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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Broadband ISP

THR!

THR!

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 24, 2001
Messages
3,223
Hey all,

I know this has been discussed before but I'm creating a new thread as I require fairly immediate responses (as I'll be making a decision within the next 24-48 hours).

I'm currently with Telstra (... I know, I know) with cable on a $59.95 per month cable plan (10gb data cap with no phone line bundled).

Anyway, I'm moving to a new house this weekend where I have both the option of Telstra cable or ADSL2 (through iiNet, Optus, Telstra etc.). Telstra are definitely out for the ADSL2 as their offering is utter shite and if I was to go down that path, iiNet or Optus are my favoured options.

Optus is $49.95 per month for 7gb + 14gb 'yes' data (that is, data used in off peak periods), + $19 for phone rental.

iiNet is similarly priced but you need to pay $34.95 for the line rental.

Telstra is $59.95 per month, without the need for a phone line, and my phone connection is then via Engin.

With all that detail aside, Telstra charge a massive $189 to relocate the connection. Optus charge $50 to install the phone line, $99 for the modem and $89 connection fee (or similar to those amounts).

So all in all I think the setup on Optus is more (roughly $230) but I'm not sure whether that is actually a better idea - going with ADSL2 that is faster and with better data caps? Does anyone know how good Optus actually are?

Telstra cable is ok but their data caps suck and they include uploads as well as downloads. It's stable at least [a minor point, given that it ought to be].

Are there any other providers that I haven't considered that are also good? TPG don't do phone lines, so I'd still need to get one via some other provider.

Oh, and I'd really like to use VoIP because the calls are cheaper.

Sorry for the rant and disjointed mumbo jumbo :|
 
If you're considering ADSL 2+, then the distance from your home to the phone exchange is importnat. The further away, the less likely you're going to connect at the magical 24,000 k/s that ISPs like iinet promise.

I'm with iinet, about 3 kms from the exchange so I max at about 9000 k/s. I end up paying 80 odd bux a month for 10 gig peak / 10 gig off peak.

I'd always go Optus cable over ADSL 2+.
 
Part of the attraction of ADSL2+ for me are the upload speed increases.

How are upload speeds, Nez?
 
Fuck Optus, unless they can match the data caps below.

Cable is a shared medium and although subscriber rates in some areas are low, most are quite busy and this can effect your sweet quite adversely as you are fighting for the same bandwidth (read up about cable coax technology).

The points of aggregation are always going to be the busiest. Although this technically could apply to the ATM/ethernet trunk from DSLAMS (ie for ADSL) at the exchange its very unlikely.

Iinet all the way. $69.95 per month, 20g peak 40g offpeak. I get 14mbits, have got 17mbit and I'm about 2.5km-3km from the exchange (haven't done a line test).

Its sweet, good value, and you can tune your ADSL2+ port on the DSLAM to get higher or lower train rates depending on the distance you are from the stage.

I get ~1mbit upload from my ADSL2+ as well which is around 100k/s.
 
It's either Telstra cable or Optus ADSL2, just to clarify.

Thanks for the info. Will check all that out later :)

[R]uski: With your ADSL2 who is your phone line with? Cos don't you then need to pay the $34.95 over and above the $69.95?
 
ruski said:
Fuck Optus, unless they can match the data caps below.

Cable is a shared medium and although subscriber rates in some areas are low, most are quite busy and this can effect your sweet quite adversely as you are fighting for the same bandwidth (read up about cable coax technology).

The points of aggregation are always going to be the busiest. Although this technically could apply to the ATM/ethernet trunk from DSLAMS (ie for ADSL) at the exchange its very unlikely.

Iinet all the way. $69.95 per month, 20g peak 40g offpeak. I get 14mbits, have got 17mbit and I'm about 2.5km-3km from the exchange (haven't done a line test).

Its sweet, good value, and you can tune your ADSL2+ port on the DSLAM to get higher or lower train rates depending on the distance you are from the stage.

I get ~1mbit upload from my ADSL2+ as well which is around 100k/s.
Click to expand...

Don't be such a fanboi.

Optus match that exactly with their 'power' plan.

Feel free to mention, also, that you require phone bundling to get that price. its normally $99.95 isn't it? without offpeak data.

Admittedly, I don't get the same downstream or upstream bandwidth (max out at ~900k/s on a really good day ~7mbit?), it isn't the restricting factor in 90% of my downloads.
About the only thing ADSL2+ has going for it over cable is increased upstream bandwidth, which really shouldn't be a concern unless you're either hosting large quantities of torrents or running servers, which are most likely not accepted by your ISP.

For sheer curiosity, what are ping times to local game servers (local as in hosted by your isp) like on adsl2+?

Sub 100? sub 60? sub 40?
 
www.broadbandchoice.com.au for info, THR!

If it came to telstra cable, id probably hit up their 10gig plan, if only for the security that I wouldn't have to let them brutalize my bank account if i went over my allowance.
 
I don't actually understand your situation. Is it an apartment you're moving to? If so, I thought neither Telstra or Optus did cable to apartments (in most situations).

Also, my understanding is that if you are in a cable servicable address, Optus will not install ADSL and you can only have cable through them.

Have you done the service checker on the Optus website to see what services are available to your new place?

I've been on Optus Cable for fuck... around eight years now. I think the connection itself is fantastic, disruptions to service are pretty rare and always find speeds pretty good. Though these days I don't download any movies, software or pr0n so if you're a leecher you might have a different experience of Optus Cable.

The only thing bad about Optus are customer service. If you have to talk to them, pretty much the only time you can get through is if you call early in the morning... and a lot of them are pretty hopeless.

I'm moving soon to a non-cable residence so I have to go to crappy ADSL. ADSL 2 is available where I'm going but only with Telstra & TPG which I don't think I'm interested in. Oh how I'm going to miss my cable. :(
 
It is an apartment and you are right to say that Optus do not service apartments. Telstra do, always have, and probably always will.

It is not a cable serviceable address (from Optus's perspective) but they (Optus) do offer ADSL2. Or at least, they service the area (yes, I have checked), and Telstra can confirm that the line is of sufficient quality for ADSL2. I would imagine that the exchange is in fairly close proximity to the location (it's Potts Point).

I agree on Optus's customer service. They're really unhelpful. Telstra aren't much better... I think Telstra's service is marginally better but their products/plans just plain suck.

MoeBro - thanks for the tip. I'm already on the 10gb Telstra plan but the thing that fucks me off is that the upload is severely restricted and also counts towards the already restrictive cap. Although in their benefit when I have exceeded it, which isn't often, they don't always invoke the shaping.

What's wrong with TPG? I'm not keen on iiNet due to the bundling requirement and so in my mind it's really a decision between the status quo (Telstra) or Optus.
 
THR! said:
What's wrong with TPG? I'm not keen on iiNet due to the bundling requirement and so in my mind it's really a decision between the status quo (Telstra) or Optus.
Click to expand...

I looked into ADSL 2 with TPG, check out the forums on http://www.whirlpool.net.au there's a forum just for TPG people to complain. It seems the consensus from users there is that the help desk/tech support are pretty awful but if you know how to do everything yourself, that might not be a problem.
 
I don't know about these days but TPG used to have a really bad rep for hidden fine print and overcharging for downloading
 
Yeah.

Thanks for all your suggestions. In the end I'm sticking with Telstra as the previous person had Foxtel installed so it was pretty cheap to transfer.

Their data caps still suck tho'.
 
Definitely use iiNet + ADSL2+ if you can.. Their shaper is SLOOOOOOW so you can get a LOT of data before you get shaped (i.e do it 1-2 days before end of month)

My quota resets sunday, I decided to get data last night.. I was 500meg from quota limit then I started my downloads (at 1.2meg / sec)' at my off peak time, 2am til noon.

Time Peak Offpeak Freezone Total
00:00 - 00:59 5.05 0.00 0.05 5.10
01:00 - 01:59 44.37 0.00 0.77 45.14
02:00 - 02:59 0.00 3764.76 0.05 3764.82
03:00 - 03:59 0.00 3912.89 0.06 3912.94
04:00 - 04:59 0.00 3300.96 0.05 3301.01
05:00 - 05:59 0.00 4454.23 0.05 4454.28
06:00 - 06:59 0.00 4391.23 0.05 4391.28
07:00 - 07:59 0.00 4161.64 0.14 4161.78
08:00 - 08:59 0.00 4483.45 33.50 4516.94
09:00 - 09:59 0.00 4057.83 64.29 4122.12
10:00 - 10:59 0.00 4182.15 0.05 4182.20
11:00 - 11:59 0.00 619.27 0.05 619.33
12:00 - 12:59 18.68 0.00 10.58 29.26
13:00 - 13:59 0.33 0.00 0.06 0.38
14:00 - 14:59 1450.02 0.00 0.08 1450.11
15:00 - 15:59 23.39 0.00 44.98 68.37
16:00 - 16:59 1.04 0.00 84.43 85.47
17:00 - 17:59 4.90 0.00 68.05 72.95
18:00 - 18:59 2.98 0.00 77.08 80.05
19:00 - 19:59 0.30 0.00 43.44 43.74
20:00 - 20:59 159.69 0.00 0.05 159.75
21:00 - 21:59 1030.65 0.00 0.05 1030.70
22:00 - 22:59 4174.70 0.00 0.06 4174.75
23:00 - 23:59 4300.04 0.00 0.05 4300.09

Total 11216.14 37328.41 428.03 48972.58

I downloaded 37gb in that time, with no shaping. I then decided to do the same thing @ 9:30. I wouldve started heaps earlier but had a friend over since 5 and we were busy playing my xbox 360 :)

I got about 20gb until off peak kicked in. so, theres an extra 57gb free, could've done a lot more if I wanted to but couldn't find enough stuff I wanted so that will do me for time being :)

Also with iinet, you can use telstra home line ($19.95), bundle VOIP for $10, and use their cheaper rates to call using VOIP + ADSL2+. (not sure if it's mentioned, I'm too tired to read all the thread). So, get a cheap plan, use stuff all data and then download 40-100gb 'for free' in the last day or two of billing month :)


*edit* Blah to formatting in here but you get the idea, average 5ishgb an hour of downloads for my 10600/1000 adsl2+ sync
 
The thing I like about cable is that it cuts out the cost of the phone line... it's just $59.95 per month + $9.95 for Engin.

But that's pretty insane.
 
Update... I'm still getting full speed d/l. Just added 12gb of new files since noon while we were in the city shopping today.. <3 iiNet's lack of skilled workers =D

Still getting files @ 1.1meg/s from overseas :)
 
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