UFB options in Auckland for unlimited 100/20 and 100/50 (or higher)

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › UFB options in Auckland for unlimited 100/20 and 100/50 (or higher)

Nil Einne

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#196400 30-May-2016 07:49

Currently looking to signup to UFB in Auckland. Want unlimited or at least 500GB (with carryover) on a 100/20 plan. But would prefer to have more than 20 upload. While I'm not doing a very large amount of upstream, the speed would be useful to have. I've found ~10 Mbps on my VDSL limiting. 20 would be a fair amount better but 50 is the sweetspot where I don't feel more is needed without a significantly higher download. I'd much prefer 100/50 to 200/20. Unfortunately due to consumer demand and/or pricing issues, most offer the later. Prices I've seen for 200/200 etc are more than I'm willing to pay.

Based on the current deals etc, I've come up with MyRepublic Home Office 100/50 with 6 months half price. Voyager perhaps with a 24 month contract or 2degrees first year $59 deal as the best options for 100/20. (Reason for both these is due to Fritz!box with one.) I'll decide amongst these by myself, just wondering if I've missed any options. I've looked carefully at BigPipe, Trustpower, Unlimited Internet and a quicker look at Vodafone, Spark, Slingshot, Flip, Orcon, Actrix and a few others I can't recall. None seemed to be offering anything better for various reasons.

Voyager 100/20 24 months $1656 (69*24)
*ETF within 1st year $295, ETF in second year $195, no router

Unlimited Internet (the ISP) 100/20 $1894 (75*24+49+45=1800+49+45=1849+45)
*no contracts so no ETF, no router, assuming they do CG-NAT even though couldn't find confirmation anywhere, so price includes static IP

Unlimited Internet (the ISP) 100/100 $2230 (89*24+49+45=2136+49+45=2185+45)
*no contracts so no ETF, no router, assuming they do CG-NAT even though couldn't find confirmation anywhere, so price includes static IP

2degrees 100/20 $1878 (59*12+95*12+15+15=708+1140+30=1848+30)
*ETF $249, Fritz!Box 7490

MyRepublic 100/20 $1909.76 (44.99*6+89.99*18+20=269.94+1619.82+20=1889.76+20)
*ETF $299, router is TP-Link C2, CG-NAT so price includes static IP

MyRepublic HomeOffice 100/50 $2099.76 (49.99*6+99.99*18=299.94+1799.82)
*ETF $299, router is TP-Link C9, CG-NAT but single static IP is free

BigPipe 100/20 $1990 (79*24+49+45=1896+49+45=1945+45)
*no contracts so no ETF, no router, CG-NAT so price includes static IP

Trustpower 30/10 $1716 (59*12+84*12=708+1008)
*includes phone line & some Netcomm router, ETF $195 plus $59 per month for the months remaining if in first 12 months, need to keep power with them for the whole 24 months

Voyager 100/20 12 months $948 (79*12)
*ETF $295, no router

PeterReader

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#1561979 30-May-2016 07:49

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
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If you are rural or urban
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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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Nil Einne

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#1561991 30-May-2016 07:50

Not important to my question but if people are wondering more about where I'm coming from:

I'm aware of MyRepublic's somewhat poor reputation for evening speeds. I'm also annoyed at stuff that happened with my door to door signup. Given what's happened and their advertising (including saying they don't agree with Truenet), I will be complaining if performance is too bad. If they don't resolve in a few months I'll be pushing to get out of the contract if needed. Annoying but I expect them to offer decent service.

I know 24 month contracts are risky but in most cases given promos, free modems etc you end up better off even if you terminate in 12 months compared to same ISP without a contract or 12 month contract. Voyager is a little different and I'm not certain I'll go 24 with them but it's the fairest comparison.

The other option at good prices for min 50 upstream seems to be Unlimited Internet the ISP who probably have a worse reputation for various reasons, limited GeekZone engagement, and even the social media presence looks a bit airbrushed. And while they have no contracts, they're not cheaper due to the MyRepublic deal presuming I don't ETF. (Worse once I consider the router from MyR.) Advantage is they're 100/100 but as said, past 50 it's not so important particularly with 100 download.

I put price difference between MyR 100/50 and Voyager 100/20 as ~$14 a month over 24m. Actual difference is $443.76 (~$18.5) but I get a TP Link Archer C9 with the MyR. Probably not what I'll chose myself but the specs and reviews suggest it'll hopefully be good enough. Have seen DD-WRT for it and should definitely be a lot better than the Huawei HG659b I'm currently using with weird wifi problems. Worst case, I figure I'll be able to get at least $100 for it on TM even if used. However since I have HG659b, means I can take my time to choose good router if I do go with Voyager. Could go with MyR Gamer and try to sell the "swag"+C2 for more than the C9, but too risky and complicated.

If MyR let me buy the Linksys EA8500 at significantly reduced price, I would consider it but perhaps due to wholesale pricing issues or just because they didn't bother, it's still $349.99. Same as for other plans, despite otherwise getting the C9 free on HO.

Fritz!Box seems like a decent all-in-one router & something I've had my eye on. But if I go with 2talk, most of the voice feature set other than the DECT will likely be unused. Plus a bit old now and I'm not sure how the wireless performance (particularly in range) compares to cheapish newer models. (Since it's a relatively specialised device, can't find good reviews e.g. smallnetbuilder but I have read varying feedback.) The 5 year warranty is good. If I look around enough I may be able to get a Fritz!box from Trademe for price difference with Voyager but this will complicate warranty etc so if I do want it probably better go with 2d.

Don't care about Lightbox/Neon/SkyTV and other such services so ISPs offering them free or at reduced cost are irrelevant. Only added service that I've seen of minor interest is Spark's wifi hotspots. But prices would have to be nearly the same.

I don't have a postpaid monthly mobile plan nor are most worth it. The most I get are the $16/$19 prepaid bundles. So any discounts for having postpaid monthly plan won't apply. Slingshot's discount for their plans some of which are similar to prepaid bundles, are of minor interest but considering the limitations they aren't that special ($3 discount per month at most).

Need a public IP so I'm including payment for public or static IP from any ISP using CG-NAT.

Do want local phoneline but I've decided to exclude that from pricing. May end up going 2talk anyway either the $10+GST or free plus additional line for $6+GST. I don't actually make or receive that many calls but for various reasons have decided to keep the line for now and 2talk's feature set like call recording and the ability to connect and ring multiple SIP devices (e.g. a mobile phone) are tempting. And local line charges plus feature set are variable enough it complicates too much to add them. Likewise I'm not going to include cost for a SIP ATA even if some options don't need it.

NonprayingMantis

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#1561997 30-May-2016 08:10

avoid Unlimited Internet and MyRepublic IMHO

All others are fine.

Voyager, Bigpipe, 2Degrees all have good reps here and other forums

Be careful with statements like "I will be complaining if performance is too bad. If they don't resolve in a few months I'll be pushing to get out of the contract if needed. Annoying but I expect them to offer decent service."

It's pretty difficult to get out of the contract, especially if it's simply down to speed being not up to scratch. No ISP guarantees speed, so it won't be a way to exit a contract.

If you are that concerned about service, go with an ISP that has no contract - IMHO thats the only way to keep them honest and providing good service.

One good piece of advice is to have the same ISP manage your UFB install as has your current VDSL connection. (you could always change your VDSL connection first to be the ISP you ultimately want for UFB. helps avoid the situation where your current ISP disconnects you on the scheduled day, but your UFB doesn't quite complete on that day and you end up without internet.

jnimmo

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#1562006 30-May-2016 08:59

Stick with one of the trusted brands.

If you have a (qualifying) mobile plan with 2degrees or Spark remember you'll get $10 off their price per month.

If you buy just on price you'll probably be a) disappointed and b) locked into a 24 month contract.

unsignedint

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#1562013 30-May-2016 09:07

NonprayingMantis:

avoid Unlimited Internet

Can you substantiate that statement... ? I'm genuinely curious, I have been thinking about them and why they are not discussed much here. They are a brand of hd.net.nz who provide business hosting and have their own datacenter etc so I assume they are fairly legitimate? Performance wise... no idea?

trig42

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#1562046 30-May-2016 09:40

Are Bigpipe still doing the first month free deal? Brings their total cost down a bit. Also, there are referral links available (here is mine:) )

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

NonprayingMantis

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#1562091 30-May-2016 10:18

unsignedint:

NonprayingMantis:

avoid Unlimited Internet

Can you substantiate that statement... ? I'm genuinely curious, I have been thinking about them and why they are not discussed much here. They are a brand of hd.net.nz who provide business hosting and have their own datacenter etc so I assume they are fairly legitimate? Performance wise... no idea?

1) they are a sub-brand of HDnet. the boss of HDnet has a very checkered past with dodgy dealings and other stuff like that

2) they have >15k Facebook likes but don't allow ANYONE to post on their FB wall or leave reviews. This means they aren't interested in feedback from existing customers and have something to hide. Note that the fact they aren't discussed much here should tell you a lot about how much the GZ community thinks of them. (which you would expect given how many 'likes' they have (unless the likes are fake, in which case that is something else against them)

3) they own their own 'independent' review site (I won't link to it here so as to avoid giving them more SEO benefits) where they host bad reviews for other ISPs and moderate away all the bad reviews for Unlimited Internet.

I'm sure their connection itself is adequate - it's most likely just making use of the evening peaktime bandwidth they have spare from the business hosting (which uses data mostly during the day), but IMHO you can tell a lot about the business and the customer service levels from their willingness to engage with customers. UI don't seem to want to engage with customers. So my advice is to steer clear.

deadlyllama

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#1562103 30-May-2016 10:31

unsignedint:

NonprayingMantis:

avoid Unlimited Internet

Can you substantiate that statement... ? I'm genuinely curious, I have been thinking about them and why they are not discussed much here. They are a brand of hd.net.nz who provide business hosting and have their own datacenter etc so I assume they are fairly legitimate? Performance wise... no idea?

I looked at them for a friend on a very low income, to get ADSL. They said they would pass on all chorus setup charges (!) so it was going to cost $200 to get him connected as he didn't have DSL already.

Went with Bigpipe instead.

(Edit): Pertaining to the OP's questions, I'm in the same boat -- want a static IP and ideally 100/50 and IPv6 too. I was with MyRepublic but have just switched to Inspire Net. Got sick of the outages on MyRepublic -- they had a few that only affected Whanganui, and an awful lot of outages on their voice platform too. Voyager and Bigpipe don't have handovers here, and 2Degrees with a static IP was the same price as Inspire Net. I've had to say goodbye to my 50Mbps upstream, the wholesale price is clearly too high for anyone to offer decent service at a decent price point for 100/50.

Mynxnet looked like a good option but was even more expensive and had quite a high setup charge too.

Nil Einne

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#1562356 30-May-2016 14:12

deadlyllama:

I looked at them for a friend on a very low income, to get ADSL. They said they would pass on all chorus setup charges (!) so it was going to cost $200 to get him connected as he didn't have DSL already.

Went with Bigpipe instead.

(Edit): Pertaining to the OP's questions, I'm in the same boat -- want a static IP and ideally 100/50 and IPv6 too. I was with MyRepublic but have just switched to Inspire Net. Got sick of the outages on MyRepublic -- they had a few that only affected Whanganui, and an awful lot of outages on their voice platform too. Voyager and Bigpipe don't have handovers here, and 2Degrees with a static IP was the same price as Inspire Net. I've had to say goodbye to my 50Mbps upstream, the wholesale price is clearly too high for anyone to offer decent service at a decent price point for 100/50.

Mynxnet looked like a good option but was even more expensive and had quite a high setup charge too.

Don't actually need a static IP, just needs to be public. (I'm fine with using dynamic DNS.)

About Unlimited Internet, I haven't actually come across that many bad reports and did come across some good reports on GZ. But even before the comments here, what I've seen and read about them and who's behind them suggest I can't really trust what's on their Facebook etc. Plus their name makes searching on them difficult. (So does HD.) Unlimited Internet is a descriptive name so may be the reason, or maybe it's not.... If I decide to go with MyR and it doesn't pan out, I may actually give them a chance if I still want more than 20.

MyRepublic may not be that much better but they at least have some GeekZone presence and their social media does look less airbrushed.

OT but I'm not certain it's wholesale prices making 100/50 expensive. Not something I know much about but the most recent pricing I've seen are from mid 2014 https://www.chorus.co.nz/chorus-accelerate-delivers-step-change-to-new-zealand-s-broadband-capability . According to that Fibre 100/50 should be below 200/20 until 2020. But some 200/20 aren't too bad e.g. BigPipe. It may be there's some aspect of the pricing I'm missing or other areas of wholesale, or, there have been changes to the pricing. (There's perhaps also the fact that those with higher uploads may be more likely to download more or do other things which raise costs or are simply businesses or others willing to pay more.)

But those prices also concurs with what I've seen in the few ISPs like Mynxnet, Unlimited Internet and at least one or two others I can't remember who offer both 100/50 or 100/100 and 200/20. 200/20 is the same or more expensive. Makes me think it's more a matter of consumer demand and marketing. Too little people care about upload, so offering 200/20 is a better bet than 100/50, and for a variety of reasons it isn't worth offering both. (Most used to offer 100/50 before the new wholesale plans were introduced.) If you want more upload, they offer the 200/200 which ends up rather expensive.

Read a bit about their recent major outages. Definitely not a good look particularly the length. I'm hoping there won't be to many reoccurances. If there is, even more of a case of "this isn't what I signed up for" despite their being no SLA. Voice, if I got with MyR, I'll likely go with their voice initially but even more reason to move to 2talk if they keep having outages.

Be careful with statements like "I will be complaining if performance is too bad. If they don't resolve in a few months I'll be pushing to get out of the contract if needed. Annoying but I expect them to offer decent service."

It's pretty difficult to get out of the contract, especially if it's simply down to speed being not up to scratch. No ISP guarantees speed, so it won't be a way to exit a contract.

If you are that concerned about service, go with an ISP that has no contract - IMHO thats the only way to keep them honest and providing good service.

One good piece of advice is to have the same ISP manage your UFB install as has your current VDSL connection. (you could always change your VDSL connection first to be the ISP you ultimately want for UFB. helps avoid the situation where your current ISP disconnects you on the scheduled day, but your UFB doesn't quite complete on that day and you end up without internet.

I've decided not to cancel Spark until I have UFB. Or maybe I'll tell them to cancel after scoping since it's 30 days cancellation anyway. This will raise costs which I didn't add to the pricing but I don't want to use Spark. (And moving to Spark without contract will cost even more.) Moving ISP with VDSL first isn't something I really considered but I'm not sure I can manage it without getting more fees (such as paying Spark and my new ISP) so doesn't really seem worth to. I can survive for a few days without broadband if really needed.

Forgot to mention worst case scenario, MyRepublic's 6 months half price means if I only keep them for 6 months and pay the ETF, it's still only be $598.94, or ~$100 per month. Same as I'll be paying them without a contract. And I still have the C9, install etc. $20 more than BigPipe 100/20 per month (but also have to pay $49+$45 to them when signing up minus $20 credit) or $10 more per month than I would have paid Unlimited Internet in the 6 months (again also have to pay $49 + $45 and AFAIK they have no promos). So no longer getting a deal but also not a major loss.

Actually this was first reason didn't mind 24 month. Then d2d stuff combined with reading their advertising and reassurances more carefully made me decide if their performance is really absymal I probably won't just cut my losses. (Other reason to move would be if someone else has significantly better prices, then it comes back to "no major loss".)

Don't want to go in to too much detail but while you're correct that ISPs don't guarantee speeds, MyRepublic does advertise that they have "buy more bandwidth per user than any other national ISP, to ensure you never experience peak time latency or speed issue" and have also suggested that they aren't as bad as Truenet results imply. That combined with a whole host of other things suggests I should get decent speeds according to MyRepublic. Obviously not expecting anything close CIR and it's harder to show when you only have one connection (however if I do move I'll probably end up with 2 for about 30 days). Still I think I have the knowledge and time to make them understand if my connection is not meeting the resonable expectations of their advertising. I think I'll have decent arguments if it comes down to it. (To be clear, I'm hoping it won't and will be filing faults etc to give them a decent chance to improve.)

One thing is that I'm in Auckland so lack of peering outside Auckland isn't so much of an issue. Likewise I'm hoping my POP will already be 10Gb.

NonprayingMantis

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#1562363 30-May-2016 14:33

"buy more bandwidth per user than any other national ISP, to ensure you never experience peak time latency or speed issue""

this is one of the most meaningless claims they have ever made.

1) they don't know that they buy the most. All those kinds of dealings are commercially sensitive.

2) even if they did, it's totally irrelevant since it's not about how much bandwidth you buy, it's about the disparity between average peak usage and the amount you buy. (i.e. Spark might have peak usage average of 250Kbps per customer and as long as they buy more than that everyone will be fine. Myrepublic's usage would be much higher on average (because they don't offer low grade ADSL) but if they don't buy enough to cover it they will get congestion despite buying "more bandwidth than anyone else". i.e. you can buy the most, and be very congested or buy the least and be totally uncongested.

3) even if you bought more bandwidth than anyone, and bought more than you needed, there is STILL no guarantee you will never experience peak time latency or speed issues since there are so many other factors to take into account (local wifi congestion, peering issues, end server capacity etc)

Basically, that claim is a load of horse manure and the only people who would make it are either

i) outright lying

ii) utterly incompetent when it comes to understanding networks.

either way, a company you should avoid IMHO

/rant

Nil Einne

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#1562433 30-May-2016 16:26

Thanks everyone for their help. Mostly confirmed what I suspected, no real other options for 100/50 without paying a fair amount more. 100/20 options I selected (2d or Voyager) seem to be the best price/performance for a new UFB connection at the moment. I've decided I prefer 50 mbps enough to risk MyR.

NonprayingMantis:

"buy more bandwidth per user than any other national ISP, to ensure you never experience peak time latency or speed issue""

this is one of the most meaningless claims they have ever made.

1) they don't know that they buy the most. All those kinds of dealings are commercially sensitive.

2) even if they did, it's totally irrelevant since it's not about how much bandwidth you buy, it's about the disparity between average peak usage and the amount you buy. (i.e. Spark might have peak usage average of 250Kbps per customer and as long as they buy more than that everyone will be fine. Myrepublic's usage would be much higher on average (because they don't offer low grade ADSL) but if they don't buy enough to cover it they will get congestion despite buying "more bandwidth than anyone else". i.e. you can buy the most, and be very congested or buy the least and be totally uncon

I read a statement from the MyR that it's what they were told by their provider. Seems to me that there's a difference between telling what someone else is buying, and telling them that you're buying more or less. The former is a commercial secret. The later is the sort of thing companies may do to encourage competition without revealing information that's too sensitive. By that token it's possible. But know so little about the sort of contracts involved to know if this is plausible. (I'm also a bit surprised that the upstream providers would have details on the number of customers.)

The other thing is while we're a lot laxer than in the EU or Australia, I'm surprised MyR would make the claim without something they felt would stand up against a ComCom or ASA complaint. However stupider things have happened.

2 pretty much occured to me (particularly the part about their lack of ADSL). MyR also don't have data limited plans and their target market seems to be higher data users. That's another reason I'm inclined to believe they do have something behind it despite the Trustnet etc results. As for what it means, the key point to me is what it portrays to the less technical end user. (And I just want/expect decent performance, not magically wonderful performance.)

As for the last comment, MyR may be worse at the moment but if I avoided any ISP based on untrustworthy marketing, I don't think there would be any choices left. (Actually I wouldn't be able to use a computer :-P)

Their false D2D mentioned in another thread is a bigger concern, still currently MyR have done less to piss me off than Spark/Telecom (well half of that has passed to Chorus) or Slingshot or Vodafone. (While I didn't have problems with them in the 3 months or so I used them, operationally seperate or not BigPipe is still part of Spark. For that matter I had issues with Orcon before it was sold to Kordia, and who founded Voyager?) I guess I haven't had significant issues with 2degrees or Snap,

While I understand the POV of redflags/redlines, at this stage of my life, it comes down to what they can deliver and at what price. After taking that into account, if there are multiple options, these annoyances will come into play, but only then. I.E. if there was anyone else decent at a decent price things may be different but there simply doesn't seem to be. And unlike Unlimited Internet, it's not like MyR are particularly cheap anyway if you discount the promo. (Although they do seem to run such promos a lot.) They're about mid priced. It's just that they are one of the few to continue to offer 100/50 and none of the other major decent priced players do besides Unlimited.

From reports, there is some risk MyR won't live up to their advertising. But even without considering how this advertising affects any contracts, their current promo means risk isn't as high as a 24 month contract may seem. (Staying with them for ~6 months isn't that bad, and it's not like frequent churn is going to be cheap anyway particularly if I don't want to run the risk I'll end up without internet for a week or 2 if there's a major screw up.) And there are reasons to think my experience may not be as bad as some others have had.

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Detruire

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#1562694 30-May-2016 22:34

I would choose between Voyager and Bigpipe. (Which I actually did when picking an ISP here.)

If you know you'll still be living there in two years, Voyager is probably the better option. Cheaper monthly price, cheaper static IP, and no install fee. Otherwise, I'd go with Bigpipe. While it's not too likely I'll use (or need) it, the whole "freedom to leave" thing is nice for some piece-of-mind.

(If you do decide to go with Bigpipe, you can get an extra $20 credit signing up via someone's referral link, such as mine. )

As for the other three: I don't trust "unlimited internet" due to the parent company's dodgy dealings in the past; something about MyRepublic rubs me the wrong way (bit of a gut feeling thing here); and TrustPower never interested me due to their power/gas pricing.

rm *

DarkShadow

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#1562702 30-May-2016 22:55

Here's a Bigpipe Grabone voucher for first month free and free connection.

BarTender

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#1562737 31-May-2016 06:56

NonprayingMantis:

"buy more bandwidth per user than any other national ISP, to ensure you never experience peak time latency or speed issue""

this is one of the most meaningless claims they have ever made.

1) they don't know that they buy the most. All those kinds of dealings are commercially sensitive.

2) even if they did, it's totally irrelevant since it's not about how much bandwidth you buy, it's about the disparity between average peak usage and the amount you buy. (i.e. Spark might have peak usage average of 250Kbps per customer and as long as they buy more than that everyone will be fine. Myrepublic's usage would be much higher on average (because they don't offer low grade ADSL) but if they don't buy enough to cover it they will get congestion despite buying "more bandwidth than anyone else". i.e. you can buy the most, and be very congested or buy the least and be totally uncongested.

3) even if you bought more bandwidth than anyone, and bought more than you needed, there is STILL no guarantee you will never experience peak time latency or speed issues since there are so many other factors to take into account (local wifi congestion, peering issues, end server capacity etc)

Basically, that claim is a load of horse manure and the only people who would make it are either

i) outright lying

or

ii) utterly incompetent when it comes to understanding networks.

either way, a company you should avoid IMHO

/rant

I completely agree with you here. As there are all sorts of areas congestion can occur. Within the Access network of Chorus (for Copper&UFB) and the other LFCs. At the Hand Over Point from the wholesaler, the nationwide backhaul and international transit. Plus it also depends on who you purchase your transit from as some do a better job of negotiating improved peering deals with other international transit providers than others.

Plus there is the old story of you get what you pay for. If ISP A charges one price and ISP B charges 10% more. Either ISP A has to cut corners to be less than ISP B, or ISP B is gouging the market because it can.

NZ has one of the most competitive markets for Broadband as there is no wholesaler who is a retailer. With the ongoing race to the bottom where a retail connection is 20% more than the wholesale input I can only see more corners being cut to save money in the retail stack.

jnimmo

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#1562747 31-May-2016 07:44

Well, good luck to you OP, given that no-one in here has a positive thing to say about MR, but can appreciate wanting 100/50.

Good point about the ASA, because there is no way they can prove they are buying more bandwidth per customer than anyone else, therefore a claim they can't substantiate. But - you're not going to get out of any contracts like that, the company probably wouldn't show at the small claims tribunal.

"If I avoided any ISP based on untrustworthy marketing, I don't think there would be any choices left" - I'd also apply that to your comments about problems with other ISPs, all ISPs will have issues over time, but place your bets on the ones doing honest advertising and investing in a solid network. Spark are a miles ahead of Vodafone or Slingshot, and likely to be my next ISP (but I still wouldn't want to be on the phone to them for technical support).

You definitely have an advantage being in Auckland though in that their network should be most reliable there and not the concern of backhaul down the country.