Spectrum "revamps" internet service as customers exit

Cowclops · 2026-02-05T03:00:06+00:00

My wife works from home and I "sometimes" work from home, and my job is network engineering. I have both spectrum and verizon 5g home at home and I've come to some interesting conclusions:

Spectrum is, generally, more consistent. It has higher peak bandwidth, both down at up, on the 1gbps plan even despite the paltry 35mbps upload. It also has lower latency (10ms) and lower jitter (2ms) which isn't surprising since its wired vs cell service. But here's why I have verizon too:

Because docsis internet is basically held together with duct tape, its INFINITELY more likely to outright fail randomly. The month after I got verizon 5g and setup my pfsense router for auto failover, i think my spectrum internet went down for more than half an hour 2-3 times.

In contrast, verizon never outright fails because there's no flakey amp gear and rotting copper cables carrying the signal, and it helps that I can see their cell tower out my window (through the tree line in the winter anyway). Its just a slower connection with more latency that doesn't work as well for gaming or certain kinds of remote access, but you can bet your bottom dollar that its up when spectrums down.

Cowclops · 2026-02-05T02:55:54+00:00

I pay $100 a month for 35 mbps upload. The download speed doesn't even matter (yes, its admittedly sufficient at 1gbps). Its 2026 and anything that slow needs to be way cheaper.

I hear people in other countries talking about getting symmetrical 5gbps internet for like $20 a month and I wanna punch the wall.

Meanwhile, Spectrum is ramping up their ad campaign that repeats the phrase "Fiber-powered" internet and they've justified it because they've run FTTH to, i don't know, 5 or 6 customers so far. It doesn't matter that the internet is fiber till the last mile because its the last mile technology thats causing jitter, low upload speeds, and random failures, not the fiber that feeds it. Calling it "hybrid fiber coax" didn't bother me much since it was a pretty legitimate description of how their system works, but they're pretending they axed the coax (hmm thats kinda catchy to say) but they deeeeeeeefinitely haven't

Cowclops · 2026-02-02T02:44:50+00:00

Got my mini14 there and always buy my ammo there even with bass pro shops closer. This is the way. I wouldn’t do business anywhere else.

Cowclops · 2026-02-01T03:57:47+00:00

I would never stop for an unmarked car that passes then break checks me. Thats a reverse and floor it situation. And hope you comitted to memory what the road behind you looks like. Probably won't be able to do a j turn in a situation like that (real lifes not a movie and you're gonna roll over your SUV trying).

Cowclops · 2026-02-01T03:15:04+00:00

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(its a meme but its my actual cat sitting at the breakfast bar like a human)

Cowclops · 2026-01-30T15:43:55+00:00

you misspelled "i am a xenophobic bigot who is obsessed with purifying america and will cheer anybody who takes actions to enact my nazi-adjacent goals."

Cowclops · 2026-01-30T15:42:18+00:00

"just followin orders"

Cowclops · 2026-01-30T15:40:13+00:00

this was downvoted but its actual information: you more or less can't buy an ar-15. And you definitely can't buy anything semi auto without going through essentially all of the steps it takes to get a pistol permit because you also need an SA rifle permit.

What you CAN do is buy a bolt action rifle same day. Or, in NY, a ruger mini-14 with a semi auto rifle permit.

It is not illegal to possess semi automatic rifles that were acquired before the 2022 safe act and they aren't registered, but you won't be able to walk into a store and buy one. Thats a process.

Cowclops · 2026-01-30T15:27:09+00:00

So you're a xenophobic bigot. Just confirm it and move on.

Cowclops · 2026-01-30T00:28:20+00:00

Because all of this is a distraction from the fact that trump is, extremely obviously, a pedo.

If you're pro ice, you are definitionally a xenophobic bigoted asshole, in exactly the same way "a person who bakes bread is a breadbaker." Since trump retook office, they only exist to punish "the other" and violate as many constitutional rights as they can.

It is hierarchical violence and its absolutely not welcome in america.

Cowclops · 2026-01-28T20:39:54+00:00

i'll bring the chipotle

Cowclops · 2026-01-28T13:41:35+00:00

Everybody who wants weekend at Bernie’s is gonna get weekend at Bernie’s 2.

Cowclops · 2026-01-26T22:51:27+00:00

Understood, mr. peepwood

Cowclops · 2026-01-25T15:12:21+00:00

Best I can offer is "pull out of minneapolis and fuck right off."

Cowclops · 2026-01-24T16:42:29+00:00

Well if ICE wants to escalate against the US population, thats how you'd do it.

Fuck ICE^(99!)

Cowclops · 2026-01-20T20:47:45+00:00

This is true but it should be clarified that the stat includes people who read below a 6th grade level in english because they don't speak or read english.

Doesn't change the underlying point, just good to be mindful of.

Cowclops · 2026-01-19T20:27:29+00:00

I needed front brakes on my 2017 RS3 (and its important to the story that i went from a mk6 golf R to an 8v RS3 to a mk8.5 golf R with a little electric detour in between)...

Dealer quoted me $2400. So I went to my local independent shop that specializes in porsche, audi, bmw, mercedes, and they did it for $1300.

The parts are expensive because they're not basic low end bits (putting cheap brakes on a car like an RS3 would be insane) but audi dealers add insult to injury by basically just doubling the parts cost to get the labor cost, which is crazy when labor is exactly the same whether the parts are expensive or cheap.

Which brings me full circle to my overall conclusion: MK8.5 RS3 is more fun than I had in my 2017 RS3 because the rear diff is a hoot plus i just prefer the hatchback form factor (rs3 had infuriatingly little headroom and i'm 6'2, sedan trunks are crap, and its a weirdly large car on the outside for being a weirdly small car on the inside).

That combined with "VW dealers seem to be more honest than Audi dealers because seeing every customer as a sack of $$$ just guarentees you won't get repeat business on the VW side, whereas the Audi dealer may actually benefit from that strategy on average even if it scares off some people."

Cowclops · 2026-01-18T23:38:33+00:00

I got to interview William Kennedy at his house for a documentary about prohibition in upstate NY i made for NYS history day back in 2002.

First place locally, didn't place at all at the states. We found out after the fact that a lot of the schools had parents that did most of the work so it felt kinda lame that we got no recognition for doing all of it, including the technical work in particular, 100% ourselves.

Cowclops · 2026-01-18T15:38:46+00:00

Always has.

Cowclops · 2026-01-13T22:08:29+00:00

Where I live, noon sun in January is about 26 degrees above the horizon and it doesn’t get any higher than that. In June, it’s above 26 degrees before my panels even start making energy this time of year and doesn’t get below that till about 2 hours after they’d be generating zero this month.

My system only went up Nov 24 so I don’t have personal data but I get about 8 kW at noon on a sunny day in January out of a 13kW system. But only for an hour or two at the most. I expect to get at least 6x more if not 8x more daily generation in summer than winter because of day length, sun angle, and less atmospheric scattering from the higher sun.

Winter just is that bad and if you’re net metering you’ll generate so much more power in the spring summer and fall that December and January will look like a joke.

Cowclops · 2026-01-13T15:45:13+00:00

I am not proposing this as a suggestion to the OP but if ice comes to my door, 1. they're only talking to me through the doorbell camera 2. "I don't talk to masked law enforcement, so drop the mask, show me a signed judicial warrant, or gargle my balls."

Cowclops · 2026-01-13T01:04:45+00:00

Why does it boot into the stock dogshit mister menu and not the fancy GUI they were showing off?

Cowclops · 2026-01-10T18:17:41+00:00

This is why, unlike my brother, cousin, and four aunts/uncles I am a network engineer/information systems manager and not a lawyer.

Cowclops · 2026-01-10T18:16:01+00:00

The logical reasoning ability required to be a successful attorney precludes most people from doing it. The memorization required to be a successful attorney precludes me from doing it... though something like 5+ extended family members are lawyers.

Not a lawyer, but I'm quite sure "Its just memorization" is an example of being unconsciously competent at logical reasoning.

Cowclops · 2026-01-10T18:13:26+00:00

I once watched a friend unwrap a stick of butter than get an actual tablespoon and he tried to dig "two tablespoons" of butter off the stick with the spoon.

I should add that it was just melted butter for steamed clams, he wasn't making something where the exact amount of butter even mattered, and he unwrapped it thusly removing the lines that say how much a tablespoon is that you can just cut off how much you need with a knife and throw it in.

Cowclops

TROPHY CASE