Might go with 3g Billpay, need advice?

Monife

Hi everyone,

Currently with UPC for broadband and TV but moving to an aparmtent complex that Sky Conway have the contract for. They are telling me I have to pay an installation fee for the broadband if I want it, which I don't have the money for, so I am shopping around.

The best I have found so far is 3g billpay (I am assuming 12 month contract) 15gb usage limit, 7.2mb download speed, 2mb upload speed, 36/1 contention rate for €19.99 and only a €1 admin fee, don't have to pay for the dongle.

Can ask, has anyone had this service and what it is like?

I was previously with Meteor broadband Pay as You Go and went over the usage limit (7.5GB) after 2 weeks and that royally p**sed me off and that is why I went with UPC.

Or can anyone else recommend broadband, mobile or otherwise (would prefer unlimited usage) for €25 per month or less. I mainly use the internet for browsing, facebook, boards, emails and watch the odd thing on youtube or rte player. Would rarely watch films online and would only download about 50 - 80 songs a month.

Thanks.

bk

Mobile BB, isn't really BB.

It is probably youtube and RTE player that was pushing you over your cap. Video streaming uses a lot of bandwidth and mobile BB isn't really desgined for this sort of usage.

If you can cut the video streaming out, then you would probably be ok with mobile bb.

You aren't going to get anything else cheaper then €25.

Monife

bk wrote: »

Mobile BB, isn't really BB.

It is probably youtube and RTE player that was pushing you over your cap. Video streaming uses a lot of bandwidth and mobile BB isn't really desgined for this sort of usage.

If you can cut the video streaming out, then you would probably be ok with mobile bb.

You aren't going to get anything else cheaper then €25.

Do you know how I could track my daily usage so that I can get a better idea of what I use, so that I can make an informed choice when choosing an internet package?

How many hours of streaming would use up how many GB? Would you know?

Thanks

bk

Monife wrote: »

Do you know how I could track my daily usage so that I can get a better idea of what I use, so that I can make an informed choice when choosing an internet package?

How many hours of streaming would use up how many GB? Would you know?

If you are the only person using the service and from only one pc, you can use the following program free for 30 days to monitor your usage:

http://www.hageltech.com/dumeter/about

It depends on the quality of the video, best to use the above tool to get a feel for you usage.

LaVail

Monife wrote: »

The best I have found so far is 3g billpay (I am assuming 12 month contract) 15gb usage limit, 7.2mb download speed, 2mb upload speed, 36/1 contention rate for €19.99 and only a €1 admin fee, don't have to pay for the dongle.

Dont believe a word of it. Those speeds they claim are generally unobtainable to the average user. The "7.2mbps" in reality its "up to 7.2mbps" which would mean it could be anything from 0.12mbps upwards. I think you will be hard pressed to find a user anywhere who gets 7.2mbps from 3 or any other mobile midband provider. AFAIK three test their claims in the perfect setting i.e with perfect coverage and with little or no other users logged on to the cell.

If you only use your internet at "off peak" times such as 2am-9-am then it would work fine for you but try using it at 6pm on a weekday or weekend and it will be a different story.

When you call them up to complain you will hear their favourite two sentences "there seems to be a little congestion" or "we will pass this information on to the network team" I am waiting 1.5years for an improvement to their service and nothing has changed, if anything its gotten worse.

If you are with upc and change to mobile midband you will never forgive yourself

jor el

When you say 3G I assume you mean Three, since 3G is just the technology that all the mobile operators use.

Moving from real broadband to 3G may be a bad idea. In some cases, it is adequate, in many it is not. Reliability, speed problems, cap problems, etc are rife among 3G mobile Internet users.

How much streaming will use your cap is an unanswerable question, as it depends on what you are streaming, the quality, and data rate. A 5 minute HD clip could be as much as 100MB, or even more.

If you do chose a 3G operator, you will have to check it out before you commit. There is no way to know whether it will even work for you, at your location, before testing it.

Monife

Thanks for the replies.

Bit disheartened now as I don't know what else I can do/get for €25/€30 a month with no installation fee.

Do you think I could do a trial period with three?

jor el

Most operators will allow you to return the modem after some number of days, and get a full refund. Check with them first, and it could be as little as 3 days, or as much as a week.

2snj3rwgt56h9k

3 do a 30GB plan for 26.24 a month (34.99 the first month, double discount the second month, and 26.24 thereafter). As with all midband, your mileage may vary. Check comreg.ie and find your nearest 3 mast. If it's almost on top of you, you're good to go. Sign up in a 3 shop and they give you 14 days (effectively 12, they sometimes reject returns on the 13th and 14th day) to try it out and return it no strings attached.

If you want consistent speeds and as close to proper broadband as possible, go with the b260a router. It supports ethernet and external coaxial antennas. I use one myself in Boyle, Co. Roscommon and (mostly thanks to low contention) I can play FPS games, stream, download, and generally browse web and it never drops below 5mb.

A warning though, their customer support is in Mumbai and is absolutely atrocious, never fall behind on your bills or you'll get 5 or 6 calls an hour from them, and never give them the benefit of the doubt, they'll get you if they possibly can. Keep an eye on your allowance on my3.three.ie and always escalate customer service issues if they start messing you around.

-=al=-

Don't meteor have a bill pay for 19.99 with a limit of 15gb or something!? maybe more? ...either way you can send a sms to meteor to check your data limit... and with 3 you can check your data online also.

I use 3 and yes it varies depending on time but their average is 2mb and thats usually what my average is, the highest was just over 4 one time and the lowest was about .60... it works fine but it all depends. If u used meteor before and it worked well with good reception etc.. maybe try and get a better data limit for it... the 7.5gb data limit is the reason i swapped from meteor to 3

If u have a choice of broadband rather than 3g stick with the bb

2snj3rwgt56h9k

Meteor 30GB, 24.99 on an 18 month contract.

Meteor do have the poorest coverage of any of the 3G networks though, so I figured it wasn't worth recommending. If you think it works well where you are, by all means go for it. It's the one 3G network that'll probably never be oversold. FFS, don't tell your friends it's any good where you are though.

downwithpeace

I think i saw a post somewhere around here about Three stopping the trial, it would most likely be an evaluation period now with no service no fee but if it works your locked in.

You can check your usage on the My Three page, mines always been correct and they'll send a text to the modem when you get to a certain percentage of your over all usage warning you and then i think you get another when it's up or just about up. Never go over, your bank account will have a heart attack.

Three now have a 60GB plan, something i just noticed and will probably switch to if possible.

2snj3rwgt56h9k

Holy crap they do!

You know, I want to switch up to it, but I know I'd have to talk to feckin Mumbai to do it and sacrifice a goat on a full moon to get them to do it without pretending I'm not allowed. It's actually offputting considering it's double what I'm on now for 4 euro a month more.

AFAIK three's rules are you can switch UP your plan to a more expensive one any time, and switch down after 6 months on contract.

Time to test the water with this I think. I'll report back after a few hours on the phone getting transferred to half the population of Mumbai.

2snj3rwgt56h9k

As expected, no.

He can't bump me up to 60GB, as I'm already on "3 broadband pro" (but with a 30GB allowance)

I could do it by switching down to 3 broadband active (15GB), staying on it for a month, then back up to pro. Lovely.

He did say they're working on it (lies probably), I got him to put a note on the account though, so the next time I call, they'll be able to see I called up about it.

downwithpeace

Same deal here.

They told me they're working on a plan to change existing Pro customers over to the new Pro plan and can't do anything until they figure that out. Also said i would be informed when it happens.

I only have about two months left on my contract anyway so if nothing by then i'll start a new contract.

2snj3rwgt56h9k

I still think bull****. Three customer support will say anything to fob people off. "We're working on it" is doublespeak for "I don't know, but I've had 20 calls today about it, and there's no option on the computer for it."

Same thing they do when network coverage goes down for entire cells at a time, and after they've got you to dismantle and reassemble your phone, wipe it back to factory settings and reset your PC.

jackwogan

I got skyconway broadband , I am paying €24.99 for 24mb and I have never had any problems, I download loads of movies as there is no download limit and they have no contract so you are not stuck with them for 12months.

Sponge Bob

Funny how everyone else gets a slow crappy max 2mb from Sky Conway and you alone get 24mb eh???

jackwogan

Ring them up.....I asked the same question and they said before they were not on the fibre ring now they are.

jackwogan

Last Result:
Download Speed: 21498 kbps (2687.3 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 2498 kbps (312.3 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 7 ms
09 December 2011 10:13:02

just to prove....

Sponge Bob

I wouldn't go near Sky Conway in a fit...or move into any building where they were present.

They have a simply awful reputation. Always did, always will.

jackwogan

Well am happy and it costs less than UPC thats all I care .....I dont care what anyone else thinks