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Clearwire Broadband

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  • 29-08-2006 11:51am
    #1
    mirwillbeback
    Registered Users Posts: 2,004 ✭✭✭


    Anyone know anything about this, sounds great, 30per month, no land line needed.

    Is it too good to be true?


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    #2
    MunsterCycling
    Registered Users Posts: 4,864 ✭✭✭MunsterCycling


    Indeed it is, port blocking, speed throttling etc...

    MC


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    #3
    ambasite
    Registered Users Posts: 599 ✭✭✭ambasite


    getting wireless modem from them tomorrow, one week trial, not sure if my address in galway is in range of their signal.

    Munster Cycling port blocking/speed throttling?? does not sound good...


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    #4
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    They may not admit that they block or throttle ports but in my extensive testing when I had clearwire and BT, they were doing some real nasty stuff.

    Also affects online gaming. World of Warecraft and Steam based games are the ones I know of.

    VPN can be bad, VoIP can be quite bad at times.


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    #5
    Mark1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14 ✭Mark1


    I can agree with IrishTLR VoIP (skype) works only badly you can hear other party but they can't hear you at all most of time or else very garbled. gave up with P2P only way i have found to transfer large files is to up load to a web site. Other softphones seem to be blocked alltogether. We have no land line and limited options of provider.


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    #6
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭generalmiaow


    My problems with Clearwire:

    1. Not responding to emails, and when they do, they just tell you to ring them. And when you ring them, they give you half-baked answers.

    2. Not having a set day of the month when they take their direct debit from you.

    3. No way of logging in to view your account details online. (how much bandwidth you've used, etc)

    4. Unreliable service. No connection roughly 10% of the time.

    5. Block ports 2082 and 2095, so if you have a website with squirrelmail or cPanel, you're screwed (like me).

    6. Slower than advertised. I'm supposedly on a 2Mb connection, it barely breaks 0.7 Mb most of the time. Sometimes it's slower than dial-up.

    7. Block VoIP, including Skype and possibly even voice over MSN messenger, or maybe that's just because they're so slow.

    8. Block Peer to Peer, Bittorrent, etc.

    9. FTP Traffic is 1/2 the speed of HTTP. Both ways.

    10. Online games such as BF2 and Steam games etc, exhibit high pings and occasionally, for weeks on end, cannot connect whatsoever.

    Things I like about Clearwire:


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    #7
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    generalmiaow wrote:
    Things I like about Clearwire:

    To be fair, you should have put in, "do not need a phone line" as that is a big seller to a lot of people.


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    #8
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭generalmiaow


    IrishTLR wrote:
    To be fair, you should have put in, "do not need a phone line" as that is a big seller to a lot of people.

    I agree that it is an (the?) advantage to Clearwire, but it is no longer one of the things that I like about them. We are in fact, having a phone line installed just to get away from them.


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    #9
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭generalmiaow


    ooh, and add to that the fact that my girlfriend can't access her university webmail, and infact, I can't use any smtp server except mail.clearwire.ie.

    Of course I'll be compiling all these complaints to send to them once the contract is up. Who can I send this to in Clearwire to ensure it's read? Would love a full page newspaper ad, but I suppose a letter will do, but of course don't want to send it to someone who will just throw it out without opening it (like their support staff for example)

    [edit:] Just realised I'm off on a rant. Sorry thread. My point to the OP was yes, it's too good to be true


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    #10
    ronanp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 365 ✭✭ronanp


    Its an awful service. Wasn't too bad at the start, was getting connection speeds of about 1.8mb. Nowadays though if you're planning on using it for anything where reliability of connection is an issue (like online poker!) then forget it, quality of service sometimes as low as 1%. No good having a speedy ping reply if yer only getting a reply half the time.

    Have been trying to cancel it but support is ****e. Always has been. Have worked on a few helpdesks myself and I know when i'm being fobbed off!

    Initially was being told there was ongoing 'upgrade' work that may be causing issues, i'd be phoned back when it was over (never happened).

    Another outage "I'll check into that and phone you back in ten minutes" (10 minutes before closing time, funnily enough, and never happened).

    They were going to send someone around to see if my signal could be improved, made an appointment. (yeah you guessed it, never happened, and no phone call).

    DNS servers stopped working at one stage, was having to use eircoms DNS instead, rang the helpdesk, was told there couldn't be a dns problem or they'd know about it. Cough cough.

    Someone from customer services was supposed to ring me back a few days ago when I tried to cancel my account, never happened, my account got charged a couple of days later anyway. Seems the only way to cancel it is by blocking payments through the bank.

    Avoid it like the plague.


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    #11
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    generalmiaow wrote:
    ooh, and add to that the fact that my girlfriend can't access her university webmail, and infact, I can't use any smtp server except mail.clearwire.ie.

    This is a standard security block with many ISP's. It should not be a problem for most people.


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    #12
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭generalmiaow


    IrishTLR wrote:
    This is a standard security block with many ISP's. It should not be a problem for most people.

    I don't know for sure about that... in my experience while it's true that most ISP's will block their own mailserver from outside, and I know they blacklist from inside mailservers that are known open mail relays, most of the ISPs I've dealt with in the past have allowed me to send mail from smtp servers outside their service. Besides, it's not even a consistent block. One day out of five I can use other mailservers (though I'm capped at less than 1KB/sec), the rest I cannot. Sometimes I can use some servers, and not others. There's no sense to it at all. I do agree, however, that it doesn't matter once I can send mail from A server.

    However, nowhere did they tell me about the existence of mail.clearwire.ie ... I emailed them asking whether they provided an email service, and they wrote back three weeks later telling me to ring their hotline.


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    #13
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    generalmiaow wrote:
    Besides, it's not even a consistent block. One day out of five I can use other mailservers (though I'm capped at less than 1KB/sec), the rest I cannot. Sometimes I can use some servers, and not others. There's no sense to it at all. I do agree, however, that it doesn't matter once I can send mail from A server.

    Didn't everyone know that they do testing on their Network from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. It's a continual testing phase that I don't think will ever end. Clearwire were great before they officially launched their product. I have no time for them anymore.
    generalmiaow wrote:
    However, nowhere did they tell me about the existence of mail.clearwire.ie ... I emailed them asking whether they provided an email service, and they wrote back three weeks later telling me to ring their hotline.

    Classic Clearwire. Gave me a nice Friday Laugh :)


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    #14
    Eyeofthetiger
    Registered Users Posts: 47 ✭Eyeofthetiger


    Yes it is too good to be true!
    Went with them cos of the whole no landline needed thing and the cheap IBB not being available in my area.

    Been with them since November and since then the only payment they have managed to process correctly is my first one...somehow someone has managed to take down my credit card number and my bank account details everytime I have given them..which lead to me being charged for 4 month's worth all at once and without any notice.

    Was cut off by them for a while in April cos apparently I was uploading too much and the traffic they could see was Skype which I didn't even have on my computer. This went on for 2 weeks with them basically telling me it was all my fault when there was nothing going on my side... they had a record number of connections into my laptop when neither the router nor my laptop were even switched on. took ages to get them to switch it back on again everytime I rang up the guy said he had to wait till the next day to do it...the day he could actually do it I rang and was told he would ring me back straight away and I waited 2 hrs for him then I tried ringing again and got straight through to him..obviously he was too busy to be calling me. And I got charged for these 2 weeks!

    All in all a pack of imcompetent lazy people and I will definitely be ending my contract with them when it runs out!

    /end rant


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    #15
    mivec
    Closed Accounts Posts: 47 ✭mivec


    im only finding all this out now its a pity i didnt ask any1 on this site before, im so angry that they have stopped all my p2p connections.... they worked before now its totally stopped.... not impressed :(


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    #16
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    mivec wrote:
    im only finding all this out now its a pity i didnt ask any1 on this site before, im so angry that they have stopped all my p2p connections.... they worked before now its totally stopped.... not impressed :(

    I'd be very interested in knowing the following...

    1. When did you sign up?
    2. How long after you signed up did your connection change for the worst?

    Clearwire have been blocking / throtteling P2P for about a year now. If you had nothing blocked within your 7 day trial, then "normal stuff" blocked after you were tied to your 12 / 24 month contract, then I'm sure there is some law or regulation against that.

    That would be blatent entrapment or whatever you want to call it.


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    #17
    mivec
    Closed Accounts Posts: 47 ✭mivec


    IrishTLR wrote:
    I'd be very interested in knowing the following...

    1. When did you sign up?
    2. How long after you signed up did your connection change for the worst?

    Clearwire have been blocking / throtteling P2P for about a year now. If you had nothing blocked within your 7 day trial, then "normal stuff" blocked after you were tied to your 12 / 24 month contract, then I'm sure there is some law or regulation against that.

    That would be blatent entrapment or whatever you want to call it.

    signed up bout a month ago, was happy and connecting to p2p without any hassle now i cant get any connect also seems the connection has been slower but cant prove the speed end of things really, u reckon i have a case to pull out of the service?


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    #18
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    mivec wrote:
    signed up bout a month ago, was happy and connecting to p2p without any hassle now i cant get any connect also seems the connection has been slower but cant prove the speed end of things really, u reckon i have a case to pull out of the service?

    If you signed up a month ago with everything perfect and things are now bad after you are tied into a contract, I'd say you have a case to do much more than just get out of your contract. Clearwire have been doing these blocks etc for the past year but I could never prove that they were trapping people into contracts by giving perfect service during the trial period, then restricting when you are committed. I've suspected it for a long time but could never prove it.

    I'm no expert in the law so I'd advise you to talk to someone who is. This is a very serious charge against Clearwire.


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    #19
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭generalmiaow


    I would note however, that peer to peer (and even bittorrent) has worked sometimes. Other times I have zero access to these ports. Were it the case that clearwire didn't suddenly block p2p for mivec after his trial ended, but in fact it just stopped working because they're so crap, or they decided to randomly put the block on it again (like they do with 2082 and 2095 every so often), would this still be the same serious charge?


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    #20
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    generalmiaow wrote:
    I would note however, that peer to peer (and even bittorrent) has worked sometimes. Other times I have zero access to these ports. Were it the case that clearwire didn't suddenly block p2p for mivec after his trial ended, but in fact it just stopped working because they're so crap, or they decided to randomly put the block on it again (like they do with 2082 and 2095 every so often), would this still be the same serious charge?

    Valid point and the way you put it, would be almost impossible to prove.


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    #21
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    IrishTLR wrote:
    Valid point and the way you put it, would be almost impossible to prove.

    I did suggest what could and should be proven and by whom ......here.

    If you have proper access in the trial period and are crippled after you sign a contract (which then costs you money to get out of ) that is clearly an "Unfair Contract" and should be void .

    If what ye say is true it should be easy to 'prove' , PM each other and agree on a methodology and help the Consumer People I mentioned in that link above to test your theory.

    Being allowed to bang away at p2p in a trial and being restricted AFTER the trial is most inconsistent , you should be blocked consistently or not at all. Thast because if p2p is bad sui generis its therefore bad to let trial customers use it to affect the connections of contract customers.


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    #22
    weejimmy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭weejimmy


    Of course I'll be compiling all these complaints to send to them once the contract is up. Who can I send this to in Clearwire to ensure it's read? Would love a full page newspaper ad, but I suppose a letter will do, but of course don't want to send it to someone who will just throw it out without opening it (like their support staff for example)

    Why wait till your contract is up, call them tell them they do not deliver and you will not pay a cancelation fee on this basis. If they say you will have to pay a cancelation fee, threaten them with leagal action and say you will go to the paper.... but say this " put this to your supervisor. I will not pay a cancelation fee, I will take you to court and win also, I will sell my story to a national paper" I assure you this will work it worked for me. I got a call back 10 mins later saying. " ok we will give you your last months money back and you dont have to pay a cancelation fee" I will be taking them to court and will be selling my story to the paper soon. They are missleading and waste your money and time messing about while you talk to some chinese bloke telling you to try turning your virus protection off then this will work, that will work or your fire wall is blocking it, turn that off try this try that.... no way to much time and energy and crap sorry good luck clearwire narrowband!!!!


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    #23
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    Regardless of this being a long dead thread, Clearwire don't care if you ring up to complain. They are fully aware that their network is in sh!te. It's been sh!te for a while now, and will be sh!te for a while more.

    If you read a few threads here talking about Clearwire, you might even notice that they have achived the the high status by being nicknamed .... Clearesh!te.


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    #24
    RobertaBlueEyes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭RobertaBlueEyes


    My advice would be to stay clear (if you pardon the pun) of Clearwire! I am experiencing incredibly slow download speeds! Sometimes as low as 13Kb/Sec! Slower than a dial-up connection!
    And I'm supposed to be getting 2Mbps!
    Clearwires response to all this... there's nothing wrong with their service, the problem lies with my machine, or my network card, or whatever, but basically NOT THEIR PROBLEM!!!!!

    Abysmal performance, only matched by their abysmal support!!!!!!!!


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    #25
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    how many times did they promise to ring YOU back Roberta :p


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    #26
    Electricsail
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭Electricsail


    Name of guy I got in Clearwire was <removed>, had his email address, but cannot find it. I thought their service was terrible, ended up getting a line in, then used BT for Broadband


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    #27
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    had clearwire for approx 4months and at start the speed was always great around 800-1300kbps then after about 2months this changed and it was awful at peak times and all weekend it was unbearable.

    spent the next two months trouble-shooting with customer care who then cancelled my contract as they could not say why my speeds had more than halved after 2months good use.

    and yes i also had the ignored emails and the insistance it was my pc and never their service that was at fault, so i would say steer clear of them!


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    #28
    Electricsail
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭Electricsail


    Bad customer service from Clearwire, no response from Customer (don't) Care, find that hard to believe. Have a look at http://www.clearwire.ie/?section=61 Well OK, they didn't win, but they were finalists, probably beaten by Eircom, IBB, SKY and NTl, isn't life a b**ch....


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    #29
    Moriarty
    Registered Users Posts: 6,007 ✭✭✭Moriarty


    Electricsail: Please read the sticky at the top of this forum. Posting staff members names is strictly against the rules of this forum.


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    #30
    Electricsail
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭Electricsail


    Moriarty wrote: »
    Electricsail: Please read the sticky at the top of this forum. Posting staff members names is strictly against the rules of this forum.
    Sorry about that, what's a sticky?
    I don't know if it makes any difference or not but I was given the staff member's name by the call centre


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    #31
    Neworder79
    Registered Users Posts: 608 ✭✭✭Neworder79


    Clearwire have taken down a mast in the Harolds Cross area for "upgrades". However it's been over 6 days now and I've gone from full 5 bar signal to none. Had their technician out to wander around the house like a water diviner but only get the weakest of signals from other masts, no use.

    So sick of calling these people. Can't get a straight answer as to when or if it will be back up. Would happily leave their network only I'm moving in a few months and don't want to start another contract.


This discussion has been closed.
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