Dot5 Hosting is a full-service, discount web host that has really stepped up with what they offer: free domain name, marketing features, now host 6 domains on one account, and an award-winning vDeck control panel.
Their servers are located in California and linked to the internet using fiber optics that span over seven well-known providers like Time Warner, Congent, and Sonet. Dot5 Hosting has quickly risen from relative obscurity to a top player, hosting over 20,000 domains at the iPowerweb datacenter (with whom they are a "Power Partner"). They also now offer an unprecedented 90-day money-back guarantee.
SPECIAL OFFER: Get your hosting package for $3.95/mo*, but you must enter the coupon code save20 during the order process to receive this 20% savings. All others pay regular price.
Hosting Ratings:
9/ 10
Price Value
9/ 10
Performance
9 / 10
Reliability
9/ 10
Customer Support
9 / 10
Control Panel
9/ 10
User Feedback
Overall Grade: 88%
Editors' Pick 2006:
Dot5 Hosting continues to find new ways to add value for their customers, and with good support, packages and pricing, they have earned the 2006 Editors' Pick award from Hosting-Review.com.
Price Value
For starters, Dot5 Hosting gives you hosting for up to 6 domains on one account for only $3.95 per month* when you enter coupon code save20 during the order process. With 300 GB space and 3000 GB monthly transfer between them, it's great value, even if you don't need to host additional domains. This package gives you all the features required to host your personal website or small business site and gives the flexibility and room you need to expand at no additional cost.
This hosting plan includes a fully-equipped Marketing Centre, a Web Site Creator, as many Shopping Carts as you need, a Search Engine Submitter, Search Engine Submitter Reports, a Keyword and Meta-Tag Generator, a Website Link Checker, and $50 Overture credit. You'll get CGI-BIN, MySQL, and Perl and PHP support.
Your package also comes with server side includes, FrontPage 2000/2002 extensions, Website Statistics, a guestbook, bulletin board, chat rooms, and a blogger.
Reliability
Dot5 Hosting backs up their 99.9% uptime guarantee with full hardware support and advanced server monitoring, 24/7 system reboots and real-time reporting. You get total backup software included as well. The all-inclusive Dot5 Hosting plan now comes with a full 90-day money back guarantee. They obviously plan to deliver for their customers because 90 days is almost unheard of in the hosting industry.
Dot5 Hosting uses Dell and IBM servers with Dual Intel Xeon processors, 2GB of DDR-RAM, fast SCSI hard drives with RAID-1 redundancy. Dot5 Hosting gives you access to 7.2 Gigs network capacity on a redundant and diverse AT&T Local Services ring.
IDC connects to multiple AT&T IP backbone nodes using dual access routers with dual OC-48/OC-192 connections. ATM, Frame Relay, private line, IP and local-switched and circuit-switched services are your options for back-end connectivity and network services. AT&T and other local service providers handle local access.
Their security systems include a high power UPS generator for electrical backup, 24/7 closed circuit monitoring, and redundant air-conditioning systems
Control Panel
Dot5 Hosting uses the popular vDeck control panel, a state of the art, leading edge, hosting management solution that has received global acclaim for the ease with which it facilitates virtual eBusiness management. It's a versatile, intuitive, icon-based interface with Help info embedded in, along with more detailed Tutorials on each function available directly from the function's main window. It shows you progress bars on how much of your disk space and bandwidth quotas you're currently using.
The vDeck Host Manager makes uploading web pages and files, and performing backups a breeze. A Database Manager with password protection is included. Over 150 templates help you build each web page to fit your (and your visitors') tastes. VDeck's shopping cart allows you to accept all kinds of credit cards and alternative payment methods and its email center gives you unlimited email addresses and access to your inbox from anywhere on the web.
Customer Support
Dot5 Hosting runs a thorough Support Centre equipped with Troubleshooting Tours, Tutorials, a searchable FAQ Knowledgebase, a trackable email query ticket system, an announcement board, and live web chat. They keep a sufficient ratio of support staff to customers on-duty at all times and they are available 24/7.
Hosting Plans
Linux/Unix Hosting Plans Professional Hosting Plan: 300 GB disk space, 3000 GB bandwidth @ $3.95/month* You must enter coupon code save20 during the order process (host up to 6 domains)
Price Value
StartLogic's budget package has one of the lowest prices around for the value. For $4.95 you get 300 GB disk space and 3000 GB bandwidth for not 1 but 10 domains. Free bonuses like $50 Google AdWords credit and $50 Yahoo! Search Marketing credit pump up the value even more.
This basic package (and all subsequent packages) come feature-packed. You'll get unlimited email accounts, a choice of secure shopping carts (including PayPal's), Frontpage extensions, browser-based email and a web hosting control panel, plus log files, site stats, and MySQL, PHP, PerlScripts and CGI-BIN support.
Your account comes with free multimedia features included, like real audio and video, streaming audio, Macromedia Shockwave, MIDI File Support and MIME types. You'll get a complete FTP manager with backup and password protection, a website builder loaded with templates, plus a publisher and a logo and slogan editor. You'll get unlimited POP3 emails, forwards and autoresponders.
The promotional tools that come with StartLogic's hosting packages are among its greatest features. Get a 500+ page marketing manual, a search engine positioner and submitter, Meta Tags and Keywords Generators, a Link Checker, and $50 matching credit for advertising. In a way, it seems like StartLogic gives you everything but the computer.
Reliability
StartLogic has a no-questions-asked 30 day money back guarantee and stands behind a solid 99.9% uptime guarantee all the time. Their Los Angeles-based datacenter is a custom-designed facility that uses redundant optical fiber connections and multiple internet backbone providers.
Careful attention was paid to environmental controls, with HVAC temperature control systems, raised floors, redundant power, UPS backup and power conditioning systems and generators. They use state of the art video surveillance, motion sensors, biometric access controls, security breach alarms, and smoke detection and fire suppression methods.
Control Panel
Users will enjoy StartLogic's easy to use VDECK 2.0 control panel that, with large icon-based buttons, gives you versatility and control over all aspects of your account, from administrative to creative. All from its one crisp, clean, and powerful interface you can build, publish, and market your websites, set up shopping carts, install scripts, and manage your email account. Help information on all VDECK features are accessible directly from the control panel itself.
Customer Support
StartLogic has live web chat support, which is our hands-down favorite way to get help. Choose from 24/7 x 365 award-winning live chat, toll-free telephone, and email tech support. They run a comprehensive Support Center with a troubleshooting tour, an email query ticket system, a Getting Started guide, a Community Forum, an Announcement Board, and a categorized and searchable Knowledgebase/FAQ. They also run a convenient Additional Services page from where you can change your account domain name, add sub domain names, order SSL certificates, add disk space, databases and/or bandwidth, park domains and otherwise manage your account.
Hosting Plans
Linux/UNIX Hosting Plans
Prologic: 300 GB disk space, 3000 GB bandwidth @ $4.95/month (up to 10 domains) Virtual Server: 20000 MB disk space, 1 TB bandwidth @ $29.95/month (multi-domain hosting) Dedicated Server: 40000 MB disk space, 500 GB bandwidth @ $99.00/month
Windows Hosting Plan Windows Hosting: 2000 MB disk space, 60 GB bandwidth, ASP, .net CGI-BIN Support, ACCESS database @ $8.95/month