Imagine launch Midband Ripwave Replacement - WiMAX

cormie · 09-11-2009 08:52AM

Still there for me..

So when would be a good time to give this mobile bb a shot and see how it compares to ripwave would anyone know? Is it too early to test it now as there will be hardly anyone on the network, so if I got it now I may experience a much faster connection than if I was to try it in 6 weeks or so after loads more people got on the network?

Is there definitely no trial period?

As I said, E10 a month for 3mb mobile broadband is pretty good if it's 3x faster than my 1mb ripwave package which I pay 18.95 a month for, the there's the fact it's mobile too meaning I may also be able to cancel my o2 data add on.

thebman · 09-11-2009 09:18AM

cormie wrote: »

Still there for me..

So when would be a good time to give this mobile bb a shot and see how it compares to ripwave would anyone know? Is it too early to test it now as there will be hardly anyone on the network, so if I got it now I may experience a much faster connection than if I was to try it in 6 weeks or so after loads more people got on the network?

Most likely would slwo down

Marlow · 09-11-2009 10:49AM

cormie wrote: »

As I said, E10 a month for 3mb mobile broadband is pretty good if it's 3x faster than my 1mb ripwave package which I pay 18.95 a month for, the there's the fact it's mobile too meaning I may also be able to cancel my o2 data add on.

Cormie, it will only work within Imagine's coverage area, so if you don't use your O2 dongle outside Dublin, that might work, otherwise it won't.

/M

Kev. · 09-11-2009 11:11AM

Just off the phone to Imagine,

She said there is no coverage in my area yet but in December I will have

She said there are 2 types of wimax ,

1.the dongle

2.The Box which goes on the side of your house,its black and about the size of a book

Surely this means Fixed Wimax and Wireless Wimax options?

Marlow · 09-11-2009 11:13AM

Kev. wrote: »

Just off the phone to Imagine,

She said there is no coverage in my area yet but in December I will have

She said there are 2 types of wimax ,

1.the dongle

2.The Box which goes on the side of your house,its black and about the size of a book

Surely this means Fixed Wimax and Wireless Wimax options?

Check a few posts back up, it was explained there. They seem to run a mix of both within the sectors depending on how near you are to the mast.

/M

Darando · 09-11-2009 11:14AM

so any idea of coverage? looked at their website and they have 3 types of coverage:

Wimax Live
Phase 1 (we are coming here next)
Existing wireless network

Does existing wireless netowrk mean their system can work there or is it only breeze?

they really do leave a lot out from the website!

plus a notice its €50 for the dongle and then it also mentions €50 activation fee - surely it scouldn't be €100 before you even start!!! that would make it €220 pa.

Marlow · 09-11-2009 11:16AM

Darando wrote: »

Does existing wireless netowrk mean their system can work there or is it only breeze?

No. Only Breeze and Ripwave work in the existing wireless coverage.

/M

Kev. · 09-11-2009 11:20AM

So what would you think about a fixed Wimax plan Marlow

Any use?

Marlow · 09-11-2009 11:22AM

Kev. wrote: »

So what would you think about a fixed Wimax plan Marlow

Any use?

Time will show, if the product delivers, what they promise. In general, if planned properly, fixed wimax (and wireless) is better than dsl.

/M

cormie · 09-11-2009 11:23AM

Marlow wrote: »

Cormie, it will only work within Imagine's coverage area, so if you don't use your O2 dongle outside Dublin, that might work, otherwise it won't.

/M

Thanks, the coverage map is a bit vacant. It has 1 orange and 2 green spots in Dun Laoghaire all equal distance pretty much from where I'd be using it mostly. So since green is existing, and I'm getting a good signal using that at the moment with ripwave, and it's the same distance on their map as the orange is, does that mean I should get a good signal on wimax too I wonder?

They should really offer a trial run like they do with ripwave, 7 days and if you find it's not good you can cancel.

As I drive the length and breath of the country, it'd be interesting to see how I'd get on with the mobile option compared to using o2.

It's a pity they can't connect to existing wireless/ripwave/breeze signals. I wonder does the technology not allow it or do Imagine themselves just not allow it in Ireland?

IrishTonyO · 09-11-2009 11:33AM

Marlow wrote: »

Time will show, if the product delivers, what they promise. In general, if planned properly, fixed wimax (and wireless) is better than dsl.

/M

Where you get the info that fixed wimax and wireless is better than dsl??????

bealtine · 09-11-2009 11:33AM

cormie wrote: »

As I drive the length and breath of the country, it'd be interesting to see how I'd get on with the mobile option compared to using o2.

It's a pity they can't connect to existing wireless/ripwave/breeze signals. I wonder does the technology not allow it or do Imagine themselves just not allow it in Ireland?

Mobile here refers to the technology being used not the mobile phone network.
So you can only receive signals in places where Imagine have base stations (coverage). So to assume that you can receive signals on the train or other places is not really viable...

cormie · 09-11-2009 11:45AM

Thanks for the info, so it's nothing to do with 3G or anything like that? You'd think they would have added the capability to receive a 3G signal while their at it. Although I don't have a clue what I'm talking about really so this may not have been possible at all

bealtine · 09-11-2009 11:51AM

cormie wrote: »

Thanks for the info, so it's nothing to do with 3G or anything like that? You'd think they would have added the capability to receive a 3G signal while their at it. Although I don't have a clue what I'm talking about really so this may not have been possible at all

Wimax nomadic (to stop the confusion with mobile) is a competitor to 3g technologies so never the twain shall be in the same box...
So what does that mean? They'd have to build in a 3g modem into the Wimax modem dongle too ( and while they are at it a Breeze modem too) so that's unlikely to happen for a number of reasons the least of which is the competition reason like Betamax and VHS or Blueray etc. Different formats, different technologies.

So it's not likely to happen any time soon (it might happen in the distant future).
LTE (so called 4g mobile) and Wimax are going head to head for market share...

cormie · 09-11-2009 11:57AM

Thanks again, so I guess that means the mobile wimax will certainly not be a viable replacement for my o2 data package which connect my laptop to 3g pretty much anywhere in the country I've tried so far.

It COULD still be an option for the home though, if it's 3x faster than the 1mb ripwave I use and nearly half the price.

What kind of ups and downs could I expect from the 3mb package when the network is populated in a few weeks/months I wonder?

Just got this on my ripwave 1mb:

bealtine · 09-11-2009 12:06PM

cormie wrote: »

Thanks again, so I guess that means the mobile wimax will certainly not be a viable replacement for my o2 data package which connect my laptop to 3g pretty much anywhere in the country I've tried so far.

It COULD still be an option for the home though, if it's 3x faster than the 1mb ripwave I use and nearly half the price.

What kind of ups and downs could I expect from the 3mb package when the network is populated in a few weeks/months I wonder?

Just got this on my ripwave 1mb:

At its at its heart it is a nomadic system so it is impossible to say what kind of speeds or response times you will get. In the simplest terms it is impossible to control contention on the network so depending on the number of subscribers that will determine the speeds you get. Not unlike the 3g mobile system. Also the fixed box with a fixed wireless is still governed by the nomadic system base station so it is unlikely to be better than true fixed wireless access.

I have asked for a modem in the interests of testing and heard nothing...

Too many high hopes for a nomadic system:)

cormie · 09-11-2009 12:13PM

Thanks again! Do you run irelandoffline yourself and were hoping to get a trial of it. They should give you one, I'd like to know how it works where I am. So there's no way to tell yet whether 3mb mobile wimax will be any better than my 1mb ripwave

Is there definitely no trial period? There really should be, ripwave had a 7 day trial and I think even 3's mobile bb had a 7 or 10 day trial aswell.

I'd prefer to give it a few weeks though till my area got populated so I could see the speeds I'm likely to be getting for the period of contract.

Marlow · 09-11-2009 12:44PM

cormie wrote: »

Thanks for the info, so it's nothing to do with 3G or anything like that? You'd think they would have added the capability to receive a 3G signal while their at it. Although I don't have a clue what I'm talking about really so this may not have been possible at all

No. Different frequencies and different technology. Same problems though, if it gets overcontended.

/M

Sponge Bob · 09-11-2009 01:04PM

Confused , try this

There are 2 wimax standards , fixed and mobile ( nomadic means mobile but not very mobile coz it won't fit in your pocket )

Imagine propose to deloy the 802.16e Mobile Wimax in Ireland . However this requires external aerials to work at distance from mast so

1 If you live near a mast you get mobile Imagine Mobile Wimax ( usb dongle), it will not be mobile unless you pay them extra as it will be locked to one mast .
2. If you live further away you get nomadic Imagine Mobile Wimax ( box about size of 80 tea bags with power supply) .
3. If you live further away again you get FIXED Imagine Mobile Wimax because the box and aerial are separate, the aerial is outside and you may not move these around ...you should never be charged a mobile supplement for this as it is not mobile .

copacetic · 09-11-2009 01:11PM

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Confused , try this

There are 2 wimax standards , fixed and mobile ( nomadic means mobile but not very mobile coz it won't fit in your pocket )

Imagine propose to deloy the 802.16e Mobile Wimax in Ireland . However this requires external aerials to work at distance from mast so

1 If you live near a mast you get mobile Imagine Mobile Wimax ( usb dongle), it will not be mobile unless you pay them extra as it will be locked to one mast .
2. If you live further away you get nomadic Imagine Mobile Wimax ( box about size of 80 tea bags with power supply) .
3. If you live further away again you get FIXED Imagine Mobile Wimax because the box and aerial are separate, the aerial is outside and you may not move these around ...you should never be charged a mobile supplement for this as it is not mobile .

Thats not quite right is it? You would only go for 1. if you only had one PC you wanted to have broadband and didn't need/want a wifi network at home.

Sponge Bob · 09-11-2009 01:17PM

You probably have no choice , it is most likely all dependent on the quality of the signal at your main location so if you actually want the mobile usb dongle you will have to convince Imagine sales that it will work at your address ....tell them you will use it in your roof garden all year

Trust me, I know that this is what will happen because I feel it in my bones

bealtine · 09-11-2009 01:23PM

Sponge Bob wrote: »

You probably have no choice , it is most likely all dependent on the quality of the signal at your main location so if you actually want the mobile usb dongle you will have to convince Imagine sales that it will work at your address ....tell them you will use it in your roof garden all year

Trust me, I know that this is what will happen because I feel it in my bones

A cynic would say the only reason they've chosen nomadic Wimax is so they don't have to do expensive fixed Wimax installs:)
Hence dongles will be all that is really on offer...

Sponge Bob · 09-11-2009 01:32PM

And a router box for the windowsill , don't forget , if the dongle won't hack it .

Of course they want to avoid fixed installs

Marlow · 09-11-2009 01:33PM

bealtine wrote: »

A cynic would say the only reason they've chosen nomadic Wimax is so they don't have to do expensive fixed Wimax installs:)
Hence dongles will be all that is really on offer...

That's pretty much on the dot, what it is

/M

cormie · 09-11-2009 01:45PM

What's this about paying extra for it not to be locked to one mast? So if I go for the 3mb mobile option at €10 a month, I can only use it on the one mast

Sponge Bob · 09-11-2009 02:15PM

The device is mobile but you must pay extra for the service to be mobile as I understand it .

The base 3mbit package is €10 a month but to use it other than in your home cell you must pay the add on which is €15 a month .

Then you have to be careful of the €50 setup charge. If you add the mobility after you get the basic service you will be hit for another €50 setup charge.

Therefore you need to know what you want and get it all in one setup .

See here for these charges .

http://www.imagine.ie/wimax-splash/mobile-wimax-broadband.html

cormie · 09-11-2009 02:57PM

Hmm, are you definite about that? So you're saying for me to avail of mobile wimax, which I can take from one wimax area to another, will cost me €25 a month plus €100 set up as opposed to the €10 per month/€50 set up it says on that page? Where does it say you can only use it in one area and have to pay extra to be able to use the dongle in other covered areas?

09-11-2009 04:32PM

what worrries me as well is that the upload speeds on the service are poor in comparison other services - a max of 512kbps on the 7mb package - surely this doent provide for a reliable gaming experience that they claim since such a low upload speed would effect the ping rate - or am I wrong?

Marlow · 09-11-2009 05:05PM

warlikedave wrote: »

what worrries me as well is that the upload speeds on the service are poor in comparison other services - a max of 512kbps on the 7mb package - surely this doent provide for a reliable gaming experience that they claim since such a low upload speed would effect the ping rate - or am I wrong?

No. The low upload speed does not affect your ping-times, unless you're constantly running full throttle uploads or you have other users, that you are contended with, that run full throttle uploads. Jitter and bad signal affects your ping/gaming.

/M

IrishTonyO · 09-11-2009 05:17PM

Guys,

I mailed Imagine to find out how far coverage from their base stations extend, according to Stephen 'the gimp' on the website it goes for miles!! Well what miles means is 3Km in ideal conditions. Here is the reply I got

"Thanks for your interest in WiMax.

Our coverage would normally extend to about 3km radius from our base station, depending on the landscape and how built up the area is. I don't have the exact coverage map for Parkwest just now, but if you'd like to go on to our website www.imagine.ie and register your interest in WiMax we'll keep you up to date on when we're getting to your area."

This won't give much area covered by their live base stations, so miles actually means 1.8 miles in ideal conditions. For this to work they will need base stations every mile or so, doesn't bode well for anyone waiting for coverage unless you have a base station in your garden!!!

Imagine launch Midband Ripwave Replacement - WiMAX

Comments