(Summary) Re: RCN vs Mediaone cable modem experiences?

[seth at job.cs.brandeis.edu (Seth M. Landsman)]

	Okay, so since I originated this thread, I think I'll summarize
it and therefore fulfil my Internet Public Service Quota. :)

	Problem Statement and motiviating factors : RCN and Mediaone both
offer cable and cable modem service in the Waltham area.  I am moving from
one side of Waltham (southern Waltham off of Moody) to the other (central
Waltham off of Main).  My current apartment has a happy internal LAN
running off of a mediaone cable modem (shh, don't tell anyone).  My new
apartment needs the same capability.  
	The service should be reliable enough that I can work from home
(which requires decent access > 56K to Brandeis campus) during my typical
200 grad-student-hour work week.
	
	So in the end, here's the deal :

	RCN : funky hostname (serial number of the cable modem), which is
not negotiable, but will be static.  Dynamic IP which has different lease
times, depending on who you talk to.  Service is decently reliable, with
some people saying good and others saying bad.  In the end, with phone and
cable TV, this will be about 20$ cheaper than Mediaone.  Do not support
LANs, but don't crack down on them (RCN rep's line is "we don't want to
know).  No servers policy, any reports on cracking down?  Has a linux
support page, but doesn't officially support it.  Will they force you to
reboot in windows when installing?  Will they let you change the MAC
address the modem is bound to after installing or do you have to move the
ethernet card from the windows box to the router?

	Mediaone : you get to specify a hostname, which is a pain to get
them to change after it is set, and they try to charge you for it (of
course, if you badger them about that policy long enough, they do back
down).  Dynamic IP with decently long lease times.  I've personally seen
their DHCP server return an unavailable or invalid ip, requiring the
router to manually refetch an IP.  Service ranges from decent to awful.  A
friend of mine in Watertown has suffered service bad enough that he has a
direct phone number to the third tier tech support, and has gotten roughly
four free months so far this year.  Hasn't bugged me about my LAN, nor any
of the other people I know who have LANs.  Reports of cracking down on
servers (haven't bugged me about mine).  They will make you install on a
windows machine.  They will let you change the MAC address the modem is
bound to.  Linux policy?

	So that's the info I've seen.  Can anyone unambiguate the question
marks?  Maybe this blurb should end up on the blu.org home page or in a
blu FAQ? 
	
-Seth
--
"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion"
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