Rural Broadband Options RBI

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Philica

90 posts

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#193740 22-Mar-2016 17:22

Hi,

Im currently in a RBI zone were I get around a 3.5Mbps over an ADSL2+ connection and by the looks of the Chorus maps thats about all ill ever be getting over copper. With streaming becoming the norm this isnt really working for the 3 of us. By the looks of it from this map there is rural fibre at the top of the road around 800m away, is this even an option and if so how astronomical are the costs likely to be if anyone has any idea.

From my understanding the way forward for home broadband is fibre for urban areas and then wireless to cover the rest, so me with the RBI. However based on our cellphones there is no 4G coverage at my house on the Spark Network and only very spotty Vodafone coverage which i think is 3G as well. So im only seeing speeds around what im currently getting over copper anyway with any form of antenna. Am i just sweet out of luck at this stage at any meaningful speed improvement with reasonable data costs? If so is my only option wait till 5G rolls around and hope that im able to get good coverage and not pay through the nose for data?

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#1517816 22-Mar-2016 17:22

Hello... Our robot found some keywords in your post, so here is an automated reply with some important things to note regarding broadband speeds.

If you are posting regarding DSL speeds please check that

you have reset your modem and router
your PC (or other PCs in your LAN) is not downloading large files when you are testing - you are not being throttled by your ISP due to going over the monthly cap
your tests are always done on an ethernet connection to the router - do not use wireless for testing
you read this topic and follow the instructions there.

Make sure you provide information for other users to help you. If you have not already done it, please EDIT your post and add this now:

Your ISP and plan
Type of connection (ADSL, ADSL2, VDSL)
Your modem DSL stats (do not worry about posting Speedtest, we need sync rate, attenuation and noise margin)
Your general location (or street)
If you are rural or urban
If you know your connection is to an exchange, cabinet or conklin
If your connection is to a ULL or wholesale service
If you have done an isolation test as per the link above

Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issues. Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may still try to connect so it's worth checking.

I recommend you read these two blog posts:

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dazhann

465 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#1517830 22-Mar-2016 17:31

What area are you. Im in Hawkes Bay and both Spark and Vodafone were a no go, but a local provider, Taylor communications were and now we are enjoying 13mbs wirelessly after suffering -2mbs on adsl2. There are local companys like Taylors all over NZ providing great service.

Jase2985

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#1517840 22-Mar-2016 17:47

https://www.chorus.co.nz/our-network/rural-broadband/rural-fibre

likely to be quiet expensive.

Philica

90 posts

Master Geek
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#1517841 22-Mar-2016 17:48

Im in north west Auckland so i dont think there are any local providers unless im mistaken

dazhann

465 posts

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#1517846 22-Mar-2016 18:05

Try seeing if one of these rbi providers are in your area farmside, wireless nation and netspeed.

quickymart

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#1517850 22-Mar-2016 18:12

Philica:

Im in north west Auckland so i dont think there are any local providers unless im mistaken

That covers a huge area, can you be more specific?

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Philica

90 posts

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#1517851 22-Mar-2016 18:16

quickymart:

Philica:

Im in north west Auckland so i dont think there are any local providers unless im mistaken

That covers a huge area, can you be more specific?

The border of Kumeu and Taupaki

DarkShadow

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#1517857 22-Mar-2016 18:20

Philica:

By the looks of it from this map there is rural fibre at the top of the road around 800m away, is this even an option and if so how astronomical are the costs likely to be if anyone has any idea.

Ask your ISP to run a NGA on Application request for you to find out how much.

Philica

90 posts

Master Geek
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#1517858 22-Mar-2016 18:24

DarkShadow:

Ask your ISP to run a NGA on Application request for you to find out how much.

Is this generally something they charge for or not? Im guessing i should just deal with any of the customer service reps from Spark to action this (my ISP)

sbiddle

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#1517882 22-Mar-2016 18:45

It's pretty safe to say a NGA fibre solution will be into the 5 figures. Exactly how high would be an unknown without a submission.

Jase2985

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#1517922 22-Mar-2016 19:35

and the signal you see on your phone doesnt mean much considering a RBI install would most likely have at least one external aerial.

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tangerz

662 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#1517938 22-Mar-2016 20:08

Vodafone's RBI wireless coverage maps would seem to have your area fairly well covered with 3G signal. As mentioned above you can't really judge reception using your phone as the RBI modem/router will connect to an external antenna that has much higher gain than that in your phone. Kind of like rabbit ears, (your phone) vs a proper outdoor UHF antenna (the RBI antenna) when trying to receive Freeview.

If you are getting ANY 3G Vodafone signal with your phone then you are likely to get at least some sort of RBI wireless connection. How fast that connection will be depends on a lot of factors but (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I wouldn't think something like 20/5 Mbps is out of the question. Whatever it is, it is almost certainly likely to be better than your current DSL speeds!

Philica

90 posts

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#1517945 22-Mar-2016 20:32

By the looks of it we seem to currently be using between 100-200GB a month which would only increase if we got faster access. Looking at Wireless data costs ild say our bill would at least double which doesnt really seem worthwhile for a 3G connection. 5 figures for fibre access is definitely a fair chunk of change however so thats not really going to be an option. I might have to wait until I can get 4G and hopefully data costs have dropped a fair bit by then

tangerz

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#1517966 22-Mar-2016 20:59

Philica:

By the looks of it we seem to currently be using between 100-200GB a month which would only increase if we got faster access. Looking at Wireless data costs ild say our bill would at least double which doesnt really seem worthwhile for a 3G connection. 5 figures for fibre access is definitely a fair chunk of change however so thats not really going to be an option. I might have to wait until I can get 4G and hopefully data costs have dropped a fair bit by then

Take a look at Ultimate Broadband:

http://www.ultimatebroadband.co.nz/rbi-wireless.html

The 3G only plan with 500GB (250GGB peak/250GB off-peak) is only $139/month. Seems pretty reasonable to me and, to be honest, about as good as you'll get in a rural area.

...and I think you underestimate how fast a 3G connection could potentially be! Maybe PM Fraser ( @coffeebaron ) and see if he has done any installs in that area to maybe give you an idea of performance.

dazhann

465 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#1517977 22-Mar-2016 21:26

I currently pay $99 for 200gb plan which is a pretty good deal. Living in the country has it bonuses and negatives. Cellular coverage and internet speeds are definitely the negatives. But with wireless rbi we have been offered a considerably better if not great option to what we use to get -2mbs to 0.5mbs on a bad night. Yes data may get cheaper but who knows when?

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