Verizon FIOS and Interactive Brokers TWS

S

SideShowBob

Is anyone out there using IB's TWS over Verizon FIOS? Are there any issues to be aware of?

I just found out it's available and it's about $5 a month more than my current DSL but it's significantly faster....but if it will give me problems I don't need that....

SSB
 
fios+ IB rules. don’t know about dsl, but i have 15mbps down for $45\1.5mbps up with fios.
Comcast charge same $ for 6mbps down and it shared with whole entire neighborhood (mean way slower than advertised 6mbps).fios service i have-dedicated line with same speed, zero lost packets 24/7. i checked, before i give up on Comcast.
The only a problem is that your existing phone line will work thru that fiber too. Mean-no power, no phone. No backup dial up for more than hour. You cannot have fios and dsl at same time too. They will put backup battery in your house. in case of outage it enough for about 30 min-hour on the phone.
Another problem-this backup battery start making very loud beeps 7 to 10 hours before it dies(standby mode). Very convenient design, especially when you put it like i did on wall behind big drawer and power vent of right before bed time :)
Make sure installer put it in easy to access place, where you can physically disconnect it, when you get annoyed enough.
 
You were able to have Comcast and FIOS at the same time (they said something on the website about using existing coaxial cables)?

For reliability purposes I now have both cable and DSL but if I can replace DSL with FIOS for an extra $5 a month it's definitely worth it.

I have my cable modem (and DSL modem) plugged into my UPS so even during a power outage my cable (and DSL) will still be up (assuming it's a very localized outage -- if the whole town is out I'm screwed anyway -- but usually it's just our street that's out when the power goes out).

They say you need to use their router but is that really true? Can you take it out and use a standard linksys one instead? What does the plug on the OTC unit look like -- is it just a normal cat 5 ethernet plug or something else?

Thanks for the info....

SSB
 
I have had FiOS (15 mbps) in suburban Portland since late September and have had no issues with it. We had a power outage for ~45 minutes, and the phone continued to work. FiOS uses existing phone wiring (not coaxial). The router has 4 wired and one wireless ports using standard rj45 jacks and cat 5 wiring. Verizon insists that we use their router because it has support features built in. I have heard that it is possible to use additional routers down-stream, but I haven't yet figured out how to do that.

Before FiOS, I had DSL (2.5 mbps) via SBC/AT&T and cable modem (3 mbps) via Comcast in Silicon Valley. The cable modem was unsatisfactory for trading with IB due to numerous short interruptions in service. I have heard that their newer (6 mbps) service is more reliable if available. The DSL was excellent.
 
For reliability purposes I now have both cable and DSL but if I can replace DSL with FIOS for an extra $5 a month it's definitely worth it.
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it sure is. in case of outage-yes, cable will work as long, as you have power for modem and router. fios-probably not, because you have to provide power for box, that they put outside of your house. you can ask verizon workers about all details during installation. regarding router-anything will work. i tried lynksys,belkin,dlink and netgear-all work fine. with existing cable subscription you can use dual wan router.
What does the plug on the OTC unit look like -- is it just a normal cat 5 ethernet plug or something else?
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yes,standard RJ-45 jack. cat 5 cable from it straight to the router. no modem or anything.
 
Thanks guys. Do you happen to know if they block incoming connections? I know they said you cannot host sites but my interest is in connecting to my PC from external locations (using remote desktop).

I'm just concerned that they specifically block ports, we ran into that issue trying to connect to my wife's DSL modem at her office externally (they were specifically blocking the ports).

SSB
 
Quote from Bob111:

fios+ IB rules. don’t know about dsl, but i have 15mbps down for $45\1.5mbps up with fios.
Comcast charge same $ for 6mbps down and it shared with whole entire neighborhood (mean way slower than advertised 6mbps).fios service i have-dedicated line with same speed, zero lost packets 24/7. i checked, before i give up on Comcast.
The only a problem is that your existing phone line will work thru that fiber too. Mean-no power, no phone. No backup dial up for more than hour. You cannot have fios and dsl at same time too. They will put backup battery in your house. in case of outage it enough for about 30 min-hour on the phone.
Another problem-this backup battery start making very loud beeps 7 to 10 hours before it dies(standby mode). Very convenient design, especially when you put it like i did on wall behind big drawer and power vent of right before bed time :)
Make sure installer put it in easy to access place, where you can physically disconnect it, when you get annoyed enough.
More...

Bob,

you are saying that the batter will make very loud beeps 7-10 hours before it dies. So in your case, your battery is near the end of its life so it starts making loud beeps--sort of like the smoke alarm device that will beep when battery needs changing? I once talked to a tech who was doing a survey of my house and my understanding is that normally fios is on AC power and only during power outages is fios on battery backup.


And I guess it is your responsibility to replace the battery? And what kind of battery is it?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

PS: I placed an order to upgrade to fios about 8 months ago but did not let the telco complete the installation, the reason being that when you have fios, they can only put fios modem in the room that you designate, unlike DSL access which allows you to put the modem whereever there is a phone jack. I was thinking of moving the home office to a different room at that time, so that lack of flexibility gave me pause. Of course, you can go wi-fi, but I don't want to add another layer to the connectivity. Something to keep in mind. Now I am thinking of upgrading to fios again, as I have bought a pair of NetGear homeplug device (NetGear XE104) which you plug into regular in-house electric wire to extend the broadband home network. They work like a charm.

Opra
 
I have fios in the Dallas area. If you want the tv guide and menuing system to work then you have to use their router. They use the existing coaxial cables to form an in house network for the set top boxes to feed the tv guide via the router. You can use any old router if you want but you will have to use the tv guide channel and sit through while it scroll through the entire list. Not worth it! :-)

As for my installation reusing the coaxial they completely disconnect you from comcast which was fine with me. Comcast is crap service in my neighbor.

They do give you the user name and password for the router so you can login to it. As for a public ip address yes the wan side gets them via dhcp. I did map rdp to my pc and it works fine. However not want to mess with dhcp occasionally changing the public ip I used the free service from www.logmein.com (this will worked for any pc's as well). Similar to goto my pc but free. The only thing you give up with the free service is the copying back and forth. I use ftp to move files away so no big deal for me. You can upgrade for a small month fee if you want copy from within logmein. As for the phones my equipment is in the garage so I won't have to listen to the ups beep if the power goes out. They will put it any where you want in the house though. I chose the garage. My ups is a Verizon badged APC ups with a standard ups 12v battery. I can pick them up for 20 bucks in my area and they last for 3-4 years. As for where I wanted my ethernet jack I said my office in the back of the house and they said fine. I could put it anywhere I wanted according to the installer.

Fios is rock solid. No way I will go back to cable.

Bsulli
 
You guys are killing me. Qwest in Denver was supposed to have FTP, what Fios is, a year ago. Oh well back to scalping on 6 meg down and 256k up cable. I have read quite a bit on FIOS and it's interesting to hear some of you are getting 15 meg down and some in other parts of country are getting 30 meg down?
 
Quote from dandxg:

I have read quite a bit on FIOS and it's interesting to hear some of you are getting 15 meg down and some in other parts of country are getting 30 meg down?
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I have the options of 5,15 or 30mb on Fios. :-)
 
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