[WXC/VFX] Prospective Xnet custie questions

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halfa

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Topic # 12988 17-Apr-2007 12:15

Having had it up to the back teeth with two other major providers, we are looking closely at XNet as our next move.
We need decent broadband service, reasonable toll charges to allow me to speak to my three children, (all of whom live far away),
and preferably a landline option. We are not keen to launch ourselves on yet another journey of broken promises so want to get some feedback from real people before making any moves. I do hope that I am not breaking any forum rules in requesting such here.

Having read the stuff about VFX( especially the recent thread regarding broken call clarity etc), I would like to know more about how that works. Is it a suitable and reliable substitute for a standard land line or have I misread the sites information?

Any information would be much appreciated. TIA. Jan

coffeebaron

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Reply # 67383 17-Apr-2007 17:13

halfa:
Having read the stuff about VFX( especially the recent thread regarding broken call clarity etc), I would like to know more about how that works. Is it a suitable and reliable substitute for a standard land line or have I misread the sites information?

I am running 2 VFX lines for me and my home business. The service and call quality is excellent, and I have had no problems with it.
The thread regarding "broken call clarity etc" is not the norm. This is one of my clients, and XNet are working on solving this. It is not the VFX that is at faulty here, but most likely is a DSL / Telecom line problem.
Even a landline will have its problems, who's ever had a crackly line? So obviously, too in the case of VFX, if there is an issue that needs to be addressed with your broadband, then yes this can VFX. If your broadband is all good, then VFX works very well, and in my experience is working better than a landline.

Of course to have VFX, you do need broadband, and unless you have an alternative to ADSL (e.g. Telstra Cable), then until naked DSL, you will still need your Telecom landline. Anyone wanting a second line though, VFX is the way to go.

Chorus has spent $1.4 billion on making their xDSL broadband network faster. If your still stuck on ADSL or VDSL, why not spend from $150 on a master filter install to make sure you are getting the most out of your connection?
I install - Naked DSL, DSL Master Splitters, VoIP, data cabling and general computer support for home and small business.
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grant_k

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Reply # 67388 17-Apr-2007 17:34

halfa: ...We need decent broadband service, reasonable toll charges to allow me to speak to my three children, (all of whom live far away)...

WorldxChange (owners of Xnet) offer some good toll rates if you have a Telecom landline:

http://www.xnet.co.nz/pdfs/rates_destination_anywhere_plus.pdf

$1.99 capped rate for a 2-hour call to any NZ Landline. Their other rates are pretty good too.

halfa: ...We are not keen to launch ourselves on yet another journey of broken promises so want to get some feedback from real people before making any moves. I do hope that I am not breaking any forum rules in requesting such here.

We have been using Xnet at our Auckland house for almost 2 years now and I have been very happy with the service. Unlike other providers, you only pay for the data you use at $1 per GB.

Choose the plan to suit you here:

http://www.xnet.co.nz/hsi/

The RIVER plan is fast enough for most households, even ours with 3 young internet addicts hammering it 24/7...

Recently I have changed our business connection to FLOOD and that has been working very well too.

halfa:Having read the stuff about VFX( especially the recent thread regarding broken call clarity etc), I would like to know more about how that works. Is it a suitable and reliable substitute for a standard land line or have I misread the sites information?

I have 3 different VFX lines now and they are an excellent substitute for a landline at a much cheaper price.

However, to do away with your landline, you need an alternative means of internet access as CoffeeBaron has already mentioned. Therefore, this will not be a viable option for most home users until Naked DSL arrives, maybe later this year.

For myself, there are 2 sites where I use VFX instead of landlines:

1) A rural location where ADSL is not available, so we have a wireless connection and no landline at all.

2) An office which used to have 3 Telecom lines. Now we just have one dedicated fax line which also carries ADSL, and the other two lines have been replaced by VFX at a fraction of the price.

I hope that all makes sense. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.

Cheers,
Grant.

halfa

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Reply # 67408 17-Apr-2007 19:18

Many thanks for your replies. It sure does look like a good deal. The comments about the service quality are especially good to hear.

In the interim, we did call XNet and found the people spoken to to be very helpful, knowledgeable and encouraging. We just need to get ourselves an adaptor to try out apparently and then we will go from there.

Watch this space

Cheers
Jan

gchiu

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Reply # 67685 19-Apr-2007 11:17

Are there are any differential pricing for business and home users.

I think I need to shift one of my business users from woosh to something considerably faster.

grant_k

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Reply # 67688 19-Apr-2007 11:43

gchiu: Are there are any differential pricing for business and home users.

The prices for Xnet HSI Broadband apply to both Business and Residential customers.

There are a whole lot of documents here dealing with various issues:

http://www.wxc.co.nz/about/docs.shtml

And some answers to FAQs here:

http://www.xnet.co.nz/hsi/faq.shtml

gchiu

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Reply # 67704 19-Apr-2007 13:21

Well, I signed them. The sign up form locked up for me using Firefox at the point I was to choose the speed, so I did it again in IE.

And there was no way to specify that I needed a static IP address for them...

grant_k

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Reply # 67709 19-Apr-2007 13:28

gchiu: And there was no way to specify that I needed a static IP address for them...

There is a way, that was the reason I pointed you to the Documents Page. On there is a link to this document:

http://www.xnet.co.nz/staticip/

It's called "Static IP Request Form". If you fill in the details, Wendy will process it and reply to you within a few hours. I applied for (and received) a Static IP for our business because I run VNC servers and need to access them via a known address. So long as you aren't hosting FTP, P2P or other servers which generate a lot of traffic, there shouldn't be any problem.

gchiu

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Reply # 67747 19-Apr-2007 16:10

Oops ! I was in a rush as I had to leave so didn't read thru all those docs.

I need to give these guys RDP which is why we need the static IP.

I'll try again ...

grant_k

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Reply # 67753 19-Apr-2007 16:29

gchiu: ...I need to give these guys RDP which is why we need the static IP.

Pretty much an identical requirement to mine then...

I'm sure that Wendy will be more than happy to grant your request

gchiu

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Reply # 68073 22-Apr-2007 18:44

Actually I'm now curious as to why you can't host web servers and mail servers.

Back in the early days of Telecom's adsl, I asked to get a static IP address, and running a mail server was a valid reason for them to provide one ...