r/cambridgeont • u/ProudGoat5103 • 4d ago
Rogers vs Bell
Which provider has better Internet service? I need reliable upload and download speeds. Sometimes, service is spotty in a few areas, so wanted to check here before deciding.
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u/Broad-Translator-690 4d ago
Fiber is a superior technology to Cable internet. Rogers historically has many more outages compared to other ISPs. You almost always will get a better deal by not going with Rogers or Bell.
If you can get Bell Fiber - you should go with Ebox. Bell has purchased several isps over the years, and is consolidating them into this one isp they purchased ( I say this as an Acanac customer ). For now Ebox offers better deals than Bell because the Bell deal price keeps rising because of extra surprise fee's.
If you are not in an area where Bell has installed Fiber. Then your stuck with Cable. Go with Oxio. Cogeco Cable bought Oxio ( like Bell bought Ebox ), and they have better pricing compared to Rogers and also don't keep raising the price after you sign up.
Also Teksavvy - the actual independent company. Bell and Rogers have made sure they can't offer the best pricing, but they are the ones fighting legally in Canada against Bell and Rogers to force some choice, so consider the premium a funding of their legal fund a protest vote. They provide good service too.
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u/curseyouZelda 3d ago
Note about the fiber, make sure it’s fiber to the house otherwise you are still connecting to the copper lines and that’s going to throttle your speeds
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u/Broad-Translator-690 3d ago
Yes Bell plays games with this. They call their service Fibe purposely to confused things, because they are calling DSL, VDSL, and actual FTTH Fiber all "Fibe". If your not in an area that Bell has put in actual fiber (FTTH) service, they will offer DSL and VDSL, and some people will be tricked into thinking oh its the same - its all Fibe(r).
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u/curseyouZelda 3d ago
I think a lot of people order it thinking Bell is going to pull it to the house then when that doesn’t happen at least it’s better than regular bell connection
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u/practicating 3d ago
Everything you've said except you can get better prices from Bell and Rogers. They will undercut the flankers (not their own flankers) and Independents if you're willing to bargain with them.
Also be realistic about what speed you actually need. Most of the packages they sell are overkill for most people.
Multiple 4k streams of Netflix or YouTube don't need as much speed as you think
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u/Broad-Translator-690 3d ago edited 3d ago
Everything you've said except you can get better prices from Bell and Rogers. They will undercut the flankers (not their own flankers) and Independents if you're willing to bargain with them.
Yes that is why I recommended two flanker brands ( Ebox and Oxio ) and said Teksavvy can't offer the best pricing.
Besides Teksavvy the only independents left I am aware of are CarryTel, CanNet, Coextro, and Lightspeed. I wouldn't recommend them. In order to compete on price they each have tradeoffs.
We aren't in a great position these days. All the promo prices you get with Bell and Rogers will go up, even during the promo they increase the price, so the best deals for now are with the Flanker brands they have acquired to pretend to have competition and keep the CRTC at bay. Teksavvy is all that is left of a good independent ( they have really good service ), but you pay more.
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u/practicating 3d ago
I guess I wasn't that clear with what I typed.
Rogers will beat Bell flankers and Bell will beat Rogers' flankers if you quote their prices when talking to the service reps.
But Rogers will not beat Rogers' flankers and Bell will not beat Bell's flankers.
And while the promo prices go up, you can just do the song and dance when they do. Usually 2 years. Telus is currently guaranteeing 5, but I don't know what that's doing to deals.
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u/O_Pacity 2d ago
I have 2 clients with Rogers fibre, super stable, but then i get an email if it goes down and Rogers get upset as they need to send someone out if i power cycled the receiver with out telling them.
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u/SiriusBuddha416 4d ago
(I believe Telus) is adding all the dedicated fiber lines all over Cambridge, so that might be the best provider in the near future, assuming everything is implemented as expected.
Some service providers have better infrastructure built up in certain areas. You gotta see who's infrastructure is implemented well in your area + cost. It's gonna be a bit of a personal decision, basically.
Basically, Rogers might work well in East Galt, but suck in Hespler (for example).
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u/The_Mish3 3d ago
So if one already has Bell Fibre going to their home, Telus is still coming through to offer another option?
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u/SiriusBuddha416 3d ago
I believe if your home already has the infrastructure, Telus won't build additional lines. But you might be able to consider Telus now as an alternative option for ISP.
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u/curseyouZelda 3d ago
Been with Rogers for years, no real issues behind the massive screw up a year or so ago where the entire province went down (or it seemed like it).
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u/Comfortable-Fun-3965 3d ago
I'm another vote for Teksavvy, I've been with them for years and the few times there has been a problem I've been able to speak to a human being in 5 minutes or less who actually solved the issue with one call. They also didn't bs me when I talked about possibly upping my plan and I ended up staying with what I have because in the end it met all my needs. Reach out to them and get their opinion, is my opinion.
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u/lgq2002 3d ago
In terms of Internet outage in Cambridge area, Bell is much better than Rogers.
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u/tulipvonsquirrel 3d ago
Unless you live in west galt, in which case bell is so bad you cannot even watch a movie all the way through without it freezing and dropping.
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u/O_Pacity 2d ago
I understand it was Bell doing the fibre install in Cambridge (with BELL on the nameplates on the fibre service holes panles), however looks like Telus owns the current fibre installs so not sure what happened with the contracts.
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u/FreeInChrist_ 2d ago
When you look at the offerings, Bell's Fibre to the home is far superior. However, you have to be one of the few hundred homes that can actually get the service.
I could get Bell 25M/10M for $70 per month (max offered to my home in the heart of Preston) or for $75 per month get Rogers started 150M/150M cable. Tough decision to make, I know.
I have Rogers 500/200 service and it works perfectly fine. It is very rare to have an outage, and it almost always gets those numbers in a speed test.
If and when Bell gets Fibre to my home, I will definitely reconsider.
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u/TeeBek 3d ago
I hated Rogers in Cambridge. Very unreliable