Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
anonFios
Contributor - Level 2
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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
spave
Newbie

had optimum online installed a week ago. Was only this happy with my internet when I first joined Verizon nearly 8 years ago.

It's a shame they went so hard after more money. 

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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
rizzyrogues
Newbie

Call today to upgrade your Verizion Fios Tripple play to the brand new Verizion Fios Quadra KILL Premium Internet Package which includes blazing fast speeds up to 50Mbps* to all your favorite Premium Internet sites! 

*1GB monthly data cap or 1,500,000 Premium Internet packets

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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
alinux
Enthusiast - Level 3

Your existing BW package is good enough, it is not a problem with Verizon per say rather a congested link between Verizon and the Netflix ISP that Verizon refuses to upgrade, using VPN will overcome this problem and open up all Netflix regions and other services such as BBC Iplayer, see http://thevpn.guru/netflix-streaming-problems-verizon/

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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
alinux
Enthusiast - Level 3

I would have switched along time ago given the inflated prices, but it is just too much of a mess and I am too lazy to follow up, I am using VPN to get full Netflx speed as a VPN tunnel sends the traffic thorugh Verizon encrypted to the VPN server which then bounces your traffic to Netflix through another route,  this post explains it http://thevpn.guru/netflix-streaming-problems-verizon/

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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
CaptainSTX
Contributor - Level 3

What leads you to believe that using a VPN is going to improve most people's Netflix streaming on FIOS?

The issue isn't  that Verizon is blocking Netflix in particular  it is that the bandwidth connection between Cogent (Netflix's ISP/bandwidth ) provider and Verizon's network is inadequate.  There are many other users of Cogent  since they are one of the world's largest internet providers.

How is a FIOS subscriber in MA going to necessarily benefit  connecting to a VPN server in NY?   The number of bits that have to be transmitted is the same if not more.  The only possible benefit is if the connection in NY isn't as overloaded as the one in MA.   No one has shown yet that Verizon is specifically blocking Netflix's traffic so wrapping it in the plain brown wrapper of a VPN isn't going to make it  download any faster as the overloaded interchange is dropping huge amounts of data and this will happen if it is a web site, e-mail or Netflix streaming video.

To further compound the problem unless you have a side processor to handle the VPN encryption/decryption running a VPN on your home router is going to cut the throughput in half.  SOHO routers don't have the processor speed or the RAM to keep up with a high speed internet connection nor do most VPN providers.  I have a processor to handle my VPN encryption and with most VPN providers the best through put I can get is 40 Mbps.   With my preferred provider I can achieve download speeds of 70 Mbps on my FIOS 75/35 plan.   So even if you are watching Netflix on a powerful PC with lots of RAM a VPN probably isn't going to help.

I'm just wondering if another urban myth is being created similar to the one regarding changing your DNS server to OpenDNS, Google DNS, will solve all your streaming problems.

I have down a couple of quick tests and I haven't seen any benefit of using a VPN to connect to Netflix, but I don't have any problems with Netflix in the Tampa area when connecting using a PC, Roku or Smart TV.

Verizon needs to eliminate the bottle necks between their network and Cogent.  If they don't then for most people it doesn't make sense to pay for connection's faster than 25 Mbps from Verizon.

Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
SteveLogan
Enthusiast - Level 3

It's not congestion between VA and Cogent per se - it's Verizon's refusal to let Netflix install free caching servers on the VZ side of the peer.  IF VZ would allow Netflix to install this hardware (for free btw) then all Netflix content would stream from within VZs network and not even need a peer.  There would be a nightly push of Netflix content to the cache but I think I read that was 94TB - relatively small in the big scheme of things.

No, VZ wants to make those who like Netflix suffer (or now did - now that Comcast has come to an agreement all bets are off) and force that crappy Red Box service on us. 

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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

@SteveLogan wrote:

It's not congestion between VA and Cogent per se - it's Verizon's refusal to let Netflix install free caching servers on the VZ side of the peer.  IF VZ would allow Netflix to install this hardware (for free btw) then all Netflix content would stream from within VZs network and not even need a peer.  There would be a nightly push of Netflix content to the cache but I think I read that was 94TB - relatively small in the big scheme of things.

No, VZ wants to make those who like Netflix suffer (or now did - now that Comcast has come to an agreement all bets are off) and force that crappy Red Box service on us. 


Free?  Uh no.  They so called free servers help but are not all the traffic.  And they are not free to operate.  Power, space, connections all still must be made and cost big bucks when you realize more than one location is needed for a large national internet company. 

We'll have to see if the comcast deal sets a pattern that Verizon will  accept.

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Re: Enjoy Netflix? It's Time to Switch to Comcast
netflixtooslow
Enthusiast - Level 2

Comcast just cut a deal with Netflix this past weekend, so Comcast subscribers can finally get a decent picture. If FIOS doesn't in the next month, I will be switching to Comcast for sure!  Finally, thanks to the WSJ report last week (but NO thanks to FIOS), this information about how FIOS has been intentionally slowing Netflix for a long time is out there and confirmed.  Nowhere left for Verizon to try to hide this from its subscribers and tell us we don't know what we are talking about.  What are you going to do Verizon?  How many subscribers do you want to lose over this?

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