UnlimitedInternet.co.nz - Just hear me out!

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networkn

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#1905271 21-Nov-2017 13:51

inspectaclueso:

One of the historic comments I had read previously was that UI prices were so cheap they must not be able to afford international bandwidth. I put this to them when I spoke with the call center and they said international bandwidth is not an issue. They also said they do not do any traffic shaping/throttling of speeds.

Once I am connected, are there any tests that anyone would like me to perform on my connection?

Realistically, what would you expect them to say in response to that suggestion? "Yes, they are all correct, we cut corners on international bandwidth, may I please have your credit card number?"

Not saying it's an actual issue, just thought your comment was kind strange.

inspectaclueso

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#1905283 21-Nov-2017 14:19

I agree with you completely. Generally speaking an employee will follow the company line to show the company they work for in a good light. Occasionally, you find an employee who's conscience and honesty does not allow them to BS regardless of the company line.

While it would be unusual for one of their staff to admit they have an international bandwidth issue, I found it odd that someone would comment that UI likely had a international bandwidth issue because their charges were low. One is qualified to answer and may or may not be being truthful, the other didn't appear to be qualified. Until I find otherwise, I have no reason not to believe them.

The bandwidth question was one of several I asked when weighing up whether to switch. Others questions related to throttling, CGNAT etc.

Now that I have specifically asked them these questions I can test for myself once connected. That is the main reason I put out my original post as to whether there were any tests the community wants me to do. e.g. people who suspect UI have bandwidth issues but don't have a UI connection.

I've got until Friday on BigPipe until I switch over.

xlinknz

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#1905330 21-Nov-2017 15:15

inspectaclueso:

I'm currently in the process of switching to UI...

Once I am connected, are there any tests that anyone would like me to perform on my connection?

I have a speedtest.net login and have a history of tests with my ISPs. I ran plenty with my former ISP both NZ and overseas and then did the same once I cut over to UI

UI who are less expensive than my last ISP have consistantly much better intl bandwidth performance

inspectaclueso

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#1905332 21-Nov-2017 15:31

I might get myself a login also, better idea than having to save the results somewhere. Have already completed a few speedtests on current ISP so keen to compare.

inspectaclueso

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#1950653 2-Feb-2018 11:45

Have been having some fun with ISP's that is for sure.

Had to leave UI in the end. I had an issue with intermittently slow speeds on the 200mbs plan. The help desk were always quick to respond, helpful and acknowledged the issue however they relied on a third party to resolve it. Unfortunately, they were unable to resolve it in a timely manner (about a month) so I decided to give Stuff Fibre a go on the Gigabit plan.

Signup and transfer was easy and their help desk were the most responsive and technically minded that I've used. They provided a nice Asus router and the speedtest results for national server locations were superb at over 800mbs download. Problem was with international speeds during the evening. Speed tests to LA servers in the evening had a download speed <2mbs! I advised them of this and that such speeds were unusable however they said they have no control over international speeds. Sadly, that leaves me no option but to seek a better connection. I've read on here ISP's that utilize the Vocus network are reasonable so will likely seek out one to try next.

I phoned 2degrees and when I finally got through I asked who they used for their backbone/upstream and whether or not they used CGNAT. After being put on hold for about 5 minutes I was told it was a residential help desk and they couldn't give me that detailed info. I said every other ISP advised if they used CGNAT and it was unreasonable to have to sign up for a 12 month contract without knowing if a fixed IP would be required. "Sorry, I've been advised we can't give out that information". Okay, that won't work for me either.

Let's see how Orcon goes.

networkn

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#1950656 2-Feb-2018 11:49

inspectaclueso:

Have been having some fun with ISP's that is for sure.

Had to leave UI in the end. I had an issue with intermittently slow speeds on the 200mbs plan. The help desk were always quick to respond, helpful and acknowledged the issue however they relied on a third party to resolve it. Unfortunately, they were unable to resolve it in a timely manner (about a month) so I decided to give Stuff Fibre a go on the Gigabit plan.

Signup and transfer was easy and their help desk were the most responsive and technically minded that I've used. They provided a nice Asus router and the speedtest results for national server locations were superb at over 800mbs download. Problem was with international speeds during the evening. A speed test to an LA server in the evening had a download speed <2mbs! I advised them of this and that such speeds were unusable however they said they have no control over international speeds. Sadly, that leaves me no option but to seek a better connection. I've read on here ISP's that utilize the Vocus network are reasonable.

I phoned 2degrees and when I finally got through I asked who they used for their backbone/upstream and whether or not they used CGNAT. After being put on hold for about 5 minutes I was told it was a residential help desk and they couldn't give me that detailed info. I said every other ISP advised if they used CGNAT and it was unreasonable to have to sign up for a 12 month contract without knowing if a fixed IP would be required. "Sorry, I've been advised we can't give out that information". Okay, that won't work for me either.

Let's see how Orcon goes.

The issue sounds more like an issue due to your unreasonable expectations than an issue with the ISP's. Sounds like you need to pay for a premium service BUSINESS provider, but the third party you are relying on, is Chorus and they don't answer to your timeframes, so you are likely to be disappointed no matter where you go.

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michaelmurfy

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#1950660 2-Feb-2018 11:53

2degrees don't use CGNAT. They provide a public IP w/ an option to pay a monthly fee for a Static IP. Same as Orcon / Slingshot / Spark and most other providers. This is however off topic.

If you want a competent ISP that just works then Voyager, Spark or BigPipe are for you.

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inspectaclueso

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#1950663 2-Feb-2018 12:13

michaelmurfy:

2degrees don't use CGNAT. They provide a public IP w/ an option to pay a monthly fee for a Static IP. Same as Orcon / Slingshot / Spark and most other providers. This is however off topic.

If you want a competent ISP that just works then Voyager, Spark or BigPipe are for you.

I have been with BigPipe before. The connection was reliable however if I ever needed to contact them the wait times (often next day) were frustrating so I decided that for me, somewhere with a phone number or chat support would be worth the extra coin. BigPipe's current prices are actually high compared to competitors since there have been price drops on Gigabit plans at the end of 2017. Gigabit plans are mostly $99-$110 with a stack of providers and BigPipe is $129 plus connection fee, plus fixed IP because they use CGNAT. I would definitely go back to BigPipe if their prices were more in line with other ISP's but when I asked they said no plans to adjust prices at present.

inspectaclueso

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#1950665 2-Feb-2018 12:26

@networkn

I thought a month was reasonable actually. Might have waited longer but after a month they were still unable to provide any ETA (We chased this up again today, but still dont have a significant or meaningful update so fully understand your choosing to change ISP.). I'm not bagging UI. Like I said, they were polite and understanding however waiting indefinitely for Enable to resolve a network issue is not really ideal so I chose to change ISP's in the hope that it would resolve the issue quicker than waiting for Enable. It did exactly that however I unfortunately had a new issue with the new ISP.

inspectaclueso

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#1955585 12-Feb-2018 11:01

Yah, so far so good on Orcon. Same router, same internal network, same PC, same time of day and getting around 200mbs instead of 1.7mbs to international speed test servers. :)

ETLN01

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#1958304 14-Feb-2018 20:13

I've been using Unlimited Internet as my ISP since May 2016, been really happy with the performance. Had a few issues at one stage with international bandwidth but they have been solid since then.

They weren't using CGNAT when I signed up back then as it was using a public IP address, I had asked them about it too given I was with Flip before that. Maybe they are using it now. I have purchased a static IP so can't test if they are now.

The best way to check is to login to your router and check what the WAN IP is, then go to a website that checks your IP, if it is different then it is using CGNAT, or if you notice it gives you a different IP after a refresh that a sure sign CGNAT is in use.

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