I was just looking for some advice as to which ISP is good for my house for this coming school year. I was looking at TekSavvy, Bell, Cocego and others and I was just looking for a new perspective on them, which one is better, etc.
My house mates and I also enjoy playing online games (console and pc) so which ISP would be better for us?
Thank in advance.

For shared houses, Teksavvy is often the best solution as they have plans with 200 GB and Unlimited data transfer for ~$40 / month. For ~$50 / month with Bell or Cogeco you're only going to get 50/60 GB per month and pay ~$1-2 / GB if you go over.

I'm in downtown Hamilton and Cogeco's speeds are excellent, I often get sustained transfers of 10mbit/s, they are the most expensive option though, especially if you don't have cable TV.

There's also a special scam you can pull on Bell if you buy this "grab and go" internet pack from dell:
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/prod...DFugFw4eTA1 Q

Essentially Dell mails you a piece of paper with a code which you use when you call Bell. You get 4 months of free internet, no contract and free install. So if you only need service for 8 months, you could potentially only pay $30 for the piece of paper, and $60x4 months for the whole school year (Fibe 16 package). This averages out to <$35 / month + tax if you play it right. You're supposed to use it to hook up a Dell computer, but I'm sure between one of you and your friends, you can source one Dell to make it look legit on install day (I'm doing it and going to use my 8 year old Dell laptop).

So in short, I'd recommend Teksavvy normally, but this Dell deal on Bell could be a lot cheaper if you're careful to not go over the low (75GB) cap and willing to deal with Bell's often awful customer service. Also be sure to read the fine print so you cancel the account in time at the end of your term. If one of your roommates has a Bell cellphone, you can also save another $5 / month by bundling.

The only way I'd recommend Cogeco is if you're also planning on getting cable TV and if the DSL providers aren't able to service your area.

Since Bell doesn't have Sympatico out in Hamilton, Teksavvy is pretty much identical to Bell. They buy Bell's service in large quantities and sell it at a lower price than you would get by buying with Bell directly.

If you know your house is going to have people that know how to download, then teksavvy cable might be a good option. Goes over the cogeco network (I think), but you get a 200 GB cap.

If you are planning on getting both cable and internet in a shared house would it be worth it to bundle with cogeco even though they have a limit on bandwidth?

Originally Posted by nciggle

If you are planning on getting both cable and internet in a shared house would it be worth it to bundle with cogeco even though they have a limit on bandwidth?

Depends on if you expect to go over the 60 GB / month. If you think you and your roommates will use discretion and stay within it, then the Cogeco service is reliable and fast and you typically get an extra $5 / month off for bundling. But if you think you'll go more than 5 GB over the limit, you're probably better off with Teksavvy.

Originally Posted by jhan523

Since Bell doesn't have Sympatico out in Hamilton, Teksavvy is pretty much identical to Bell. They buy Bell's service in large quantities and sell it at a lower price than you would get by buying with Bell directly.

uh, no. They do not buy anything from bell. Everything on TekSavvy is run on their own network, only the "last mile" (wiring from the CO/Remote your house) is rented from Bell.

TekSavvy is your best bet. Their cable will come probably sometime in September for hamilton, so that would be awesome. But for now, $39.95 for unlimited bandwidth is best.

Originally Posted by blackdragon

uh, no. They do not buy anything from bell. Everything on TekSavvy is run on their own network, only the "last mile" (wiring from the CO/Remote your house) is rented from Bell.

Really? I thought TekSavvy didn't own anything and leased everything from bell (hence why teksavvy users get throttled by bell).

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

Really? I thought TekSavvy didn't own anything and leased everything from bell (hence why teksavvy users get throttled by bell).

Yeah Teksavvy has their own network, all traffic that their users use - teksavvy pays for and deals with. The problem is, since the "last mile" for DSL starts from the Remote/CO, BELL decides to throttles @ the Remote/CO, making anything after that point throttled :(

Well, that makes me feel a lot more confident that TekSavvy may someday actually be able to operate free from Bell/Rogers .

Originally Posted by Ownaginatios

Well, that makes me feel a lot more confident that TekSavvy may someday actually be able to operate free from Bell/Rogers .

They have already started layout out their own fibre in small towns

That's quite interesting. I always thought Teksavvy bought Bell's service in bulk and resold it... I thought that was why Teksavvy had that entire thing where they said that if the new bill was passed that their rates would go up because they would have to pay Bell more for their service.

I know it's sounds really vague but I forgot what the bill was called and what exactly it entailed.

UBB - Usage Based Billing. It was passed, and it only affects TekSavvy as well because they have to use Bell's "last mile" remote/CO :( Sucks.. But TSI cable is looking good!

Originally Posted by blackdragon

UBB - Usage Based Billing. It was passed, and it only affects TekSavvy as well because they have to use Bell's "last mile" remote/CO :( Sucks.. But TSI cable is looking good!

If they use Cogeco's cable lines it's going to be kind of crazy... I would imagine a lot of people are on those cable lines...

Originally Posted by jhan523

If they use Cogeco's cable lines it's going to be kind of crazy... I would imagine a lot of people are on those cable lines...

They will.