wireless broadband-quality?

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › wireless broadband-quality?

Noig

446 posts

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#195587 25-Apr-2016 19:23

Hi All

We are considering dropping our copper-line broadband for the wireless(rural broadband). Distance of sight to the tower is 9.41km

Does anyone of you know what speed quality we can expect?

Thanks

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465 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1541828 25-Apr-2016 20:07

If you do a speed test on your cell phone that may give you an idea of what your speed would be like.

PhantomNVD

2619 posts

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#1541830 25-Apr-2016 20:16

And are you talking spark or skinny here?
Skinny are way cheaper for monthly cost and setup, but have quite a low 60gb cap... Have you even done their 'availability' map check on your address? These are usually only offered to 'rural' customers who can't do any better

DarkShadow

1647 posts

Uber Geek

#1541841 25-Apr-2016 20:49

PhantomNVD: And are you talking spark or skinny here?
Skinny are way cheaper for monthly cost and setup, but have quite a low 60gb cap... Have you even done their 'availability' map check on your address? These are usually only offered to 'rural' customers who can't do any better

No Skinny is offered to urban, while Spark is both urban (by invitation for now) and rural.

Noig

446 posts

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#1541845 25-Apr-2016 21:00

the very reason I would try wireless broadband is because the copper-line is overused and slow. Slowness has really affected us within the last 2/3 of a ear. Our mobile is on 3g and I believe the broadband is 4g, is that right?

grant_k

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#1541849 25-Apr-2016 21:09

Noig:

Hi All

We are considering dropping our copper-line broadband for the wireless(rural broadband). Distance of sight to the tower is 9.41km

Does anyone of you know what speed quality we can expect?

Thanks

Here's my speed at 12km distance on Vodafone RBI (also using 4G 700MHz, same as Spark):

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
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#1541853 25-Apr-2016 21:23

grant_k:

Here's my speed at 12km distance on Vodafone RBI (also using 4G 700MHz, same as Spark):

is ultimate broadband purchasing some snap space there now?

Thats quite an impressive result there! very nice looking

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

grant_k

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#1541864 25-Apr-2016 21:49

hio77:

grant_k:

Here's my speed at 12km distance on Vodafone RBI (also using 4G 700MHz, same as Spark):

is ultimate broadband purchasing some snap space there now?

Thats quite an impressive result there! very nice looking

I've been with NetSpeed for about 6 months now.

Hatch

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Hatch (affiliate link).

PhantomNVD

2619 posts

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#1541868 25-Apr-2016 22:08

I'm on Skinny and at the very extreme edge of their limit (+/-20kms) and on one single bar of signal (out of 5) I get 30/1 speeds quite consistently.

Like copper, I'd expect wireless will soon have a loading issue as more people take it up, unless the telcos strongly monitor and the stop offering it on their more loaded towers.

The cynic in me says they'll keep it offered on a 'best available' basis and prioritise their mobile phone customers and the current congested Conklin scenario will replay for all those too far out of the fibre path when Chorus switch off their old copper lines and the multitude switch over to 'wireless' options...

BarTender

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#1541905 26-Apr-2016 06:52

PhantomNVD: The cynic in me says they'll keep it offered on a 'best available' basis and prioritise their mobile phone customers and the current congested Conklin scenario will replay for all those too far out of the fibre path when Chorus switch off their old copper lines and the multitude switch over to 'wireless' options...

The difference between Copper and Mobile Data us there is and probably never be unlimited plans.
Chorus aren't planning to switch off the copper network any time soon as they can't it's part of the undertakings they signed with the government. Can you imagine the uproar if Chorus said tomorrow the 800 or so conklins left in the network are being switched off. The farmers would go absolutely berserk. Poor performing ADSL is better than dialup or satellite.
There is so much more that can be done on the mobile network rather than over copper as Spark manage the whole stack. The first thing would be dedicated external directional antennas for problem customers as that impacts everyone on that panel. They are also really easy to detect.
So I don't see any issues in the near to medium term with the solution.

sbiddle

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#1541930 26-Apr-2016 07:24

Noig:

Hi All

We are considering dropping our copper-line broadband for the wireless(rural broadband). Distance of sight to the tower is 9.41km

Does anyone of you know what speed quality we can expect?

Thanks

What service are you planning to use? Wireless from a WISP or a 3G/4G solution from Spark/Skinny or Vodafone?

Both are very different offerings, and there are lots of different variables at play meaning it's actually impossible to answer your question.

WHat issue are you trying to solve by moving to wireless? Are you on a BUBA connection from a Conklin or ASAM that's congested or simply wanting faster upload?

Rikkitic

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#1541941 26-Apr-2016 08:36

I'm on VF 4G via a small ISP. The mast is +20km distant, just over the horizon. I got 30 mbps down consistently which went up to 50 mbps when I added a second antenna. At Christmas it all went to hell, with very slow and inconsistent speeds that made streaming impossible. Since then it has gradually improved again and is now back to 50 mbps much of the time. I have never been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the problems. It may just be simple congestion. My ISP did exchange the router just to rule that out.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

quickymart

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#1541953 26-Apr-2016 09:13

BarTender:
PhantomNVD: The cynic in me says they'll keep it offered on a 'best available' basis and prioritise their mobile phone customers and the current congested Conklin scenario will replay for all those too far out of the fibre path when Chorus switch off their old copper lines and the multitude switch over to 'wireless' options...

The difference between Copper and Mobile Data us there is and probably never be unlimited plans.
Chorus aren't planning to switch off the copper network any time soon as they can't it's part of the undertakings they signed with the government. Can you imagine the uproar if Chorus said tomorrow the 800 or so conklins left in the network are being switched off. The farmers would go absolutely berserk. Poor performing ADSL is better than dialup or satellite.
There is so much more that can be done on the mobile network rather than over copper as Spark manage the whole stack. The first thing would be dedicated external directional antennas for problem customers as that impacts everyone on that panel. They are also really easy to detect.
So I don't see any issues in the near to medium term with the solution.

Are there really only around 800 Conklins left? I though someone (sbiddle maybe?) said there were still "thousands" a few months ago?

Noig

446 posts

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#1542162 26-Apr-2016 13:06

sbiddle:

What service are you planning to use? Wireless from a WISP or a 3G/4G solution from Spark/Skinny or Vodafone?

Both are very different offerings, and there are lots of different variables at play meaning it's actually impossible to answer your question.

WHat issue are you trying to solve by moving to wireless? Are you on a BUBA connection from a Conklin or ASAM that's congested or simply wanting faster upload?

We have a tower with the distance mentioned above and I believe it is a Spark 4G700 service, according friends of us who subscribed to it lately. So anything which is better than what we have now would be good.

Fibre is 300m away from the property though we would have to pay all the costs to the gate and after the gate.

Below is our existing speed and the coverage of the 4G700. It does not seem to be such a good reliable broadband if I can read that the holiday time slowdown kicks in.

venomio

178 posts

Master Geek

#1542166 26-Apr-2016 13:14

Noig:

We have a tower with the distance mentioned above and I believe it is a Spark 4G700 service, according friends of us who subscribed to it lately. So anything which is better than what we have now would be good.

Fibre is 300m away from the property though we would have to pay all the costs to the gate and after the gate.

Below is our existing speed and the coverage of the 4G700. It does not seem to be such a good reliable broadband if I can read that the holiday time slowdown kicks in.

Where are you on that map? (I have a little bit of experience in the Motueka/Kaiteriteri area).

sbiddle

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#1542188 26-Apr-2016 13:52

quickymart:

BarTender:
PhantomNVD: The cynic in me says they'll keep it offered on a 'best available' basis and prioritise their mobile phone customers and the current congested Conklin scenario will replay for all those too far out of the fibre path when Chorus switch off their old copper lines and the multitude switch over to 'wireless' options...

The difference between Copper and Mobile Data us there is and probably never be unlimited plans.
Chorus aren't planning to switch off the copper network any time soon as they can't it's part of the undertakings they signed with the government. Can you imagine the uproar if Chorus said tomorrow the 800 or so conklins left in the network are being switched off. The farmers would go absolutely berserk. Poor performing ADSL is better than dialup or satellite.
There is so much more that can be done on the mobile network rather than over copper as Spark manage the whole stack. The first thing would be dedicated external directional antennas for problem customers as that impacts everyone on that panel. They are also really easy to detect.
So I don't see any issues in the near to medium term with the solution.

Are there really only around 800 Conklins left? I though someone (sbiddle maybe?) said there were still "thousands" a few months ago?

Nah the number is somewhere in that vicinity, not the thousands. I was told a couple of years ago there would be somewhere in the vicinity of 600 left once the RBI expansion was complete.

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