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How Do You Get Your Internet?


Digger

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Living out in the bush we’ve been behind the towns and suburbs in service delivery for years. Recently we connected to the much spoken about National Broadband Network, a government initiative that was meant to bring high speed internet to most of the population, a big call in such a vast empty country.

 

Most of the connections have been "fibre to the node” leaving responsibility for the cable from the gate to the house to the householder. In my case we have fixed wireless towers broadcasting directly to a small antenna on our roof. We are approximately 400 metres from the tower and can see the antenna directly so our performance is expected to be as good as it gets.That is 50 Mbps down, 20 up and we have a the top plan as far as speed goes. Those connected by cable can have 100 Mbps down.

 

We pay $70 a month for this plan but then have a hell of a lot of things that require wi-fi and bluetooth so need a capable plan.

 

For us the NBN is disappointing to say the least! Often it runs so slow that it stops! Occasionally we get speeds that are within 60% of the maximum, other times we get a 20% or less. The interesting thing is that if I cycle the router, the speeds come right up again?? I suspect the router and have done tests with my ISP but guess what, you could wait all day to get through to service these days and their guaranteed 48 hour call back just doesn’t happen. My ISP used to be fantastic and so I wonder if all the problems the NBN has brought them is overwhelming their systems?

 

I’m going to have to write to them and suggest that I pay for what I’m getting, not some unrealistic figure my plan suggests...might get a reaction? I’m darn sure I’m not going to sit on the phone for hours waiting to talk to a tech!

 

So how do you get your internet and how important is it to your household. Do you get what you pay for, and how are they when you have a problem?

 

How would you go if it suddenly wasn’t available for a couple of months?

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My uk ISP was recomemded by Which? magazine. Its an independent consumer advice co.

 

They recently replaced my router when I complained that my signal was weak. It has not improved it much but it will cost money to take the next step(s).

 

To me customer service is important. I will pay a bit more if I can rely on that.

 

Can I do without it? Yes. On holidays I have abandoned internet for up to a month at a time. The same goes for the mobile (cell) phone.

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I have this wire that comes through the wall on the side of my house. It plugs into a little box. That little box plugs into another box with a plastic pole on it. That box plugs into the computer upstairs here. The computer downstairs is immaculate and seems to work on its own. Every month I get a huge bill from some cable TV company saying I owe them for my internet (?), huh. I miss pie pans for TVs antennas! :wacko:

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Guest Farnsbarns

FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) with a copper link from the cabinet to my home consisting of a single twisted pair. The cabinet is so close that including the run to the pole, up the pole and across into my property, to the socket is 19 metres. I get 80mbps permanently, always, never slows down, ever, and I'm fairly rural) Costs £35 per month, including line rental and evening and weekend calls.

 

I also get a fantastic router from EE (genuinely much better than any other free router from any ISP) it's 802.11 A/C 1300 with dual band, beam forming via a three way array, working USB port in host mode for running printers, hard drives etc (I have a 2TB hard drive on the network) and EE allow you to use any router you like (your username and password is available rather than being secret and hard coded I to the router, which is what most UK ISPs do, and the router can easily be used on other ISPs, as long as they, in turn, give you a username and password).

 

EE fibre is definitely the best consumer broadband in the country. Not saying much but there it is.

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Fiber optic cable right to the box in the basement and copper to the router, every gadget owned by my brood of gamer girls is then connected to the wifi. Laptop tells me I'm getting 433.3 Mbps at the moment nothing ever lags or buffers, but it ain't cheap in the Great White North. Since the girls all stream everything now, I did get to cancel the cable package. I could live without it as longs as I have my guitars. The girls......not so much.

 

 

Johnny

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I'm stuck with satellite because I live in the middle of nowhere. It used to be terrible, testing at 1.4 mb/s on average. They launched a new satellite and now I'm testing at around 40 mb/s. Streaming is still an issue due to the latency of the satellite signal. I don't even have cellular data up here.

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I'm stuck with satellite because I live in the middle of nowhere. It used to be terrible, testing at 1.4 mb/s on average. They launched a new satellite and now I'm testing at around 40 mb/s. Streaming is still an issue due to the latency of the satellite signal. I don't even have cellular data up here.

 

One man's middle of nowhere...

 

rct

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We used to have cable, but they changed it to wireless. We have boxes next to the TV's that are hooked to them and plugged in the outlets. We plug the computer into any outlet and they run off Airport. The cable system worked all the time but this new service is frustrating as computer & TV service just goes out sometimes and we're without both. Go get them back on it takes unplugging the box from the TV and outlet and letting it sit several minutes. Then hooking it back up and try it. Sometimes it takes several times doing that to get both back on. There's a monthly bill also.

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Its still worth it!

 

Oh man is it. We're planning a September 18 trip, Badlands, Glacier, Yellowstone. Farthest south we'll get is Denver, but we talked about returning to your place. That corner is one of my favorite places in this country, looking down the Plateau at 2am with a decent drink and a good cigar is what I hope the next life is. Forever.

 

We'll get there first trip in retirement, we have decided. Need to go to both sides of the Grand Canyon too, it has been too long. So many parks, so little time.

 

rct

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My uk ISP was recomemded by Which? magazine. Its an independent consumer advice co.

 

They recently replaced my router when I complained that my signal was weak. It has not improved it much but it will cost money to take the next step(s).

 

To me customer service is important. I will pay a bit more if I can rely on that.

 

Can I do without it? Yes. On holidays I have abandoned internet for up to a month at a time. The same goes for the mobile (cell) phone.

 

I have to take internet wherever I go, using mobile data to supply connection to other devices. We went to Cairns for a couple of weeks and where we stayed had no internet and mobile coverage was pathetic and I hated being cut off like that! It would put me off going there again!

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FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) with a copper link from the cabinet to my home consisting of a single twisted pair. The cabinet is so close that including the run to the pole, up the pole and across into my property, to the socket is 19 metres. I get 80mbps permanently, always, never slows down, ever, and I'm fairly rural) Costs £35 per month, including line rental and evening and weekend calls.

 

I also get a fantastic router from EE (genuinely much better than any other free router from any ISP) it's 802.11 A/C 1300 with dual band, beam forming via a three way array, working USB port in host mode for running printers, hard drives etc (I have a 2TB hard drive on the network) and EE allow you to use any router you like (your username and password is available rather than being secret and hard coded I to the router, which is what most UK ISPs do, and the router can easily be used on other ISPs, as long as they, in turn, give you a username and password).

 

EE fibre is definitely the best consumer broadband in the country. Not saying much but there it is.

 

It sounds like your supply is much more advanced than the options here Farnsie.

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We have DSL from the phone company and every few years the cows across the road chew the wire off that's coming out of the box on the ground. Then I go down there and splice that wire back in there - it has 12 volts on it so you have to work fast and grit your teeth. Last time I used up all the slack that's left in the wires so I'll have to call for the telephone guys to fix it next time.

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