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FAQs
 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Are ISPs your only customers?
What speeds are your connections?
How do you measure our bandwidth?
Do you use BGP4?
Where can I test your network?
How long are your contracts?
Why arent there any setup fees?
Why do prices vary so much between providers like you?
Do you charge for both inbound AND outbound traffic to my server(s)?
Do you only take other ISPs as customers? (top)
Abolutely NOT! Our services, network and flexability attract many other WebHosting companies and ISPs however our pricing makes our services affordable to those with single server needs as well. The only market that we are not competitive in is Virtual Hosting - there are many other WebHosts on our network that we would refer you to if your needs required a virtual hosting solution.
What speeds are your connections? (top)
We utilize several OCx circuits (155-622 megabits/sec) and a Gigabit Ethernet from several different Tier1 providers such as Williams, Time Warner Telecom, Time Warner Cable/Roadrunner, ATDN and XO. This is referred to as Multi-Homed and prevents any single point of failure. We would have to experience several provider failures before it would affect our connectivity to the Internet - this is the primary reason we have a 99.999% uptime to the outside world.
Internally we utilize all Cisco Routing equipment configured with 2 core routers in a "hot" configuration - meaning if one core router fails, the other picks up traffic immediately with no operator intervention.
How do you measure our bandwidth? (top)
Bandwidth for your server is measured at the switch directly. You will have a web address to visit that shows you your current, weekly, and monthly usage that is updated once every 5 minutes.
Do you use BGP4? (top)
ALL ISP's utilize BGP4 at some point in their network. BGP4 is a non-intelligent method of obtaining routes between different providers. Unfortunately, BGP is just that - unintelligent - as it never probes for packet loss, latency or congested connections across the internet. We go one step further by deploying smart routing alternatives such as PathControl by Routescience. PathControl actively probes through each of our uplink providers' networks and adjusts routing according to REAL-TIME conditions to ensure the least amount of packet loss, congestion and distance between your server and the internet. This type of technology is expensive and in many cases cost-prohibitive to smaller ISP's therefore we are proud to be one of the few ISP's utilizing PathControl.
Where can I test your network? (top)
You may visit our utilities page here. From that page you may do traceroutes outbound from our network to any other network. Likewise, if you are tracing inbound to our network please use the hostname rpm.completeweb.net as a target address.
How long are your contracts? (top)
For the most part, we do not utilize contracts. Most companies requiring contractual agreements are only doing so to prevent customers from leaving for another hosting company due to a known track record of poor support or network performance. For a special installation, special equipment, or higher bandwidth uses, we may require a contract and credit check, and require minimum guarantees.
Why arent there any setup fees? (top)
In some cases we will charge setup fees. These instances are generally due to a very custom hardware or software setup.
Why do prices vary so much between providers like you? You seem high priced. (top)
Are we? This is perhaps the single most frequently asked question. In the hosting business you will find pricing from $0.30/gig to overpriced per megabit billings. Unfortunately there are a lot of providers selling their services on the 'smoke and mirrors' theory. For example, WebHost-A wants to sell you bandwidth at $0.30/gig of transfer - but where is that gig of transfer being generated from? It cant possibly be figured accurately from the switching devices - nobody can figure gigabytes of transfer based upon a line speed graph that continually varies! This is roughly the equivalent of trying to figure how long it will take you to travel in your car from point-A to point-B and you are varying your speed from 35mph to 75mph! Ok then.. maybe its being figured from the webserver logs? Please...
So where does it get figured from? You guessed it.. they have no clue, and neither do you - you will never get an honest measurement. Why? Its very simple. Many hosting companies like to sell blocks of bandwidth to you that you will never use - and if you do use your allocated bandwidth, you will be quickly dropped as a customer regardless of the plan you have chosen. This is called 'blocked over-selling'. We however believe in the only true fair method of billing, which is to figure your outbound bandwidth in megabits/sec(mbps) right from the switching devices where your server(s) is/are connected using a software program called MRTG (multi router traffic grapher) which is accepted and adopted by most all Tier-1 and backbone providers across the internet. You will have a web address to visit that shows you your current, weekly, and monthly usage that is updated once every 5 minutes.
Do you charge for both inbound AND outbound traffic to my server(s)? (top)
No. You are charged for only the highest of outbound or inbound traffic only, not both added together!
Some providers will add both together, sometimes doubling your actual billed usage, making their dirt cheap "deal" price not as much of a deal.
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