[WXC/VFX] Xnet fusion, use of non-Xnet equipment

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › [WXC/VFX] Xnet fusion, use of non-Xnet equipment

geostuff

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#46750 9-Nov-2009 11:42

Hi everyone,

I just recently moved to NZ from ozzie and am looking for a suitable ISP. Many thanks to my friends over at NZconnections, you made my life much easier!

I decided the Xnet naked fusion plan will work best for me with its pay-as-you-go system and non-throttled speeds. I want nothing to do with Telecom's services that are supposedly throttled during the day to manage traffic.

My problem is that during a conversation with an Xnet rep on the phone I was told that I cannot use my existing modem/router/VoIP unit on their service; they naturally have a bunch of equipment of their own they want to sell me, but I have a brand-new Netcomm NB12WD modem/router/VoIP/printserver with wireless DECT capability that cost me a fair chunk of coin before I left ozzie. Why should I have to pay for their (probably inferior) equipment?

After some back and forth I got the rep to concede that I would be able to use my modem to connect to Xnet but he insisted I would not be able to use their VoIP service unless I bought some of thier 'approved' equipment.

I have honestly never used a naked DSL service with VoIP before, but experience tells me that all I should need are the proper settings to punch into my router and I should be able to use all its functions.

Does anybody have Xnet and are using a non-'approved' modem/VoIP unit? Or am I stuck with having to purchase new equipment?

Please help the noob! Thanks!

nate

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#271251 9-Nov-2009 11:51

The Xnet VoIP service is quite different from the offerings in Australia. In Australia you get an address, username and password, and whatever VoIP device you use is up to you.

To enforce the integrity of their network WxC only allow approved devices on their network. I won't get into the arguments for/against here.

One thing you could try is getting an Asterisk account and configuring your device to use that. You will be on your own, there's no technical support for it.

Hope this helps.

Niel

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#271272 9-Nov-2009 12:59

An Asterisk account is the only way to use non-approved equipment, and then any problem is your problem.

They do not make money from selling equipment, and I recall many instances over the years where they sent equipment to customers free of charge or exchanged the customer's broken equipment with their own or lent the customer equipment while waiting for stock. XNet does not sell equipment, they simply ensure/control/guarantee system performance. I will also not argue for/against it, simply stating my 3rd party observations over a number of years.

Don't expect super speeds from XNet, especially during the evening and weekends. And hope you do not watch YouTube. If that is fine with you, then you should be happy with Fusion (I am).

You can never have enough Volvos!

geostuff

28 posts

Geek

#271309 9-Nov-2009 15:03

Niel: Don't expect super speeds from XNet, especially during the evening and weekends. And hope you do not watch YouTube. If that is fine with you, then you should be happy with Fusion (I am).

Thanks for the quick feedback guys. I suppose I'll have to do some more research before I bring equipment overseas next time.

I don't watch YouTube all that much, but by what you are saying it sounds like they are limiting traffic to certain sites? I understood that Xnet fusion was a full speed connection upstream and downstream. Does this mean they are slowing down certain websites or the whole connection at certain times of the day? I live in a house that has a Telecom DSL line and it's not too bad speedwise, about 2.5-3Mbps most times of the day, but I heard from a Telecom rep that they "slow traffic down on certain sites during the day", such as bittorrents etc.

I was going with Xnet specifically because I thought they provided a full speed service with no line rental. If this is not the case I may have to reconsider!

Niel

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#271389 9-Nov-2009 18:14

XNet has stated multiple times that they do not do traffic shaping (except on the Torrent plan). Someone recently received a statement from XNet that the commerce commission determined "naked" lines must be guaranteed something ridiculous like 38kbps so it is probably Telecom Wholesale that is limiting the (peak time) bandwidth and not XNet. During the day the speed seems fine, me personally I have slow speed only during peak times. I'm in Pakuranga, Auckland 3 1/2 km from the exchange. My download speed is around 7Mbps to 8Mbps off-peak and somewhere between 1Mbps and 3Mbps during peak times.

You can never have enough Volvos!

kyhwana2

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#271394 9-Nov-2009 18:22

XNet doesn't do any kind of traffic shaping except for their Torrent plan.

It's just that either a) The backhaul from your exchange is full during peak times or b) xnet's international pipes are full.

ie: during off peak times (usage wise, not capped wise) I can pull my max possible (1.6MB/s (not bits)) from a US site, where as around ~6-8pmish, I can only pull ~100-200KB/s from the same site.

geostuff

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#271412 9-Nov-2009 19:45

I think I will just give Xnet a go, hopefully their equipment isn't too dear. I'll try and flog off my Netcomm modem to someone in ozzie! Shame because I love all the features it has, but if it doesn't work here it's no good to me.

nate: To enforce the integrity of their network WxC only allow approved devices on their network. I won't get into the arguments for/against here.

nate, any idea where I could read up on the arguments you mention?

Cheers everyone:)

sbiddle

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#271424 9-Nov-2009 20:23

There is nothing stopping you using your Netcomm. You will just need to ask for an Asterisk account and will receive no support. If you know what you're doing this won't be an issue.

There is plenty of reading here on Geekzone discussing why WxC lock down their devices.

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sultanoswing

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#271462 9-Nov-2009 22:18

If you don't want to use a fax, here is a suggested equipment list - and you may get it for near the price of your flash bit of ozzie kit :)

1. Dynalink RTA1320 ADSL 2+ modem (get 'em cheap 2nd on trademe or webuy for about 20 bucks - but beware the overheating and dying capacitors which need replacing and modding to keep cool - threads about this on this forum)

2. Linksys WRT54G router capable of running open-source firmware. Best $100-150 you'll spend on a router.

3. PAP2T - one of the 'officially approved' Xnet fusion analog telephone adaptors.

...or you can take the easier route and buy one of the new linksys/cisco all-in-one boxes which are supposedly better than the previous linksys offerings.

Aside from youtube buffering (and thedailyshow - grrr!) - xnet provide pretty reasonable performance at very reasonable rates. If you get your mates on VFx - and I've only just discovered this fact - landline calls between you are free nationally.

Niel

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#271495 10-Nov-2009 07:11

Make sure you do not get a PAP2-NA (TradeMe) because it is different from the PAP2-T. As an electronic engineer my experience with the RTA1320 is it is a good modem but cheap and it is 50/50 you will get a stable one. For Fusion I'll recommend the Linksys AM300 which runs a lot cooler and is extremely stable.

If you do not want WiFi or if you can add an access point, then I'd go for the all-in-one AG310 but apparently they are currently hard to get. They are however very reliable. Or get the WAG310G, but steer away from the WAG54GP2 which is not as stable as the newer models (too much crammed into one box).

You can never have enough Volvos!

kyhwana2

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#271505 10-Nov-2009 08:11

Niel: Make sure you do not get a PAP2-NA (TradeMe) because it is different from the PAP2-T. As an electronic engineer my experience with the RTA1320 is it is a good modem but cheap and it is 50/50 you will get a stable one. For Fusion I'll recommend the Linksys AM300 which runs a lot cooler and is extremely stable.
.

I've had an AM300 for the past year and a half on XNet's fusion plan and it's been rock solid, even while pulling ~1.6MB/s for an hour or so. (Yes, that cost me a bit, ouch!)

Niel

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#271591 10-Nov-2009 11:19

Had to reboot my RTA1320 at least every 2 weeks, and it was the second one I got (first one out of box woks for 5 minutes only then needs to cool down). Switched to AM300, no problem at all. Have an AG310 on another line, been perfect for over a year. Will never go back to the RTA.

You can never have enough Volvos!

sultanoswing

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#271680 10-Nov-2009 15:40

Case modded my RTA1320 with a 9v DC fan and fitted a heat sink to the main chip. Also replaced several bulging, dead capacitors.

Total cost ~$30. Satisfaction of a cool, 100% stable modem - priceless :)