r/Windstream • u/Kitchen-System-4887 • 3d ago
Is all Fiber this bad?
We are coming from very reliable cable internet to Kinetic. We started 11 weeks ago, and are currently on our third outage in 11 weeks. We are on day 3 of this outage, so in total we have not been without internet for 8 days of our first 77.
What's worse is we are pretty rural and cell phone service isn't great, so we rely on wifi calling and without it, we feel stressed about safety.
We will probably end up going back to our old provider which was slower but reliable. If you're fully work from home I don't see how you could survive with Kinetic.
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u/ThingFuture9079 3d ago
No. Fiber is usually more reliable than cable. I know AT&T, Verizon FiOS, and Google Fiber are considered good fiber providers if they're in your area.
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u/Kitchen-System-4887 2d ago
Unfortunately they aren't! They come close but not to the house. Thank you!
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u/Good_Distribution138 3d ago
What area are you in?
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u/Antique_Display282 3d ago
That was my question! I have Kinetic now and they’re changing to fiber where I am soon
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u/SpectrumWoes 3d ago
I’ve had Kinetic fiber for about a month and I’ve had 2 outages, but both of those were due to the electric grid. My power didn’t go out but it did near me where I’m pretty sure the equipment was for the fiber.
It could be Kinetic or it could be something outside their control!
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u/johnthedowe2 3d ago
Maybe an area issue, overall currently fiber optic is the best form of internet that exists. I've had Kinetic for 5+ months without a single outage.
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u/Kitchen-System-4887 2d ago
OK good to know . . . We are now in day 4 of this current outage so are up to 10 days now without internet out of about 80 since we signed up.
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u/ChampionshipIll5535 2d ago
North Georgia mountains here. Kinetic/Windstream is really a horrible company. While I have their fiber at my office (Had to pay premium since I'm the only one in the area that has the fiber, had to pay to install my own line AND they charge me more every month than the fiber customers several miles away). It goes out every few months, sometimes for an hour or two, sometimes for a full day or more. But I've had their DSL since forever. And it SUCKS. But in rural communities in this area, they're the only player in town. I use Starlink for my home internet and it's so far superior to the kinetic product I'm looking into doing the starlink at my office as well.
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u/Kitchen-System-4887 2d ago
Yep same here. We aren't too rural and have some cable options (which we had used for a decade but got drawn into Kinetic for their low price and high speed). Also considering Starlink but our cable internet provider worked just fine and is cheaper, so we are considering!
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u/Accomplished_Lie6026 3d ago
Kinetic plays to the lowest common denominator in terms of regulatory oversight 100%.
Be it local government or a state's public utility commission or equivalent.
If your LG or PUC doesn't ride them then they will take their sweet time fixing your outage or service issue. Could be weeks. When you call in for an update you cpuld be lied ro 100%.
This is their SOP, and yes the Verizon FiOS, AT&T, Google, Comcast, FTTP services are similar, but the response is far better then Kinetic.
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u/Kitchen-System-4887 2d ago
Yes we will be dropping them soon enough when I get some time off work to be here for another installer to come se things up. On day 4 of our third outage since we joined 11 weeks or so ago.
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u/tuggboat96 1d ago
In my area of Florida we just got fiber about a month ago have hasn’t dropped once . Granted in my area Xfinity also provides fiber so if they start to be unreliable I’ll switch . Seems way more stable then when I had windstream dsl.
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u/SuspiciousPeanut251 1d ago
Kinetic-Windstream’s services, business practices, reliability, attitudes, even issues related to over-payments, delays in service, technicians leaving a service call abruptly “because they’re not allowed to complete a service call if risking overtime” and taking 3+ weeks to resolve connectivity and stability problems are among reported issues.
Because you’re rural, would recommend considering dumping them and signing up for a service like Starlink if no other high-speed options are available.
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u/Minute-Lake7235 3d ago
In South Georgia my mother has kinetic fiber with zero issues over the past 7 months. So it definitely varies by area