NBN Skymuster Satellite. Your views.

[4bee]

I know there is a thread going on this but for the life of me I cannot locate it so here goes. Sorry.

We are fast approaching the time to join the happy throng of NBN users & as our only option (does one choice only make an option?) is to use the above ([smilebigeye]) system.

Members here appear to be well scattered over our wide brown land & Territories so I would like to know how this system works for you please. ie. Good, bad, indifferent?

Interested in all your comments but remember this board is Moderated.[biggrin].

This is not to be confused with Telstra's old heap of crap Sat., which by most accounts was really crap, but Skymuster which has been flying since about 2016.

Coverage appears to be great & we are well inside the red blocks.

Thanks for listening, you've been a great audience.[bigsmile1]155258

[Homestar]

Unfortunately Skymuster is over subscribed, has limited bandwidth, has high latency, is expensive and overall just sucks. Data limits are very low and most data has to be used when you’re in bed. Sorry to hear it’s your only option. Those in remote areas using this for things like business on farms, or in remote areas are all tearing their hair out in frustration.

Yes, I have first hand experience with it through some friends and family. They find it easier to wait until they go into town and use the Libraries internet if they need to do much more than check the weather.

It will run forums, face plant etc but don’t expect to be signing up to Netflix anytime soon or watching YouTube. It would work for this but with around 60 gig or so max allowable peak usage per month that won’t get you far. That will cost you $50 as well. Peak times - like in the evenings is very slow when everyone is on - the systems limits really show up then.

Also, have you been told you’re going to be put on it as it isn’t an option as such if any other tech works in your area - or even shows on their maps works in your area, it’s a last resort system and getting connected to it isn’t a snap either - plenty of hoops to jump through depending on your situation.

Good luck, and sorry to be the bearer of bad news...

[4bee]

Thanks Gav, I wanted forthright & got it.[smilebigeye] No good buggering around with crap info is there?

No, haven't been told any of that just was looking around for a solution before we may get pushed into making a decision.


NBN? What could possibly go wrong?[biggrin]


UNITI for instance, cannot connect us as we appear to be in a dead spot close in to the Eastern face ( City to the West) for their sites but will keep trying others.

I see there are "bases" being put on top of some Power poles here & right in front of us IMHO, there is an deal site that would serve the whole valley but as far as I know others further away from the range may be fine, just that me & my neighbours may be in a shadow.

Thanks again, I will keep trying & may even need to have a discussion with our Federal Member Rebecca Sharkey who seems to make things happen, as they have a "Black Spot" plan going & seems to be a bit positive so far. It is for phones but it may cover BB as well.

A guide to small cells | ACMA (https://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/a-guide-to-small-cells)

[Saitch]

It appears that Skymuster is our fate, as well. Perhaps we should have let them build the tower on our property when approached?[biggrin]

It seems strange, in that we have a clear line of sight to our local Telstra tower, about 4.5 kms away. Doesn't the nbn utilise existing comms infrastructure?

[4bee]

I feel for you Saitch. I really do.

We have a TELSTRA Tower within a kilometre & also can see it out of my window & apparently OPTUS is up there amongst the bushland too, somewhere, (our ISP currently uses it for it's mobiles. but trying to find out EXACTLY where is another thing entirely. On the Telstra tower is possible I suppose.. On a Mobile from Telstra Twr we get Max. Signal bars [smilebigeye] so that is good.

Still investigating all this **** from online because if we go Wireless BB it could be from Optus through our present ISP. Jesus, I wish I had paid attention at school & I might then understand wtf is going on.[biggrin]

Vodas antennae is on the lower section of the Ch2 TV Tower but they are bunch of useless barstewards from past experience so they are out of the running already.

Now phones. If we use Satellite, which is very highly unlikely due to Gav's info ,we get to keep the landline, now whether that actually leads to somewhere useful is another puzzle & if it can still be used will NBN still want a Line Rental? And wtf does it go to, a hole under a concrete pad in a street near you?[biggrin] Makes note to self to investigate VOiP for another day.

Right, now where did I put those Aspros/Bex, me 'ead 'urts. [bigsad]

[JDNSW]

I have been on Skymuster since its inception. By and large, it is not oversubscribed, but some beams are, or appear to be, at least.

But the entire system has limited bandwidth, and nbn's solution to dealing with this is to apply stringent criteria on available data allowances. As applied, this has several effects.

1. The day is divided into "peak" and "off peak". Sounds reasonable, but "off peak" is 0100-0700, which means that for most purposes, off peak data is useless.

2. Data counted is both download and upload.

3. The pricing structure used by nbn at the wholesale level ensures that while (peak) data allowances under about 50GB/mo are roughly the same as you would expect for other connections, above this costs rapidly increase. I pay about $50 for 45GB, but would have to pay $200 for 120GB - and that is the most I could get.

4. Only one installation is allowed on one premises.

5. There are no data free allowances (but see Skymuster Plus below)

These are the biggest drawbacks of Skymuster. For most plans, a Windows update to three or four computers would just about kill your monthly allowance. My grandchildren have demonstrated an ability to use 50% of my monthly allowance in one day.

Then there are the problems of any system that uses geostationary satellites. The major one is that there is an inescapable latency of about 500ms (varies a bit depending on where you are). This means that VOIP can be less than satisfactory, although some are managing OK with it.

The maximum speeds available normally are 25/5, although there is a new "Skymuster Plus" recently launched, that allows you to use whatever speed is possible, which may be as high as 50/10 - but for most uses, the latency means you won't be able to tell the difference, and the ones where it woould make a difference, such as high resolution videos or large downloads will very quickly kill your data allowance. Skymuster Plus also introduces data free allowances - but only for specified low data use items such as emails (provided there are no big attachments) and browsing (provided there are no videos) and provided you don't overdo it.

The system is generally reliable, but there have been periods when there have been outages of several days, usually the result of system updates - but seeing the whole system comes into one spot at Eastern Creek, there is the potential for a single point failure. As with most satellite systems, it can be interrupted by weather, either at your end or the groundstation that your connection comes down to (for technical reasons this will be a long way away). How susceptible it is to weather will depend mainly on your latitude, but may also be affected by near obstacles.

You need to be able to see the satellite from your antenna - if you have high buildings, trees, or hills raising your effective horizon to the north of you, a viable installation may not be possible.

In general, if you can get good mobile coverage from Optus, this will be cheaper for large data quantities, but is likely to have contested bandwidth in peak evening times. Telstra is likely to be better technically, but more expensive. All wireless options will have the advantage that they have much lower latency.

As with any of the nbn offerings, your experience with the actual installation will depend a lot on which sub-subcontractor does it, and how much experience with it he/she has. Mine took nearly all day, but admittedly it was only the second one he had done!


Hope this helps.

[goingbush]

Elon Musks SpaceX Starlink will be rolled out well before the NBN is delivering as promised, High speed Global internet no matter where you are!

[4bee]

. Mine took nearly all day, but admittedly it was only the second one he had done!

Reminds me of a story I read online yesterday told by a Technician where a bloke was made to return to a bad installation where he was required to rectify the bad workmanship.

After a Telephone barney with the client where she asked him his experience & qualifications & he replied he was previously a Chef.. Very professionally attired in surfing shorts, shirt & thongs he was giving her the hurry up so he could get back to his surfing activities.

I guess you had to be there.[bigsmile1]

John, thanks for that comprehensive description of pitfalls. It's a business alright.[bigsad]

[Homestar]

Elon Musks SpaceX Starlink will be rolled out well before the NBN is delivering as promised, High speed Global internet no matter where you are!

I’ll believe it when I see it. Electric Jesus is good at the media hype but not so flash on delivering on it. Anything will be better than the NBN though.

[JDNSW]

Seriously, Skymuster is better than anything we had here before that, although the ISS was better in some ways.

Pity it is delivered as part of an NBN that was spruiked as putting all Australians on an equal connectivity situation.


And something I didn't mention - you are strongly advised to retain your landline telephone with Skymuster unless you have mobile coverage, as it will be virtually impossible to troubleshoot any problems otherwise. They will not do anything until you carry out a whole battery of tests and report results!

[350RRC]

It appears that Skymuster is our fate, as well. Perhaps we should have let them build the tower on our property when approached?[biggrin]

It seems strange, in that we have a clear line of sight to our local Telstra tower, about 4.5 kms away. Doesn't the nbn utilise existing comms infrastructure?

What sort of signal do you get on your phone & how much data do you need a month?

You need to have cookies enabled: Speed Test - Telstra (https://speedtest.telstra.com)

I've had speeds of over 60mBPS on a Mac book going through a 5s iPhone via wifi.

I do know people who have unlimited data mobile plans, dunno the cost. Must ask tomorrow.

DL

[JDNSW]

..... ,we get to keep the landline, now whether that actually leads to somewhere useful is another puzzle & if it can still be used will NBN still want a Line Rental? And wtf does it go to, a hole under a concrete pad in a street near you?[biggrin] Makes note to self to investigate VOiP for another day.
....

I missed that bit. If you are allocated to satellite, your existing provider is supposed to keep the fixed line operational (Telstra is paid to do this), but you will have to pay line rental and monthly charge - not all that much for telephone only.

[roverrescue]

We have been on Skymuster / Skymuster Plus since Feb 2018
Via Ant Communications

Besides the incredibly poor value for money compared to other NBN techs our experience is pretty different to above.

Although we have a landline. We were unable to get ADSL as the exchange was oversubscribed for our rural street. We have limited 3G/4G and via 10m mast and directional Powertec get better than marginal but flakey in and out Telstra Mobile.
As we both worth from home we needed connectivity and Skymuster was the only option.

Install was quick and painless less than 2 hours, install is on a high level (>10m but low pitch tin roof. Satellite cabling and in-room box were installed where I wanted them.

We get speeds of 20/8 ish consistently (until we run out of data!!!)
We use Netflix and AppleTV no problems at all
We both use iPhones and wifi calling for work constantly and FaceTime works with no issues

It’s not cheap $100 a month for 100G
Or $150 for 150G
Those are the new Plus plans which as mentioned has the benefit that when your data is used you can still access txt based data at normal speeds. Just no video or streaming.

If it’s your only choice
Other than being expensive and low data limits our experience has been okay.

Compared to 4G mobile data costs are probably similar?

Anyways happy to answer any other questions

Oh and FYI beginning of this month we had family visit and nail out the data in a few days. Download speeds are currently 0.3MBs
BUT Skymuster Plus means AULRO and general browsing works perfectly fine
Just can’t watch embedded videos

S

[4bee]

Update for those who may be interested & who may wish to bravely venture forth on this exercise.


Thank you for the above comments RR.[wink11]

Spoke to our ISP this a.m. & it is bloody difficult to know who to believe IMHO.

If NBN have piggybacked their gear onto a Telstra Mobile Tower we might be in with a chance. As mentioned our closest one is line of sight & approx. 1 km away. Mobile reception is 5 bars.

Unknown to me but on a map the ISP have, half the road is already connected to Wireless BB but no-one I spoke to could tell me if the above was correct or not. If another dedicated NBN Tower is used then nobody knows of it. Weird.

However the good news (according to the ISP) is that the copper landline will be kept operational for a Maximum of 20 years. Both for BB & phone. Suits me, that means I'll be 40. [wink11][biggrin]

In the event of Telstra removing the BB equipment due to lack of subscribers at the Local Exchange for instance, the BB service will disappear but the phone service will still remain for the 20 years mentioned above.. Still copper though.

I will book a Connection & an NBN contractor will call approx a week to two weeks away.

He/she will do a cursory Spec Test & if it looks promising he/she will continue the installation with a final test of the signal spec & if ok, job done.

$49 per month. Not sure yet whether there will be an additional charge from NBN. A TG789 Modem is extra @ $60.

If not he/she will pack their bags & disappear. The is the time to ponder wtf to do next. We may have been allocated a Skymuster place recently but on the ground, we are in a shallow valley so that may have altered NBN's opinion. Depends on what they were looking at I suppose. Maybe they were unaware of the terrain & line of sight situation?


Satellite really should have been the way to go for us & in this day & age enough prior planning should have gone into this massive project so Skymuster could be used without any design & capacity problems. To me it stands to reason that if it's footprint is as large as NBN say E-W & N-S then it was obvious that it could be oversubscribed easily

[EastFreo]

We have had Skymuster for about 2.5 years at two different farm houses. It’s a case of better than nothing (but at our first place it was galling as we were in the lee of a hill and really should have been able to get the wireless NBN that was available a few hundred metres away) - but try arguing for an non standard instal with the NBN! They count on you just giving up.

In both instances we also installed yagi aerials and mobile boosters. We those we got much better mobile reception which we use to stream our weekend movies etc and Skymuster for general browsing.

[4bee]

Thanks EF for your experience. Similar circumstances here.[bigsad] This doesn't get easier yer know.

Well the ISP calls/wheels are in motion so I guess I'll have to wait & see for now. I won't hold my breath though.

I recall the days when you couldn't get even a normal phone installed from the PMG without a dozen Medical certificates, a letter from your local Federal MP, be employed in an Essential Service for A/H Call Outs, & a stack of Bibles to swear an oath on, then later when things improved, they just about broke your door down to have a phone connection. A bit like getting a Bank Loan then.
Seems we haven't advanced much since but in for a Penny in for a Pound now.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong? [biggrin]

UPDATED 11:20. Amazingly, I am one step closer to joy or ruination, for I have been given an appointment for an NBN Wireless installation for next Monday AM.

So quick, I wonder what the catch is??

Maybe I'm the only one wanting NBN here these days? [biggrin]

I hope they can magic up a good signal up for us without getting all stroppy. & cantankerous. It can happen with "No can do" Contractors as we found with the Digital Meter Installers for AGL & hopefully the great "Can Do" Telstra Tech the one with brains & the will to do the job that got us going previously, has transferred over to NBN.

:arms::arms::TakeABow:

PS. I now find that any standard phone with the small square plug, (whatever it is called) can be used for VOiP, another win, as the TG789 Gateway is now F.O.C & as it should be & NO extra charges from NBN. The day just keeps on getting better & I hope I don't Crash & Burn.[biggrin] :rolleyes:

[DiscoMick]

I suggest you insist they inspect your existing copper connections to make sure they are up to speed. Ours had to be replaced.

[4bee]

Thanks Mick but that doesn't matter now. Our initial concerns were to get shot of the landline @ $30 per month
& as we were going to eventually be forced into an NBN connection poss Satellite, we decided to bite the bullet & so we have made that decision. We have got 7 days for it to behave itself before the copper is yanked out.

Our service is underground in which we were down to the last cable pair, there being I think, 5 or 6 pairs in the box & over time (37 years) we had used up all those through deterioration. From what I can gather they would not use that conduit even though up the road it passed close to the Green Box as the run was too far. That would have been ideal in our case but noooooo. [bigsad]

Looking forward to Mon a.m. now. I believe we have made the right decision after looking at other's experiences on here which I thank all for.
Just hope they can locate a strong signal for us. As I have said on here ^^^; "What could possibly go wrong?"[biggrin]

[JDNSW]

My comment about retaining your landline if you have satellite also applies for wireless, but if you have reasonable mobile reception, that is probably not a concern.

[4bee]

Understood John & thank you for your very informative input. That was certainly one of our main considerations, Would we? Wouldn't we? Procrastinator? Moi? [smilebigeye]

We have two Mobiles & excellent 5 bar signals, 2 Generators, one for light use & one for much heavier use in case System or local supply goes out. No, I don't propose to supply the tower with free juice or a 1km extension lead.[smilebigeye]

I guess we will find out any shortcomings & or bad decisions, if any, to our plans in the near future, but I hope not. ie, "The best laid plans of Mice & Men often go awry." stuff.[biggrin] Don't ask.

[DiscoMick]

If the power goes down, your nearby mobile tower could also stop working. Result: no phones of any type.

[4bee]

I accept that, if it is a widespread blackout, but if it is only a local outage then chances are we may be ok & towers apparently have limited life battery back up & redundancy to transfer calls to alternative towers & after that we will all be in more strife than Ned Kelly.

Pte. Frazer.... "We'll all be doomed I tell you, Doomed".

This area is prone to falling branches & trees so land lines are not sacrosanct either. That's life.

Some info suggests up to 8 hours of batt. backup is available.


Telcos may be forced to equip towers with more power - Telco/ISP - iTnews (https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telcos-may-be-forced-to-equip-towers-with-more-power-472464)

Now, where have I put my book on Aboriginal & North American Indian Smoke signals? [biggrin]

[Saitch]

Thanks Mick but that doesn't matter now. Our initial concerns were to get shot of the landline @ $30 per month
& as we were going to eventually be forced into an NBN connection poss Satellite, we decided to bite the bullet & so we have made that decision. We have got 7 days for it to behave itself before the copper is yanked out.

Our service is underground in which we were down to the last cable pair, there being I think, 5 or 6 pairs in the box & over time (37 years) we had used up all those through deterioration. From what I can gather they would not use that conduit even though up the road it passed close to the Green Box as the run was too far. That would have been ideal in our case but noooooo. [bigsad]

Looking forward to Mon a.m. now. I believe we have made the right decision after looking at other's experiences on here which I thank all for.
Just hope they can locate a strong signal for us. As I have said on here ^^^; "What could possibly go wrong?"[biggrin]

I hope all goes as planned for you, 4bee.
From past dealings with telcos, I am more than suspicious about their methods and field staff competency. It took Telstra 12 months to work out why our internet would drop out every 20 minutes or so. I would have had visits from at least seven different service crew over that period, trying to sort it out.
Our present setup is overhead wire to our property pole, then about 150 metres of underground.

If you would be so good as to pen your thoughts after installation and a trial period, so as to alleviate/confirm my thoughts on this matter, I'd be grateful.

p.s. We have full signal on our mobile devices here.

[4bee]

I would be honoured to Saitch.

Typically when dealing with these people I find myself holding my breath &/or Hyper ventilating into a brown paper bag, heart rate climbs to buggery & on Monday I will probably **** my Daks before they arrive. [bigsad] [biggrin] No not really. [wink11]


I have experienced some of the problems you speak of although it was our Landline that was fritzed in the latest fiasco. We had BB but no phone but after #1 called we didn't even have that after he got through wildly snipping wires hither & thither, jumped in his ute & buggered off never to be seen or heard from again.[bigsad]

3 weeks to even get someone to call, Asian sub-continent type bloke was here for 10 minutes, said he needed to contact another Dept ie. Engineering, to arrange for a Cherry Picker which would take another 3 weeks to arrive, a few more calls to find out wtf was happening.
A "Can Do Aussie Tech" arrived with a normal (for Telstra) Fibreglass ladder & a roll of phone cable who simply climbed through & disappeared amongst the surrounding foliage to the pole. Replaced the cable wished me good day & drove off. Of course there was a bit going on before then & after but you get my drift. They need blokes like him but they seem to be getting rid of the experienced people.

Apparently the bloke running his section had been moved there from some obscure non technical section & seemed to not have a clue what to do & assist his Techs.

A similar thing happened years ago when that particular bloke also wanted a cherry picker, when another old lag arrived & shinned the Stobie power pole to hook a wire over a bracket. Job done.

[Grappler]

We have been on a Skymuster satellite NBN, 65/90 plan with Ipstar, since it first became avaialable. Costs $55 pm
The speed is is usually 18-20 MBpS(down) Slows down if I use a VPN. Use it for TV streaming and it works OK. Get occassional dropouts with heavy rain.
Far better than the Telstra mobile internet service we had previously, which even with an antenna was hopeless. We still get poor mobile phone reception and usually have to ask callers to call the landline. This seems to be worse on the weekend with more mobile usage from the tourists on the highway
We keep the the landline for emrgency calls out and the rental is about $32 pm. The landline occassionaly is down, coinciding with our road being graded. Its too far from the exchange for internet. When we built on the property over 20 years ago we were required to trench a cable bundle to the house which included optical fibre from the junction at the road. I suspect that wont get used in my lifetime

[DiscoMick]

Not NBN, but as an example of how this call centre process can work.
Currently trying to port my mobile number from Woolworths Telstra to full-on Telstra, which works in some areas where Woolworths doesn't.
This process is supposed to take 24 hours. So far it's been four days and counting.
Three phone calls totalling more than three hours, talking with very polite and helpful call centre women with Filipino accents.
Two promised phone calls back did not happen.
Two promised starts to the porting process did not happen.
Received a message asking for a pin to be entered - done.
Received a message from Woolworths saying the porting process was underway.
Woolies sim in my dual-sim mobile now says 'no service'.
Telstea sim also says 'no service'.
Mobile currently useless.
Waiting hopefully.
Typing this on the free Wi-Fi at the Kuranda Skyway.
[emoji53]

[Saitch]

My thoughts are with you, Mike! This will, of course, call for a calming influence, such as a cheeky Shiraz or the like.

[4bee]

an example of how this call centre process can work. Or not.[smilebigeye]



Mike, it sounds like you are plugged in to the AGL Call Centre. A bit of the olde Deja Vu. there. [bigsad]

Good luck with that Matey I hope you aren't doing anything before Xmas..[biggrin][biggrin][biggrin][biggrin][biggrin]

[Tins]

Elon Musks SpaceX Starlink will be rolled out well before the NBN is delivering as promised, High speed Global internet no matter where you are!

2 years ago the 'estimated' cost was $10 Billion. Love to see the figures now. 62 sats currently, with that expected to increase exponentially going forward, heading to a potential 42,000. Who is going to pay? How is Musk going to circumvent individual countries' telecommunication laws? China, for one, ain't going to dance to his tune. Probably not India either. Australia's laws are still based on 1980's thinking.

Don't get me wrong, if they can pull it off I will be happy. I've been canvassing ISPs for a decent, cost effective, MOBILE internet solution for a year now for when my ever receding dream of "going bush" for a year or more comes true. None of them offer anything, although one of the more honest ones told me I would be better off waiting until I drove back into 3G reception, rather than hoping for sat connection, as it would be faster.

Trouble is, I increasingly believe that Musk is heading for a monumental fall when investors see through him. I don't wish this ( the world needs visionaries, but Musk ain't Gates or Jobs ), but I believe it will happen.. But, hey, I'm sitting in a slightly run down house, typing on a Land Rover forum.. What do I know about high finance?

[JDNSW]

I think I read in the last couple of days that SpaceX has started the ball rolling to try and get approval to operate in Australia, but there is no guarantee that it will be possible. The major issue is getting spectrum licences as far as I can see, although I expect these may be conditional on the system coming to earth in Australia so that communications metadata can be collected for inspection. Which would immediately make the operator subject to all Australian laws (and red tape).

[4bee]

2 years ago the 'estimated' cost was $10 Billion. Love to see the figures now. 62 sats currently, with that expected to increase exponentially going forward, heading to a potential 42,000. Who is going to pay? How is Musk going to circumvent individual countries' telecommunication laws? China, for one, ain't going to dance to his tune. Probably not India either. Australia's laws are still based on 1980's thinking.

Don't get me wrong, if they can pull it off I will be happy. I've been canvassing ISPs for a decent, cost effective, MOBILE internet solution for a year now for when my ever receding dream of "going bush" for a year or more comes true. None of them offer anything, although one of the more honest ones told me I would be better off waiting until I drove back into 3G reception, rather than hoping for sat connection, as it would be faster.

Trouble is, I increasingly believe that Musk is heading for a monumental fall when investors see through him. I don't wish this ( the world needs visionaries, but Musk ain't Gates or Jobs ), but I believe it will happen.. But, hey, I'm sitting in a slightly run down house, typing on a Land Rover forum.. What do I know about high finance?



John, you'd think some bright spark (pun intended) could come up with a Mobile Crystal Set for your application?

Just need to overcome any vibration problems, otherwise the Cats Whisker would be gathering in a thousand stations at the same time, but if one sat it on the front seat on a Dunlopillo Cushion it should be ok, shirley?[smilebigeye]

I'm surprised that no-one has thought of this before.


Now, where is the Tongue in Cheek smiley?

[4bee]

If you would be so good as to pen your thoughts after installation and a trial period, so as to alleviate/confirm my thoughts on this matter, I'd be grateful.


Saitch, of course you do realise that my crew & yours could be poles [smilebigeye] apart in their attitudes, workmanship, reliability & professionalism to get these jobs done.

Knowing my luck I'll get the bum crew/bloke which may send me back quickly to blowing in a Brown Paper Bag & you won't wish to know about that. [biggrin]

Some of the stories I have heard about when they "Processed" the village of Stirling here with their gear, would make one's hair stand on end in some cases. Mitre 10 Store & others being disconnected for days/weeks. Leaving some numbers unobtainable, even the Post Office was off line for days apparently, & some of these jokers had the take it or leave it attitudes[bigsad] Maybe they were a bunch brought in from another area to "help out" . Hopefully not yours.

Best of luck.

[JDNSW]

When mine was being installed, I told the RSP that I would not be allowing him to leave until it was working. I was told in no uncertain terms that kidnapping was "not on"!

[4bee]

Yes That is a shame. [bigsad] When the Digital Meters were being installed (or not) 'er indoors stood arms stretched sideways in front of the back door to physically stop "Mr Rulebook" from leaving until he'd done them. He got a tad upset to say the least & rang his boss who told her pretty much the same story. In the end after all the screaming & shouting was over I convinced her to let the bugger go or she may have to face the consequences. Wasn't worth Gaol Time although the house may have been quieter while she was doing porridge

I wish now had videoed the occasion for posterity.[biggrin]

Updated 2/11/19. Re-reading this again. I should mention that we had been buggarised around by this one & that one for a couple of months, even after the Solar System had been installed & yet we were not supposed to use it under the threat of a Firing Squad knocking on our door. 'er indoors is not usually homicidal (well only to me [smilebigeye]) but on that day she was.

A total of five AGL Subcontractor installers had turned up but claimed they couldn't proceed even after we had agreed to their recommendations re power connections. They just could not see the problem, but in the end the State Power Ombudsman fixed their duff.[biggrin][biggrin]



Update.
I just told 'er about your experience JD & she reminded me of the two bods that first turned up full of elf & safety crap placing 2' red cones outside the back door. while loudly instructing us that we weren't to come inside. The Toilet is inside. Deeerrrr.

One was placed right at the doorway's edge. The first bloke (his offsider) went outside, turned right & promptly tripped over the thick base of the cone. & nearly went a gutsa. 'elf & safety my arse.

Laugh? I nearly wet myself. Oh hang on, a Prostatectomy can do this. [biggrin][biggrin][biggrin]

[Tombie]

If the power goes down, your nearby mobile tower could also stop working. Result: no phones of any type.

Mobile towers are required to maintain power.

All have UPS and the big provider (Telstra) has gensets in some.

When SA went dark all phone services ran for 24 hours. Then slowly the towers for Voidafone and Optus shut down. There was a rush in town for Telstra Sims as the young ones couldn’t handle being disconnected. [emoji41]

[DiscoMick]

Not NBN, but as an example of how this call centre process can work.
Currently trying to port my mobile number from Woolworths Telstra to full-on Telstra, which works in some areas where Woolworths doesn't.
This process is supposed to take 24 hours. So far it's been four days and counting.
Three phone calls totalling more than three hours, talking with very polite and helpful call centre women with Filipino accents.
Two promised phone calls back did not happen.
Two promised starts to the porting process did not happen.
Received a message asking for a pin to be entered - done.
Received a message from Woolworths saying the porting process was underway.
Woolies sim in my dual-sim mobile now says 'no service'.
Telstea sim also says 'no service'.
Mobile currently useless.
Waiting hopefully.
Typing this on the free Wi-Fi at the Kuranda Skyway.
[emoji53]Just to update, it works!
The Telstra operator Dee with the Filipino accent did in 12 hours what two of her colleagues had failed to do in four days - make it work. It's great when the system actually works.

[4bee]

It is, Mick, & you just have to get the right, & I say it again, "Can Do Person" who wants to do it. Background noise levels always seem to be a problem as well not to mention strange accents & dialects.

Good that you are back in business now.[bigsmile1]

[4bee]

Saitch, of course you do realise that my crew & yours could be poles [smilebigeye] apart in their attitudes, workmanship, reliability & professionalism to get these jobs done.

Knowing my luck I'll get the bum crew/bloke which may send me back quickly to blowing in a Brown Paper Bag & you won't wish to know about that. [biggrin]

Some of the stories I have heard about when they "Processed" the village of Stirling here with their gear, would make one's hair stand on end in some cases. Mitre 10 Store & others being disconnected for days/weeks. Leaving some numbers unobtainable, even the Post Office was off line for days apparently, & some of these jokers had the take it or leave it attitudes[bigsad] Maybe they were a bunch brought in from another area to "help out" . Hopefully not yours.

Best of luck.


Well Saitch it happened, boy has it happened. [happycry] # 2 on a list of 5 installs for this bloke Darren. Pleasant bloke he was.

The day arrived & NBN Darren rocked up with his bits & pieces of gear, introduced himself & got stuck in after locating all his WH&S cones & stuff. Climbed on the roof ridge & did his tests which came in as Medium strength Even found an NBN Tower which I didn't even know existed.

Not too bad considering we are in a shallow valley with a lot of trees. He accessed the roof space by lifting a couple of sheets of Colourbond because the Solar Panels were in the way.

So far so good?

An hour later he had finished with a minimum of fuss & didn't even need a cuppa.

And then the fun started.


Power went back on & got online only to find a message from Oz Post to advise a parcel was was waiting at a local-ish Post office where bloody Startrack had delivered it instead of to our home as ordered & paying $15 for the privilege.

'er indoors was doing her block at some poor bastard I could hear from here which meant she needed to go to the out of the way PO (for us) to pick it up, & so she did only to get home to find it was a parcel from the USA. Sex Toys I hear you ask? No nothing that exciting, sports shoes I think, addressed to a woman of the same name (what are the chances of that? )a few KM away at Greenhill. WTF! Post office is not showing a phone connection & Oz post has this strange system where you cannot ring your own local PO anymore but have to go through a central "board". Don't ask. I would have been ****ed off for spelling her name wrong.[biggrin]

So another trip back & the bloke tosses a very quiet & ineffectual "Sorry" over his shoulder & said he got it off the wrong shelf. She is back & now calmed down so now to try the bloody thing out as much as we can..


NBN 10/10

Startrak minus 13/10

Australia Post. Well what can you say?? Idiot springs to mind.


Sorry lads, what was the question? Oh yeah did I get a Credit of the $15? Sure did.

[NT5224]

Hiya!

Sorry haven't read whole thread so i might be duplicating or contradicting something written before.

We live out bush. Have had Skymuster pretty much since set up. Gotta say, no complaints.

You don't get unlimited bandwidth like some services in town, but what you get is pretty good and sufficient unless you go crazy on data downloads and uploads. I have never experienced backlogging or buffering because of high user demand (maybe because of where we live). My wife and I watch several hours of TVs or movies a month streamed and never run out. My wife has started taking some VOIP calls to her phone and we have done some Skype style video calls too. However I wouldnt recommend it as a primary communication, it is occasionally weather sensitive and goes down for short periods just after storms. Stick with your radio phone or satellite phone for now.

Going from nothing to Skymuster has been great. And they've been a pretty good company to deal with. No complaints.

But going from a sophisticated internet provider in a more regional area to Skymuster may seem like a step backwards.

But hey remember, 20 years ago we all lived without the internet. Nobody's gonna die if we're not online 24/7.


Alan

[4bee]

Thanks anyway Alan. If you had the will to live & read it all[smilebigeye] you would see that opinions are many & varied.
Most I think are similar to your experience I think. Not fantastically fantastic but does the job ok for what it was intended for.

Shes a all a going now I think, it better but certainly Better is better than nought. May need a bit of "Fine Tweaking over the next week but it certainly has been a learning experience for me.

Ta again.

Update.

Just googled Robin Falls & it sure looks the business as well as being Croc free. Gawd, I hate those things with a vengeance. (shudders).

[Saitch]

So, after a few months of Sky Muster, '4Bee or Not 4Bee'? That is the question.

[4bee]

Mornin' Steve.

I can see you read my posts with avid interest, not. Ah well. [biggrin]

I did do a Thesis on this subject on here a while ago when it was up & Running.


No, never did go with SkyMuster after perusing replies on here, indeed the bloke came, sat his arse on the ridge of the roof playing with his meter thingy & said there was a good signal coming from Lenswood somewhere.

He then advised Mission Control at Cape Canaveral of his readings & Mission Control evidently said they were ok for launch & so he installed a Fixed Wireless Antenna up there. Not the prettiest thing mind, (anything that has 3 legs usually ain't) but it is up there with Sky's Sat dish, 6.5kw of Solar panels & the Yagi for FTA & it all looks a bit like Earth Station #4.
When the Cudlee Creek fire went though the hill where their tower is, we lost service for an hour or so until the CFS would allow them back in to refuel a Genny or summat but we were back online about an hour later.

The only other probs we have had is with the stupidly placed "Wireless Switch" on the Internode/iinet Modem.
It is a tiny thing on the RH end of a row of indicator lghts & so flush with the face it can easily be accidentally switched off.
Dusting, handling, picking up?? It has gone on 2 separate occasions & we have not noticed it. (&$@&%#)

Interestingly the ISP say it is the most common problem they receive. WTF the don't upgrade the Modem is anyone's guess then? The on/off switch is at the rear of the casing so to me that is the place to put this as well, but "Oh no matey" they would say "we buy in these combo switch/light things by the millions so get used to it"

I have fixed the bugger for now by the loose application of a few strips of Red Sparky's tape over it so at least it will draw our attention to it before we ring the "Help Desk" (Are they really called that these days?) ED. Maybe Tech Support?

Skymuster.

Friends who live a few km away from here have recently got it & they claim it is better than the old Satt.setup & they thought/told it was because a new Satt. had been put up. They claim speeds are quite acceptable, no dropouts etc Yer pays yer money & yer makes yer choice I suppose.



Sorry, what was the question? [biggrin]