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Thread: Looking for a New Host Part 2
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10-09-2009, 12:20 AM #1Junior Guru Wannabe
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Looking for a New Host Part 2
Hi All,
I seemed to have lost my audience from the the thread I started last night as I picked it back up today. So, I am starting this one. We made much progress yesterday but I have a couple more questions...I have it narrowed down!
Was just about set on Liquidweb. Almost all good reviews & support has been great. This co. offers most everything that I need, such as great phone support, cPanel, shared plan that is not oversold so it will handle my site & more. But...you don't get much BW & space for the buck, not that I am looking for the cheapest.
And, the only other company that I have researched that seems to fit most of my needs is Downtownhost. I was under the impression that the company was based in Argentina & I want a US based company. (McAfee indicated that the url is based there). Anyway, I was resistant to checking them out but now that I have, albeit not thoroughly yet, they seem to offer everything I need at a better price than Liquidweb. Actually, they seems to offer more bang for the buck.
I would very much appreciate opinions here, especially of Downtownhost.
Thanks!
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10-09-2009, 12:33 AM #2Web Hosting Master
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I currently use Downtownhost and am very happy with them. The service is fast and support is quick, efficient and very helpful. If you would like to see my site to get a feel for load time, click here. The one thing I am not too happy with is uptime. Here is my Pingdom report from 9/9/2009 to 10/9/2009 - click here.
DaveLast edited by db09; 10-09-2009 at 12:43 AM.
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10-09-2009, 12:33 AM #3Disabled
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There are a number of positive reviews just here on WHT. I believe doing a search here should help you make up your mind. I haven't really seen any negative reviews about DTH. The reviews that get posted here on WHT are credible since they get verified by the mods to make sure they're legitimate.
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10-09-2009, 12:41 AM #4Grand Nagus
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Alan,
What's more important to you?
Phone support with Apache -or- excellent ticket based support with Litespeed.What's your budget?
Seriously, what's your budget?
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10-09-2009, 12:41 AM #5Web Hosting Master
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DTH is very good, I don't think you will have any problems with them, and they do have servers in the US as far as I know.
█ ITSJUSTHOSTING.com - Managed Hosting Solutions.
█ Fully managed Business web hosting, cPanel VPS, Hybrid and Dedicated Servers!
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10-09-2009, 12:41 AM #6Junior Guru Wannabe
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I was just on the phone with a level 1 tech from DTH named Dave....hmmm ;-)
Thanks Guys....I am soaking in the info. The only thing is that the tech isn't sure where the servers are. He submitted a ticket with a list of questions that I had. We'll see how long it takes for a reply.
Dave-Do you know how many domains they host? The tech I spoke with seems to think its only around 2k. Kinds small if that is the case.
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10-09-2009, 12:44 AM #7Junior Guru Wannabe
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RossMAN,
Good phone support with Apache. I hate not having good phone support. I cannot deal with strictly a ticketing system. Just not my thing.
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10-09-2009, 12:45 AM #8Grand Nagus
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Unless I missed it, you didn't specify a budget in your original thread?
What's your budget?
Seriously, what's your budget?
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10-09-2009, 12:48 AM #9Junior Guru Wannabe
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Dave,
Your site in lightening fast! Wow...
How many gigs of BW do you use per month? If you don't mind.
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10-09-2009, 12:51 AM #10Web Hosting Master
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I think they have servers in several locations. According to their website Denver is one location. The server I am on is in Chicago.
I'm not sure how many total domains they host, I would imagine it is more than 2k, though.
Not a whole heck of a lot since it's kind of a niche site for a small group of fans and the Wordpress install is tidy and wp-supercached... There is a 400+ MB WMV file on there so it also depends on how often that gets hit. Last month was just about 2 GB.Last edited by db09; 10-09-2009 at 12:57 AM.
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10-09-2009, 12:52 AM #11Junior Guru Wannabe
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RossMAN,
You are probably correct. That would be too easy :-)
For now 10-20/month. Didn't want to have to go with VPS just yet & drop 50/month, shouldn't have to...so I think.
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10-09-2009, 12:53 AM #12Grand Nagus
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I don't know much bandwidth Dave's site uses but I found something a little interesting
In case you're curious his site is hosted by HawkHost.com, yep a web host you were considering.
Dave lists 3 top notch high quality post here. It's a shame you insist on phone support because PE might be perfect for you. Search for some reviewsWhat's your budget?
Seriously, what's your budget?
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10-09-2009, 12:55 AM #13Junior Guru Wannabe
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Ok..so it seems as though Jedito, a user here, is from Argentina, & he is somehow affiliated with DTH. Don't get me wrong here, nothing against S. America, my wife is from there too, I just like to keep business in the US. So, can anyone explain to me the connection?
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10-09-2009, 12:58 AM #14Junior Guru Wannabe
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I don't know much bandwidth Dave's site uses but I found something a little interesting
In case you're curious his site is hosted by HawkHost.com, yep a web host you were considering.
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10-09-2009, 01:00 AM #15Web Hosting Master
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The link I posted earlier in this thread, fullmoonreviews.com, is at DTH. The one in my sig, ohnine.org, is at HawkHost (and also lightning fast, may I add ). Sorry for the confusion
Dave
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10-09-2009, 01:57 AM #16Grand Nagus
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Dave already clarified this but you were referring to the site in his sig which is indeed hosted with HawkHost.com
Why is phone support so important to you? My connection to web hosting is it's an (expensive) hobby for me, I do not run a big web hosting company. From an end user perspective I can see the benefits to all 3 types of support; phone, ticket/e-mail and live chat. In my 7 years of web hosting experience, I prefer the first two. Ticket based support is the best IMHO.
If not having phone support is a deal breaker for you, I would sign up with LiquidWeb. When I had a VPS with them, it was great calling in at 3PM or 3AM and having all my questions answered. The phone conversations would last 5 minutes or 50 minutes, depending on the complexity of the support issue, what needed to be downloaded, etc. My web sites always loaded quickly and uptime was great.What's your budget?
Seriously, what's your budget?
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10-09-2009, 02:16 AM #17Web Hosting Master
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Yep we're not a big fan of the phone support. Sure 2 second question fine but if it's a complicated issue ticket is better. We'd prefer everything through ticket but some people insist on someone being there to call.
I see phone support a something that cannot be well tracked. You make a ticket someone helps you there is a record outlining everything that was done. It has communication of both parties and any private notes on the matter. The same can be said about the live chat. Phone support on the other hand that's not the case. A technician could record notes on the phone conversation but that does not seem very practical and it could be missing a lot. If you're recording all the conversations then someone will need to go and listen to the entire conversation to know what's going on if there is ever follow up.
This doesn't even cover the whole dilemma of how to properly communicate things. Someone calling to say there site has a PHP syntax error on line x. So technician is going to look into that and put the person on hold I guess?
It's probably a big reason why not just us but many providers ask for ticket numbers upon a phone call. Phone is simply a nightmare to track.█ Tony B. - Chief Executive Officer
█ Hawk Host Inc. Proudly serving websites since 2004
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█ PHP 5.2.x - PHP 8.1.X Support!
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10-09-2009, 02:40 AM #18Web Hosting Master
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The one thing I am not too happy with is uptime█ Shared Web Hosting - Reseller Hosting - Semi-Dedicated Servers - SolusVM/XEN VPS
█ LiteSpeed Powered - R1Soft Continuous Data Protection - 24/7 Chat/Email/Helpdesk Support
█ Cpanel/WHM - Softaculous - R1soft Backup - Litespeed - Cloudlinux -Site Builder- SSH support - Account Migration
█ DowntownHost LLC - In Business since 2001- West/Center/East USA - Netherlands - Singapore
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10-09-2009, 02:45 AM #19Web Hosting Master
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I am also curious as to why phone support is such a draw. I can see the appeal of it being nice to have a live voice to talk to but with web hosting and the speed a quality host can respond to tickets, it simply isn't necessary.
If you choose a quality provider like DTH, Hawkhost, Precision Effect or any of the other top notch hosts out there, you will have a response to your question almost as quickly as if you were to pick up the phone, wait your turn on line, ask your question and get a resolution.
For example, I have attached an actual ticket from Precision Effect to this post. Problem explained, identified and solved in 11 minutes. Fixed for me instead of trying to explain to me how to do it over the phone. That is what a quality host does for you.
The only time I could see where phone support would come in handy is if your site is down for an extended period of time. One, the likelihood of that happening with a good host is slim and two, you will likely have an explanation waiting for you in your inbox or on the company's forums minutes after it happens and progress updates while it is fixed.
I understand the convenience factor of phone support but tickets are just as fast and more efficient for all involved parties.
Dave
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10-09-2009, 02:49 AM #20Web Hosting Master
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█ Shared Web Hosting - Reseller Hosting - Semi-Dedicated Servers - SolusVM/XEN VPS
█ LiteSpeed Powered - R1Soft Continuous Data Protection - 24/7 Chat/Email/Helpdesk Support
█ Cpanel/WHM - Softaculous - R1soft Backup - Litespeed - Cloudlinux -Site Builder- SSH support - Account Migration
█ DowntownHost LLC - In Business since 2001- West/Center/East USA - Netherlands - Singapore
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10-09-2009, 03:21 AM #21Web Hosting Master
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My first hand experience with DTH is excellent.
The server DTH has me on is located in the USA at SoftLayer Technologies.
Your hosting requirements may differ from mine. But for my needs of a blog, a CMS site, and sometimes, somewhat, server intensive development work for brief periods, DTH has worked very well over other web hosting companies I have used in the past. I have been with DownTownHost close to two years using their Bronze shared web hosting package .
I submitted two official support tickets with DTH. The first was answered and fixed in around 15 min. The second (months later) was in relation to the first problem and took around 30 min to respond and resolve. DTH also has a forum which I asked one question was given an answer in a prompt time.
The main thing I like about DowntownHost is they care about their clients. The way DTH has treated me, I feel am a person, and not just number with a hosting account.
DownTownHost has exceeded my expectations of being a quality web host. Jedito and DTH staff keep up the great service.
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10-09-2009, 03:53 AM #22Junior Guru Wannabe
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Wow, great posts everyone. So, I just joined & then canceled with Liquidweb. There cpanel is a custom control panel & limits my ability to perform certain tasks. Very disappointing. The staff there had many opportunities to tell me that there control panel was custom as I expressed the importance of a cPanel for my needs. I am accustomed to it which will enable me to work fast without support.
In regards to phones, I have tried a host before w/o phone support & it was a nightmare. I spent 30 hours going back & forth via support ticket never actually getting my questions answered. I appreciate the challenge tracking phone support...thanks for the input Tony. Also, thank you Jorge for the explanation.
I may be changing my tune here a bit as I simply will not find what I need otherwise. If I can find a company that offers a traditional cpanel with Wordpress install using Simple Scripts or similar, that offers me the ability to do what I am accustomed, then I shouldn't need to have a two way phone conversation asking a million questions, so it would seem. So it looks like all the companies that don't like to talk on the phone :-) are back in the running. Ahhhhh! So, if I am not mistaken, Hawkhost,Downtownhost, Knownhost, Medialayer & Precision Effect. Hmmmm...back to the drawing board to see who offers what I need & for what price.
So, I am going to go to bed & cry myself to sleep now. This is exhausting. Thanks everyone!
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10-09-2009, 10:01 AM #23Grand Nagus
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What exactly is custom about their control panel? Is it possible they're using a cPanel skin that you're not familiar with? Or were you referring to their PIMS support? What tasks did their custom cPanel prevent you from doing?
Great list you have there. Just in case you weren't aware, MediaLayer and PrecisionEffect use a different control panel called DirectAdmin and not cPanel. Before you post a "cPanel vs DirectAdmin" thread, please search as it has been discussed 1000000 times already. DirectAdmin is better BTW, maybe not as user friendly or pretty as cPanel is though.What's your budget?
Seriously, what's your budget?
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10-09-2009, 12:43 PM #24Junior Guru Wannabe
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RossMAN,
Thanks...
Well, it was a dumbed down version of a cpanel that they use for shared hosting that wouldn't allow me to play with parked & redirected domains, MX records & I just thought it was a cheap version of a cpanel. Didn't like it, especially for the money that they charge. I also did not have the use of a temp url in which to install Wordpress, which is mandatory. Hard to explain but would have had to take extra steps & still not sure it would have done what I needed. And...the 1st time I tried installing WP, it didn't load properly, many errors with Fantastico.
I noticed Directadmin panel...briefly tested the demo & liked it a lot. Wasn't a cheesy, cheap custom panel as I experienced with LQ :-) I NEED TO MAKE A DECISION. Back to the reviewing. Any thoughts are always welcomed. You all have been very helpful so far. What I have noticed in this forum though is that folks who own small host co. are some of the ones posting here so not sure how objective some of the opinions are going to be
I don't want too small of a company either. We have a site that is growing quickly & we need a RELIABLE host. This is of the utmost importance. Dave mentioned earlier in the thread that he wasn't happy with DTH's uptime.
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10-09-2009, 12:47 PM #25Web Hosting Master
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After going through reading (and posting) in this thread, out of the hosts I suggested I am confident, out of those choices, that Precision Effect would be the best bet for you.
I have used a lot of hosts in my day and in my opinion, they are, by far, the most professional, efficient and reliable company you will come across.
Dave
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