I give they 5 stars even I can't get service from this company. but Mike's respond to my question really impress me. their service doesn't cover my area with the speed I need because I'm too far away from their C.O. but the most impress me is he didn't stop there like most other company, he recommended me other company that will meet my needs. Thank you, Mike! and wish your business getting better and better! read more

If you value your time, and need a reliable connection, you'll consider this the best ISP on earth for residential DSL. Say goodbye to the burden of dealing with vapid support technicians and impotent customer service personnel. No 45 minute waits on hold. No call center in India. If you have a problem with rawbw, you deal directly with Mike, the owner/operator. No runaround. No escalations. No guessing. No BS. One example: A few years ago I experienced an outage while websurfing at 3 am. Called the support line intending to leave a message, but was shocked to find that it rang through to Mike's cell phone. He was already in his car, on his way to the office to investigate the trouble that caused the outage. (Turned out to be a power failure.) Another example: I had a very difficult to debug, very infrequent intermittent problem with my (self-supplied) DSL modem. Even though he didn't supply my equipment, Mike was familiar with the model, and, over a period of *weeks*, he helped me conduct experiments to narrow down the issue (including shipping me equipment to try out, free of charge). Each interaction with Mike was no more than a quick e-mail exchange or a 5 minute phone call. Is a major ISP gonna provide this kind of experience? No way. Having a static IP standard is cool, too. read more

The guy who runs this service is very helpful and usually answers the phone when I call or gets back to me within 10 mins, great customer service...I'm so happy that I switched. I really hated Comcast's customer service among other things read more

OMG.... Mike is so professional! My internet was a little choppy last week (which didn't bother me much). I didn't bother to give Mike a call as I thought it will go away soon. Surprisingly, Mike gave me a call tonight as he realized I have a little problem with my speed! I never had a service provider that would reach out to the customer and trying to fix the problem! Ten thumbs up!!!!! And Raw Bandwidth is providing much faster speed at Shelter Creek now!!! YEAH! read more

Hands down the best internet service customer service. Mike installed our internet, gave us a break down of how everything worked and helped us every time we had a problem. I've had Comcast and AT&T and have been frustrated with how I can't get someone to respond to breaks in service. When we had an issue with our modem, Mike came over that same day and fixed it. Like the rest of the reviews, I'd highly recommend this company to any of my friends. read more

I tried to sign up with Raw Bandwidth because I was looking for a simple and reliable service, and hoping to stay away from big cable. Mike said my place is pretty far from the CO, so they wouldn't be able to provide a very fast service. I was still interested, but Mike decided to come over to my place to test the service before even signing me up. Unfortunately, aside from the problem of being far from the CO, Mike found that the phone lines within my building were degrading the service further. I live in an old building, and it seems that renovations to the building or the apartment have caused damage to the phone lines, so he could only get about half of the speed that he expected to be able to provide. Mike ended up recommending that I go with cable instead. I think he provided pretty incredible service by coming all the way up to SF and spending a good couple of hours doing everything possible to try and get DSL service working for me. In the end it didn't work out, but next time I move I'll be giving Raw Bandwidth another try. read more

I talked with Mike on the phone and he was detailed in presenting options, and even let me know what his service could offer in my particular area versus others. I appreciated that he didn't just try to make a sale but actually focused on helping me get my desired results. I ended up using a different provider that he suggested for my needs, but I wanted to share my positive experience. read more

We couldn't be happier with our decision to go with Raw Bandwidth. I emailed them to ask about our Internet options, explaining the speeds we had used previously. Mike very quickly replied with a lot of very useful information, including a note that we were probably paying for more speed than we needed. He suggested a lower price plan than we had been considering, noting that it would be easy to ramp up if we chose to later on. I sincerely appreciated his honesty in this regard. He also suggested some fairly priced routers that we could buy online that would likely perform better in our new, bigger space than the one we have. He continued to answer my questions via email in a very timely and helpful manner, and arranged to meet me on our moving day to get set up. Unfortunately, it turned out we didn't have access to the area he needed (due to a locked door). After speaking with our landlord and gaining access, we reached back out to Mike later that evening, and he offered to come back out that night to get us set up. We told him it could wait till the next day or whenever he had time, but he still chose to come out that night. He spent well over an hour that evening getting us all set up, and was incredibly friendly throughout the process. Thus, we had Internet within hours of moving in. It's been working out great so far. I cannot recommend Raw Bandwidth and Mike highly enough. read more

I personally have not been a Raw Bandwidth customer, however I have been in the IT dept. of a small business that has been Raw Bandwidth customer for over four years. Having managed larger telecommunications vendors and providing for larger networks, it's difficult to convey how much satisfying, and how much more productive, it can be working with a small communications provider. I cannot tell you how many times I received highly qualified, fast, and patient support for issues which were clearly not Raw Bandwidth's issue; not only was I not given the brush off when it was clear there was an issue with our third party firewall or VoIP provider, but I received helpful advice about where the issue could be and they even spent additional time helping monitor traffic flow which given Raw Bandwidth's unique perspective was helpful. Over the course of the four years I worked with them, I found them to be the sort of technology vendor I treasure most: the one who will have my back when I need them most. There is a critical review posted here from a non-customer who apparently isn't even in the market for Raw Bandwidth services for that matter. I have no idea what sort of motivation causes someone to post a review of a business for which they clearly have no intention of engaging with (kinda nihilistic if you think about it) but I do feel it should be addressed. Let there be no mistake: Raw Bandwidth is an old school independent ISP provider in the mold that once use to be the norm. While it is rare to see this sort of model in this day of bundled residential (and now even business) services, don't confuse this with the business being fly-by-night. Raw Bandwidth is a real company that provides a high quality of service to real customers. With my manager's hat on in a business context, I do worry about how such a small provider can weather business downturns and the like and those concerns are valid. However, I suspect that one of the reasons that Raw Bandwidth is as small as they are is that Mike simply hasn't tried to over extend his reach into 'new' markets and benefits from a relatively small, but loyal, customer base. When I add it up, the benefits of the highly qualified and personalized service I have received have far outweighed the risks that our business faced by working with a smaller vendor. I don't know how Raw Bandwidth will evolve with changing technologies and the like, but I do know that so long as those straight-forward products that Raw Bandwidth does offer work well enough to get the job done: I cannot more highly recommend this provider and urge you not to dismiss them merely because they don't have an appropriately large marketing budget or that their support line auto-attendant isn't sufficiently labyrinthine for the tastes of some. read more

Mike is freaking AWESOME .... if there was a 10 star rating that's what he would be!! He is a rare breed of human being walking this earth...... How can anyone be so genuine and honest .... all of his reviews are 100% true .... there are no words to describe my encounter with Mike.... I am speechless and humbled by him..... All I can say is I'm not worthy..... read more

Just talked with Mike (was a little surprised that he answered his phone at 9pm, this alone was great), and pretty quickly into the conversation we established that I wouldn't be a candidate for his service. Which makes the next 15 minutes that he spent talking with me even more impressive. He is very knowledgable and gave me a lot of great information as to how I should proceed troubleshooting the issues that I'm having. I only wish that I could give him my business...Thanks Mike! read more

I can't speak of Mike highly enough. Sadly, I cannot utilize RB's services, but Mike gave me the most thorough rundown of what my current ISP is providing me with and what he could offer as an alternative. Even helped me get more out of my current ISP when I was unable to make the switch. Wow! This is the kind of customer service that should be rewarded with riches beyond one's wildest dreams. I wish you guys all the success in the world! read more

Great company, very knowledgeable, and detailed. He wasn't able to provide me the service I needed, but at least now I understand why. If I'm within reach, I'd try Raw Bandwidth surely. read more

Great service and fantastic customer support! Mike in particular is tremendously helpful and extremely knowledgeable.

Verizon? Frontier? Xfinity? Feh! Who needs 'em for stable, robust and fast internet connectivity when RawBandwidth is around? I've been with Rawbandwidth for at least fifteen years, and it's been rock solid throughout, and at a very reasonable price -- exactly what an ISP should be! I started with Rawbandwidth (then Tsoft) in the Bay Area in about 1993 as a DSL customer, and I recall the services therewith being solid and reliable from the beginning until now. Any of the minor issues that I encountered were quickly resolved. (I have yet to encounter a more than minor issue with Rawbw!) I moved away from the area six years ago and while I now connect to local wires, I still use Raw Bandwidth as my ISP (mail and web accounts are there, along with backup storage), and it still has great advantages for this computer nerd.It has a server with shells that allow you to do some nerdy/tricky things with emails. I use it to simply save about 500MB of encrypted back-up data, for a minimal cost. And the main man Mike running the show is quick to return calls or emails with questions, he resolves issues quickly, and as my online needs grow, I'll be sure to stay in the Rawbw family. read more

I could not use raw Bandwidth services because of my house location, but as the afore mentioned reviews stated that mike took his time to explain why and other possible options. Great customer service! read more

Mike just installed EoC service for my company in downtown San Francisco. Mike was incredibly helpful and installed the service FAST. Other ISPs quoted installation times in weeks (5 weeks for AT&T, at least 3 weeks for Sonic) -- but Mike got our service up and running in a matter of days. He's not a "sales guy", he's a tech guy who knows what he's talking about. Highly recommended. read more

I highly recommend Raw Bandwidth for your home internet needs. Here's why: I've been a Raw Bandwidth customer for almost 6 years and have had nothing but a top notch experience. Yes, it's slightly more expensive than your vanilla ATT 16.95/month DSL (though cheaper than ATT when it comes to getting a static IP address...their base package with a static is 64.95/month) -- but I'd rather give my money to Raw Bandwidth than ATT anyway. Tech support, billing, and customer service have all been excellent from the very start. The connection has been nothing but reliable for as long as I've had it. The quality of service has also been excellent -- and you truly do get what you pay for in terms of speed/performance. If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and you want a no-BS, reliable, highly supported internet connection at your home or office, there's no alternative to Raw Bandwidth. read more

I cannot begin to start to begin expressing how much I appreciate Mike and the service he provides. I had Raw band for a little while and I thought I could upgrade with Sonic internet service. They sent their tec out here and within four hours he came back to me and said I no longer have connection with my phone line and I need a cable internet from now on. Meaning say that he broke my internet line thru the phone. So i embarrassingly called Mike and asked if he could bail me out of my stupidity. Within one hour from me calling, he not only had my internet back up but had question how Sonic had the wire set up. Any other Internet service provider would never provide this type of close quick response service like Mike provides. I am never leaving Raw Band Internet long as Raw band is around. Thank you Mike. read more

These guys rock. We use their hosting services and bandwidth at work, and they provide me with DSL at the same prices as AT&T, but I get static IP's and much better service with a full unix account and 24x7 live support. read more

Gave a call since I hate, loathe Comcast. Given where I live I can't get any other carrier for Internet aside from Comcast. They just suck. The service is horrible and I spend $100.00 mth just on Internet!! They have me by the balls. Called this guy, he got back to me quickly-on a Sunday. Unfortunately he wasn't able to help not cause of him but because of the connection. He led me to att. I called but their speed is just too little. I'm stuck and hate it. read more

I've been a customer of Raw-bandwidth back before it was Raw-bandwidth (AbleCom) in the early nineties. I've had Dialup, LDCN, DSL and ADSL all super fast. Mike is great, he will help diagnose your network for you and offer suggestions. I recommended RB to a company I worked for (Tellx) and Mike setup dual a ADSL setup and even got us a second hand cheap Cisco router. I had to move away from DSL (kids you know) but I still host all my Websites at Raw-bandwidth. If you like the personal touch and great customer service go with RB and Mike. read more

For last 5 years AT&T staff was coming to our house on the regular bases, almost a weekly routine. Internet connection was terrible, continues service interruptions, no speed at all. I think we did hear about all possible explanation why it is not working. Finally we get to the point. We did find out on Yelp about the Raw Bandwidth and decided to switch. Mike was very professional and price was lower then with At&T. So far the connections and speed are great. No problem at all. This was a great move for us. read more

The quality and amount of customer service (without even being a customer!) that I received from Mike via his emails was impressive. I unfortunately have a special situation and will likely have to wait to be able to get his services, but I'd do that with eyes closed if I could. Thanks, Mike, I am still dealing with my awful phone company, and will definitely contact you back if I ever get this to improve! read more

my choices for home internet service was San Bruno cable or AT&T. according to reviews, this was bad new. saw reviews on raw bandwidth & felt it was a no brainer & mike proved them right! from start to finish, he was a pleasure to work with. he's a man of his word & I would recommend him to anyone looking for home Internet service should he service your area. thanks mike! take care! read more

We chose Raw Bandwidth based on its excellent reviews, and we were quite pleased with the service. Mike is nice and helpful. We kept Raw Bandwidth when we moved to a new apartment, and Mike went above and beyond to get our internet set up. read more

This was the most clear and well informed person I talked to about getting internet service in a challenging location. Even though he established quickly that his service would not work for me, he then went on the break down all the pros and cons and negotiation tactics to get the best service possible from Comcast. I had just gotten off the phone with a Comcast sales rep who had seemed super helpful, but had certainly not mentioned all the possibilities. If I have to do this again, I will call Raw Bandwidth first. read more

I have not signed up with raw bandwidth because I am giving my current provider one more chance. But if my provider messes up, I am going with raw bandwidth. Why ? Because in the course of one day, Mike answered all my concerns in a very timely manner. This was customer service at its finest. read more

Mike is a rare find. Devotes his time to quality service. A true find.

similar experience to others- mike is super nice, smart, helpful and honest, but his company only services a very small amount of homes, and mine isn't one of them. if you're one of the lucky ones, i'd absolutely give them a try. read more

Unbelievable customer service. The guy is at your doorstep within an hour if need be. He installed my DSL and even asked me to try it out first before I pay. I have never heard of anything like that before. Also, I am much more satisfied with this service than ATT. ATT was absolutely horrible compared to this. If I had anything negative to say it would be that I cannot get faster speed. But that is not Raw Bandwidth's fault. The area I live doesn't have the capability yet. But Mike is even dealing with that to get it up to speed. Unbelievable. I really appreciate this internet company and wish I knew about them a long time ago. read more

I have to agree with the other positive reviews--even though Raw Bandwidth has service limitations for where we live and what we need-Mike who we emailed very patiently and plainly explained other options for us. Good for even those of us who aren't real swift on tech stuff. Hope they get real big and keep up the great customer service! read more

Mike is a very nice and knowledgable guy. I wasn't able to get service through them because they don't service my area, but I would definitely recommend giving them a call. read more

Raw Bandwidth is the best Internet Service Provider EVAH! It's a very small, honest company with fast, reliable service. And it's much less expensive than comparable business-class services from big-name DSL companies. No throttling. No call center hell. Personal service! It's amazing!!! read more

Been with Raw Bandwidth for 10 years now: I get the speed I'm promised all the time and I've had almost no downtime. I've also had stellar service: on more than one occasion I was able to get routing tables updated within minutes to work around bad peering situations. read more

Mike gives fantastic customer service. He helped me understand the options available to me, even when he knew his business couldn't serve me. He still helped me. You don't find a general willingness to help and customer service like this anymore. If I could give him 10 stars, I would. read more

I found Raw Bandwidth by doing a search on yelp for best internet providers in Foster City. I am sick and tired of Comcast and was trying to find ANYBODY other than Comcast and AT&T that would cover a single family home in my neighborhood. Raw Bandwidth came up in the search results and I saw it had great reviews so I gave them a call. I got a voice mailbox, so I left a message. Less than 10 minutes later I got a call back from Mike. Sadly, after entering in my address, he informed me that although he could get service to me, the service at my house would be extremely slow and not worth it. He explained in detail why this was, and then stayed on the phone with me for about 15 minutes while I asked him a slough of other questions about the minimum speed I need for the types of activities and number of people in my house, the problems I've been having with Comcast, how I might fix them with getting my own modem and router and the best models and technologies to look for, and he even gave me a good tip to keep my box/receipt for the modem because apparently evil "Comcrap" will sometimes conveniently "forget" that you sent back their modem and bought your own and will start charging you again and even demand you give it to them when you try to cancel/move! Anyway, grudgingly, I will not be using Raw Bandwidth - staying with Comcast for now. But Mike was a wealth of information and extremely patient while listening to and answering all of my questions. I highly recommend Raw Bandwidth for their customer service alone, and I'm assuming their product is pretty darn good too, though I sadly won't get a chance to find out. read more