Internet Service Provider Advice Please

[Deleted member 29185]

For all the internet tech savvy types out there, I'd like to ask advice.

I'm on a Telstra cable internet package which in the past has worked reasonably well. Speed used to be >25Mbs which I was happy enough with. These days it ranges from a max of about 16Mbs right down to appalling speeds like this morning <2Mbs (upload was twice as quick as download!).

It is raining again and I tend to notice the speed drops considerably when it rains. I pleaded for Telstra to actually service the pit (as it is an absolute mess) but when they send out a "technician" they are contractors to contractors and all they want to do is get off the property as quick as they can to send in an invoice. Last week a guy came out and did no testing and just replaced the line isolation unit on the side of the house. That didn't fix the problems.

We were promised NBN about a year ago, but that has not materialised yet (and given the poor reports on NBN, that may be a good thing). I'm left wondering if Telstra is just not replacing old equipment once it fails and instead are simply loading more connections onto what's left operational. Is that thought sound, or not?

So my main question, if I choose another service provider, will they still just be relying on Telstra equipment and service issues, or will there be benefit? I mainly want the internet connection for the volume of data for a family of 4 in the house with a growing reliance on Netflix and Stan. I could go with a mobile connection (my 4G is at 16.3Mbs this morning, so by far surpassing the cable connection), but I doubt a mobile data plan would have enough included data. The Telstra cable included data plan is unlimited and we use between 200-400G/month.

Does anyone have any suggestions for us to keep the data volume, but consistently achieve speeds of say 16Mbs or higher?

 

[asterix]

If you are using Telstra cable, then only Telstra is available until NBN is made available in your area. If you have a phone line you can get ADSL2, but I'd stick with Telstra cable. I went from 4Mbps on ADSL2 to Telstra cable and get up to 115Mbps. Optus has a 200GB 4G data plan for around $60 I think, but that isn't going to help if you use up to 400GB a month.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

If I were getting 115Mbs I'd be ecstatic! Trouble is I'm not so I have to look for alternatives. I currently pay $80/month for the unlimited bundle (which although it comes with a landline number, we don't use it, there's not even a phone plugged into it).

I'll have a look at the Optus deal. I thought 50G was the highest they have. If I upgrade all the mobiles so everyone uses their mobiles for internet rather than the wifi, then 200G should be enough for the TV ... maybe!

 

[asterix]

Here is the link. You can also get unlimited for $90.

Home Wireless Broadband Plans - Optus

These plans are capped at 12Mbps/1Mbps

 

[asterix]

Here is the link. You can also get unlimited for $90.

Home Wireless Broadband Plans - Optus

These plans are capped at 12Mbps/1Mbps

Otherwise OVO has 150GB for $89.95 a month which is not capped at the 12/1 Mbps speed like the Optus 4G broadband products above. You could also look at the Optus, Vodafone and Telstra unlimited mobile plans which came out in the last couple of weeks, they offer a chunk of data and then capped at 1.5Mbps for around $65 from memory.

 

[moa999]

Very strange. Are you sure you have HFC not ADSL. In general Telstra Cable is well regarded.

They also seems to be upgrading all the base plans form 30/1 to 50/5 according to Whirlpool reports (and 120/5 for those with the boost)

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Very strange. Are you sure you have HFC not ADSL. In general Telstra Cable is well regarded.

They also seems to be upgrading all the base plans form 30/1 to 50/5 according to Whirlpool reports (and 120/5 for those with the boost)

Yep, coax cable. Not ADSL2 (we upgraded from that many years ago). I've been regularly doing screen shots of the speed readings and they are not disputing that it's incredibly slow. They just don't fix it. There are numerous layers to this, from Telstra using sub-contractors who are using sub-sub-contractors, to a reluctance to address what will soon be outdated infrastructure. I'm really leaning toward them not actually wanting to spend any money fixing anything that the NBN network will make redundant.

I have spent a lot of my money providing better infrastructure on my land. When they came to install the coax, their coughpy 20mm conduit was jammed (as they do). So I paid to have a new trench dug and bought 50mm coms conduit for the Telstra techs to install. I also bought my own fibre and got them to install that as well, in the forlorn hope that I just might be able to get fibre to the home, but that was purely speculative on my part.

It's just damn annoying when I know my speeds were much better and are now woeful.

 

[asterix]

Yep, coax cable. Not ADSL2 (we upgraded from that many years ago). I've been regularly doing screen shots of the speed readings and they are not disputing that it's incredibly slow. They just don't fix it. There are numerous layers to this, from Telstra using sub-contractors who are using sub-sub-contractors, to a reluctance to address what will soon be outdated infrastructure. I'm really leaning toward them not actually wanting to spend any money fixing anything that the NBN network will make redundant.

I have spent a lot of my money providing better infrastructure on my land. When they came to install the coax, their coughpy 20mm conduit was jammed (as they do). So I paid to have a new trench dug and bought 50mm coms conduit for the Telstra techs to install. I also bought my own fibre and got them to install that as well, in the forlorn hope that I just might be able to get fibre to the home, but that was purely speculative on my part.

It's just damn annoying when I know my speeds were much better and are now woeful.

Have they tried replacing the cable modem? Do you have Foxtel and are using a splitter? Have they looked at your signal strength, maybe it is too strong or too weak?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Modem was replaced at our expense a year ago. Signal strength is full 5 bars according to the computer. No Foxtel, no splitter.

 

[asterix]

Modem was replaced at our expense a year ago. Signal strength is full 5 bars according to the computer. No Foxtel, no splitter.

For the signal strength I mean the signal strength if you logon to the actual cable modem if the signal is too weak it may need a booster, the full five bars you are seeing is the wifi strength.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

So this signal strength, can they measure that remotely? The so called techs do very little when they turn up and it appears to me like all they are doing is replacing odd bod cheap things (or in the case of the modem, tell me to replace it) to shut me up and get off the property. They've never mentioned signal strength.

 

[Paddy55]

Not sure what you can do in your present situation, but you can go to nbn™ rollout map | nbn - Australia's new broadband access network to find out what type of NBN you are getting, and when.

We've just gone live on a FTTN connection and, after a wretched month with Telstra have moved to Aussie Broadband who are proving very, very good so far. And I must say that even though we are well over 1km from our node we regularly get 35Mbps download speeds - much improved over Telstra ADSL.

The longer you wait the more likely you will be getting FTTC - much, much better than FTTN.

Good luck!

 

[asterix]

So this signal strength, can they measure that remotely? The so called techs do very little when they turn up and it appears to me like all they are doing is replacing odd bod cheap things (or in the case of the modem, tell me to replace it) to shut me up and get off the property. They've never mentioned signal strength.

I assume they can see these remotely, but I'm not sure. My signal frequency, power, noise etc are visible if I navigate to the cable modem's address which in my case is 192.168.100.1. Here is a screenshot of part of the screen.

 

[Buzzard]

Another one here for Aussie Broadband.
Having heard such good reports about them, have just pre ordered (50 plan) and hopefully we will be up and running during the next month or so.