Bigpipe DNS servers changing to Spark DNS

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Bigpipe DNS servers changing to Spark DNS

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840 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2755324 5-Aug-2021 00:39

Thanks for bringing this up, I didn't get the email but it might impact me.

Interested in a couple of comments above, e.g. @michaelmurfy "There is no point in BigPipe these days and I am surprised in any person staying with them."

I'm with Bigpipe, 200/20 (ChCh) and static IP, $79/month, it works. Support requirements have been minimal (twice) over the last five years. Voyager is $10/month more expensive, somewhere will be a charge for a static IP, then I have the hassle of switching and the hassle of changing the static IP everywhere. Unless I am missing a major benefit, I may as well stay with BigPipe until forced to leave or a compelling alternative exists?

michaelmurfy

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#2755326 5-Aug-2021 00:58

The main "Benefit" is you can get Gigabit for the same sort of cost as 200/20 or 100/100 on many providers these days. You may not need it, but you'll want it if you have something like a PS5 and have a 100gb game update (like I've had).

Voyager - maybe not the same cost but if you don't mind CG-NAT and don't really have a use for a Static IP then 2degrees have Gigabit for $80/mo if you have mobile with them as a quick example.

For me personally I'd rather pay an extra $10 per month for Gigabit with Voyager who peer, have IPv6 and have great support if needed (phone based). I'm also primarily working from home so despite me having a backup connection it is vital for me to have something reliable with phone support as the times I've needed it, BigPipe in the past when they were more of a thing were in no way up to par and in one case I went for a full 24hrs on a connection outage with them prompting me to switch to 2degrees in the first place.

Anyway if the solution you have works, then it works, but I actually don't see a point in these connection speeds... This also can't just be myself as many ISP's now don't offer anything except Gigabit and 100/20. This is why BigPipe is quite out of place and clearly the forgotten child.

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jarledb

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#2755327 5-Aug-2021 01:45

Shindig:

What is this peering with Spark.

If one was going to move from BP, would it be best to shift to Spark?

The Wikipedia definition for peering: "peering is a voluntary interconnection of administratively separate Internet networks for the purpose of exchanging traffic between the "down-stream" users of each network."

As I understand it Spark (Which includes Skinny and BigPipe) don't peer with other New Zealand ISPs so when you want to connect to a computer/service on another ISP the traffic will typically route via Australia. Which is not what you want if you want a snappy experience.

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nic.wise

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#2755435 5-Aug-2021 08:57

Thanks for all the comments in here - I'm going to try Voyager - price is good, static IP cost is good, local-owned company as far as I can tell, so the Mrs is happy.... start without contract and move to 12 months once it shows it pans out.

Nic Wise - fastchicken.co.nz

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#2755516 5-Aug-2021 10:22

jarledb:

[snip]

The Wikipedia definition for peering: "peering is a voluntary interconnection of administratively separate Internet networks for the purpose of exchanging traffic between the "down-stream" users of each network."

As I understand it Spark (Which includes Skinny and BigPipe) don't peer with other New Zealand ISPs so when you want to connect to a computer/service on another ISP the traffic will typically route via Australia. Which is not what you want if you want a snappy experience.

That is not typically what happens. Most traffic between ISPs that is not over peering links doesn't leave NZ. Apart from clearing up that small factual error I'm not getting drawn into that discussion.

Cheers - N

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#2755519 5-Aug-2021 10:28

Would something like heavy consumption of Spark Sport and SkySports Now streaming influence an ISP choice?

If BP closed tomorrow, would Spark be the best choice in this scenario?

The little things make the biggest difference.

michaelmurfy

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#2755523 5-Aug-2021 10:33

@Shindig No, that goes via a CDN outside of Sparks network so doesn't really matter what ISP you pick here.

If BP closed tomorrow, would Spark be the best choice in this scenario?

Depends on what your needs are... I'd say Skinny would be the "match" for BigPipe but you'll likely lose your Static IP. At this stage really just shop around, I've also got a forum post here: https://murfy.nz/2018/02/06/picking-the-right-isp/

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Talkiet

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#2755525 5-Aug-2021 10:35

Shindig:

Would something like heavy consumption of Spark Sport and SkySports Now streaming influence an ISP choice?

If BP closed tomorrow, would Spark be the best choice in this scenario?

Those (and essentially all) streaming services use CDNs like Akamai etc for streaming media delivery. Most ISPs have decent CDN infrastructure and there SHOULD be little difference in performance of the major streaming services between ISPs. Typically though the larger the ISP the bigger and more distributed their CDNs are (Content Delivery Network locations) and the more resilience they have.

Both Spark and Skinny use the same underlying network as BP so they are the closest matches but I'm biased (work at Spark) so you can't trust me except for answers to technical questions :-)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Shindig

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#2755526 5-Aug-2021 10:37

Thank you @michaelmurfy

The little things make the biggest difference.

zespri

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#2755746 5-Aug-2021 16:38

michaelmurfy:

There is no point in BigPipe these days and I am surprised in any person staying with them.

100/100 with BigPipe is $89 but you get only 100/20 for $89 with Voyager, and they do not offer 100/100 at all. Similarly if you already paid for static with BigPipe you do not want to pay again with Voyager. That's my reason for staying with them.

acetone

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#2755888 5-Aug-2021 21:59

zespri:

michaelmurfy:

There is no point in BigPipe these days and I am surprised in any person staying with them.

100/100 with BigPipe is $89 but you get only 100/20 for $89 with Voyager, and they do not offer 100/100 at all. Similarly if you already paid for static with BigPipe you do not want to pay again with Voyager. That's my reason for staying with them.

I am in the same boat, there is no reason for me to move off Bigpipe. I have a static IP address and I don't see anything cheaper.
Seems silly to move unless I am forced to by them shutting down the service.

phrozenpenguin

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#2755889 5-Aug-2021 22:02

michaelmurfy:

The main "Benefit" is you can get Gigabit for the same sort of cost as 200/20 or 100/100 on many providers these days. You may not need it, but you'll want it if you have something like a PS5 and have a 100gb game update (like I've had).

Voyager - maybe not the same cost but if you don't mind CG-NAT and don't really have a use for a Static IP then 2degrees have Gigabit for $80/mo if you have mobile with them as a quick example.

For me personally I'd rather pay an extra $10 per month for Gigabit with Voyager who peer, have IPv6 and have great support if needed (phone based). I'm also primarily working from home so despite me having a backup connection it is vital for me to have something reliable with phone support as the times I've needed it, BigPipe in the past when they were more of a thing were in no way up to par and in one case I went for a full 24hrs on a connection outage with them prompting me to switch to 2degrees in the first place.

Anyway if the solution you have works, then it works, but I actually don't see a point in these connection speeds... This also can't just be myself as many ISP's now don't offer anything except Gigabit and 100/20. This is why BigPipe is quite out of place and clearly the forgotten child.

I agree that BigPipe is the forgotten child, and I haven't been looking in the marketplace hence my intrigue at your comments. Looking a bit further there is more than meets the eye though:

- 2Degrees is only $80 for 12 months with a credit deal, then the price jumps to nearly $100. If I was doing it for cost saving then what do I do - churn to another provider on another deal? That is hassle that I am not looking for. Also before the lack of static IP, which I do use.

- Gigabit with Voyager is $109 vs $79 my current Bigpipe cost. So when you quoted $10, it is actually $30/month more. Voyager and BigPipe are identical pricing for gigabit actually, so the price argument is irrelevant.

Don't want to come across as argumentative, and thanks for the explanations, but when I read your initial comments it seemed like I was missing a trick and shouldn't be using BigPipe, but for me after looking at the current market I have no reason to change. The service works for me and the price is competitive.

Also FYI the 200/20 is only in Christchurch as I understand it, and was offered by Enable when they hot some kind of milestone.

phrozenpenguin

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#2755890 5-Aug-2021 22:04

acetone:

I am in the same boat, there is no reason for me to move off Bigpipe. I have a static IP address and I don't see anything cheaper.
Seems silly to move unless I am forced to by them shutting down the service.

Im in a similar position, thanks for sharing - I thought I was missing something based off that initial comment!

michaelmurfy

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#2755900 5-Aug-2021 22:25

phrozenpenguin:

I agree that BigPipe is the forgotten child, and I haven't been looking in the marketplace hence my intrigue at your comments. Looking a bit further there is more than meets the eye though:

- 2Degrees is only $80 for 12 months with a credit deal, then the price jumps to nearly $100. If I was doing it for cost saving then what do I do - churn to another provider on another deal? That is hassle that I am not looking for. Also before the lack of static IP, which I do use.

To correct - $80 for 12mo but I just give them a call and they renew my contract at the current rate (5min phonecall once per year). On average I have been paying $85/mo since I've been with them for Gigabit. Also you get a $150 credit at-least for the first year so if you were to go with them and even pay the $10/mo for a Static IP you'd still be better off than the 100/100 plan BigPipe offers for example, or even the 100/20 plan (which they're also doing 200/20 in Christchurch) for $65/mo + $100 credit.

- Gigabit with Voyager is $109 vs $79 my current Bigpipe cost. So when you quoted $10, it is actually $30/month more. Voyager and BigPipe are identical pricing for gigabit actually, so the price argument is irrelevant.

Again, incorrect. You're looking at the "non-contract" pricing which is actually a new thing with them. You get $10 off for being on-contract making it $79/mo for 200/20 in Christchurch or 100/20 elsewhere else $99/mo for Gigabit. You also get either a dynamic IP + IPv6 else for a grand total of $14.95 once-off you get a Static IP + /56 IPv6 allocation. To be honest this is a better deal than BigPipe as you're getting basically the same, if not better deal (with the exception of the 100/100 plan where you'll be dropping or upgrading to Gigabit), you're getting an ISP with great connectivity, support (including phone) etc.

But hey - if BigPipe works for you then great - like I said I do understand it works for some. But there are indeed deals out there if you're willing to go Gigabit. There are also plenty of customers who don't have a Static IP where Skinny would be a better choice for them for example. This is where I am saying BigPipe doesn't make sense as an offering anymore for the majority of people and I don't see it sticking around for much longer.

Anyway, really off-topic now... I do also have a bit more of a breakdown on picking an ISP here: https://murfy.nz/2018/02/06/picking-the-right-isp/

cddt

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#2755927 6-Aug-2021 07:17

Does the email say when they will be decommissioned?

I didn't receive it, probably because my router is looking at my local server for DNS, which runs dnsmasq and that in turn grabs entries from BigPipe's servers. I would have had no idea if I didn't see this thread pop up.

Thanks for the recommendations re Voyager - I haven't been looking to move but will check it out.

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