Help me select an ISP, please

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kiwigander

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#207433 24-Dec-2016 15:57

Apology in advance if this question is in the wrong forum - mods, please move it as appropriate.

I've just bought a townhouse in Auckland. I don't need a landline for telephony and don't do data-intensive things like video or online gaming.

The house is equipped with a security system that appears to have been landline-based (square box with a TelePermit sticker), and I do want to have the alarm monitored. I'll also want to be able to control a heat pump from offsite.

Fibre is not available yet.

The cheapest data seems to be Skinny's 4G with a Huawei B315. It's not clear whether one can run a monitored alarm system over that service, though.

The only price-comparable copper plans seem to be Flip's, but it looks as if they may not have the most reliable connection and it may be impossible to operate the alarm from offsite because of the lack of a static IP.

Who would Geekzoners recommend as an inexpensive, reliable ISP with an ADSL-or-better service that could support a monitored alarm and some offsite control of household functions?

richms

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#1694695 24-Dec-2016 20:47

Upgrade the alarm to a cellular monitored one, typically then the monitorning company handles the sim card for it on their account.

Then you can get whatever for your internet and you are not at the mercy of a piece of easily cut copper outside for the alarm like with a phone one.

Also monitored alarms are not typically controllable, or even really monitored. They just make a phone call when they need to. If they were monitored then they would have a connection up all the time.

Richard rich.ms

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sbiddle

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#1694713 24-Dec-2016 21:24

If you want the alarm monitored you either need to get a copper POTS line or migrate the alarm to IP with ad adapter that any good alarm company can supply and fit for a few hundred.

Heat pump control is going to depend on the model and how it works.

michaelmurfy

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#1694718 24-Dec-2016 21:28

For Internet it isn't worth going to the absolute cheapest.

Just use GSM alarm monitoring (ask your alarm company) and join somebody like BigPipe, Spark or Voyager.

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Yabanize

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#1694724 24-Dec-2016 21:49

+1 for Bigpipe. However, if you only need 100gb or less, No harm in going with Skinny if you can get it, its fast and easy to set up.