Looking for a house and UFB availability

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ScuL

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Topic # 160601 13-Jan-2015 09:50

With the move to NZ approaching (we are arriving in May) I need to up my game on doing some research within regards of UFB.
So I have a few questions:

1) In principle if UFB is available in an area. How quickly can it be delivered? Is there a waiting list?
2) When taking up UFB can you typically get it naked or are you forced to take up triple-play (TV/phone)?
3) If the Chorus map states an area has UFB 200mbit available, does this typically cover the entire area precisely or are there "black spots"?
4) Any pointers on ISP's? Is there any such thing as a comparison site?

In the UK I'm currently on Virgin 152mbit cable and pay around $80 per month. I'm hoping to pay something similar in NZ. Hoping this is realistic.

We're currently aiming for places on the North Shore, most of the shore seems to be covered with some areas being delivered around May/June time so that should stretch our house hunting zone.. :)

Gigabit

trig42

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Reply # 1212993 13-Jan-2015 09:58

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If it shows as being in an area, you 'should' be OK.

Watch for MDU (Multi Dwelling Units) or properties down a shared driveway, as that will involve consents, which means time.
I think installation times are pretty good - I don't know though - you'd probably be looking at 2-4 weeks. Maybe less.

You can go Naked - I think most providers offer a Naked service - Check out BigPipe.

NonprayingMantis

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Reply # 1213046 13-Jan-2015 10:34

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for checking UFB you can never be 100% certian until the order is placed, but here are the steps you should follow to give yourself the best chance

1) check Chorus maps https://www.chorus.co.nz/maps for the suburbs that show UFB coverage as available now.
2) within that coverage, you want to prefer houses more towards the middle of the shapes. (the map is not 100% accurate, so the edges may not show coverage precisely - you don't want to end up in a house 3 doors down from coverage where you cannot get UFB
3) within those suburbs, you want to be looking for a property that either
a) already has a live UFB connection (won't be many of these but this gives you the least pain if you can find one)
b) is a standalone freehold property, with frontage onto the road, with no shared driveway. Ideally you would also want one where the install will be 'easy' (easy to dig up driveway, lots of crawl space underneath or in attic to run cables etc)
If you can satisfy all those criteria, you should find installation takes only a couple of weeks. If not, you may find it will take several months as it requires consent from other parties. (lots of shared driveways on the north shore unfortunately)

For choice of ISP, it really depends on what you want. I assume you will want unlimited data.

If you want 200Mbps with unlimited data broadband bigpipe www.bigpipe.co.nz is the cheapest AFAIK for $99/month or they also do 100Mbps for $79/m - which should be more than ample for almost all users).
You do need to buy your own router (which you can get for $100-200 depending on specs you want), but they don't lock you into a contract. Online support is awesome, catering for more techy people like us :) (no scripted call centre, replies to emails in 30 mins instead of 3 days like the others)

If you want someone who provides the router, then probably check out MyRepublic. They do 100Mbps unlimited data for $99/m, however this does lock you into a contract with very expensive termination if you find they are no good (they are quite new so not much feedback on them yet).
MyRepublic also are 'fibre only' which means if you need to wait for installation they cannot put you on ADSL/VDSL in the meantime whilst you wait, whereas Bigpipe can do that.

Other ISPs to consider:

Spark (Telecom - equivalent of BT)
Vodafone (currently terrible support with massive wait times, but do have some good deals if you like old fashioned linear TV for some reason)
Snap (good all rounder, rated high on this forum)
Orcon (the ISP world's 'hospital pass' being bought and sold 2-3 times in the last couple of years)
Slingshot (cheap. reputation for bad service, but definitely seems to be improving. watch for 'hidden' charges like modem courier fees)

Comparison sites are generally inaccurate, out of date, or biased (one of them is actually owned by an ISP!).
Generally I would reccomend checking the pricing out on each provider, then check their facebook page reviews, comments, and other social media to see what the reviews and comments are like (you'll see what I mean about VF if you do that!)

Jaxar

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Reply # 1213070 13-Jan-2015 11:16

One thing hinted at but not explicitly stated out right in the above posts is if you are in an MDU (multi dwelling unit) or ROW (Right of way) situation and one of the consent parties simply says no to consent or just doesn't take the time to send back the consent form then you cannot get UFB. This means a third party can legally deny you access to UFB in some scenarios.

Another potential but rare issue is where a driveway is particularly long Chorus may not cover the entire cost of the install. The chance of this being relevant is slim to the point of almost not being worth mentioning but it has happened.

Please note: I have a professional bias towards Vodafone.

Behodar

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Reply # 1213079 13-Jan-2015 11:44

I've heard stories from Wellington about needing consent from the power company to have an overhead install done. Is that an issue in Auckland?

DarthKermit

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Reply # 1213111 13-Jan-2015 12:43

Behodar: I've heard stories from Wellington about needing consent from the power company to have an overhead install done. Is that an issue in Auckland?

It would be, if a third party wants to string UFB cables from a power company's poles. A lot of Auckland doesn't have underground power lines.

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

ScuL

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Reply # 1213154 13-Jan-2015 13:46

DarthKermit:
Behodar: I've heard stories from Wellington about needing consent from the power company to have an overhead install done. Is that an issue in Auckland?

It would be, if a third party wants to string UFB cables from a power company's poles. A lot of Auckland doesn't have underground power lines.

Oh that sounds so 1940s :D

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chevrolux

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Reply # 1213201 13-Jan-2015 14:35

ScuL:
DarthKermit:
Behodar: I've heard stories from Wellington about needing consent from the power company to have an overhead install done. Is that an issue in Auckland?

It would be, if a third party wants to string UFB cables from a power company's poles. A lot of Auckland doesn't have underground power lines.

Oh that sounds so 1940s :D

You are right, very 1940s! But in lovely little NZ we are still putting our billion dollar UFB network on poles. Isn't that crazy!!?!

DarthKermit

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Reply # 1213205 13-Jan-2015 14:43

chevrolux: You are right, very 1940s! But in lovely little NZ we are still putting our billion dollar UFB network on poles. Isn't that crazy!!?!

And if there ain't any power poles, any convenient fence will do!

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

Behodar

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Reply # 1213206 13-Jan-2015 14:43

chevrolux: You are right, very 1940s! But in lovely little NZ we are still putting our billion dollar UFB network on poles. Isn't that crazy!!?!

It gets crazier :)

Doing mine underground was deemed "too hard" and would result in extra charges. I now have an overhead install... that will be moved underground for free when the poles come out later this year.

For what it's worth, using poles doesn't require consent here in Whakatane. There are also apparently no issues with having multiple cables to the same house, as the overhead copper is still there too (I remember this being a problem for Spark in some areas).

ScuL

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Reply # 1216395 17-Jan-2015 00:15

I'm yet to thank everybody for their contributions in particular 'NonprayingMantis'.
I will make sure I'll keep an eye on shared driveways etc.

What will be decisive in picking the right ISP for me (apart from the service/offering/price of course) will be the international bandwidth as per https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumId=34&topicId=161659

Gigabit