Eir catch 22... commit before knowing the speed

jeamimus

Ive just bought a new (secondhand) house in rural ireland and hope to move in soon. I need to get the best internet possible but expect problems because of the location.
The present owner has a bundle with vodafone but only uses his smartphone. Obviously he will be closing his account when he leaves.
I rang eircom to find out what kind of internet i could expect, planning to suss out the packages from the various companies when i know whats possible.
They checked the line and informed me that, although the line was active the current owner didnt have a phone connected to it so they couldnt test it for broadband capability.
The only option they gave me was to open an account with them after I move in .. and that I could then cancel it later if broadband proved to be impossible there.
This precludes me from finding the best/fastest deal as I now have no idea what might be possible and will be forced to commit to them first.
The new house is on the edge of an ADSL2 exchange about 6km from the exchange.
Is there a better way to shop around for the best (ie fastest) internet, in my circumstances?

TheChizler

Some of the mobile operators will let you have a dongle for a trial. Definitely don't sign a contract unless you're confident you can get out of it.

ED E

6KM? Thats 0.12 to 0.9Mb if you're lucky. Dont even bother.

Go with fixed wireless, use the IrelandOffline map.

jeamimus

Thanks, I was afraid of that. That might explain why Eir were so unhelpful. TBH have no use for a fixed line except for internet so I will investigate the fixed wireless people.

TheChizler

Speeds aren't guaranteed with the fixed wireless people either so be just as vigilant when making contracts! Someone I know is stuck on a 12 month contract with 0.3 Mb/s download with one of these, on the phone they implied they could cancel if it wasn't adequate but after installation they clarified that adequate meant 'working at all'. Read the Ts&Cs.

jeamimus

i think i have found another option... 3 provide a mobile broadband dongle with a monthly max of 250Gb and running on 4G if available.

They say that 4G is available in the area but only outdoors.

Would it be feasible to connect a modem/router/dongle to an outside aerial and pick up 4G and distribute inside the house by wifi?

Is a weak 4g signal slow or is it just dificult to stay connected to?

rob808

TheChizler wrote: »

Speeds aren't guaranteed with the fixed wireless people either so be just as vigilant when making contracts! Someone I know is stuck on a 12 month contract with 0.3 Mb/s download with one of these, on the phone they implied they could cancel if it wasn't adequate but after installation they clarified that adequate meant 'working at all'. Read the Ts&Cs.

If it not working 0.3 not broadband they should contact Comreg and make a complaint against the speeds there getting what are they paying for it?.

Chorus_suck

This post has been deleted.

jeamimus

jeamimus wrote: »

i think i have found another option... 3 provide a mobile broadband dongle with a monthly max of 250Gb and running on 4G if available.

They say that 4G is available in the area but only outdoors.

Would it be feasible to connect a modem/router/dongle to an outside aerial and pick up 4G and distribute inside the house by wifi?

Is a weak 4g signal slow or is it just dificult to stay connected to?

Borrow a phone with 3 sim and make tests. 3 has been terrible over much of the country for the previous year

jeamimus

Deleted User wrote: »

Borrow a phone with 3 sim and make tests. 3 has been terrible over much of the country for the previous year

Thanks. Good advice. I dont think anybody else offers high data caps on 4G... must be for a reason!

ED E

jeamimus wrote: »

Thanks. Good advice. I dont think anybody else offers high data caps on 4G... must be for a reason!

The higher the allowance/cheaper the data the slower the network will be. Three do a €20/mo all you can eat deal so their network *can be* very slow in lots of areas. Vodafone charge the most per GB but their network is blazing fast in most of the country. This is the trade off. Meteor/eir tend to be in the middle.

FWA suffers the same issues with the more data you allow, the slower the network becomes, so all providers have limits or FUPs unless you pay extortionate amounts.

Living where you're living you'll get ok midband, no good broadband until closer to 2020. But sure the rent/mortgage will be cheap.

jeamimus

Chorus_suck wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Thanks. Those reviews are beyond scarey. Clear signal to avoid them.

It seems no midband can offer both speed and volume. Maybe the solution is two dongles, one for normal use and vodafone for netflix...

Im also looking at fixed wifi.

colm_mcm

Why not being a laptop to the house while the current owner is there and do a speed test?

jeamimus

colm_mcm wrote: »

Why not being a laptop to the house while the current owner is there and do a speed test?

The present people don't have internet.

I think I'll just have to survey areas with a dongle to see where the best signal might be.. maybe i could work something with an external aerial (mobile reception inside the house is unreliable).

Also trying to follow up on fixed wifi.

colm_mcm

Sorry, misunderstood the OP.

TheChizler

rob808 wrote: »

If it not working 0.3 not broadband they should contact Comreg and make a complaint against the speeds there getting what are they paying for it?.

No provider will guarantee a minimum throughput unfortunately. Too many variables.

editorsean

To test the mobile providers, I would suggest picking up an unlocked 4G/LTE dongle and getting a prepay data SIM from Meteor and Three and get the 7.5GB bundle. This should be enough to test each out over a few days.

If you go with Three, I would suggest choosing the SIM only option, which has a 30-day rolling contract instead of the 12/18 month plans for their device options. It will show 12/18 months on the product selection page, but then changes to "1 month contract" when the SIM-only option is chosen.

One very important thing with the mobile providers is watch the data usage like a hawk as they all have very high out-of-bundle charges for going over, just like going over the check-in bag weight limit at the airport.

If you go the fixed wireless route, you could then put the dongle on eBay or keep it as backup in case the fixed wireless connection gives trouble.

ScumLord

jeamimus wrote: »

They checked the line and informed me that, although the line was active the current owner didnt have a phone connected to it so they couldnt test it for broadband capability.

That doesn't seem right, I haven't had a phone connected to my landline ever since I moved into my current house. Vodafone have no problem telling me what my landline speed is. I do have a router plugged in though. You'd think with Eircom putting in the lines they'd know what they're capable of.

ED E

ScumLord wrote: »

That doesn't seem right, I haven't had a phone connected to my landline ever since I moved into my current house. Vodafone have no problem telling me what my landline speed is. I do have a router plugged in though. You'd think with Eircom putting in the lines they'd know what they're capable of.

You dont have a phone, but do have a working line. Thus monthly tests, thus a valid rating.

If a line is left unused it will often be disconnected from the exchange side and thus no tests and no rating.

WicklowTiger

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Borrow a phone with 3 sim and make tests. 3 has been terrible over much of the country for the previous year

I have been using three's 4G network for the past 18 months with an unlocked router I bought on Amazon. Living in Wexford town, consistently getting 20-30Gb down (often more) and usually 30+ up. There's been the odd blip but never more than a few hours, less than a handful of occasions. I'm on the 30 day SIM only contact with 60GB limit. As I'm in town was not expecting a great experience as thought the network would be over burdened, but just shows you need to check it out for your situation.

jeamimus

WicklowTiger wrote: »

I have been using three's 4G network for the past 18 months with an unlocked router I bought on Amazon. Living in Wexford town, consistently getting 20-30Gb down (often more) and usually 30+ up. There's been the odd blip but never more than a few hours, less than a handful of occasions. I'm on the 30 day SIM only contact with 60GB limit. As I'm in town was not expecting a great experience as thought the network would be over burdened, but just shows you need to check it out for your situation.

From what i see the experience with Three seems to be polarised. For most its horrible but its great for some.. Looking at the maps the nearest mast to me is a three one. The other masts are all slightly further away and all grouped together in a different direction. I suppose the local terrain will be the deciding factor.
Ill unlock my current dongle and try it with the PAYG cards from the different suppliers...