Thinking about Switching from BigPipe to 2Degrees

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Thinking about Switching from BigPipe to 2Degrees

kickintheeye

112 posts

Master Geek

#265713 6-Feb-2020 18:56

After over a year of a disappointing experience with Bigpipe (this deserve an entirely new topic later on). Anyway, I'm thinking about sign up with 2Degrees.

I don't need the Ultimate Unlimited (fibre broadband up to 900/400Mbps), at the moment. So, I would start with the fibre 100/20Mbps one.

I would greatly appreciate if current 2Degrees' customers could share with me the PROs and CONs or what they like and/or dislike about their Fibre connection or services as a whole. One of the things I hated while being with Bigpipe was their support.

They offer $10 off if you go for the bundle with mobile in a 12-month contract. So, I might leave Vodafone and as well. During the online request process, they ask "Have you got a promo code?". I don't have one. It would be nice if someone could send me a promo code via MP. Cheers

1 | 2 | 3

10307 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2413801 6-Feb-2020 19:02

I have had fantastic service / support with 2degrees. The only thing to watch out for now is CGNAT

Lenovo

Lenovo computer and accessories deals (affiliate link).

muppet

2389 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2413803 6-Feb-2020 19:04

Bigpipe:

Pros: Provides Internet via Fibre

Cons: All other ISPS also provide Internet via Fibre.

2Degrees:

Pros: Provides Internet via Fibre

Cons: Most other ISPs provide "Internet" over a Fibre connection too.

Note: I'm not a 2Degrees customer. Or a Bigpipe one. This is just information I have gathered looking at their offerings.

michaelmurfy

cat
12248 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2413807 6-Feb-2020 19:09

I've had great support from 2degrees and really recommend them.

Like @Linux says, 2degrees do CG-NAT by default. Just switch to them (with CG-NAT) and if you find something is terribly broken or you can't do something then simply phone up 2degrees and they'll fix it for you.

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

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

jonathan18

6998 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2413818 6-Feb-2020 19:31

I've got no complaints about 2D and would certainly choose them over BP, which I had been with previously.

Suggest it's worth doing a search on GZ as well, as this exact topic has been traversed a decent number of times.

kickintheeye

112 posts

Master Geek

#2413825 6-Feb-2020 19:43

Wow. Thanks for sharing your opinions. I'm quite excited about it. I'll sign up tomorrow and let you know how it goes. I'm not worried about CGNAT at this point.

boosacnoodle

655 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2413828 6-Feb-2020 19:54

michaelmurfy:

I've had great support from 2degrees and really recommend them.

Like @Linux says, 2degrees do CG-NAT by default. Just switch to them (with CG-NAT) and if you find something is terribly broken or you can't do something then simply phone up 2degrees and they'll fix it for you.

That hasn't been mine, and many others, experiences in the other thread. I am honestly regretting the switch and feeling somewhat trapped in the contract. The staff had no idea how to fix the issue when I called and I am still experiencing issues since several weeks now.

michaelmurfy

cat
12248 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2413841 6-Feb-2020 20:02

boosacnoodle:

That hasn't been mine, and many others, experiences in the other thread. I am honestly regretting the switch and feeling somewhat trapped in the contract. The staff had no idea how to fix the issue when I called and I am still experiencing issues since several weeks now.

Seriously - don't get me started on that other thread.

There is a small problem here, but as stated you don't need a Static IP to fix it. Instead, they need to run with some investigation to why the problem is occurring. This isn't an easy fix and ALL ISP's have this problem, you have to allow them time to do investigation, testing and a push to their production network. The last thing they want to do here is give away IP addresses when this isn't the real solution.

Anyway, this is off-topic.

spronkey

116 posts

Master Geek

#2413850 6-Feb-2020 20:37

I've been getting progressively more disappointed with 2degrees since they bought Snap. I was originally a Snap customer, and they were an excellent ISP. 2degrees has been dumbing down the offering, the call centre is far worse than it used to be in terms of hold times - literally every time I have called them in the past few years they have that prerecorded "higher than normal volume of calls message", and there's less transparency in the offerings. Snap used to be upfront about what router they offer you, give you a choice to upgrade to a better model if you wanted to, and gave you choices all the way through. 2d seem to be more strict around their policies, and you certainly can't do it via their online tools.

I've had quite a few issues with them - about 6 months ago I noticed my landline wasn't working. We don't call that frequently and mainly receive calls - turns out it was down for over a week due to a configuration update on their end. They fixed it over the phone, but it took over half an hour. There have been a number of instances with DNS failures. Snap used to be far more onto it when it came to communicating these issues via social media and their website. 2degrees' website is often not updated - even some local Enable planned outages weren't listed on the 2d broadband status website.

My folks have a 2d connection and have had lots of issues with hold time. They also have no flexibility - folks have been customers for longer than I have (probably close to a decade now) yet 2D wouldn't supply them with an upgraded router when their original FB 7390 failed unless they paid the full $165 cost, or signed a new fixed term contract and took a rental unit. Poor form.

Then there's this CGNAT business, where they just silently switched me (and heaps of other customers) over despite the fact that I have port forwards configured on my router and would have had inbound traffic going back and forth. And their solution was a temporary free static IP, with no definition on what "temporary" is, eventually costing $10/month.

Now, they do have IPv6, and they don't seem to have that many issues, and certainly other ISPs have their own problems. But I've been scouting out other ISPs of late and will likely end up changing when a couple of my other fixed term contracts end - or if they start charging me for a public IP.

timmmay

19638 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2413851 6-Feb-2020 20:38

I like 2degrees 100/20. Support is good. Get a static IP if you need one - you'll probably have to pay $10 / month.

michaelmurfy

cat
12248 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2413900 6-Feb-2020 22:28

spronkey:

I've been getting progressively more disappointed with 2degrees since they bought Snap. I was originally a Snap customer, and they were an excellent ISP. 2degrees has been dumbing down the offering, the call centre is far worse than it used to be in terms of hold times - literally every time I have called them in the past few years they have that prerecorded "higher than normal volume of calls message", and there's less transparency in the offerings. Snap used to be upfront about what router they offer you, give you a choice to upgrade to a better model if you wanted to, and gave you choices all the way through. 2d seem to be more strict around their policies, and you certainly can't do it via their online tools.

2degrees offer a single router and it works for all their offerings. Back in the day (~5 years ago with Snap) there was a few routers. They've just simplified this along with everything else which is the norm in the ISP industry. As for hold times I've never personally had this issue - on average 5mins for me and I'm through to them, and they've been helpful every time.

I've had quite a few issues with them - about 6 months ago I noticed my landline wasn't working. We don't call that frequently and mainly receive calls - turns out it was down for over a week due to a configuration update on their end. They fixed it over the phone, but it took over half an hour. There have been a number of instances with DNS failures. Snap used to be far more onto it when it came to communicating these issues via social media and their website. 2degrees' website is often not updated - even some local Enable planned outages weren't listed on the 2d broadband status website.

All providers have issues - this is again normal. It is quite complex to map every issue or outage and especially with VoIP it is difficult to gauge if there is a problem with an endpoint unless if the person on the other end tests it and notifies them of issues (speaking from experience) - I've noted that when there is a large outage they're quick to tweet / post on Facebook about it. This is what social media is for and normally where customers check first. As for DNS issues - I use their DNS servers, and to be perfectly honest in the 3 years I've been a 2degrees Broadband customer I have not seen any issues with DNS. I also monitor this and have been ever since I have been a customer with them and the only "outages" I've had with their DNS is where my connection has been down due to router upgrades, ONT firmware updates etc.

My folks have a 2d connection and have had lots of issues with hold time. They also have no flexibility - folks have been customers for longer than I have (probably close to a decade now) yet 2D wouldn't supply them with an upgraded router when their original FB 7390 failed unless they paid the full $165 cost, or signed a new fixed term contract and took a rental unit. Poor form.

This is actually rather acceptable and again normal in the industry. The routers 2degrees provide are on the more expensive side as they still provide very good routers - no Huawei HG659 to be seen here. Since their plans have gotten cheaper and the fact many customer have a collection of routers laying around they now lease routers out, for free out to customers. If there is a problem then they replace them. I don't think it is at all poor form to ask for 12mo of commitment if you plan on remaining a customer for that long anyway.

Then there's this CGNAT business, where they just silently switched me (and heaps of other customers) over despite the fact that I have port forwards configured on my router and would have had inbound traffic going back and forth. And their solution was a temporary free static IP, with no definition on what "temporary" is, eventually costing $10/month.

And yet it took you ~3mo to notice this. 2degrees switched on CG-NAT for all their customers who didn't have a Static IP with them just before December and there was a long thread on here discussing this. Your issue was also resolved as soon as you called them. If it was a vital service to you to have a service running on your IP then to be perfectly honest you should have a Static IP with them to ensure your service always stays up. If you don't, then it is totally up to the ISP on what they do with their IP allocation. IPv4 these days is both expensive, and exhausted and ISP's worldwide need to make changes.

Now, they do have IPv6, and they don't seem to have that many issues, and certainly other ISPs have their own problems. But I've been scouting out other ISPs of late and will likely end up changing when a couple of my other fixed term contracts end - or if they start charging me for a public IP.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what ISP you go for - you'll still experience problems. IMO the problems you've mentioned are really non-existent but it really does sound like you're saying all the above just over your public IP address disappearing. I've got accounts with multiple ISP's at multiple addresses and none have been 100% perfect. For a standard residential customer who just wants internet at a residential price then 2degrees does provide a good service.

Just ensure if you do switch and need a public IP then consider getting a static one with the provider of your choice else they may CG-NAT you down the line.

Mahon

473 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2413905 6-Feb-2020 22:47

I am more than happy with 2 degrees, however the call centre response times have got quite bad.

michaelmurfy

cat
12248 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2414269 7-Feb-2020 15:08

I've removed a few off-topic replies. I thought I made it clear above to keep things on topic.

If your post is related to CG-NAT then post in the other thread. If your post is related to the recommendation, or not of 2degrees then post here. We've already covered they use CG-NAT by default now so we don't need long posts banging on about it.

toejam316

1298 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2414271 7-Feb-2020 15:14

michaelmurfy:

I've removed a few off-topic replies. I thought I made it clear above to keep things on topic.

If your post is related to CG-NAT then post in the other thread. If your post is related to the recommendation, or not of 2degrees then post here. We've already covered they use CG-NAT by default now so we don't need long posts banging on about it.

Freeze Peach, etc.

Barring some initial issues getting setup, my 2Degrees experience was pretty good. My only complaint was they terminate PPPoE instead of DHCP/IPoE which is a pretty nit-picky sort of complaint, and I was (and am) a fairly difficult end user. The biggest complaint I could levy against them was the wait to get to the call center was a bit painful (but better than most other major players), and there were a few CSRs who were a little dependent on the help documents and scripts (again, I'm a difficult end user), but they had the smarts to refer to more knowledgeable colleagues and use their ability to pop me on hold for a few minutes to sort things out, rather than just say "Sorry, can't do it" and end the call.

I'd still be with 2degrees if my Employer didn't provide me with a better offer.

As for Voyager, my friend's employer resells and they seem to have maintained the relationship for the last few years, which I guess is a pretty good endorsement, but grain of salt is that they're a basic Rural IT and Computer shop, and by no means power users.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

spronkey

116 posts

Master Geek

#2414282 7-Feb-2020 15:40

michaelmurfy:

I've removed a few off-topic replies. I thought I made it clear above to keep things on topic.

If your post is related to CG-NAT then post in the other thread. If your post is related to the recommendation, or not of 2degrees then post here. We've already covered they use CG-NAT by default now so we don't need long posts banging on about it.

Well, you deleted my link to my Twitter posts over the last couple of years with evidence of 2Degrees service problems and lack of attention to their network status pages etc, so here it is again: https://twitter.com/search?q=2degreesmobile%20(from%3Aspronkey)&src=typed_query&f=live

As I said in the previous, now deleted post, I have been a user of Snap & 2D broadband since 2010, used to recommend Snap (and then 2D) to anyone who asked. I do not recommend them anymore, although I am still a customer.

nzlogan

73 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

#2414364 7-Feb-2020 19:06

I signed up with 2Degrees at the start of the year. So far been a great experience, apart from the wait time when calling, but everyone I spoke to was very helpful. Was kept up to date via text and email, and was an easy plug/play for installation. Speeds are great and the rental router has decent wireless range and speed.

1 | 2 | 3