"Best" UFB Gigatown plan for me?

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#2255742 11-Jun-2019 09:27

dunnersdude:

allan:

dunnersdude:

cyril7:

Hi, is there any reason you specifically want a mesh system, could you not go with a router and maybe UniFi WAPs.

As for the need or not for tagging, no its not required, hence some ISPs do without it, however without it some applications like VOIP may not be able to access q priority. That there are few downsides to not having it.

Cyril

I have a big house with WiFi dead spots - are there better options than Mesh?

If it's of any help, I have Orbi AC3000 kit in a largish two story house using an ISP who require tagging. Works just fine and I have removed the ISP supplied router from the mix.

Thanks heaps - what does removing the ISP router do? And is this only possible if landline is not required?

I'm assuming you have fibre. The landline will be fed directly from the ONT to the phone, or as in our case (where my other half insists she still needs one...) into the existing house copper cabling, so the other landline phones in the house still also work. Removing the ISP provided router is in some ways neither here nor there, although there are other threads on here where people have advised that some third party devices do not perform as well as ISP supplied routers on higher bandwidth connections, so be mindful of that. We are only 100/20 and the Orbi performs fine in that setup.

skewt

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#2255857 11-Jun-2019 10:34

You need to sign up before the end of this month to keep gigatown on most providers

Spark, 2degrees and Vodafone will let you stay on that plan if you sign up now

dunnersdude

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#2255876 11-Jun-2019 11:10

skewt: You need to sign up before the end of this month to keep gigatown on most providers

Spark, 2degrees and Vodafone will let you stay on that plan if you sign up now

How long will they let us continue on the plan?

skewt

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#2255881 11-Jun-2019 11:26

dunnersdude:

skewt: You need to sign up before the end of this month to keep gigatown on most providers

Spark, 2degrees and Vodafone will let you stay on that plan if you sign up now

How long will they let us continue on the plan?

Vodafone are offering a promotion specifically for gigatown at moment, $300 credit

2degrees re-added the gigatown plan for $85 a month with $200 credit

Spark depends on the plan choice but is still +$5 a month until end of June with no price increase

My understanding from talking to the ISPs that still promote it is they will let you stay on it if you sign up before end of the month

Some providers (e.g. Bigpipe) are killing the plan completely.

dunnersdude

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#2255882 11-Jun-2019 11:28

skewt:

dunnersdude:

skewt: You need to sign up before the end of this month to keep gigatown on most providers

Spark, 2degrees and Vodafone will let you stay on that plan if you sign up now

How long will they let us continue on the plan?

Vodafone are offering a promotion specifically for gigatown at moment, $300 credit

2degrees re-added the gigatown plan for $85 a month with $200 credit

Spark depends on the plan choice but is still +$5 a month until end of June with no price increase

My understanding from talking to the ISPs that still promote it is they will let you stay on it if you sign up before end of the month

Some providers (e.g. Bigpipe) are killing the plan completely.

Ok thanks, I can't see 2degrees gigatown on their website?

skewt

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#2255887 11-Jun-2019 11:38

dunnersdude:

Ok thanks, I can't see 2degrees gigatown on their website?

Once you enter your address and click continue on the plan page, the price will change to "2degrees Broadband Unlimited (Gigatown) $85"

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

KrazyKid

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#2255889 11-Jun-2019 11:40

1) I just re-signed with 2 degrees here in Dunedin. The plan appears if you put in your address from memory. I had to ring to get the $200 discount though as I was re-signing, not joining from another ISP.

2) for my house wifi ( 2 teenagers and 2 adults) I use 3 Fritzboxes (the router supplied by 2 degrees). They are networked via cable. This works a treat and and was cheap as I brought the extras second hand and ran the cable myself.

This handles the steaming and gaming we all do easily.

The newer Fritzboxes (incl 7490) do mesh networking but I don't use that so can't comment on it's success.

I imagine if you ask on geekzone/facebook you will find some one with some old Fritzboxes at a good price.
2 Degrees now expects you to return the Fritzbox at the end of the contract, but didn't use to require that so many will have one lying about I am sure.

dunnersdude

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#2256184 11-Jun-2019 15:58

Looks like Vodafone will work best for us. Is the Vodafone Ultra Hub ok for home usage? I wonder if it might actually improve WiFi to the extent I won't need to consider a mesh WiFi solution??

Spyware

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#2256189 11-Jun-2019 16:09

dunnersdude:

I wonder if it might actually improve WiFi to the extent I won't need to consider a mesh WiFi solution??

Unlikely.

dunnersdude

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#2256190 11-Jun-2019 16:15

Spyware:

dunnersdude:

I wonder if it might actually improve WiFi to the extent I won't need to consider a mesh WiFi solution??

Unlikely.

Sorry I should have provided more information. Currently 5GHz on the very old Apple AirPort Extreme does not reach to one corner of the house. I end up having to connect to 2.4GHz - and it stays on that even when I go back into 5GHz range.

I don't know what the speeds are like in the areas of the house that do currently get signal - I presume that as this quality degrades, the speed degrades.

The question really is whether the Vodafone Hub will improve things such that I can get 5GHz across the house (as the tech is newer and that I guess includes the radios?)

Spyware

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#2256192 11-Jun-2019 16:19

Same physics.

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cyril7

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#2256197 11-Jun-2019 16:36

Hi, the Ultra Hub is ok, but I would not rave about it, but like the HG659 its WiFi is pretty lacking. I would recommend that you seperate out the functions. If it were me I would go with a multiple WAP setup, ideally backboned with cables, but failing that mesh, but I really really strongly recommend you try cabling, you say its not possible, maybe you need to think laterally as the benefit is well worth the effort.

A case in point, and I should say I no longer do cabling, but the odd request/challange comes about and I cannot resist. Recently I was approached by a distant acquaintance to assist him sort out a new home recently purchased. This was an Alan Minty home that had all the classic hallmarks of his architecture. Over the years the Sky guy, then the Telstra HFC guys had done there worst and decorated the outside eaves of the house with literally kms of RG6 and two pair phone cabling. In places this was in bundles of 6 cables and poorly tacked to the outside of the house, needless to say it looked terrible and very distracting immediately you approached the house.

So my mission was to remove it all, re house all associated hardware in a concealed cabinet, and somehow provide RG6/TV and outdoor rated Cat5e data reticulation to four locations. The house has chappel ceilings, slab floor, and very intricate features that had to be respected, so no ready cable paths.

Even though built 25yrs ago it had no other inbuilt TV cabling and the phone cabling was very old 6core thats suitable for nothing other than pots. In addition I wanted to ensure fibre (which is at the front gate) was easily installed. Fortunately I was allowed to dig up the gardens, as they had only moved in and wanted to replant, this was a ready option.

End result was 60m of 20mm conduit installed hard up against the slab, more swept bends that I care to recall (house has endless bay windows to get around) and 4 cable entries in inconspicuous locations through the brick work. At one point to get past a paved and water feature area I had to use 15m of capping to rise up into a eave with a semi concealed lip that I could hide the capping, the capping was then painted to match the window joinery, brickwork and eaves, they are invisible.

Finally the ETP which is in the front of the house but fortunately hidden by a bush was adjusted to include above conduit runs, plus a small inwall cabinet was installed directly behind this to accomodate the modem/router and act as a patch panel, this inwall cabinet is in the dinning room, but covered by a sideboard which is readily moved if needed, a dedicated power circuit means a router reboot is just a MCB flick at the switch board. Ultimately the ONT will replace the modem, I have ensured fibre will be readily installed.

As for the four locations that the cabling touches down, it picks up two AV/TV locations, a small study and the master bedroom. It was not possible to do home runs, so its a single backbone with a 5port switch at each location, but at least a Gig backbone has been acheived, the result still way more acceptable than a wireless mesh setup. At two locations are UniFi AC-Lite APs that is hidden within builtin furniture, but still up high to see over furniture and not buried too much to affect their coverage.

So as I say, it pays to think laterally, the job did not come out cheap, but good things never are.

Cyril

allan

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#2256202 11-Jun-2019 16:41

@cyiril7 That sounds like a job that went above and beyond a "request/challenge" 😃

loceff13

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#2256215 11-Jun-2019 17:37

As far as I can tell(from a few comments on these forums) Sparks existing customers will remain on the same plan so you will still get the bundle up bonus discount if you have it now compared to the new unplan gigatown not offering it(but including free netflix)

dunnersdude

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#2256257 11-Jun-2019 18:43

Rather than starting a new thread I thought I would ask here. During the site visit how much say do I have in where the ONT goes? Can they force me to have it installed in one corner of the house (where the TV Currently is) rather than centrally?

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