New ADSL home broadband required. Best value ISP?

Riczter on 20/10/2013 - 21:40

My friend has moved into a new rental and has asked me to find him a good ISP for home broadband.
I've been looking on whirlpool and was thinking of suggesting TPG. Is there anything I need to be aware of? I read on the WP forum that there are some speed issues at the moment. Does anyone know if these are widespread or just small pockets of problems?

He's got a telstra home phone line I'm assuming and would need about 50GB per month, speeds not a huge issue, and on the lowest possible price.

I'm assuming it will be cheaper to drop the telstra home phone and get a bundle? But im guessing there may be cancellation fees??? Is it possible to run both together ie telstra home phone and TPG ADSL? Is that what 'naked' broadband is?

Also I should be able to find them a good value wireless ADSL modem router to keep costs down, but will I need the ISP to set it up (are there advanced settings)? Or is it a simple matter of logging into the modem and entering the account details to connect?

Location is Bibra Lake, W.A.

Thanks for your feedback.

Internet

Comments

  • jzdhgkd on 20/10/2013 - 22:57
    +2

    "You get what you pay for"

    I'm with TPG, and it's decently fast enough for my needs (8000kbps at ~3km from exchange) but it took some fighting to get it to this stage. The customer service was (is?) non-existent when I signed up and I pretty much had to troubleshoot my whole setup myself as the tech guys were less than helpful (they kept on suggesting I try another modem… turns out it was a noisy filter.)

    I encounter speed problems every now and then, especially during school holidays and days with extremely hot or rainy weather… I have no idea why but this always seems to be the case. I think the problems are more isolated pockets rather than a network-wide thing though. In any case if there are widespread outages they're usually on this page: http://www.tpg.com.au/servicestatus.php?timeframe=last24

    All in all, 500gb/month (split into peak/offpeak times) for $50 is pretty damn awesome if you don't need the extra customer service and tech support!

    "Naked" ADSL is where you have an ADSL service but no phone service whatsoever. So if you have service with Telstra, you'd still be getting "regular" ADSL/2/+.

    As for overall bundle value, you'll have to do calculations yourself based on what your friend is paying and probably will need to make a few calls to Telstra =)

    Getting a router from the ISP is usually the easiest way to go about it, all settings are pre-entered and you just need to put in the username/pass and you're good to go. If you buy your own router then there would be some settings (such as PPPoE/DNS/other crap) but there will be guides available, e.g. http://www.tpg.com.au/support/modemsetting.php

    Oh and if you're looking for a cheap router, I've read the TP-Link TD-W8960N is quite good value for money. I ordered one for $50 a couple of days ago but it's yet to arrive. Hopefully it's as good as everyone says!

  • scrimshaw on 20/10/2013 - 23:14
    +1

    Here are a list of plans, ordered by monthly cost (ascending)
    http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc/?action=search&state=wa&class=…

    But im guessing there may be cancellation fees?

    No. You've already paid for the connection when the line was originally installed, you may cancel at any time without further fees. For more information, call Telstra support.

    Is it possible to run both together ie telstra home phone and TPG ADSL? Is that what 'naked' broadband is?

    Yes. You can keep your Telstra phone service, and sign up for a Naked Broadband plan. Naked Plans are essential ADSL plans without line rental included. However, it's always cheaper to get a ADSL + Home Phone bundle rather than going with a Naked service + dedicated home phone. Use the Plan Finder that I linked above to calculate ongoing costs.

    ADSL Modems

    ADSL modems are easy to setup. You may purchase whatever ADSL2+ modem suits you and there are no limitations on which Model you can use for any service.

    Also note:
    Newly constructed properties usually do not come with an activated phone line and as such, when you apply for ADSL plans (from TPG, for example) they may need a site visit to activate the line.

    If the line has already been activated, then there is no need for Telstra to activate the line and TPG can straightaway setup your service.

  • Riczter on 20/10/2013 - 23:38

    Thanks guys that's really helpful :) I think I still got that $9 Tenda Wireless ADSL Router from GreenBox in my wardrobe so I'll give them that and they can get a better one when it craps out.

    It looks like some of the offers in the whirlpool list aren't up to date, shows the cheapest TPG bundle deal to be $19.99 but the cheapest I could see on the TPG website was $39.99. But TPG does still seem to be the best value option for him.

  • MITM on 21/10/2013 - 00:00

    have a look at clubtelco.com.au @ $40 pm ADSL unlimited + the telstra landline.

    They use to have a local zone if you are close to the exchange for $25 pm unlimited - which is what I'm on, plus I bundled their landline and a mobile ($20pm) to get 10% off total monthly bill. Happy with that.

    Let me know if you need a $25 referral.

  • Riczter on 21/10/2013 - 00:03

    I've just learned that they don't have a home phone line… Which means we are going to need a naked ADSL plan right? Which bumps the cost up to $49.99 for TPG :/ Any better alternatives?

    • scrimshaw on 21/10/2013 - 07:34

      Which means we are going to need a naked ADSL plan right?

      What do you mean? Going Naked means you don't want phone line rental, you just want internet…. If you need a landline, you must get a bundle.

      Any better alternatives?

      Exetel $19.99, 100GB plan + Phone line rental $20 per month = $40 month.

      • MITM on 21/10/2013 - 11:46

        scrimshaw, what's the speed/connection like with Exetel for streaming ?

        • scrimshaw on 21/10/2013 - 17:53

          Speed varies according to many factors, such as distance from DSLAM and network hardware quality. Your mileage may vary. I'm with Tpg by the way, and I mine syncs at 11mbps. Not fast, but ok for my needs.

      • Holysmoke on 21/10/2013 - 19:39
        +1

        Exetel $19.99, 100GB plan + Phone line rental $20 per month = $40 month.

        This is actually quite cheap. Any catches to this service from Exetel?

    • WT on 21/10/2013 - 11:54

      if they don't want a land line Naked is what you want

      in my experience, anything would a better alternative to TPG if you mainly use your net at peak times (about 4pm to 1am)

      • emibel19 on 21/10/2013 - 19:12

        That doesn't apply to all TPG users. I've been with them for over 3 years with no such issues, even in peak times.

    • enforcer on 22/10/2013 - 08:07

      Just make sure if your friend gets a Naked connection, they find out if the ISP can do a "VULL" setup. This avoids having to pay Telstra for a temporary landline which will just get disconnected anyway.
      As for a landline, I just use mynetfone whirlpoolsaver over Sipdroid on Android Phones or Blink/MicroSIP/VOP Nano on the PC, that way your landline number goes wherever you can get internet, even overseas.

  • MITM on 21/10/2013 - 11:45

    Guessing there is a phone point in the place.
    You're best to bundle line rental with ADSL. You don't have to plug a phone in and use it (avoiding tele-marketers at dinner time), but it's a bonus if you need it.

    If the place has never had a phone connected, that'll cost around $300 for installation - but you may be able to convince the landlord to pay for it.

    Tell him its tax deductible for him but not you, and that future tenants get the benefit after you leave.

  • megadeth on 21/10/2013 - 12:56

    I'm with pennytel adsl. $67.00 for unlimited adsl2. Typically connects at 12mbps downlink. Includes line rental. Naked isn't available where I live. I'm about 4.5km from the exchange.

  • ylangylang55 on 21/10/2013 - 13:51

    Does anyone know any unlimited Naked internet mothly plan? iam in 2194,Nsw
    Thank you

  • epicaricacy on 21/10/2013 - 18:12

    I've been with tpg for years now. Only ever had one outrage, and only needed to call tech support once. No problem when I did. I can't get naked at my exchange, so I have the more expensive options unfortunately.

    • robbyjones on 21/10/2013 - 20:20
      +2

      So many comments come to mind but, no, will leave it alone!

    • sash213 on 21/10/2013 - 20:22

      Only ever had one outrage,

      Like the Hulk?

    • Riczter on 21/10/2013 - 21:19
      +2

      I can get naked at my exchange.. I get some funny looks though

  • Fizzydrink on 22/10/2013 - 10:05

    im with telechoice, $89 a month,unlimited net and phone calls to local/mobile/std
    inital 3 month contract, then 2 months notice to cancel.. im about 3-4 km from my exvhange and the speeds are not too bad.. i stream netflix ok.

    i initally went with tem as im on a regional exchange and with a 3 month contract, its easy enough to change if i have to, havent had to yet.

    only down side was that it took a while to setup for some reason, i tink they had a lot of people joining at the time.

    i think they are pretty good.

    cheers

  • lonewolf on 22/10/2013 - 15:10

    TPG was great…till i changed plans to one which has the phone and adsl together. For whatever reason since then (2 years ago), i keep getting disconnections and drop outs, slow speeds etc. comes and goes and the support is useless, same old crap is told to me, isolate line, try new modem blah blah. Meanwhile for 2 years its been up and down. Sometimes it works for a couple of months, other times its just constant disconnections. They keep finding a fault and apparently fixing it which means it works for a couple of months then mysteriously gets bad again. Its almost like they move the load around… I wouldnt advice going with them as its too unstable. I am very close to the exchange too.

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