GIGONET

I've used Gigonet for almost three years, after switching from a satellite-based Internet Service Provider. The satellite broadband service was expensive and imposed total throughput limits that were totally unrealistic. After awhile I just got sick of the constant problems and poor technical support from the large, distant corporation, and started looking for other broadband options -- not an easy task, since we're in rural Pinal County, beyond the reach of DSL and cable. I found Gigonet in the phone book. They run a microwave radio-based service. They have a tall antenna in Florence, connected to T1 cables into the main networks in the city. They then install an antenna next to your house (or on the side of the house, or on the roof). This system provides wireless broadband Internet access to many residents in the rural Florence and Coolidge area. One nice thing about this service is that Gigonet owns the hardware. They charge a nominal installation fee to get started, but then they own the equipment -- you don't have to buy it. When they upgrade to new equipment, they pay for that, not you. This is totally different from the satellite service -- I had to pay a lot of money for the satellite dish and modem, and now it's sitting collecting dust. No way to recoup that lost cost. I'm not taking that risk with Gigonet. Gigonet's service and price is the best I've seen among ISPs (and I've used many, both here and in California). You get a great deal and great service -- and great speeds. I often work from home, and have no problem doing LiveMeeting and VOIP simultaneously. Downloads are extremely fast -- noticeably faster than my hardwired WAN connection at work at a technology company in Chandler. There are occasional (rare) downtimes, which are really unavoidable when you live out here on the edge of cyberspace, but Gigonet is really good about providing updates and quick response to any trouble. I have recommended Gigonet to many friends and neighbors, and am very happy with their service. When we got started with Gigonet, they were very busy and took a week or two to get us on their calendar to get us installed. Not sure if they have the same backlog issues anymore -- from what I've heard from neighbors, their install time is much less nowadays.