Hi,
I'm currently on exetel & wanting to move away from them to try & increase speed, pretty poor right now. I know I'm a fair way from the exchange and it might not help but will never know unless I try something else!
It feels counterproductive to swap to another Optus reseller, wondering if anyone can suggest a plan that's with a different provider. 100+GB, currently paying $45/month incl phone line rental though I don't use the phone apart from for Internet. No nbn available so needs to be ADSL.
Suggestions for a Non-Optus ADSL2+ Internet Plan
seanbaussie on 21/12/2015 - 22:24
Last edited 21/12/2015 - 22:25
Last edited 21/12/2015 - 22:25
Comments
It's extremely unlikely that a change of providers over the same copper will make a difference
In my experience, this statement is totally incorrect. For the past few years I've been with Exetel on a Telstra DSLAM getting quick speeds but two months ago Exetel shifted me to the Optus DSLAM at my exchange (they said they didn't have the contract with Telstra anymore). My speeds dropped overnight to a tenth they used to be, no dropouts but speeds so low that even after being shaped to 1024/386 it didn't matter because I wasn't even hitting the shaping limits. I spoke to customer service a couple of times and they were pretty clear cut it was a congestion issue on the Optus hardware at the exchange. So I churned to Belong (intentionally trying to get back to the Telstra DSLAM) and overnight my speeds went back to quick again.
Further, there's a reason Internode are so highly recommended and quick… they use their own hardware/DSLAM at the exchange and they don't overcrowd. Optus do. Belong have mixed reviews.
OP if you put your address in: http://www.adsl2exchanges.com.au/ it will tell you what providers have DSLAM hardware at your exchange. If you are having slow speeds on the Optus DSLAM then try another provider. Don't lock into any contract until you've tried out their service first. This is why I went to Belong, no lock-in contract. They aren't the cheapest at $65/month but for the speed difference it was a no brainer for me.
In my experience, this statement is totally incorrect.
Sorry, but I have to agree with this also. Twice I changed ISPs after being told by the ISP the problem was definitely my system not theirs - yet speeds jumped dramatically both times - and all that changed was the login/password (nothing else in the modem needed changing) - and all four of those ISPs were Telstra resellers. (So no change of network occurred!)
It doesn't mean changing ISPs definitely WILL change anything - but it can. Getting an ISP to discover a fault can cost. Pulling the plug on them and making a new signup elsewhere - someone 'checks' the new connection they're plugging in - for free. I always suspected they did some kind of line test, discovered something wasn't great, and corrected it by plugging me into a new pair of wires, etc.
Compoletely incorrect.
Also Exetel are notoriuous for reducing speeds and claiming they would never do such a thing and that there's no issues and blah blah. They "never" do it it's just that every night at 6 your speed is reduced to something like ISDN speeds. But don't call them, they would never do such a thing to their paying customers.
stick your address into tpg.com.au/maps and it should give you a rough estimate of what speeds are possible given your distance from the exchange, you could be too far away, or you could be on an oversubscribed optus DSLAM, or your ISP could just suck.
It's extremely unlikely that a change of providers over the same copper will make a difference. Marginally, perhaps.
If you feel your copper is substandard (crackling on phone, drop outs, etc) there are ways to have it checked. Without knowing your actual distance from the exchange, which is further than the crow flies, it is unknown whether your speed is reasonable.