shepd's Journal: LOOK TV

Update (Sept. 14, 2002)

It's been a while since I wrote that last journal entry, and my opinions on Look have changed, some for the better, a few for the worse.

Here's how my experience has gone since I first posted this:

The guy did show up at the time promised, and installed the antenna as expected. He (sort of) apologised for not having the next higher gain antenna with him, because with the length of cable run, and splitter to run the separate cable 'net box and TV Box it would be a little unreliable.

Well, he did install the antenna anyways, and ran cable all the way to the basement window (I told him I wanted to take over at that point -- besides, I doubt he wanted to do anymore with it). I connected it to the splitter, which is (AFAIK) the explanation as to why you have to buy TV service along with the internet service. Their cable boxes (Hybrid "Wireless" Cable Modems) don't put the usual 18V on the line to power the antenna. The TV receiver, however, does. So the power is siphoned off the TV cable line by the splitter (which I always thought were impossible to use with stuff like this, but I'm assuming this one is special) and applied to the antenna, and only the HF antenna frequencies are split to the separate devices.

The guy was nice enough to leave both the TV receiver, and the internet receiver here. I got them both set up in no time (the cable modem uses plain ethernet, no encapsulation, and hands out DHCP IP addresses -- nice for us linux fans).

After some hemming and hawing, I convinced LookTV not to send out their intnernet "technician", so those three visits got compounded into one.

Well, now lets get to the quality of the service:

Out here, I get about 37/100 for the signal level on my TV receiver. Not too good, but good enough (to a point). During wind, LookTV TV freezes up every 10 or 20 minutes, but the signal always comes back in (this is probably due to the antenna having to be almost on the very top of our 40 ft. TV tower). The internet, though, is much more reliable, and I've never actually seen it go out due to wind, does (very occasionally) freeze, and every once in a while the cable modem locks up, requiring a hard reset (bummer).

The strange thing about the cable modem (to me) is that a serial port on the back hooks into an external POTS modem (which was included with the cable modem for the $100 purchase fee -- woohoo!) which dials out whenever activity is detected. It was originally dialling a full 519 area code number, which I thought was long distance, so I put my serial cable sniffer between the cable and POTS modems. Fortunately, it wasn't, but Look changed the number anyways (which brings me to my next little problem)...

Don't ask the guys at LookTV to to change the dial up number on your cable modem if it works. For me, they screwed it up multiple times. It took a good few hours to get things right. Blech. At least now it doesn't sound like its dialling long distance (methinks they just stripped the 519 from the start of their number).

The other strange thing is their cable modem appears to make an automatic PPP connection with that POTS modem, using (I'm assuming) a username/password combo built into the modem (I hope it isn't common to them all). I didn't catch the username/password pair, sorry, and without a good reason I'm not going to try to find out.

Speeds are _excellent_. Even during what I think are peak hours, I easily get 1 Mbps from sites that can handle it. If I'm doing a windows update, I've maxed out at 3-5 Mbps. I'm very impressed with it.

Another little bit of icing on the cake is that the tower I'm pointed at (Guelph) is next on the list for a two-way service upgrade, which will be hella-cool for internet. :-) (But will increase the price from $19 to $39 a month).

Anyways, the TV receiver is a decent model, proprietary/customized to Look (it seems) made by RCA (but reasonably high-end, still), with a _far_ faster processor than most of the slightly older low cost Bell Expressvu/Dish Network models, however it is refurbished (who cares). The output from it is spectacular, EASILY beating out all Canadian satellite TV service, and matches the quality from DirecTV.

Pricing for the TV service is _very_ competitive with satellite services (I don't know about cable TV pricing, sorry). We get virtually every channel for about $35 a month. Not bad at all.

Anyways, that's about all I have to say about LookTV right now, except to say that if you can get their 2-way service, go for it. If you can only get their 1-way service, and don't mind the limitations that provides, go for that too ($19 a month for up to 5 mbps? You aren't going to find a deal like that ANYWHERE).

So, there you have it. A reasonably satisfied LookTV customer (although when they go 2-way I will ask for a higher gain antenna).

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Ok, for those not living in Southern Ontario, LookTV are these guys. They offer wireless TV and internet services (not via satellite).

I should also mention that because I live near the Kitchener/Waterloo area availability of DSL/ISDN/Centrex/T1/Dry Loop services is extremely spotty (don't bother verifying it with Bell -- I have and they're lying). I'm not covered because Bell decided it was cheaper to run 15 km of wire to our small town than open up a remote CO. So, if I want high speed internet, the only options left are either wireless, satellite, or do-it-yourself. The only two companies I know of offering wireless internet in my area are LookTV and WorldWithoutWire (WWW). I contacted WWW about 1 1/2 years ago about working out a deal so I could get high speed internet from them, and possibly to distribute it to other people (at a good profit to them, of course). They said that unless I ran a business they won't deal with me. Fine, if that's their attitude, why bother?

Satellite internet was my next destination. After finding Canadian satellite internet far too expensive (over $500 CDN a month for what I use) I chose an American company (nebulink). Obviously, due to idiotic CRTC style laws (please FOAD CRTC -- criminals such as yourselves don't deserve to live in my country) I am required to no longer surf Canadian websites through high speed, which suits me fine. I pay $90 CDN a month for what ExpressVu charges $500 CDN. While unreliable, since SatMex just barely covers my house (and requires a nice 10 ft. dish to receive), its worth it when you save $410 a month.

So, a lot of this came down to LookTV. LookTV looks like a good option. They're local, they provide service to residential areas, and shouldn't have the horrible lag and fade problems satellite internet does have.

Anyways, back to LookTV now you have some background on my situation. I've been trying to get service from them for about 4 or 5 years (or since whenever they opened up). About 2 or 3 years ago they send a guy out in the pouring rain who checks for 5 minutes to see if there's a signal or not with some sort of handheld frequency counter. Of course he finds no signal, so he leaves and I'm still screwed. No problem, except I think it was a little lame that their only testing equipment is a handheld frequency counter.

A few months later I notice they no longer offer internet service. On their website it states "Due to high demand, we can no longer offer wireless high speed internet access". Yes, they said that they have too many customers, so they will have to shut down their internet operations to new people. Wow, now that's whacko, huh? Sortly after that, LookTV announces some major restructuring due to serious financial difficulties. This includes a decision to only service apartment buildings in the future. Weird.

Well, LookTV finally comes around to their senses and realises apartment bulidings are better serviced by cable TV. Lately they have offered service (TV and internet) to Residences again. I figure I'll give them another try.

Ho boy, this might be a mistake.

They have an awesome offer on wireless internet I can't pass up ($19.99 for virtually exactly the same amount of service nebulink offers me). I phone them up and tell them I'd like their internet. The lady tells me their deal on TV. I tell them I don't want TV, I want internet. She tells me I have to get TV with the internet. I figure this must be a package deal, but even at $50 total a month its still worth it. I tell her that's ok. Then she tells me I'm going to have to pay $150 for the TV receiver. I explain to her I won't be using it. I don't want your TV service. Don't give me the TV receiver -- I'll still pay the $50 a month anyways. No dice.

Well, in my head I amortize the new cost of the equipment and installation (about $400 total) and I figure I'll still break even in less than a year. I tell her to go ahead.

Now, here's where it gets even stranger.

She tells me that if there's no signal in my area again that I will have to pay for the installer's time. I explain to her that my neighbour across the street has it, and the antenna is pointing just slightly west of my house, and that behind my house is about 10 km of fields. There's absolutely no way that house can get a signal lock and I can't. Their antenna is about 15 ft. in the air -- I have a tower 40 ft. in the air. She says if he can't get the signal I still have to pay.

Well, at this point I'm a little angry, and I tell her that the new installer should put as much effort into finding the signal as he did for the guy across the street. She notes that house has a signal lock in the repair guys notes field. Ok, so at least they'll put the effort in. Good.

She tells me they'll be there between 12-5 on Saturday to put up the antenna, 12-5 on Sunday to install the TV receiver, and 12-6 on Wednesday to install the wireless network card. Thank God I don't get paid $40 an hour like the installers or I'd be broke when I said yes.

Well, it gets to 4:30 on Saturday. No show. I phone 'em up. Turns out the time entered in the computer is 12-5 on Sunday for the antenna and the TV and Wednesday for the Computer. Well, normally I'd be POed, but since its not going to actually eat into any time I don't have allocated already, why the heck not?

So, tomorrow I'll give you an update as to whether this lame-ass company can measure up to a tiny satellite company in the US.

And I'm still not happy that I can't install the antenna myself. I've done my own BUD (twice), KU (twice), and DSS dishes (five times), some with only about 3 dB above the noise floor, and this is supposed to be so hard they won't let me do it.

Oh well, could be worse I suppose.