Comparison between Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) Wideband, Turbo, Standard service packages
Aside from using my internet connection for telecommuting to work, I also use it for VOIP calling (Skype), online gaming (EVE Online), and off-site backup (BackBlaze), just to name a few. None of which work well. And so it was that after struggling with Time Warner Cable’s standard broadband service for months, I finally decided to upgrade to their Wideband service. In the interim I upgraded to TWC’s Turbo package for testing and perspective. What follows is my comparison of all three service levels.
Basic ($30/month)
This package is supposed to deliver 10MB down and 512kb up, which I realize is not nearly enough for what I was trying to do.
As you can see, this leaves a lot to be desired. The extremely poor signal quality explains why I was unable to use Skype. It also explains the poor gaming experience I’ve had. The download speed was actually better than advertised and more than I expected. That being said, download speed was never my problem. It has always been signal quality.
Turbo ($45/month)
This package ups the ante to 15MB down and 768kb up.
The signal quality with the Turbo package is much improved allowing for the use of internet communications. The download speeds were again better than advertised on at least one of my runs, though remained within expected ranges. Overall this is a great upgrade for the money. I can’t believe I didn’t at least have this to begin with.
Wideband ($100/month)
Finally, with this service I ought to be getting 50MB down and 5MB up.
These numbers are right on par with what should be expect for a package with this price tag. I don’t know why it took me so long to upgrade. This was long overdue.
November 25, 2009 - 5:29 PM
50MB down??? do you really need that much bandwidth?…I’ve been using their turbo service for two years and have never had any problems with online gaming or with web-communication on Skype…
November 25, 2009 - 5:45 PM
No, I don’t need the 50MB down, but I do need the 5MB up.
November 28, 2009 - 1:51 PM
i was planning to get the wideband.. called them they said its 99.99/ month. did you really pay $95.00? is tax included with it? thanks
November 28, 2009 - 3:30 PM
Chris,
You’re right. I’ll change the number in the post. Thanks for spotting that and correcting me!
November 28, 2009 - 3:37 PM
Regarding the tax, its difficult to say. My current statement has a lot of pro-rated numbers both added and subtracted. That being said, there is no line-item for tax nor has there been on my bill in the past, leading me to believe that there won’t be moving forward. Hope that helps.
November 28, 2009 - 7:55 PM
alright. thanks. have you tried fios btw? they have an up speed of 5mb-15mb-25mb depending on the plan. what good does having a faster upload speed?
November 28, 2009 - 7:56 PM
alright. thanks. have you tried fios btw? they have an up speed of 5mb-15mb-25mb depending on the plan. what good does having a faster upload speed?
February 17, 2010 - 11:50 PM
Thanks for this. I just ordered Wideband to be installed next week. I was just searching for confirmation on real-world testing and usage. You’re like me, I really just want the 5Mbp Up. I was fine with Turbo on the dl side, but that 0.75 was killing me.
As for FIOS, not an option since they’re not in my area and won’t be for another year.
February 18, 2010 - 7:50 AM
@Contempt,
Glad I could help. It’s been a few months now and I can confirm that the difference is amazing. It still boogles my mind to think how I ever lived without it.
For me, one of the most interesting things to find out is which websites/podcasts/etc. have faster hosting. Sometimes it makes sense, and sometimes you’ll be surprised. You obviously won’t be getting 50Mbs down from most sources, but getting 5Mbs down from 3 sources at once is pretty cool.
You’ll have to link me to your speedtest results when you get it.