Imagine LTE Rural Broadband

morgana · 08-02-2016 2:25pm #1

Ok, so i live in the sticks in North Cork and have had Ripplecom's fixed wireless at 5-6 Mbps since forever. Now that crowd comes along and, at the initial contact, offers fast BB (max. 100, average 40 - 60 mbps) for 100e with a 200 gig monthly cap (including unlimited VOIP landline calls, but who needs that nowadays) .
As much as I would have liked faster BB, this offer wasn't going to cut it. Which I told the rep on the phone. Whats the point of having fast BB if you can't use its benefits due to price and very very restrictive cap. I left it at that and he agreed to come back to me if they would change their plans.
Lo and behold, a week later (!!!!!) I got another phone call - and they changed their plans completely: Now its a 20 gig cap/day (with throttling up to midnight if you go over) for 59.99! Now that's an offer I can live with. Setup fee 150 e, 18 months contract.
I took a deep breath and said YES, lol. WIthin 2 days I had an installation date just 3 days later. So contract agreed MOnday, finished installation one week later!
I am impressed. Poor guys had to install in the tail end of storm Imogen!

Still fiddling around to get it set up fully with my Asus RT-N66U. Its working but not quite the way I want it lol.
So one very happy camper indeed.

seaniefr · 08-02-2016 4:03pm

morgana wrote: »

Ok, so i live in the sticks in North Cork and have had Ripplecom's fixed wireless at 5-6 Mbps since forever. Now that crowd comes along and, at the initial contact, offers fast BB (max. 100, average 40 - 60 mbps) for 100e with a 200 gig monthly cap (including unlimited VOIP landline calls, but who needs that nowadays) .
As much as I would have liked faster BB, this offer wasn't going to cut it. Which I told the rep on the phone. Whats the point of having fast BB if you can't use its benefits due to price and very very restrictive cap. I left it at that and he agreed to come back to me if they would change their plans.
Lo and behold, a week later (!!!!!) I got another phone call - and they changed their plans completely: Now its a 20 gig cap/day (with throttling up to midnight if you go over) for 59.99! Now that's an offer I can live with. Setup fee 150 e, 18 months contract.
I took a deep breath and said YES, lol. WIthin 2 days I had an installation date just 3 days later. So contract agreed MOnday, finished installation one week later!
I am impressed. Poor guys had to install in the tail end of storm Imogen!

Still fiddling around to get it set up fully with my Asus RT-N66U. Its working but not quite the way I want it lol.
So one very happy camper indeed.

Sounds great!
What kind of tech are they using? can you post photos?

morgana · 08-02-2016 4:56pm

Some kind of LTE technology - the supplied modem is a Greenpack router (haven't been able to find out more as it does not let you log into it).
He told me to just connect the Asus to the router (and it seems to automatically put it into bridge mode, wireless access on the old wireless Intranet is working fine, but wired from my PC to the Asus just gives the guest network, hopefully i can figure out whats going on there).

Pics of the outdoor unit:

(BTW, can you believe the colour of the sky :P )

seaniefr · 08-02-2016 5:10pm

Great pics. That system should be interesting. I would love to know how it works after they have a good few more houses connected. The contention ratio would be interesting..but it certainly looks good on the website

seaniefr · 08-02-2016 5:18pm

think this is the supplier

http://www.greenpacket.com/

morgana · 08-02-2016 5:25pm

Yes I know - but i couldn't find the router on their webpage. Yr man was saying they will limit the number of subscriber to 400 to the one mast (Bweeng) to keep everybody happy :P. If such a deduction can be made from my ID, I'm customer 117 :P

ED E · 08-02-2016 5:39pm

Any reason to think its not WiMax vs LTE? Didnt think they had any spectrum for LTE use.

rob808 · 08-02-2016 7:12pm

The question is how long will his 50mb broadband last when they add more subscribers to it guess they try keep it low.

mass_debater · 08-02-2016 7:27pm

It's most likely 3.6ghz but may or may not be WiMax

seaniefr · 09-02-2016 12:08am

I think this is it - website description says that it is LTE, can serve up to 4 subs and that Wimax is optional

http://www.greenpacket.com/duo-outdoor-modem/

ussjtrunks · 09-02-2016 12:38am

I get very good service on nova atm, do imagine cover the same area? the price is about the same so its tempting

ussjtrunks · 09-02-2016 12:38am

*Double Post*

The Cush · 09-02-2016 12:43am

mass_debater wrote: »

It's most likely 3.6ghz but may or may not be WiMax

TDD-LTE in Band 42/43 most likely

http://www.gtigroup.org/35ghz/keynotes/2015-03-20/5825.html

Ould Mr Brennan · 09-02-2016 6:30am

ussjtrunks wrote: »

I get very good service on nova atm, do imagine cover the same area? the price is about the same so its tempting

If you go over your 20gb data allowance with nova what speed roughly do they drop you to? I'm half tempted to join them

ussjtrunks · 09-02-2016 7:45pm

Ould Mr Brennan wrote: »

If you go over your 20gb data allowance with nova what speed roughly do they drop you to? I'm half tempted to join them

I think its around 1mb, though tbh I've never gone over it so I'm not sure. Its an awful lot to use in a day.

ED E · 09-02-2016 8:21pm

ussjtrunks wrote: »

I think its around 1mb, though tbh I've never gone over it so I'm not sure. Its an awful lot to use in a day.

Depends on the user. A single PC game via steam can account for 60GB.

ED E · 09-02-2016 8:43pm

The Cush wrote: »

TDD-LTE in Band 42/43 most likely

http://www.gtigroup.org/35ghz/keynotes/2015-03-20/5825.html

Imagine must have got it on a trial as submissions are open for another three days:

http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg1605.pdf

While fiber > Wireless is still very much true as an interim upgrade this could make a big and welcomed impact in some rural areas. Taking chunks of users off overloaded cellular bands and dropping them onto 3.6-3.8(Preferred) and maybe 3.4 to 3.6 would be great.

Only downside is Comreg are intent on breaking down 200Mhz bands into 5Mhz chunks possibly to try and rake in next years budget in one foul swoop. If the Department/Minister were clever they'd give it away on the basis of a commitment to deploy X number of towers rurally within the next few years.

morgana · 11-02-2016 1:17pm

Just a little update after a few days (still pinching myself, lol).
Service has actually been improving, wired connection often gets up to 60+ Mbps.
Very steady even over wifi getting speeds between 20 - 35 Mbps depending on location.

Ould Mr Brennan · 11-02-2016 4:06pm

ussjtrunks wrote: »

I think its around 1mb, though tbh I've never gone over it so I'm not sure. Its an awful lot to use in a day.

Ouch. Don't think I could do that. I am a gamer so sucks to be me. Please hurry eircom

fitzie79 · 12-02-2016 3:19pm

morgana wrote: »

Some kind of LTE technology - the supplied modem is a Greenpack router (haven't been able to find out more as it does not let you log into it).
He told me to just connect the Asus to the router (and it seems to automatically put it into bridge mode, wireless access on the old wireless Intranet is working fine, but wired from my PC to the Asus just gives the guest network, hopefully i can figure out whats going on there).

Pics of the outdoor unit:

(BTW, can you believe the colour of the sky :P )

i had a similar experience. received a call a few weeks ago after expressing interest online but the prices and data limitations made it unappealing. 60 per month for those speeds is attractive - need to monitor my typical usage but doubt i come close to 20gb any day.

was there a lot of drilling involved in the installation. i don't want soemthing that is going to leave a load of cables and holes in my wall.

is the voice service working ok - don't use it often but always handy to have

morgana · 13-02-2016 2:25am

One hole through the gable into the attic then dropped down into hall though existing hole plus fixings of the unit itself. They will discuss location with you.
Haven't used the phone much except for some test calls, perfectly fine. VOIP setup directly in the supplied router.
20 gig is a lot even with Netflix etc. Only time I will come near or even exceed it is a large game download (which can be worked with good timing :P)

Ten Pin · 13-02-2016 1:10pm

When you say 20 gig, is that:
20GBytes
or
20Gbits
According to their website it's 20Gb which is a factor of 8 less (2.5GB). Doesn't seem to be any penalty other than throttling back but worth checking all the same.

Also included calls are up to 60 mins, charges apply after that.

Imagine are fairly good at the small print, just be sure what it is.

mass_debater · 13-02-2016 1:24pm

Ten Pin wrote: »

When you say 20 gig, is that:
20GBytes
or
20Gbits
According to their website it's 20Gb which is a factor of 8 less (2.5GB). Doesn't seem to be any penalty other than throttling back but worth checking all the same.

Also included calls are up to 60 mins, charges apply after that.

Imagine are fairly good at the small print, just be sure what it is.

Data is always measured in bytes, speed in bits, so it will be gigabytes, their website will be a typo

fitzie79 · 22-02-2016 10:36pm

just had imagine install the broadband receiver today. results are impressive! i clocked a download of 69MB/s earlier and averaging around 50MB/s with uploads consistently around 6MB/s.

I would like to change the default password to something easier to remember and also to link the unit to a wifi extender i have located in the house to ensure the signal reaches everywhere. has anyone managed to find a manual for the unit as i can't see to find anything online?

finally, i see they are launching a smart tv box in april. i must check with them to ensure that i will be given this unit. hopefully this will enable me to cancel my sky subscription and therefore save on the monthly bills.

ED E · 22-02-2016 10:47pm

I'd question the logic of deploying an IPTV product on a shared medium product. Instead of spikes of heavy load from random users you'll end up with constant 8-10Mb load from most clients at times. Obviously it makes business sense but itll be interesting to see what happens to speeds.

23-02-2016 12:15am

ED E wrote: »

I'd question the logic of deploying an IPTV product on a shared medium product. Instead of spikes of heavy load from random users you'll end up with constant 8-10Mb load from most clients at times. Obviously it makes business sense but itll be interesting to see what happens to speeds.

On looking at their site it doesn't seem to be a true IPTV product like eir or Vodafone, more a collection of TV players and streaming services.

They quote:

"Using the power of Fibre Connect Broadband with our Smart TV Box, open up a whole world of content & entertainment on your TV. Netflix, TV players, Google Play Store, Sports, Videos, games, Apps, and loads more all now live on your TV."

The only TV channel logo on the page is ITV and I assume this is referring to their player.

irishchris · 17-03-2016 9:06pm

Just wondering how everyone is getting on with this since. Has it maintained its quality and speed?
Could anyone post up some ping test results so can see latency and packet loss. Very interested in this as coming to galway shortly and am going to sign up.
Cheers

morgana · 18-03-2016 2:20am

Yes it has been very good - no complains, overall speed has gone down somewhat but not so you notice. Usually around 45 - 58 with spikes of 60+. Pings to nearest out of network point around 25 - 40, in-game pings (MMO, server in Amsterdam around 47 - 69). Very steady, no noticeable packet loss.
Once or twice small outages lasting no more than a few minutes and once a massive speed drop easily fixed by a router reboot.

irishchris · 18-03-2016 12:25pm

morgana wrote: »

Yes it has been very good - no complains, overall speed has gone down somewhat but not so you notice. Usually around 45 - 58 with spikes of 60+. Pings to nearest out of network point around 25 - 40, in-game pings (MMO, server in Amsterdam around 47 - 69). Very steady, no noticeable packet loss.
Once or twice small outages lasting no more than a few minutes and once a massive speed drop easily fixed by a router reboot.

thanks very much for the update. much appreciated!

leex · 18-03-2016 2:46pm

Any of you in Galway connected to this service? I am just over 11 miles as the crow flies from the transmitter and am told I am within coverage area. I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences before committing.

irishchris · 18-03-2016 6:41pm

leex wrote: »

Any of you in Galway connected to this service? I am just over 11 miles as the crow flies from the transmitter and am told I am within coverage area. I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences before committing.

i was told i was in the coverage area but then today when i gave my eircode again they told me i was not. not impressed!

Imagine LTE Rural Broadband

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