CUTTING THE CORD - We installed fiber internet!

Ditch expensive cable now!

Stock Product Photo

Keywords:
fiber, service, internet, installers, equipment

Key Takeaway:
After years of rising prices, forced channel bundles, and frustrating customer service from Comcast / Xfinity, we finally decided we’d had enough.

Category Insights:
INTERNET — This article contains internet related content.

Why we Switched to Fiber

After years of rising prices, forced channel bundles, and frustrating customer service from Comcast / Xfinity, we finally decided we’d had enough. We were paying for channels we never watched, and a large portion of the bill was made up of fees and taxes. Meanwhile, Comcast has been losing customers by the thousands and raising prices on the ones who remain.

When fiber internet finally became available in our neighborhood, we decided to make the switch.

If you have the opportunity to switch to fiber — do it.

November 14 – Finally Ordering Fiber

We had wanted fiber internet for a long time. Surf had installed service throughout much of our town the year before, but they completely skipped all around our subdivision. Then one day, installers showed up and began running the main trunk line down our road.

When they reached the stop sign at the intersection, I called Surf and requested service.

For us, it was a toss-up between 1 Gig and 2 Gig service. In the end, I chose 2 Gig because Surf was offering a lifetime price lock and the price difference was minimal. If Surf ever discontinues that offer, I didn’t want to regret choosing the lower speed. My internal home network already runs at 2.5 Gig speeds, so 2 Gig service made perfect sense.

The goal was simple: replace overpriced, unreliable Comcast Xfinity service as soon as possible.

November 18 & 24 - Neighborhood Distribution Line Work

Shelby Meyer Image: Horizontal boring machine

Shelby Meyer Image: Near miss

Over the next couple of weeks, installers were active all along our road. They worked in our yard on two different days. All underground utilities had been pre-marked. We had flags labeled “BrightSpeed” marking fiber placement areas along with flags for the gas and electric service.

Crews worked in unmarked white trucks throughout the neighborhood. At one point, they nearly hit a buried Nicor gas line in our yard. (see photo above.) This was not the installers’ fault. I was told by a worker that the line had been marked incorrectly by USIC. Thankfully, they were careful and avoided damage. There were no serious issues.

When the digging was complete, the yard was restored properly. You can still see signs of activity and equipment tracks. By spring it should look like the installers were never there.

As of this writing, Surf has completed installation on our road only. The other 30+ homes in the subdivision are still waiting, but I assume Surf will continue expanding at some point.

December 31, Hookup Day & Equipment

Hookup day went smoothly.

Our next-door neighbor has a fiber junction box at the front edge of his property. On installation day, the crew opened that box and ran a line to the side of our house.

Because the ground was frozen, the fiber line was temporarily left above ground until spring burial. There were no issues with the exposed line.

Inside the house, the installer was excellent — knowledgeable, professional, and spoke clear English. I requested that the fiber be routed to the same central location where our old cable modem had been installed. He accommodated that without hesitation.

Surf uses Adtran fiber modems. Adtran is a well-respected networking company in the IT industry, not generic equipment. The modem installed was a 2.5G unit, which fit perfectly with my network setup.

Once connected, my existing Wi-Fi network detected the connection immediately. The installer tested speeds on his handheld device, and I ran my own Speedtest by Ookla on my laptop and from my desktop (see below).

The results were outstanding:
We now have symmetrical download and upload speeds with a 4ms ping time. This is the fastest Internet connection I’ve ever experienced in a home setting.

Stock Product Photo: Adtran 2.5G fiber modem

Actual screenshot: Speed Test by Ookla

Wi-Fi Equipment Choice

Eero Wi-Fi Router

The Eero system provided by Surf is an Amazon product. Amazon is widely known for data collection through products like Alexa, Ring, and Blink. Many IT professionals prefer more control over their networking hardware, and I’m no exception.

My second complaint with the Eero system is that its purposely designed in such a way as to prevent a user to manually select channels (radio frequency). This limitation is mentioned in many Eero reviews. If you live in s a neighborhood where everyone has the Surf + Eero combination, the Eero devices are all on the same channel which is undesirable. This isn't a problem if your in an uncongested area. Every location is different.

Bring your own Wi-Fi Router

A couple of months before the install, I had already upgraded to a GL.iNet Flint 3 Wi-Fi 7 router. Because of that, I declined the Eero equipment Surf was offering.

The Flint 3 paired seamlessly with the new fiber connection. One of the features that I like about this router is that you can configure your VPN software directly on the router. This allows every device on your home network to be protected by the VPN.

Stock Product Photo: GL.iNet Flint 3 WiFi 7 Wireless Router

First Week of Service

During the transition, I ran 24/7 internet monitoring software to log any outage. During the first week, there were several service interruptions. Installers were still working in the area, so it was understandable.

One evening, service was down for about four hours after 9pm. Another day, it was down for roughly an hour. We also had a pair short outages.

After that first week, there have been no recorded issues. The surf system does appear to do a system check automatically or reset every morning somewhere between 3 AM and 4 AM, and typically takes a couple of minutes. This is planned and normal. Its not an issue for most customers.

February 16 – Line Burial

At 7:40am one morning, a contractor arrived to bury the fiber line. I had worked late the night before, so the equipment noise woke me up.

Although they apparently knocked, they did not ring the video doorbell, and I received no notification. I went outside to speak with the worker.

What concerned me most was that the yard had NOT been marked with pink utility flags beforehand. Surf had previously said we would be notified so we could call someone to have that done. There are multiple utilities buried in that same area. Fortunately, nothing was hit, and the yard was left in good condition. The workers pulled up all the marker flags for all the homes on the road.

There were no incident but better communication would have prevented a possible mishap. At this point I'm assuming the installation is complete.

February 20 – Confusion

I looked outside. USIC had showed up and remarked the entire yard and the nextdoor neighbors yard. But why? The fiber installers had completed work and were no longer in the area. The main distribution line is buried and the lines to the homes are buried. There is nothing left. I think someone at USIC is confused.

Pricing: The Real Game Changer

This is where the real difference shows. Our new bill is $95 per month for 2 Gig fiber internet.

Previously, our Comcast Xfinity bill which included internet and TV, had climbed to just over $300. After adjustments, we called and got it down to $270 which was still far too high. A large portion of that total was fees and taxes. Comcast didn't have any local competition and could get away with higher prices.

Surf has changed the game. By switching to Surf, our bill was reduced by $175 per month! We now use part of the savings for streaming services and we'll still come out ahead — with the bonus of twice the internet speed.

Currently, there are no additional fees or hidden taxes on the Surf bill. That may change in the future — this is Illinois, after all — but for now, pricing is straightforward.

Final Thoughts

The switch to fiber has been a smart move.

Aside from minor communication issues and the short service interruptions during the first week when they were still working in the neighborhood, everything has gone well. After two months, the connection remains fast and reliable.

Surf Fiber Rating: 8/10
Points deducted for early outages, utility marking, and lack of notification for the line burial in the yard.

Eero Wireless Rating: 6/10
While the system works, it lacks some basic features that other routers have as standard.

Comcast Xfinity Rating: 4/10
Speed was acceptable, but pricing, reliability, and customer service were disappointing.

If fiber is available in your area, it’s worth serious consideration. For us, cutting the cord has meant lower bills, faster speeds, and fewer headaches.