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Current Status of X-Series & Unlimited Broadband on 3

  • 09-09-2007 1:53pm
    #1
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    I'm trying to get a sense of the current state of the X-Series and unlimited broadband services on Three at the moment. Specifically I would be greatful if people could tell me the following.

    1. Which addon are you using - unlimited broadband or X-Series?
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites (tinytube included)?
    3. Do you have full access to real streams and are you experiencing cut-outs?
    4. Does Orb work for you - please detial which services function if any?
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype, voipbuster sms sender, gmail etc. If so, which ones?

    Awaiting your responses with interest.


«13

Comments

  • #2
    Cyrus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,644 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    i have the 250mb add on on pay monthly

    only apps that make use are opera mini and system 7 push email

    opera mini works

    system seven doesnt!

    and i really need it, rather move to voda or o2 so i can get a sim that would allow me use blackberry connect


  • #3
    quintron
    Registered Users Posts: 1,201 ✭✭✭quintron


    Bluefrog wrote:
    I'm trying to get a sense of the current state of the X-Series and unlimited broadband services on Three at the moment. Specifically I would be greatful if people could tell me the following.

    1. Which addon are you using - unlimited broadband or X-Series?
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites (tinytube included)?
    3. Do you have full access to real streams and are you experiencing cut-outs?
    4. Does Orb work for you - please detial which services function if any?
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype, voipbuster sms sender, gmail etc. If so, which ones?

    Awaiting your responses with interest.

    1- unlimited broadband 100MB bundle (POSTPAY)
    2- it would be best to post a list of sites people have problems with in this thread so others can test them. tinytube does not work. "This web page is unavailable to view"
    3- never used real streams, again links here would be useful in this one thread if op could slot some in for testing in main post, I’ll try them (or anyone else in a subsequent post).
    4- don't use it at present.
    5- Most 3rd pary apps work e.g. Gmail, Worldmate, Resco News, Vox
    Others do not, namely Fring which used to work fine for me before.

    Sorry I cannot be of more help as this thread is useful to report the current status of 3's "unlimited" offering and these latest ridiculous limitations everyone is experiencing. If everyone can put up the links, apps, etc that are problematic I will gladly test them in my browser.

    Its obvious they have recently blocked ports and its not on frankly.

    If they were blocked from day 1 that would be in breach of their unlimited offering (in a way similar to Vodafones current blocking on their 50MB daily allowance for 99c, but then again they never claimed it was "unlimited"!) BUT to have had access to sites and apps (like Fring) and then have that taken away, well thats just a kick in the head and unfortunately for 3, everyone has noticed. Just look at the amount of 3 issues in recent posts. Not on.


  • #4
    tdkeaveny
    Closed Accounts Posts: 41 ✭tdkeaveny


    1. X-Series silver 14.99 a month
    2. none that i notised before, but tinytube did not work. got a 3 page saying i could not be accsessed
    3. radio streams seem to wor (bbc ones)
    4. sorry never tried
    5. only ones i have working are opera (but very slow on conecting), im+ skype (uses my skype out min when poeple call me.

    ps. please help me out http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055148134


  • #5
    WezzyB
    Registered Users Posts: 429 ✭✭WezzyB


    1. Which addon are you using? unlimited broadband
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites (tinytube included)?
    No certain sites blocked for no good reason, i.e. dailymotion.com
    3. Do you have full access to real streams and are you experiencing cut-outs?
    No, tried both rte and bbc, works fine on wifi
    4. Does Orb work for you - please detial which services function if any?
    Haven't tried it
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype, voipbuster sms sender, gmail etc. If so, which ones?
    No, just on wifi


  • #6
    Terrontress
    Registered Users Posts: 3,888 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    Bluefrog wrote:
    I'm trying to get a sense of the current state of the X-Series and unlimited broadband services on Three at the moment. Specifically I would be greatful if people could tell me the following.

    1. Which addon are you using - unlimited broadband or X-Series?
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites (tinytube included)?
    3. Do you have full access to real streams and are you experiencing cut-outs?
    4. Does Orb work for you - please detial which services function if any?
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype, voipbuster sms sender, gmail etc. If so, which ones?

    Awaiting your responses with interest.

    1) X-Series Gold
    2) No! Tinytube is blocked. I get the same "unavailable" page as if I were to try to access an adult site. Even very tame adult websites such as FHM magazine which is available in every newsagent in Ireland.
    3) Access through bbcradio.mobi. Cuts out between 1 and 5 minutes
    4) Have been having trouble at my side so uninstalled it from PC.
    5) AFT, Gmail work fine. Opera Mini worked on broadband unlimited but not on X-Series. MSN messenger is very slow.


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  • #7
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,055 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    1. Which addon are you using - unlimited broadband or X-Series?100MB
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites (tinytube included)?Can access tinytube, not sure what it is though? I couldn't access dailymotion though
    3. Do you have full access to real streams and are you experiencing cut-outs?BBC streams appear to be working perfectly fine
    4. Does Orb work for you - please detial which services function if any?Not tried it
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype, voipbuster sms sender, gmail etc. If so, which ones? Fring - No, Gmail - OK


  • #8
    scary
    Registered Users Posts: 416 ✭✭scary


    1. Which addon are you using - unlimited broadband or X-Series? Unlimited
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites (tinytube included)?Can access tinytube and no issues acessing other sites aswell
    3. Do you have full access to real streams and are you experiencing cut-outs?I stream through windows media on my smartphone and can access bbcradio.mobi with no issues
    4. Does Orb work for you - please detial which services function if any?Not tried it
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype, voipbuster sms sender, gmail etc. If so, which ones? cant access gmail through pop, resco radio, slingbox or octrotalk, not tried anything else.

    My brother didn't have at data add on and i could access the above using his sim card, he since has upgraded to unlimited and is experiencing the same issues as alot of us.

    Corm


  • #9
    quintron
    Registered Users Posts: 1,201 ✭✭✭quintron


    Cannot access bbcradio.mobi through real player at all!


  • #10
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,055 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    quintron wrote:
    Cannot access bbcradio.mobi through real player at all!
    Yesterday it was working perfectly for me, today the streams keep on cutting out after about 3 minutes.


  • #11
    Terrontress
    Registered Users Posts: 3,888 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    Yeah, after several good reports I decided to try it again after I had abandoned it.

    Of course it cut me off after 3-5 minutes. Just as BBC Radio LDN was getting interesting!


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  • #12
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    I note that this thread is now the fifth link on Google if you search for "X-Series Ireland".

    I would urge all of you to link to this page in any comments you make elsewhere on line to get us to the top position. The more links we have into the page the higher the ranking on Google.

    I am convinced that if we raise the profile of these issues then we will start getting some reasonable response from Three.


  • #13
    postie
    Registered Users Posts: 88 ✭✭postie


    1. Which addon are you using - unlimited broadband Pay monthly
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites - No
    3. Do you have full access to real streams - No access whatsoever-perfect on phones WiFi
    4. Does Orb work for you - NA
    5. Do third party apps work for you - skype-no, voipbuster-no, Fring-no, gmail-yes, VOIP-no, Skype-No but may be a WM6 Problem, Opera-mostly
    POP3 email doesn't work either on most common smtp's


  • #14
    Hadley Thousands Schoolwork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,267 ✭✭✭ Hadley Thousands Schoolwork


    1. Which addon are you using - Pay as you go - 100MB addon
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites - Yes
    3. Do you have full access to real streams - Yes
    4. Does Orb work for you - Dont have it, I flashed unbrabded firmware, so the Orb icon is gone of the phone.
    5. Do third party apps work for you - These all work, Msn, MGTalk, Wireless IRC, Opera, PuTTY-Symbian, Gmail and any other Application I have tried that requires internet access.


    Seems that the pre pay has better iternet access than the bill pay.


  • #15
    quintron
    Registered Users Posts: 1,201 ✭✭✭quintron


    ^^ Question for Damo2k above, have you listened to a streaming show continously for more than 10 minutes?
    Does Fring work on your handset?
    I don't think anyone has issues with Gmail et al, but Fring and a couple of other apps are fried.


  • #16
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,055 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    Terrontress wrote:
    Yeah, after several good reports I decided to try it again after I had abandoned it.

    Of course it cut me off after 3-5 minutes. Just as BBC Radio LDN was getting interesting!
    Just been running it again today and it's been perfectly fine for nearly an hour now. Seems to be pot luck as to if it will work one day or not.


  • #17
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    Hadley Thousands Schoolwork wrote:

    Seems that the pre pay has better iternet access than the bill pay.

    Well that would certainly seem to be the case and gives credence to my belief that the app blocking is an attempt to free up bandwidth for USB modem customers - a product they are now advertising on TV at the expense of us phone customers.

    I for one don't really care for this 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' approach.

    It seems Three expect those of us on higher tariffs to continue to pay them for a higher bandwidth allowance even though they know we could never hope to even vaguely approach the transfer limits.


  • #18
    The_Hustler
    Registered Users Posts: 1,191 ✭✭✭The_Hustler


    1. Which addon are you using - Pay as you go - 100MB addon
    2. Do you have unresticted access to all websites - Yes
    3. Do you have full access to real streams - No, none whatsoever (not even for a second), except of course official 3 ones like news and The Hive etc.
    4. Does Orb work for you - No, I can access it but nothing I download works.
    5. Do third party apps work for you - Gmail, opera, google maps and stuff work, but any push email app doesn't.


  • #19
    quintron
    Registered Users Posts: 1,201 ✭✭✭quintron


    both opera mini 3 and opera 4.0 (beta 2) refuse to connect at all now for me. I've been trying unsuccessfully since yesterday but they have just stopped working. It says connecting and then times out with -4145 and -33 errors... Basically they knock on 3's door but can't go further.
    I'm infuriated as these apps were working fine just last week!
    Needless to say they work fine over wifi so it's a network issue.
    Calling 3 gets you the usual "please switch off your phone, remove the battery and sim card and restart". Please give us more credit than that waste of time!!!

    Most phone users have a lot more cop on than that and the "technical department" should treat a lot of its users as having a just a little experience after all these years.
    Its not exactly brand new tech here, just marginally more affordable and realistic pricing.
    Excuses about upgrades et al are pointless without them showing evidence of their having achieved something better for an end user instead of retro-grading their service which seems to be the case as is.

    I need opera as the built in symbian browser cannot process certain sites like zoho.com. Its pathetic. I was happily using these sites and apps on my paltry 100mb allowance, negligable bandwidth usage obviously... And now its "switched off?", blocked? Whatever.
    Just sort it 3 for God's sake.


  • #20
    flodis79
    Registered Users Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭flodis79


    quintron wrote:
    I need opera as the built in symbian browser cannot process certain sites like zoho.com.


    Sorry to hijack the thread, but how do you get the Zoho site working on Opera Mini? Or is it the Opera Mobile?

    On Opera Mini, at least I cannot use the Zoho word processor or spreadsheet. Does it work for you?


  • #21
    quintron
    Registered Users Posts: 1,201 ✭✭✭quintron


    Used to!!! (though I use Zoho creator not word/spreadsheet). To totally put a spanner in the works, I managed to connect very briefly with opera mini at about 1 am this morning, but it wouldn't open anything beyond the first page.. Tried the main Symbian browser and (no great shock) at first it was slower and more agonizing than dial up of yore, then its treacle pace simply halted. And refused to load anything. So everything seems to have gone wrong last night. Didn't even bother doing a speed test. It would have taken too long!
    And no, its not my phone. I have 3 x 3 handsets available which I tested on with similar results.
    And no its not my sim card; its less than 2 yrs old.
    And no its not my coverage area as I'm getting 3G full bars in North Dublin (with 3.5G access on an E90 though you wouldn't know it with the "speed" its returning pages).
    And no its not (nor should it be!), the contention ratio as it was approx 1am and I doubt there are 15+ other users downloading the entire contents of wikipedia to their laptops, phones, hamsters..

    Maybe its the battery.. now if I just switch off my phone, remove the battery and sim card.... I'm sure all will be as right as rain!


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  • #22
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    Rubbing your sim card can also work miracles I've heard - entire networks have sprung to life after even a brief polish.

    The technical explanation is quite simple really. By gently rubbing you stimulate the sim card and thereby cause it to secrete the packet data genie who can bypass even the most bizarre proxy setup. If nothing happens immediately, do not fear. It can take from 24 to 48 hours or 'til sometime in September for the genie to appear.

    However, I would advise that you use this technique with caution as the genie may take you to the magical land of tinytube.net where your mind will surely be corrupted irreversibly. And people, please remember, stimulating your sim for prolonged periods may also damage your eyesight. You have been warned!


  • #23
    The_Hustler
    Registered Users Posts: 1,191 ✭✭✭The_Hustler


    I can use zoho.

    But today I even had problems streaming 3's own content!


  • #24
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    this thread is now number 2 in the google results for 'x-series Ireland' - keep those status reports and incoming links coming!


  • #25
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,055 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    I think that everything that "should" be working for me is as I am able to stream from the bbc radio page and I am able to access zoho and tinytube on the 100Mb package. The likes of fring and orb are blocked for me though, but that is expected as I'm not on one of the X-series packages.

    I am thinking of upgrading to one of the x packages though so that I can make use of the Skype and orb, but if that results in loosing access to the more basic things then I'm not interested so I'm going to hold off on that change for a while longer now by the looks of it.


  • #26
    quintron
    Registered Users Posts: 1,201 ✭✭✭quintron


    ^^ Fring should not be blocked irrespective of what package you have! Unlimited means just that... Unlimited. Case closed.
    Now, due to the lack of any technical sense from the two 3 reps I spoke with yesterday to calmly explain my/their situation, I'm off to polish my sim card.


  • #27
    robinph
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,055 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    But they are selling Skype as part of their X package so Fring is blocked on the lesser packages as part of that. I still agree that unlimited should mean unlimited, but they are at least open about the fact that they block Skype on the less than X packages. It looks like you currently loose the ability to stream anything though once you switch to an X deal so I'm going to avoid that for the moment.


  • #28
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    Totally unannounced my third party apps apart from Fring can now connect again. Are we making progress, only time will tell but Three have a lot to do before I lose my scepticism.


  • #29
    postie
    Registered Users Posts: 88 ✭✭postie


    Which ones are working for you Bluefrog?
    I am still getting nada on messenger, Slingplayer (Non 3 version), Fring, and Real streams.


  • #30
    Bluefrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,045 ✭✭✭Bluefrog


    What Works:
    Nokia Internet Radio - this was working for streams on port 80 - now seems to support radio stations on other ports - listened to KUT in Austin TX on my evening walk which is on port 80 and a Moroccan station that's on 8080 (about 40 mins)
    Real Streams from the BBC - via the beebatron site - played about half an hour of radio 3 this afternoon.
    Official MSN Symbian client - login was slow but it got there - no contacts were on to test file transfer or any of the fancy stuff but the encartha bot was there logged in and I could chat with it..
    VOIPBuster Java app - was able to check my balance so I assume sending SMS messages would work on it too.
    GMail email client but that's never stopped working.
    Gizmo5 java client - could log in and contacts were listed - didn't try a call.
    Orb streamed audio and internet TV fine and without interuption - first time since I've installed it.

    Not Working:
    Fring. Can't see why they would enable the Symbian MSN client and continue to block this.

    One really has to think they don't have a clue what they're doing and that this is all hit and miss.

    How long this state of affair lasts is anyone's guess - will keep posting.


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  • #31
    WezzyB
    Registered Users Posts: 429 ✭✭WezzyB


    I have noticed a small bit of progress myself:
    I can now pop my yahoo e-mail.
    Still can't pop my gmail as it uses a secure port 995.

    Fring doesn't work, neither does Microsoft Symbian Live Messenger.

    If I could get these two (gmail/livemessenger) to work I'd be happy as Streaming just eats my battery.


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