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Broadband plans

Submitted by Makk on

Im trying to convince my family to move away from the stone age and upgrade to broadband internet.
I have been doing some searches and the best plan that I have found so far is from iPrimus- 256/64kbps at 49.95 for 12Gb
Does anyone know of any better plans?

I dont mind having 256 for speed but I would like to have a minimum of about 6 or 7Gb per month. Cost is the most important factor, I dont want to have to pay over $50
Anyone know of any better prices?

And whilst Im at it, we would need to have a home network setup. Would an old Pentuim Celeron 366 with 128Mb RAM be aalright as the central computer with the modem and all that setup on it?
My and and my bro's PC would recieve the net connection through the network, would we still get the same speed connection as the main pc thats directly connected to the net?

I hope this makes sense as any help would be great.

Submitted by Mdobele on Fri, 21/10/05 - 11:57 PMPermalink

Go check out Whirlpool forums and use the search facility to find great plans across all the providers.

http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc-plan.cfm?loc=3

For instance a quick queensland search shows a bunch of providers that will give you unlimited data DL for $50 at 256/64. If you can though go for a 1500/256 or one of the new DSLAM 8000 plans. mmmm speedy. ( dont go below 512/128 if you can help it :-) )

See Link
http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc-plan.cfm?state=qld&class=0&type=res&cost=…

Submitted by Djenx on Sat, 22/10/05 - 2:17 AMPermalink

hi makk

I remember trying to run my adsl connection through a 3 computer network... [:X] not fun at all

Instead buy your self a good adslmodem/4 port router. then you can use your modem as your network hub and directly connect each computer to the internet + you have the added safety of a hardware filewall

What ever modem/router you buy Make sure it's adsl2+ compatible.
adsl 2+ is a new internet standard which allows you to get speeds of up to 24mbs, normal modems are only limited to 8.[V]

Submitted by mcdrewski on Sat, 22/10/05 - 3:28 AMPermalink

i'm using bigpond cable (their modem) and a <$200 Linksys/Cisco WRT56G wireless/4-port firewall/router. Couldn't be happier. Much quieter, more reliable and better than using a PC with the modem on it. "Unlimited" (10G then shaped) telstra plan is expensive at $60/mth but it was the best (and safest - no overage charges was one of my requirements) at the time I signed up.

I went to whirlpool (see mick's post above) to review plans and look at discussions before I chose.

Submitted by palantir on Sat, 22/10/05 - 5:40 AMPermalink

I decided by checking out a review in an APC magazine and they reckon Internode is the best.
[url]http://adsl.internode.on.net/[/url]
I pay $50 a month for 512/128 on a 15 gig limit. And I wouldn?t want any smaller limit or slower speed.

Also, what Djenx said is good advice - get a good adsl modem/router. Do not go with a plan that comes with a modem - better to choose your own router.

I went with the Billion Bipac 5100 firewall/router.

BTW, the jump from dial-up to broadband is awesome!!

Submitted by LiveWire on Sat, 22/10/05 - 5:45 AMPermalink

i hear Netspace is good, and the prices were good last time i checked anyway (several months ago now though). i woulsnt worry to much about the download limit though, after you initial download frenzy (where i currently am) you probably wont use all that much (or at least i assume i wont be) - just make sure you have enough for demos and such.

Submitted by Makk on Sat, 22/10/05 - 6:56 AMPermalink

Yes this is all excellent info that I can use, thankyou. :)
I will look into getting a wireless 4-port router (and cards).
We had small talk, havent decided what plan yet.
God, I hope we get it. Im so bloody sick of dialup speed :(

Submitted by Major Clod on Sun, 23/10/05 - 12:16 AMPermalink

I just managed to get ADSL connected out here in the sticks.. it took forever but TPG were the ones that actually got it done for me. With them I'm on 1500/256 20GB unlimited shaped for $49/month, but its just been bumped up to $69! Luckily I'm on a contract so it doesn't affect me.

I think TPG now have a 512/128MB 15GB Unlimited Shaped plan for $49 instead.

As said above, I wouldn't go lower than 512/128 if I could help it.

Submitted by Daemin on Sun, 23/10/05 - 2:50 AMPermalink

I'm on the Internode 512/128 15GB plan for $49.95, and I have to say I've been pleased with the service. However they are a South Australian company so I don't know what the service / coverage will be like in the other states.

But yeah, do check out the whirlpool forums.

Submitted by popawheelie on Sun, 23/10/05 - 10:18 PMPermalink

Im on a TPG 1.5m plan, 20 gig DL limit, and then it gets shaped to 8kb, (I hardly cap it out, but come really close) Pretty cheap at $49 a month. From memory it comes with a free modem. (i got a 4 port lan thou)

pop

Submitted by pk on Sun, 23/10/05 - 11:20 PMPermalink

Im on the same plan as Daemin. (Daemin - I'm on the Internode 512/128 15GB plan for $49.95, and I have to say I've been pleased with the service. However they are a South Australian company so I don't know what the service / coverage will be like in the other states.)

I recently joined up with internode and that's in Canberra, seems good so far.

Submitted by Kizza on Wed, 26/10/05 - 12:16 AMPermalink

I'm on a 256 unlimited plan at home with Hypermax, it's a bit pricey though, the competition has knocked a few bucks off since I started. Got a $120 DSL Modem/Router today (last night in the storms my old modem/router totally fried along with my network card). Works wonders for me, 4 port network.
BigPong is a tricky thing to work with, I don't recommend it. (Voted the worst in customer service in Australia a year or two ago)

Submitted by souri on Wed, 26/10/05 - 10:39 AMPermalink

I'm on Bigpond's unlimited broadband plan. And by unlimited, I mean limited to 10 gigs. In fact, they're pretty stringent on that limit now, so as soon as you go over that, you'll get throttled down. I'd only recommend Bigpond if you mainly play games or download lots of game demos and software as they have their own game and file servers which don't add to your limit.

Kizza's mention of Bigpond's customer service reminds me of my last tech support with them a month or so ago. My connection had been down for 4 days, so I call up. The tech support guy asks me to describe my connection set up - I had the modem connected via usb, but the technician that came to install it left a spare ethernet cable dangling off it. Anyway, I mention that and the tech support guy accuses me of connecting 2 computers to the modem and that he can see two i.p address at his end coming from my modem. I tell him that I don't have two computers (my spare computer which ran Sumea Paintchat is broken), and that the ethernet cable was connected to nothing. Those two i.ps were most likely due to me turning my modem off and on trying to get a connection and the old i.p not timing out. Anyway, he wasn't convinced, was pretty darn rude about it, and in the end wasn't helpful at all. So I hung up, called back and got someone else to talk to who then organised a technician to come on the following Monday.

So Monday comes, and no one even comes at all. I call up to find out what the heck was happening and they told me that my area has had some major work done and that it all should be fixed soon. :/ It seems to me that things are usually good, but when you run into a connection problem, it's a major hassle to get fixed with Telstra Bigpond. I've had a fair few of these connection problems, where tech support is no help, and it's usually a matter of waiting a few days for them to repair the local exchange.

Anyway, with that kind of downtime, I think it would be pretty reasonable if they refunded a weeks worth of connection fees to me, but I guess that kind of compensation is really unheard of.

closing comments: Good god, about time you're off dialup, my good man. [:D]

Submitted by mcdrewski on Wed, 26/10/05 - 7:18 PMPermalink

I've not had any problems with telstra at all, but that said I've never had to call tech support.

if I do there will be trouble, I know.

Submitted by Chaos on Thu, 27/10/05 - 4:54 AMPermalink

Just a tip for everyone when dealing with customer service departments in general. When the first person you speak with is usless, ask for their name and then ask to speak with their boss. Normaly this results in you getting access to a person with more knowledge and more powers to change/fix your problem. The higher you go the bigger theiir powers to help you are!

Submitted by Makk on Mon, 07/11/05 - 1:12 AMPermalink

I am now on teh internut superfast train surfing on the information superhighway!!!!1146and2
:)
We went with Telstra bigpond 512 plan! *ducks rotten tomatoes*
But Im liking it so far :)

Submitted by souri on Mon, 07/11/05 - 1:17 PMPermalink

Make sure you download all your demos, game videos and files from www.gamearena.com.au at *superduper* fast speeds, and it won't even add to your bandwidth limit. Also play on Gamearena servers as well for the same reason [:)]

Ahh, I've pretty much run out of things to download these days. If you're bored, you can watch a game related weekly streaming show called [url="http://www.gamespot.com/pages/features/onthespot/index.php"]On the Spot[/url] at Gamespot (Gamespot has some awesome streaming game previews, reviews, developer interviews as well). Another place to waste some bandwitth is at www.thatvideosite.com [:D] Some pretty funny and weird stuff there.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 07/11/05 - 8:11 PMPermalink

ive actually taken to watching on the spot weekly like a regular tv show, they may screw around a lot but it can actually be quite good. Theyve got daily videos on their main page aswell but they never work for me for some reason :(

Submitted by Makk on Tue, 08/11/05 - 12:13 AMPermalink

Yeah Souri thats where I go first to download game related stuff.
Speaking of, wow I can finally watch some next gen trailers. Cant wait till oblivion :)

Posted by Makk on

Im trying to convince my family to move away from the stone age and upgrade to broadband internet.
I have been doing some searches and the best plan that I have found so far is from iPrimus- 256/64kbps at 49.95 for 12Gb
Does anyone know of any better plans?

I dont mind having 256 for speed but I would like to have a minimum of about 6 or 7Gb per month. Cost is the most important factor, I dont want to have to pay over $50
Anyone know of any better prices?

And whilst Im at it, we would need to have a home network setup. Would an old Pentuim Celeron 366 with 128Mb RAM be aalright as the central computer with the modem and all that setup on it?
My and and my bro's PC would recieve the net connection through the network, would we still get the same speed connection as the main pc thats directly connected to the net?

I hope this makes sense as any help would be great.


Submitted by Mdobele on Fri, 21/10/05 - 11:57 PMPermalink

Go check out Whirlpool forums and use the search facility to find great plans across all the providers.

http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc-plan.cfm?loc=3

For instance a quick queensland search shows a bunch of providers that will give you unlimited data DL for $50 at 256/64. If you can though go for a 1500/256 or one of the new DSLAM 8000 plans. mmmm speedy. ( dont go below 512/128 if you can help it :-) )

See Link
http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc-plan.cfm?state=qld&class=0&type=res&cost=…

Submitted by Djenx on Sat, 22/10/05 - 2:17 AMPermalink

hi makk

I remember trying to run my adsl connection through a 3 computer network... [:X] not fun at all

Instead buy your self a good adslmodem/4 port router. then you can use your modem as your network hub and directly connect each computer to the internet + you have the added safety of a hardware filewall

What ever modem/router you buy Make sure it's adsl2+ compatible.
adsl 2+ is a new internet standard which allows you to get speeds of up to 24mbs, normal modems are only limited to 8.[V]

Submitted by mcdrewski on Sat, 22/10/05 - 3:28 AMPermalink

i'm using bigpond cable (their modem) and a <$200 Linksys/Cisco WRT56G wireless/4-port firewall/router. Couldn't be happier. Much quieter, more reliable and better than using a PC with the modem on it. "Unlimited" (10G then shaped) telstra plan is expensive at $60/mth but it was the best (and safest - no overage charges was one of my requirements) at the time I signed up.

I went to whirlpool (see mick's post above) to review plans and look at discussions before I chose.

Submitted by palantir on Sat, 22/10/05 - 5:40 AMPermalink

I decided by checking out a review in an APC magazine and they reckon Internode is the best.
[url]http://adsl.internode.on.net/[/url]
I pay $50 a month for 512/128 on a 15 gig limit. And I wouldn?t want any smaller limit or slower speed.

Also, what Djenx said is good advice - get a good adsl modem/router. Do not go with a plan that comes with a modem - better to choose your own router.

I went with the Billion Bipac 5100 firewall/router.

BTW, the jump from dial-up to broadband is awesome!!

Submitted by LiveWire on Sat, 22/10/05 - 5:45 AMPermalink

i hear Netspace is good, and the prices were good last time i checked anyway (several months ago now though). i woulsnt worry to much about the download limit though, after you initial download frenzy (where i currently am) you probably wont use all that much (or at least i assume i wont be) - just make sure you have enough for demos and such.

Submitted by Makk on Sat, 22/10/05 - 6:56 AMPermalink

Yes this is all excellent info that I can use, thankyou. :)
I will look into getting a wireless 4-port router (and cards).
We had small talk, havent decided what plan yet.
God, I hope we get it. Im so bloody sick of dialup speed :(

Submitted by Major Clod on Sun, 23/10/05 - 12:16 AMPermalink

I just managed to get ADSL connected out here in the sticks.. it took forever but TPG were the ones that actually got it done for me. With them I'm on 1500/256 20GB unlimited shaped for $49/month, but its just been bumped up to $69! Luckily I'm on a contract so it doesn't affect me.

I think TPG now have a 512/128MB 15GB Unlimited Shaped plan for $49 instead.

As said above, I wouldn't go lower than 512/128 if I could help it.

Submitted by Daemin on Sun, 23/10/05 - 2:50 AMPermalink

I'm on the Internode 512/128 15GB plan for $49.95, and I have to say I've been pleased with the service. However they are a South Australian company so I don't know what the service / coverage will be like in the other states.

But yeah, do check out the whirlpool forums.

Submitted by popawheelie on Sun, 23/10/05 - 10:18 PMPermalink

Im on a TPG 1.5m plan, 20 gig DL limit, and then it gets shaped to 8kb, (I hardly cap it out, but come really close) Pretty cheap at $49 a month. From memory it comes with a free modem. (i got a 4 port lan thou)

pop

Submitted by pk on Sun, 23/10/05 - 11:20 PMPermalink

Im on the same plan as Daemin. (Daemin - I'm on the Internode 512/128 15GB plan for $49.95, and I have to say I've been pleased with the service. However they are a South Australian company so I don't know what the service / coverage will be like in the other states.)

I recently joined up with internode and that's in Canberra, seems good so far.

Submitted by Kizza on Wed, 26/10/05 - 12:16 AMPermalink

I'm on a 256 unlimited plan at home with Hypermax, it's a bit pricey though, the competition has knocked a few bucks off since I started. Got a $120 DSL Modem/Router today (last night in the storms my old modem/router totally fried along with my network card). Works wonders for me, 4 port network.
BigPong is a tricky thing to work with, I don't recommend it. (Voted the worst in customer service in Australia a year or two ago)

Submitted by souri on Wed, 26/10/05 - 10:39 AMPermalink

I'm on Bigpond's unlimited broadband plan. And by unlimited, I mean limited to 10 gigs. In fact, they're pretty stringent on that limit now, so as soon as you go over that, you'll get throttled down. I'd only recommend Bigpond if you mainly play games or download lots of game demos and software as they have their own game and file servers which don't add to your limit.

Kizza's mention of Bigpond's customer service reminds me of my last tech support with them a month or so ago. My connection had been down for 4 days, so I call up. The tech support guy asks me to describe my connection set up - I had the modem connected via usb, but the technician that came to install it left a spare ethernet cable dangling off it. Anyway, I mention that and the tech support guy accuses me of connecting 2 computers to the modem and that he can see two i.p address at his end coming from my modem. I tell him that I don't have two computers (my spare computer which ran Sumea Paintchat is broken), and that the ethernet cable was connected to nothing. Those two i.ps were most likely due to me turning my modem off and on trying to get a connection and the old i.p not timing out. Anyway, he wasn't convinced, was pretty darn rude about it, and in the end wasn't helpful at all. So I hung up, called back and got someone else to talk to who then organised a technician to come on the following Monday.

So Monday comes, and no one even comes at all. I call up to find out what the heck was happening and they told me that my area has had some major work done and that it all should be fixed soon. :/ It seems to me that things are usually good, but when you run into a connection problem, it's a major hassle to get fixed with Telstra Bigpond. I've had a fair few of these connection problems, where tech support is no help, and it's usually a matter of waiting a few days for them to repair the local exchange.

Anyway, with that kind of downtime, I think it would be pretty reasonable if they refunded a weeks worth of connection fees to me, but I guess that kind of compensation is really unheard of.

closing comments: Good god, about time you're off dialup, my good man. [:D]

Submitted by mcdrewski on Wed, 26/10/05 - 7:18 PMPermalink

I've not had any problems with telstra at all, but that said I've never had to call tech support.

if I do there will be trouble, I know.

Submitted by Chaos on Thu, 27/10/05 - 4:54 AMPermalink

Just a tip for everyone when dealing with customer service departments in general. When the first person you speak with is usless, ask for their name and then ask to speak with their boss. Normaly this results in you getting access to a person with more knowledge and more powers to change/fix your problem. The higher you go the bigger theiir powers to help you are!

Submitted by Makk on Mon, 07/11/05 - 1:12 AMPermalink

I am now on teh internut superfast train surfing on the information superhighway!!!!1146and2
:)
We went with Telstra bigpond 512 plan! *ducks rotten tomatoes*
But Im liking it so far :)

Submitted by souri on Mon, 07/11/05 - 1:17 PMPermalink

Make sure you download all your demos, game videos and files from www.gamearena.com.au at *superduper* fast speeds, and it won't even add to your bandwidth limit. Also play on Gamearena servers as well for the same reason [:)]

Ahh, I've pretty much run out of things to download these days. If you're bored, you can watch a game related weekly streaming show called [url="http://www.gamespot.com/pages/features/onthespot/index.php"]On the Spot[/url] at Gamespot (Gamespot has some awesome streaming game previews, reviews, developer interviews as well). Another place to waste some bandwitth is at www.thatvideosite.com [:D] Some pretty funny and weird stuff there.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 07/11/05 - 8:11 PMPermalink

ive actually taken to watching on the spot weekly like a regular tv show, they may screw around a lot but it can actually be quite good. Theyve got daily videos on their main page aswell but they never work for me for some reason :(

Submitted by Makk on Tue, 08/11/05 - 12:13 AMPermalink

Yeah Souri thats where I go first to download game related stuff.
Speaking of, wow I can finally watch some next gen trailers. Cant wait till oblivion :)