Internet only plans?

[sonic customer]

I currently have the old ATT DSL plan whose price is now being raised $10 more a month ($44.95). I have the option to upgrade to FTTN which is cheaper if you need phone service as well, but I only need internet service. When taxes, fees, modem rental are added on to the base $40/month for FTTN, it's too expensive for me. I'm on a fixed income. Can't Sonic offer internet only (FTTN) plans? It would certainly be on my wish list. ATT Uverse offers internet only plans so why not Sonic?.........

[dane]

Today you've got a voice line that the DSL is being delivered over. By dropping that, can you still achieve a lower overall cost?

Sonic's Fusion service is $40 monthly, and includes both home phone and Internet access. Where available, a faster "X2" option may also be offered, which includes faster Internet, for $60 monthly.

Both plans include unlimited nationwide home phone, Caller ID with name, voicemail (with SMS and Twitter notification and email delivery) and eight hours of "Borderless" calling to top international destinations.

-Dane

[andsonic]

I just wanted to add...
We recently went from Sonic Legacy DSL (resold AT&T), and an AT&T POTS line to Fusion FTTN. We are saving about $20 a month with the switch over. With our old AT&T POTS line, we had cancelled long distance years ago. We were paying the bare minimum.

[pockyken007]

yup savings on the phone are nice with the FTTN connection just remember to have a backup in case power / internet outage

[mediahound]

yup savings on the phone are nice with the FTTN connection just remember to have a backup in case power / internet outage

I use one of these which keeps my internet and phone going even if the power goes out: http://amzn.to/1KELnHk

It's useful even if there is a short blip in the power (which happens often around here) because the modem can take a few to several minutes to re-establish a signal each time the power to it is cut.

I'm happy with it for the price.

[pockyken007]

yup savings on the phone are nice with the FTTN connection just remember to have a backup in case power / internet outage

I use one of these which keeps my internet and phone going even if the power goes out: http://amzn.to/1KELnHk

It's useful even if there is a short blip in the power (which happens often around here) because the modem can take a few to several minutes to re-establish a signal each time the power to it is cut.

I'm happy with it for the price.

Nice , I have a lot of equipment connected to mine ( modem / Computer and some other peripherals ) so I went with a bit more powerful solution for my needs - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6842301290

[sonic customer]

My elderly mother likes the peace of mind of the 911/landline security even if power goes out. For those of you using a backup UPS for your internet and digital voice, this arrangement is just as reliable as using a landline phone to call 911? Would I need to buy new phones for the house for the Sonic phone service or can I use the phones I currently have for the ATT landline?

[Guest]

My elderly mother likes the peace of mind of the 911/landline security even if power goes out. For those of you using a backup UPS for your internet and digital voice, this arrangement is just as reliable as using a landline phone to call 911? Would I need to buy new phones for the house for the Sonic phone service or can I use the phones I currently have for the ATT landline?

If I had a choice, I would choose POTS instead of VoIP. There are less things to worry about with POTS: no UPS to maintain (their batteries tend to die out after 3 years or may swell damaging the enclosure), no internet to rely on for service, no ATA to break. For elderly people, POTS is the way to go I think. We migrated away from legacy ADSL1 and onto Fusion FTTN. I already have a UPS for my network closet so that's not an issue. I have to keep a close eye on the closet's ambient temperature and its battery temperature. As soon as it spikes/3 years have passed, battery gets replaced.

These reasons are why I have not migrated my parents from CO-based Fusion to Fusion FTTN. I will need to re-evaluate when fiber rolls out for them. Fusion is too compelling; hopefully by the time that happens, Sonic will have had all the bugs ironed out of VoIP.

[andsonic]

My elderly mother likes the peace of mind of the 911/landline security even if power goes out. For those of you using a backup UPS for your internet and digital voice, this arrangement is just as reliable as using a landline phone to call 911? Would I need to buy new phones for the house for the Sonic phone service or can I use the phones I currently have for the ATT landline?

No need to get new phones. Old ones will work.

[pockyken007]

My elderly mother likes the peace of mind of the 911/landline security even if power goes out. For those of you using a backup UPS for your internet and digital voice, this arrangement is just as reliable as using a landline phone to call 911? Would I need to buy new phones for the house for the Sonic phone service or can I use the phones I currently have for the ATT landline?

To be honest it's a mix up of things , some people will tell you one is better than the other and vice versa .

Pros of POTS :

don't have to worry when power goes down
don't have to worry when modem breaks
don't have to worry if ATA breaks

Cons of POTS :

Usually slower speeds compared to FTTN ( pending on location )


Pros of FTTN :
fast connection
higher upload rates than average dsl
pretty reliable ( from my own experience )

CONS of FTTN :
Have to use ATA for phone
Preferred to have extra battery in case electricity goes out
If modem goes out you are out of luck ( spare ? )


So as you see both technologies have their ups and downs although for older people I would most likely suggest dsl over ftnn simply for the ease of use and no hassle in case something " bad " happens ( outage etc )