Internet options

[VladTepes]

I’ll be moving to a new place mid January and will need to organise me some interwebs.

I am unsure at this time whether there is any Telstra or Optus cable connected.

I went to the Telstra store yesterday and was unimpressed. The salespeople seemed to just refer to their intranet mirror of the Telstra website for all their info. I could have done that from anywhere myself.. The array of options was bewildering, the lack of logic in the way they are priced astounding (how can a package be cheaper than internet alone?) but they were all pretty expensive.

So perhaps people can tell me what options there are for internet connection, what companies are good, and what the “going rate” is?

I’m out of touch coz I’ve had Optus cable at my old house for as long as I can remember.

I have no idea how many Gb / month I’d need and can’t seem to get a report from optus as to how much I’ve been sing at home historically. I tend to do a bit of internet gaming, watch a bit of youtube (and upload the occasional 1 Gb video) but aside from that not much data intensive stuff just forum browsing and so on.

Thanks

[JDNSW]

If you have had the luxury of cable, you are not prepared for the situation you will face away from cable. Before you can consider plans, you need to find out what infrastructure you have. This is neither simple nor easy!

With luck, you can get ADSL2+, but there is no mechanism to tell you in advance whether it is actually available (in some cases you can find out it is definitely not!).

Failing this you are likely to have either wireless (expensive and a a bit shaky in most cases) or satellite (slow, expensive and high latency, but NBN interim service is now taking orders for almost immediate installation).

It is probably a good idea spending a bit of time browsing http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/. Other things apart they have lists of plans, but also look at the problems others have had.

John

[goingbush]

Go to this website
http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/
and type in your new phone number
or a phone number of someone / business etc near where you are moving

plus how much you want to pay etc etc and it will give you a list of choices.

[Bushie]

Go to this website
http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/
and type in your new phone number
or a phone number of someone / business etc near where you are moving

plus how much you want to pay etc etc and it will give you a list of choices.

Not very accurate though,

Tried it for my place, as far as it's concerned I can get Optus Cable. bzzzzt wrong answer Tony



Martyn

[Basil135]

Ok, at the risk of getting shot down in flames, I would go with Telstra...

I have cable, 50gb per month.

It is very rare that I have any sort of issues, and on the times that I have, it has been fixed quickly.

Why you are at it, I would never recommend VOiP for a home phone. Why? If the power goes off, you have no phone. Yes, I know you have a mobile (probably), but if the service is dodgy, battery is flat, you left it in the car, drop it in a mad scramble....

I know personally of some people that had a fire in their range hood. As expected, the electrical safety switch tripped, so no phone. She dropped her mobile ejecting the battery... finally called the firey's on his mobile.

I will, for as long as possible, have a fixed land-line phone - not just a cordless.

[GregTD5]

I agree with Basil.

Telstra always with me, as it just simply always works and when there is a problem they are quick to fix it.

I just got ADSL connected last week and needed a line connected as well for the ADSL to work from. 50GB a month plus line rental is $72.00 per month. Call Bigpond connections direct, for a better deal, dont go to a Telstra shop.

To cut a long story short, went to connect Modem on Xmas Eve, found out I had no dial tone on newly installed line (connected at exchange) rang Telstra faults at 9.00 pm. Line was tested faulty, with a request for Tech to come have a look. With the Xmas break, line was repaired Thur 29th as guaranteed.

I looked on the Net and could have got cheaper deals, but I doubt if I would have had the connection problem fixed so quick and easy, particularly this time of year.

Greg

[bee utey]

Ok, at the risk of getting shot down in flames, I would go with Telstra...

I have cable, 50gb per month.

It is very rare that I have any sort of issues, and on the times that I have, it has been fixed quickly.

Why you are at it, I would never recommend VOiP for a home phone. Why? If the power goes off, you have no phone. Yes, I know you have a mobile (probably), but if the service is dodgy, battery is flat, you left it in the car, drop it in a mad scramble....

I know personally of some people that had a fire in their range hood. As expected, the electrical safety switch tripped, so no phone. She dropped her mobile ejecting the battery... finally called the firey's on his mobile.

I will, for as long as possible, have a fixed land-line phone - not just a cordless.

I too use Telstra, it works well most of the time and is usually fixed quickly when it goes down. I manage easily with 5GB a month, as I don't do movies.

As for power drop outs, I strongly suggest a decent size UPS on the computer, modem, phone base station etc, make sure you can get at least 1 hour economical usage out of it. And a small inverter you can charge small accessories off in the car.

[abaddonxi]

Check out the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman website. The keep statistics on how many claims are made against each ISP to them and how far the claim is carried.

A while back if you wanted good service from an Australian call centre you'd use Internode. I'm currently with TFG Servers who are small enough that I know the names of the people who work there.

[Sleepy]

Had Optus Cable for a few years now. Nothing to cheer about but works well and no problems with drop outs or after sales. $79 per month, includes home phone 120GB download.

(Also, recently learned if you ring the call centre, just keep pressing # and you get Tim from Sydney rather than Kevin from Mumbai;))

[Mick_Marsh]

I have set up and fixed quite a few broadband installations.
I'm not with Telstra but in my experience they are second to Vodafail in poorness of support but their equipment is the best.
When my Vodafail prepaid mobile broadband expires I'll be switching to Telstra.
For ADSL I'm with Primus which runs on Telstra equipment in the local exchange. It suits me although does get a little slow after I've used my 1Gb.
When dealing with Telstra, insist on speaking with an Australian and not their Singapore call centre. Note the date, reference number, who you spoke to and what was discussed. Make sure they note it too. It may take several calls to sort a problem and you will get conflicting advice.

[HangOver]

Telstra will charge you $300 for a new installation.
if there is an existing line already its about $100 to turn it on

if its a new line you will be tied to telstra phone (not internet) for the first 3 months or it will cost an additional $200 from memory

for an ISP I would strongly suggest iinet - good service and A1 support

Telstra hmmmm lets not get me started just suffice to say if you arent paying the bill and need good mobile coverage go telstra otherwise forget them, support is WORSE than non-existant at least if there was no support you wouldnt get so frustrated with them

I can also recommend clubtelco as an ISP good rates and zero contract, leave when you like if you get a better deal, thier support is amazing, better than iinet even.

I would also recommend getting naked DSL if you are on a ADSL2 enabled exchange, you will save heaps

[VladTepes]

whats naked dsl?

[JDNSW]

whats naked dsl?

An dsl internet service without an attached phone service on the same line.

John

[sheerluck]

An dsl internet service without an attached phone service on the same line.

John

Strictly speaking it does come with a telephone line attached as that is how the ADSL signal is received, but it's bundled into the broadband package instead. However, you can't use it as a telephone line, VOIP type calls are your only possibility.

Exetel did a very good package for exactly that, I used them for about 3 years, very cheap and the sole problem I had in all that time was dealt with very quickly.

[goingbush]

Telstra will charge you $300 for a new installation.
if there is an existing line already its about $100 to turn it on

if its a new line you will be tied to telstra phone (not internet) for the first 3 months or it will cost an additional $200 from memory

for an ISP I would strongly suggest iinet - good service and A1 support

Telstra hmmmm lets not get me started just suffice to say if you arent paying the bill and need good mobile coverage go telstra otherwise forget them, support is WORSE than non-existant at least if there was no support you wouldnt get so frustrated with them

I can also recommend clubtelco as an ISP good rates and zero contract, leave when you like if you get a better deal, thier support is amazing, better than iinet even.

I would also recommend getting naked DSL if you are on a ADSL2 enabled exchange, you will save heaps

HangOver is on the money here. Actually Every poster is valid except the main Telstra call centre is in Manilla which is why they have a strange Asian /US accent.

Naked DSL is def the best deal going.

I was a Comms Tech for Telstra for 30 years. The ONLY reason I'm still with Telstra for my ADSL is because I need the best Mobile Coverage possible & Telstra has that coverd by a bloody long shot & the mobile /ADSL bundle is cheaper than separate accounts from diff providers

If you reckon Telstra support is crap who do you think is going to be fixing your iinet / primus / westnet faults , do you ever see vans running around from another ISP . Its Telsra that fixes them, just takes longer because you have to go thru the 3rd party ISP FOH first .

That said I dont use telstra for home calls, VOIP (engin) is the way to go, you don't need a UPS I just run Modem / ATA / phone etc from a car battery & smart
charger.

Pretty soon I'll be ditching the home line all together & just using Bigpond nextG wireless modem & Skype for OG calls, That is the setup we will be using for the 12 month trip so mightaswell get started on it before we go.

cheers Don

GroundScope, buried pipe and cable locating service (http://www.groundscope.com.au)

(PS if you look at my website pls ignore the Landcruiser in the pics / Im going to take new pics ASAP & put the Defender in its place)

[Tombie]

Telstra for us and all of our friends has been a nightmare.

We all jumped onto Bigpond from Internode for the big deals.

It was false economy.

Poor latency, slow pings and drop outs, oh the drop outs...

Went back to internode (iinet / agile) and will never make the mistake of going away from them again.


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"
'Did I mention some great 4WDriving is just 5 minutes from home?'

[woody]

Telstra home phone just for reliability,

Dodo ADSL2+ unlimited for $40 a month gets me between 14 and 18mbit downloads depending on source with no download limit. The product is great but you need to know just a little bit as after sales and technical is not a strong point.

Telstra for mobile internet only for coverage and their modem allows the connection of 2 external antennas to improve signal in remote areas.

overall I'm happy with my providers and would need a big carrot to change

woody

[rick130]

Telstra for us and all of our friends has been a nightmare.

We all jumped onto Bigpond from Internode for the big deals.

It was false economy.

Poor latency, slow pings and drop outs, oh the drop outs...

Went back to internode (iinet / agile) and will never make the mistake of going away from them again.


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"
'Did I mention some great 4WDriving is just 5 minutes from home?'

All depends on who owns the equipment in the exchange too.

In the City/major regional centres it may be who you retail through, in the bush it's Telstra, Telstra and Telstra.

I had my heart set on Internode but at the time the Big T's bundles here were almost untouchable and guess who owns all the gear in the exchange (and who all the little guys wholesale through) ;)

This will all change as the NBN rolls out.

[rick130]

Why you are at it, I would never recommend VOiP for a home phone. Why? If the power goes off, you have no phone. Yes, I know you have a mobile (probably), but if the service is dodgy, battery is flat, you left it in the car, drop it in a mad scramble....

I know personally of some people that had a fire in their range hood. As expected, the electrical safety switch tripped, so no phone. She dropped her mobile ejecting the battery... finally called the firey's on his mobile.

I will, for as long as possible, have a fixed land-line phone - not just a cordless.

Yep, we've had the local mobile tower out for three days at a time and power blackouts are pretty common.
We had one of ten hours only a month back, a few hours isn't uncommon with any storm activity as the old Country Energy, in their infinite wisdom have us on a radial feed.
This means that if a line is cut or shorts up to 130km away we're stuffed, they can't divert it through another line.

Good old conventional phone all the way. (it's a business line too)

[HangOver]

whats naked dsl?
your phone calls through your internet connection so no line rental needs to be paid to anyone, also calls are generally a lot cheaper

[mikehzz]

I deal with a lot of internet providers and unfortunately believe that Telstra is the best. Usually, the initial setup is a traumatic experience, but once up and running, their gear works best. Also, if there is a problem it is fixed quicker. This all applies double for mobile internet. Telstra mobile internet is so much better than anything Optus or Vodafone can supply in terms of speed and coverage.

[mikehzz]

Telstra for us and all of our friends has been a nightmare.

We all jumped onto Bigpond from Internode for the big deals.

It was false economy.

Poor latency, slow pings and drop outs, oh the drop outs...

Went back to internode (iinet / agile) and will never make the mistake of going away from them again.


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"
'Did I mention some great 4WDriving is just 5 minutes from home?'

Internode were good but have now been bought out by iinet. There was a change to Westnet when they were bought out by iinet a few years ago and it wasn't for the better.

[sheerluck]

.......Dodo ADSL2+ unlimited for $40 a month gets me between 14 and 18mbit downloads depending on source with no download limit. The product is great but you need to know just a little bit as after sales and technical is not a strong point......

I'm with Dodo now, and for $39 a month for unlimited ADSL Regional package (I have to laugh at the "Regional" bit, as what it means in reality is "you're a long way from the exchange so tough if it goes slow") you won't find me complaining. None of the other ISPs could get anywhere near that price on our exchange.

But yes, the telephone support is a little patchy - the whole focus is on sales, sales, sales.

[Distortion]

Internode were good but have now been bought out by iinet. There was a change to Westnet when they were bought out by iinet a few years ago and it wasn't for the better.

Simon Hackett the previous owner of Internode took 7.5% of iiNet and a seat on the board along with remaining in charge of internode.

Sounds like he still has a vested interest in how things are run.

[rick130]

I deal with a lot of internet providers and unfortunately believe that Telstra is the best. Usually, the initial setup is a traumatic experience, but once up and running, their gear works best. Also, if there is a problem it is fixed quicker.
[snip]

Oh Lordy, how true is that :o

It took something like ten weeks to get ADSL here, purely because their system doesn't allow for anything that doesn't fall within certain parameters.

Total losses aren't measured but calculated off the copper cable plan, if the losses exceed xxdB, you won't get ADSL.

My problem was that the plan was wrong.

Ever tried fixing something within Telstra from outside ? :eek:

It was an interesting exercise in patience.

[goingbush]

Oh Lordy, how true is that :o

My problem was that the plan was wrong.

Ever tried fixing something within Telstra from outside ? :eek:

It was an interesting exercise in patience.

TRY fixing something from inside - its nigh on impossible.
At least if your on the outside there are a few words that you can utter & make them pull all stops out.
The Media shock jocks names will get them sitting up, Alan Jones, Derryn Hinch, Steve Price sometimes The Telecomunications Ombudsman (no so effective)

As an EX Telstra ADSL CT , Installer & Repairer I know only too well that on MOST jobs in the area of 4.5 or more klm from the exchange I am going to have issues, Its Not just that most plans ARE WRONG, you also get major problems where there are Aluminium Main pairs (Ringwood) , Landrover Owners know only too well the problems of corrosion where dissimilar metals join, try Auminium - copper conductors joined with a steel connector. And then you have conductor size changes, multis etc that set off reflections.
ADSL2 was supposed to solve this with up to 20klm theoretical distance from the exchange but in reality it still won't go much past 4klm , A real bonus if you close tho.

So if you are on copper It dosent matter a damn who you are with really whatever ISP ( read "Billing Company" ) you are with you still have to go thru the absolute crappiest distribution network in the world.

[rick130]

We're getting OT here, but I was lucky as;

1. I knew enough (to be dangerous :D)
I knew that the losses to the exchange should just scrape under the limit as I know where the various cables run.

When the call centre tried to tell me I was being knocked backAS there were possibly no more ports left in the exchange, I was able to refer them to Telstra Wholesale's site and show that there were 10+ ADSL 1 and 80+ ADSL 2 ports available as of the previous week.

2. I lucked into getting someone here in Oz rather than the Manila call centre second time around and she just happened to be a case controller (although I tink she may have gotten in trouble for trying to help me :()

3. I know all the local techs. (Big plus, although I only asked after the nice lady on the help line said hell yes, ask them to check the plan for you)

4. Of the two cables running back into town to the exchange, I'm on the old copper one rather than the new (aluminium ?) grease filled one.
The new cables losses are far too great for the 8km back to the exchange.

Bottom line was that the plan showed loading coils that didn't exist.
Remove the loading coils and voila, "yes sir, you may have ADSL"

Of course it didn't end there, there were a few more stuff ups and another four weeks before we went online.

[Bytemrk]

.

I’m out of touch coz I’ve had Optus cable at my old house for as long as I can remember.

I have no idea how many Gb / month I’d need and can’t seem to get a report from optus as to how much I’ve been sing at home historically. I tend to do a bit of internet gaming, watch a bit of youtube (and upload the occasional 1 Gb video) but aside from that not much data intensive stuff just forum browsing and so on.

Thanks

Hey Vlad,

If you currently have Optus cable you should be able to get your usage history here:

https://memberservices.optuszoo.com.au/myusage/history/
(You will need to log in obviously)

That should at least give you some something to base volumes on.

A bit late..but hope it helps..

Mark

[Chucaro]

I am with Club Telco with normal phone line (with dedicated number) plus Voip (with dedicated number) plus unlimited download all for $95.00 peer month.
Club Telco is the only provider that I know that do not charge for national phone call done in Voip.
With Voip, OS call to South America cost me less that $5 for 1/2 hour call.
I use toe normal line to recieve calls and the Voip to call out.
I am not happy with my Netcomm modem :(

[Andrew D]

Vlad

Look, if you are considering Telstra I'd be better off speaking to JohnF (about his favourite topic). Telstra is a huge rip-off and I can't believe some of the people on here actually think they are ok for internet. If you live in a major city (Brisbane/Redcliffe) going to someone like TPG, iinet or Dodo would be a better option, even Optus. Telstra offer crap deals at ridiculous rates.

Whirlpool offer some feedback on providers.

I'm with TPG and have been with them for roughly 2 years and in hindsight Telstra was and still is a joke with regards to internet. I remember paying $30/month for 200mb downloads and then $0.15/mb thereafter. I received one interesting bill and that was enough. Now I pay $30/month for ADSL 2+ and get 12 GB/month and then shaped thereafter. Pretty sure this deal is 50GB now. Telstra on the other hand is not even worth looking at, probably $60+/month.

By the way TPG has been faultless.

If I lived in the boonies (Surat/Longreach/Thargomindah/Birdsville) I would use Telstra.

Just visit all the website for the providers to get a good idea. If you go to Telstra I've just wasted the last 5 minutes of my life.....

Regards
Andrew

P.S. Can't believe people still think Telstra is the only option out there. Welcome to 2012. We've gone nowhere in this regard. Telstra also pray on mugs and old people who have only grown up knowing one thing.

[Basil135]

Vlad

Look, if you are considering Telstra I'd be better off speaking to JohnF (about his favourite topic). Telstra is a huge rip-off and I can't believe some of the people on here actually think they are ok for internet. If you live in a major city (Brisbane/Redcliffe) going to someone like TPG, iinet or Dodo would be a better option, even Optus. Telstra offer crap deals at ridiculous rates.


Just visit all the website for the providers to get a good idea. If you go to Telstra I've just wasted the last 5 minutes of my life.....

Regards
Andrew

P.S. Can't believe people still think Telstra is the only option out there. Welcome to 2012. We've gone nowhere in this regard. Telstra also pray on mugs and old people who have only grown up knowing one thing.

Well, I am not what I would consider old, so I must be a mug... :mad:

Andrew, like everyone with everything, people have good experiences & bad. But to label anyone who differs from your point of view a mug, is just plain rude. Am I offended? Hell yes.

As I stated earlier, I have had no problems with Telstra what so ever. I will admit, I can talk the talk with Telstra, having dealt with them thru work for over 15 years. So, if there ever is a problem, none in the last 5 or so years, and THAT was caused by a contractor doing something else, then I know how to speak to them to get things back up & running quickly.

On top of that, we USED to have critical services at work with other carriers. When the crunch came, they could NOT offer the support of Telstra.

I dont care what carrier people use, it doesnt bother me one little bit. BUT to be told that I am a mug for going with someone that you dont like, that ****es me.

Before I had a Land Rover, I have owned Holdens & Fords. All had their quirks, but all served their purpose. I presume in your book, I am a mug for having anything else, other than a Land Rover.

And, if you read the Whirlpool forums enough, you will find there are good AND bad reports on there about just about every provider. Big and small.

[Andrew D]

Bas,

You're a classic, I got a good laugh from your response.

I agree with the good and bad experiences with providers. They all have their moments.

If you are offended by the 'mug' comment take a teaspoon of cement. It's not a personal attack although you have not taken it very well.

If you can talk to Telstra I'm not surprised after all as you have stated you worked for them for 15 years. Pretty sure if I also worked for the same company for 15 years I would know which buttons to push and wires to pull. Didn't know we needed to work for Telstra to get value for money so thanks for the heads up. I'm pretty sure I implied horse for courses with the boonies remark but maybe you overlooked that. (Yes horses for course, Telstra are good for some things, just not the be all and end all).

You shouldn't have mention fords and holdens because they both suck royally.

Look Bas, are you a mug? Yes you are. You own a D2. Pretty sure you are in some good company though.

Regards
Andrew

P.S. With the Telstra = mugs comments, Ford/Holden comments and I just pigeon holed all D2 owners, there should be few coming out for me now....:D:D:D:D. Before anyone asks I'm not willing to meet them halfway to sort it out (this is for you Stevo). (Lighten up, I still stand by these remarks:D)
P.P.S. Telstra is still OK, there's just better options around.
P.P.P.S Love this forum, might be just the Sunday afternoon with a few ales kicking in, or the fact we are approaching a full moon but so easy to offend. LOL.

[Please note Bas does not work for Telstra (Thanks for the heads up Bas). I added this comment post Basa's moment of enlightenment].

[Basil135]

Andrew,

Before you start to tell me about brand loyalty, maybe you should take your beer goggles off, and read my response correctly.

I have not worked for Telstra now or ever. They supply services to my work. We, my work, are a customer of theirs. Let me say that again, I DO NOT WORK FOR TELSTRA. And in the interests of full disclosure, I do not even hold Telstra shares.

We, my work, have tried other providers, with no success.

If YOU dont like a particular company, thats fine. You are welcome to have your say. Just dont label people that have good experiences as something less than you.

At no time did I state that Telstra supply ALL our services. We do have other providers for some things, as they do it better or cheaper.

What I DID say thou, is that of the services that Telstra DO supply, they are the best at it. One of these services is our network & internet, and based on that, I made the personal decision to use Telstra at home.

I have tried other providers in the past, but they were not able to provide me what I needed, when it was needed, at the price I was prepared to pay.

If that makes me a mug, then so be it.

[Andrew D]

Bas

Telstra shares are good value (on the climb at the moment).

Sorry to hear the Telstra job didn't work out.;) Glad you put that in capitals.

To get back on topic my advice is to shop around. We are still talking about internet providers aren't we?

Regards
Andrew

P.S. I was a reformed mug until I bought a D2 LOL. Nah that never happened...I've always been a mug.