Getting tired of my current ISP - looking at 2D

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Getting tired of my current ISP - looking at 2D - any gotchas?

lchiu7

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#245469 5-Feb-2019 15:59

I am getting a bit tired of my current ISP BigPipe (I have a 200/20 plan UFB) and am looking at moving. Their lack of customer support is quite annoying at times and they gave me grief about upgrading to their top plan saying I was not eligible for 3 months off

2D seems to be recommended. I want to have a 900/400 plan and be able to use my existing router. I currently am using an Asus RT-AC66U which works fine. Bigpipe use PPPOE which is supported in the Asus. I also want static IP

Tried to call 2D but could not wait on the line for them.

Do folks know if 2D uses PPPOE or something else and if something else, would my Asus work?

Any other experiences worth relating?

Thanks

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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#2173544 5-Feb-2019 16:10

2 Degrees uses PPPoE for fibre, so no issues there.

I went through the exact same switch for the exact same reasons. That and I could get gigabit for the same price as the 200/20 plus the $200 account credit. I can say I have no regrets about switching, 2D have been nothing but awesome.

I also have my mobile with them and happy with that as well. Been through to their helpdesk for both broadband and mobile, staff have always been friendly and helpful.

Edit: You can order it online, I found it much less hassle that way: https://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/broadband/

vulcannz

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#2173547 5-Feb-2019 16:13

Love em. I have my UFB with them, had my wife and son on their mobile, and my spark contract finally expired so just moved to them. They are awesome, even on the little things - for example they co-termed my mobile so billing all falls on the same day - without asking.

Jiriteach

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#2173549 5-Feb-2019 16:17

lchiu7:

I am getting a bit tired of my current ISP BigPipe (I have a 200/20 plan UFB) and am looking at moving. Their lack of customer support is quite annoying at times and they gave me grief about upgrading to their top plan saying I was not eligible for 3 months off

2D seems to be recommended. I want to have a 900/400 plan and be able to use my existing router. I currently am using an Asus RT-AC66U which works fine. Bigpipe use PPPOE which is supported in the Asus. I also want static IP

Tried to call 2D but could not wait on the line for them.

Do folks know if 2D uses PPPOE or something else and if something else, would my Asus work?

Any other experiences worth relating?

Thanks

I've been with 2degrees for ~ 6 years now (previously Snap) and totally recommend them. I'm on the gig plan as well and at times the speeds are pretty good. Cannot really complain.

Would be nice if speeds are closer to 900 but it is what it is and they have extra bandwidth on the way. I also have a static IP with no problems.

Yes your router will work. PPPOE as well as a tagged port set to VLAN 10

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

michaelmurfy

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#2173551 5-Feb-2019 16:18

ShinyChrome:

2 Degrees uses PPPoE for fibre, so no issues there.

I went through the exact same switch for the exact same reasons. That and I could get gigabit for the same price as the 200/20 plus the $200 account credit. I can say I have no regrets about switching, 2D have been nothing but awesome.

I also have my mobile with them and happy with that as well. Been through to their helpdesk for both broadband and mobile, staff have always been friendly and helpful.

Can echo exactly this. 2degrees have been great to deal with in all regards.

This post from the BDFL explains it perfectly: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=85&topicid=233510&page_no=3#2041281 - 2degrees support sent out a small Linux powered PC to a few of us to investigate speed issues where we found it was a problem with our computers simply not being powerful enough.

They're currently investigating an issue with IPv6 in Wellington where they have put a few of us on other network elements as a test and to gain data on the scope of the problem. We've got a staff member taking care of this who has given us his personal mobile number + has been very responsive to emails.

This type of support is something you don't really see these days and it is great that a larger ISP cares about their customers. Both @2degreescare and @Nickmack are also very active on Geekzone.

I say go for it, you honestly can't go wrong. I'd also recommend the Fritz!Box as a router as it is actually better than your current router in terms of routing performance and also features.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

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Item

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#2173553 5-Feb-2019 16:25

To add to the above: I was previously happy with Snap and was worried after the buy-out that the service would degrade once on 2Degrees, but so far been very happy.

Had a seamless migration from VDSL to GB Fibre and have been getting great, consistent speeds in West Auckland. Also have mobile with them and been happy with that and the extra discount that brings.

My only caveat is that I have never needed to get any support from them, so can't comment how they compare to the competition...

dfnt

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#2173557 5-Feb-2019 16:32

Even with hardware acceleration I don't think you'll get near 900Mbit with the AC66U.

You'll probably get between 700-800Mbit if you're lucky.

Better to go with the Fritzbox, or if you prefer more features an EdgeRouter 4

Linux

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#2173559 5-Feb-2019 16:33

Great dealing with 2degrees and great support here on Geekzone

John

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Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

Talkiet

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#2173561 5-Feb-2019 16:36

michaelmurfy:

[snip]

This post from the BDFL explains it perfectly: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=85&topicid=233510&page_no=3#2041281 - 2degrees support sent out a small Linux powered PC to a few of us to investigate speed issues where we found it was a problem with our computers simply not being powerful enough.

[snip]

Just as information - We used to do this as well and still have some of the boxes. We have mostly stopped using them for that purpose now as they never found a single network problem in the wild and it was a bit pricey just to prove to someone their router was rubbish :-)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

michaelmurfy

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#2173567 5-Feb-2019 16:41

@Talkiet yes I remember Spark doing this also 😊 I think in this case all that were tested had more than capable routers. I also remember back in the days BigPipe sending out an ODroid C2 for testing.

lchiu7

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#2173572 5-Feb-2019 16:47

Thanks for everyone's replies. I think I'll jump ship. I'm not so concerned about getting 900 megabits per second download but having better upload speed so I can backup to my cloud services much more quickly. If I can get 2 or 300 they would be fantastic.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

lchiu7

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#2173573 5-Feb-2019 16:50

dfnt:
Even with hardware acceleration I don't think you'll get near 900Mbit with the AC66U.

You'll probably get between 700-800Mbit if you're lucky.

Better to go with the Fritzbox, or if you prefer more features an EdgeRouter 4

The only reason I want to retain my Asus router as I have some very complex routing rules setup for traffic going to the US and I don't really want to have to learn how to replicate those rule in a new router.

700 to 800 would be just fine

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

michaelmurfy

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#2173667 5-Feb-2019 19:54

@lchiu7 Grab the Fritz!Box anyway - it is worth it. Pretty easy to get running with *insert unblocking provider here* :)

tdgeek

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#2173678 5-Feb-2019 20:09

Im not sure what getting tired of an RSP means. Im with Spark. I never need to call them with an issue. If I did, I can call or chat or email. The internet always works. Yes, I am in fibre so thats a help, but how can you get tired of an RSP? When I was with Genesis for power, then EK, it still works, same thing?

2degreesCare

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#2173684 5-Feb-2019 20:18

@lchiu7 its sounds like you got the answer from the guys above :)

2degrees does use PPPoE and you are more than welcome to use your own modem.

We can provide you with the correct settings to enter in.

Flick us a Message and we can get you signed up.

Cheers ^SW

lchiu7

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#2173696 5-Feb-2019 21:03

tdgeek:

Im not sure what getting tired of an RSP means. Im with Spark. I never need to call them with an issue. If I did, I can call or chat or email. The internet always works. Yes, I am in fibre so thats a help, but how can you get tired of an RSP? When I was with Genesis for power, then EK, it still works, same thing?

How about

1. no phone support so on several occasions when my Internet went down, it would take 5 hours before somebody would even respond

2. Tried to upgrade to their top plan and get 3 months free. They rejected me for some reason

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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