on...

to minimize this Company financial burden, while helping our economy in this hard times what should we do as customers????

with no customers - no loss "each and every month"

hmmm...

[alesto]

They also have a referral program that is very interesting. If you get 10 clients for them who stay beyiond the 30 day period, your service is free.

No soliciting allowed on redflagdeals though.

I widely announced my decision to go with Acanac a year ago at this very threat and there were at least five ppl who PMed me immediately asking to use my name as "been referred"

[samson]

Guys,
My renewal is coming soon and just want to know what are my options. I paid for a whole year back in April 08 for 275. Any option to get the same deal or similar?


There is a 2 yr deal that works out roughly at 25.14$ tax included per month. Email billing and enquire. You have to pay upfront tho. My renewal is coming up soon as well and I have asked them to put me on it about 2 days ago.

[lazychild]

You can only connect one modem to a line.

From there, if the modem is operated in bridge mode you can log in to one (or more) ISPs from each PPPOE enabled device on your LAN, though it is more traditional to log in from the modem (which usually has a built in router) or from a separate router/firewall that handles connections on a NAT basis.



Thanks.

I dont quite get the bridge part, can you please expand a little on that? How does that work?

Or.

Would it be easier if I go for dry loop DSL on one of the providers, if I want to use Bell Sympatico DSL and Acanac at the same line?

[fredsmith]

I widely announced my decision to go with Acanac a year ago at this very threat and there were at least five ppl who PMed me immediately asking to use my name as "been referred"
I was not among them . . . unfortunately. Referrals are nice.

[fredsmith]

Thanks.

I dont quite get the bridge part, can you please expand a little on that? How does that work?

Or.

Would it be easier if I go for dry loop DSL on one of the providers, if I want to use Bell Sympatico DSL and Acanac at the same line?
Good morning and you are welcome.

MOST DSL modems (as in modems without a multiport switch or WiFi access point built in) we see here support two modes of operation - 'router' and 'bridge'. There's a reason for this - one of which is that some DSL carriers support direct login at what is known as the 'physical layer', allowing the modem to provide a direct conduit to the gateway at the far end. Not here in Ball territory to the best of my knowledge, but you need to supoprt the demands of the market.

Most often (for reasons probably related to simplicity), the DSL modem is operated in 'router mode'. The authentication information is stored in the modem and when the router wakes up it requests an IP assignment (using DHCP) from the 'modem'.

The idea is that routers sometimes get messed up and resetting them would lose the login data . . . resulting in support calls and such.

However when the modem 'wakes up' and, if the router requests a PPPOE session, the modem will simply 'pass through' the request to the DSLAM and the router will connect directly to the ISP, allowing the modem to carry the router data transparently (bridging the connection between the line and the modem).

I prefer running my routers in PPPOE mode because, for one thing, most such modems have a nasty habit of providing a local dummy termination if the DSL link goes down and some of them do NOT recover properly, which causes all kinds of trouble with resetting modems and routers after a power glitch.

Another reason is that a router is not a real time device (then again, neither is a DSL modem) - however a router has more latency (delay) than a modem, so having routers 'in series', or 'cascaded' will increase ping time marginally over the performance experienced with a router using the modem in bridge mode.

The first and most obvious question would be to ask why you want to use two ISPs in the first place?

I have access to a secondary ISP though a WiFi bridge connection that I share with a neighbour. I am on DSL, he is on Cable. if one technology goes down the affected party can switch to the other by making a simple change in the settings on our computers - I could automate this, but . . . why bother?

If you have 2 ISPs, I would imagine that you want the benefits that having two provides Double the bandwidth, supposedly double the reliability. Having separate loops for each ISP provides a layer of redundancy.

However if both connections are sharing a single infrastructure (i.e. both are DSL) and if that technology has an issue, then your redundancy fails because there are many 'single points of failure' that can take down both ISPs at the same time.

If you have a single loop, then one of your ISPs is getting a sweet deal because he is not paying for the circuit and you are not getting a discount (feel free to have the second loop installed to MY address then, please, since you are already paying for the circuit). I don't need a more expensive 'dry loop' for my connection, so you can have the login information and I could have a second DSL connection and increase my connection capacity.

There are also aggregating technologies that allow you to seamlessly split the traffic between the two (or more) services automatically - I don't believe that Acanac supports this, and you would likely need the two circuits connected to a common ISP unless you are tunneling through to another location.

Something you might want to consider is that inexpensive hardline telephone services can be had, sometimes for $20 or less for basic service in some jurisdictions.

So, you could theoretically spend $20 for a second phone line and get DSL service applied to that - and since you wouldn't have to pay for the dry loop, you'd be getting a second dial-up phone line for about $12. My father pays $38 to Bell for two lines, one with a full set of services including name & number display, call waiting, call answer and such - the second line is very basic and he has a fax machine connected to that . . . and that's the one I have him connected to Acanac on.

[firechkn]

Regarding your speed test results, I am only getting 1035 kb/s download and 486 kb/s upload speeds. (Speedtest.net Toronto server 50 mi)

I assume that is poor? Is 1000 kb/s = 1 meg? Not sure.

What's are some of your results with Acanac?

[kostas001]

I have 2 Acanac accounts at two separate locations for over a year now.

And the fee is not $19 a month. It is $228 for the first year. After that it is $400 a year witch they automaticaly take out of your credit card. If you dont want to pay yearly it is $39 a month. They claim unlimited witch is true. But if you download alot they will drop your speed to 1mb instead of the 5mb you had.

They support is ridiculous. they just email you back crapy answers and no solutions. They pretend that nothing is wrong. My speed was 5mb for a few months, then they dropped it to 1mb and told me my line is not compatible with 5mb.

I subcribed to bell afterwards and bell has given me 7mb access.

I have had many interuptions during the year on both my accounts in different locations.

My recommendation from my experience. is don't waste you time with them. They will drive you insane and up the wall. They bill your credit card like it belongs to them and take forever to refund there mistakes. STAY AWAY and get a real service provider.

[fredsmith]

Regarding your speed test results, I am only getting 1035 kb/s download and 486 kb/s upload speeds. (Speedtest.net Toronto server 50 mi)

I assume that is poor? Is 1000 kb/s = 1 meg? Not sure.

What's are some of your results with Acanac?

Several people have posted their results - just scroll through this and other Acanac threads to see what those are.

You are right - based on your report your connection seems to run at about 1 megabit down and 486 up . .. slow, but functional.

Were you doing anything on the computer or was another computer on your LAN doing something that eats up bandwidth (like downloading Torrents) when the test was run?

Assuming not, there are two main limiters to speed;

1. Provisioning. Bell has a profile that they put into the DSLAM card that sets up the maximum data rate the modem will operate at. They can set it anywhere from zero to 5 megabits (on older DSLAMS) or 7 megabits on the newer ones that they tend to reserve for their own clients. Note that you will read about 2400 bps for a 3 megabit conmnection and about 4000 megabits for a 5 megabit connection - lower due to overhead and payload.

There is also an upcoming ADSL2+ standard that they are testing that goes much faster, but which is not yet being deployed.

However Bell often seems to be playing games. They tend to set most Acanac clients to 3 megabits and then wait for Acanac to be complained to and forward the increase request to Bell.

2. Line quality

Speed is related to the signal quality. In general, the farther you are from the DSLAM (which may, or may not be located in the local switching office) the lower the maximum speed.

Also, cables decay - older cabling often can't carry data as far at as high a data rate as newer cabling

Lastly, modems might be different in their ability to recover signals in weaker operating environments.

One of the things that Bell does is to look at the modem's performance statistics (they can do this remotely) and adjust line parameters so that you have a reliable connection. This is because setting the connection too high will lead to frequent disconnects - it isn't ALWAYS that Bell simply wants to screw you out of bandwidth. Often it is limitations imposed by the lines and your location.

So there are several possible reasons for your slow connection rate - you can always try and substitute another modem for yours and see if that changes things materially.

[gj169]

There is a 2 yr deal that works out roughly at 25.14$ tax included per month. Email billing and enquire. You have to pay upfront tho. My renewal is coming up soon as well and I have asked them to put me on it about 2 days ago.

I sent an email two days ago asking the 2 yr deal. But got email back saying the 2 yr contract was offered for very short term. It is not available now.

[gj169]

There is a 2 yr deal that works out roughly at 25.14$ tax included per month. Email billing and enquire. You have to pay upfront tho. My renewal is coming up soon as well and I have asked them to put me on it about 2 days ago.

I sent an email two days ago asking the 2 yr deal. But got email back saying the 2 yr contract was offered for very short term. It is not available now. Any idea on how to get the 2 yr deal now?

[fredsmith]

I sent an email two days ago asking the 2 yr deal. But got email back saying the 2 yr contract was offered for very short term. It is not available now. Any idea on how to get the 2 yr deal now?

If they say it isn't available *now*, then you either have to hope they will offer it again. or you can invent a time machine and go back to when it WAS available and buy it then.

[lazychild]

Good morning and you are welcome.

MOST DSL modems (as in modems without a multiport switch or WiFi access point built in) we see here support two modes of operation - 'router' and 'bridge'. There's a reason for this - one of which is that some DSL carriers support direct login at what is known as the 'physical layer', allowing the modem to provide a direct conduit to the gateway at the far end. Not here in Ball territory to the best of my knowledge, but you need to supoprt the demands of the market.

Most often (for reasons probably related to simplicity), the DSL modem is operated in 'router mode'. The authentication information is stored in the modem and when the router wakes up it requests an IP assignment (using DHCP) from the 'modem'.

The idea is that routers sometimes get messed up and resetting them would lose the login data . . . resulting in support calls and such.

However when the modem 'wakes up' and, if the router requests a PPPOE session, the modem will simply 'pass through' the request to the DSLAM and the router will connect directly to the ISP, allowing the modem to carry the router data transparently (bridging the connection between the line and the modem).

I prefer running my routers in PPPOE mode because, for one thing, most such modems have a nasty habit of providing a local dummy termination if the DSL link goes down and some of them do NOT recover properly, which causes all kinds of trouble with resetting modems and routers after a power glitch.

Another reason is that a router is not a real time device (then again, neither is a DSL modem) - however a router has more latency (delay) than a modem, so having routers 'in series', or 'cascaded' will increase ping time marginally over the performance experienced with a router using the modem in bridge mode.

The first and most obvious question would be to ask why you want to use two ISPs in the first place?

I have access to a secondary ISP though a WiFi bridge connection that I share with a neighbour. I am on DSL, he is on Cable. if one technology goes down the affected party can switch to the other by making a simple change in the settings on our computers - I could automate this, but . . . why bother?

If you have 2 ISPs, I would imagine that you want the benefits that having two provides Double the bandwidth, supposedly double the reliability. Having separate loops for each ISP provides a layer of redundancy.

However if both connections are sharing a single infrastructure (i.e. both are DSL) and if that technology has an issue, then your redundancy fails because there are many 'single points of failure' that can take down both ISPs at the same time.

If you have a single loop, then one of your ISPs is getting a sweet deal because he is not paying for the circuit and you are not getting a discount (feel free to have the second loop installed to MY address then, please, since you are already paying for the circuit). I don't need a more expensive 'dry loop' for my connection, so you can have the login information and I could have a second DSL connection and increase my connection capacity.

There are also aggregating technologies that allow you to seamlessly split the traffic between the two (or more) services automatically - I don't believe that Acanac supports this, and you would likely need the two circuits connected to a common ISP unless you are tunneling through to another location.

Something you might want to consider is that inexpensive hardline telephone services can be had, sometimes for $20 or less for basic service in some jurisdictions.

So, you could theoretically spend $20 for a second phone line and get DSL service applied to that - and since you wouldn't have to pay for the dry loop, you'd be getting a second dial-up phone line for about $12. My father pays $38 to Bell for two lines, one with a full set of services including name & number display, call waiting, call answer and such - the second line is very basic and he has a fax machine connected to that . . . and that's the one I have him connected to Acanac on.

Thanks for providing these useful information to me. Much appreciated.

I've thought it over and decided not to go with Acanac. There seems to be a lot of problems after a few weeks of signing up, while I've to spend alot of effort and time to get support.

I would rather pay a few bucks more to avoid something like that.

[fredsmith]

Thanks for providing these useful information to me. Much appreciated.

I've thought it over and decided not to go with Acanac. There seems to be a lot of problems after a few weeks of signing up, while I've to spend alot of effort and time to get support.

I would rather pay a few bucks more to avoid something like that.

Well, you are welcome for the information, however be aware that because everyone in Bell country on DSL uses the same infrastructure, paying more to anyone except Bell will not make your conenctivity more reliable.

Indeed, you *might* have a better support experience if you go to another company - or you may not.

Always remember that few among us who had excellent service promote it - this is a thread about Acanac, and anyone who has had a problem will be drawn to it like a moth to a flame in order to tell his tale of woe.

Remember that even a Rolls Royce can break down. And while they provide excellent service, dealers are few and far between . . . how much you pay is not always the measure of what you get.

So, paying more may (or may not) get you what you are looking for. But if it makes you feel more comfortable then I certainly understand your feelings and encourage you to follow through.

Good luck with whomever you go with - If you are paying *more* I'd counsel going to cable - it has higher native data rates.

[RedMosquito]

Well I just let my renewal go through for my 2nd year - $34 a year taxes in is still a pretty good deal, it's a hard pill to swallow having to pay it all up front but on the other hand, it feels like free internet since you don't have to pay a monthly bill :D

I had some problems at the beginning of signing up but Acanac compensated me a with a couple of months of service to make up for it and once my issue was resolved, I haven't had any problems with the service.

I do an absurd amount of uploading and downloading (bittorrent, usenet) and Acanac has been fine for my needs, I recommend them.

[innacana]

can anyone tell me, do I need an ADSL router-modem (i.e. TP-Link TD-8810) for PPoE connection (Acanac uses PPoE)? I have an ADSL Modem Only (i.e. TP-Link TD-8610) which Acanac saying is not ready for a PPoE connection, only Bridge mode. Is that true?

I have an extra router, can I setup that router for PPoE and connect through the dsl modem I have? or do I have to buy that TD-8810? Thanks

[Midav]

Hi,

I'm considering to get the service as a second ISP for redundancy and increasing the cap. I have Rogers currently.

Can somebody recommend me a decent ADSL router to pick.
The TP-LINK TD-8816 recommended in this thread has integrated router which I don't think will work properly with my dual-Wan router.

Thanks in advance.

[retroman80s]

After checking out all the ISPs on this list: Cheapest High Speed Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Canada (http://www.**************/ViewList.aspx?id=321&name=Cheapest+High+Speed+Internet+Service+Provider s+(ISP)+in+Canada)
I've decided to give Acanac a shot even though they have alot of negative press against them. One of my co-worker signed up with them a few months ago and has had no problem.

Here is my experience:
- Signed up online, I got a confirmation email an hour later
- Next day, I received a Fedex package, it was my dsl modem. Setting up was simple, just hookup all the wires. No software needed to be installed.
- 5 business days later(7 days including weekend) my dsl/internet light on the modem turned GREEN. Yahoo!!!
- Opened up IE and ran a speed test with speedtest.net and I was getting ~4000 kbps download and ~650 kbps upload.

I was surprised how everything went so smoothly with Acanac. I've dealt with Rogers and Bell before and I've always had some sort of problem setting up.

I've even emailed them to tell them about my internet service started 7 days later than my signup date. I got an email from them the next day stating that they've adjusted my expiry date.

Overall, my experience with this company has been positive.

[gordga]

My Experience with ACANAC has also been positive.
I left them for BELL but came back 3 months later as BELL sucks.

g

[dgege]

My Experience with ACANAC has also been positive.
I left them for BELL but came back 3 months later as BELL sucks.

g

Same here. Even I've said it before, I'll say it again: we usually only hear about the bad and the ugly. But I've been with them for some time now and I have referred many friends, all of whom are very satisfied.

[ck01]

I don't post often but 5 months ago with a lot of hesitation after reading the old thread about acanac, I gave them a try. Everything went smoothly, right out of the box, very good speed. support is OK thru email.
They even have a workaround to avoid Bell throthling. Even durink peak hours, I download at 500 Kb/s !!!
I recommended it to two friends, but I had warned them about other people getting bad experience. But the two, who signed up about 3-4 weeks ago, absolutely had no problem.
Do not hesitate to try Acanac, at the worst case, cancel within 30 days. You can't beat that price
CK

[25jai]

Does anyone know if i purchase the TP-Link 8816 modem will it work with Acanac Service?

[fredsmith]

Does anyone know if i purchase the TP-Link 8816 modem will it work with Acanac Service?
Any standard DSL modem configured for North American access will work. . .

[Matryx]

It's so disappointing that my area don't have DSL or I would of signed up a long time ago

[innacana]

I am using this modem with Acanac

Does anyone know if i purchase the TP-Link 8816 modem will it work with Acanac Service?

[triplet101]

does usenet work with Acanac?