neilnruth wrote:

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Is anyone else having trouble with broadband speeds now it is school holidays? I used to think it was a myth but am convinced today that it is true. Too many kids using broadband and everything slows down for everyone else.

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 Exactly; even in school days from 3.30pm its overload.

In a recent discussion with telstra tech I told them this was the problem as they have saturated the market with smart ph's, Reply was silence so bingo, got it in one.

Telstra Wireless Broad Band at Marion in SA,, tower is overloaded often,,,my problem was escalated to a level 2 or whatever they called it,,,,,, took 3 weeks to investigate and surprise/surprise I got a call back.

Hi Mr XXXXX we have investigated your poor performance with wireless (after they tried to blame my laptop for everything under the sun) and have resolved the issue. I then said you are going to tell me there is not enough bandwidth (ie capacity) arnt you and she said how did you know. Hellooooooooooooo as they say.

Offered a solution - a directional external antennae which Telstra would install and trial pointing at another tower at Warradale. Cost,,, oh when it's operational you pay,,,,, OK how much,,, Oh I can't tell you that. Why? Depends on abc, xyz etc etc. You will need to find out yourself if you take up this option.

Still struggling with poor service but we need it when travelling remote,,, so stay with them, Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Cruising Cruze wrote:

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@ neilnruth

 

it's all the previous government's fault to go with NBN

this day and age we should have wireless internet everywhere for every house hold

instead of connecting every house with an optic fibre cable what cost a fortune what we can't afford

what will give ridiculous speeds anyway when finished

there are not enough people living in this country to support that system

we all have mobile phones why not update that system so we can have a fast internet connection as well

 

John

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 Who are you going to blame when the fibre to the node system proposed by the current government fails to deliver the necessary bandwidth? One of the things about technology is that most people will not be happy if they have to go backward. I can remember being told by the IT bloke who delivered a new computer to me at work that had 1 Mb of RAM and a 40Mb hard drive that I'd never need an upgrade - that was in the 90's when we also put up with abysmal connection speeds through dial up modems, software came on multiple floppy disks and streaming video was a pipe dream. The technology to deliver wireless performance comparable with cable is not readily available (if it ever will be) and universal coverage across the expanse of this land is another pipe dream unless some new technology for delivering the service is developed. Until then, those relying on the mobile network for their internet access will have to put up with the limitations of that technology a part of which is restricted bandwidth and slower speeds when more users are using it.

Australia is sooooo far behind the rest of the World when it comes to Internet/Broadband/Phone Coverage it's not funny anymore. IN the UK, broadband is free with many providers and they utilise wireless to its best effect. I understand that the UK is a lot smaller country (geographically speaking) but I also understand that it has a higher population thus higher demand. I live in a city with 56,000 people in it (Hervey Bay) and in at least 75% of my area, I can't even get mobile phone coverage let alone wireless internet! On our travels, we chose to go with Optus mobile broadband (big mistake but a lot cheaper each month for more data allowance). This is a simple USB modem that attaches to our laptop. All the way from QLD through NSW, VIC, SA and now WA, I would say I've been able to get online for only 20% of the time and that's when I'm slap bang in the middle of a city. Pathetic!

Wirroff wrote:

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Australia is sooooo far behind the rest of the World when it comes to Internet/Broadband/Phone Coverage it's not funny anymore. IN the UK, broadband is free with many providers and they utilise wireless to its best effect. I understand that the UK is a lot smaller country (geographically speaking) but I also understand that it has a higher population thus higher demand. I live in a city with 56,000 people in it (Hervey Bay) and in at least 75% of my area, I can't even get mobile phone coverage let alone wireless internet! On our travels, we chose to go with Optus mobile broadband (big mistake but a lot cheaper each month for more data allowance). This is a simple USB modem that attaches to our laptop. All the way from QLD through NSW, VIC, SA and now WA, I would say I've been able to get online for only 20% of the time and that's when I'm slap bang in the middle of a city. Pathetic!

 

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That's very interesting, we used to use optus at home and carried a telstra mobile because of coverage problems. Over the last couple of years we noticed we had optus (amysim) in just about all places telstra was and in some telstra wasn't and at 1/4 of the cost. So this year we got rid of our telstra phone and Internet and are now fully optus (amysim) even cheaper.

The NBN is a brilliant concept and one which could serve us well during this century, especially when it comes to governance of the country and peoples inputs. Wireless has many limits and subject to weather conditions and infrastructure failure. Unlike the NBN, which is government owned, wireless is corporate owned like telstra is now, so companies control the system and not government. This is a major mistake and we can see that in huge costs, terrible support and extremely inferior service compared to many other countries.

We have satellite at home, which serves us well for business and private use. For the last year or so we have been harassing our provider to organise a portable system for us to use when on the road. They have been very good and tell us they may be able to provide it in march when the NBN Co decides on their full satellite systems. Currently they use optus and ipstar sat systems to provide Aus and they operate on separate beams for area's of coverage. The NBN satellites which will be dedicated to internet, will have overall beams included, so it should be easy to have on the road Internet sat coverage.

This won't happen until after 2015, that's if the present government don't decide to stop the construction of these satellites to save money and stick with the corporate providers, which are charging twice the rate of anyone else worldwide for Aus.

oldbobsbus wrote:

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Wirroff wrote:

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Thats the problem with people these days everyone wants to do everything yesterday with one phone stuck in their ear and another one in their hand....

Give me peace and quiet any day..

 

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I'll have to disagree about it being a problem but thankfully there are people with diverse opinions and lifestyles to keep this world interesting and allow it to fit into what each individual wants of life whether it be peace and quiet, which would probably put half the population to sleep, or a fast paced constantly informed lifestyle which would drive the previous half of the population bonkers.

Neither way is right or wrong it's just different.

I myself like a bit of each so I guess I'll just peacefully fence sit and live with the splinters in my rear and a phone to my ear.  

Cheers

Jon

Well this thread got a wide range of responses. I guess I was surprised that I miss being able to use my internet. Slowly, probably unawares, I have become dependent on using the internet to know my bank balances, to contact people (because it's cheaper than a phone call) and to keep in touch with what's happening with the weather etc etc. When you realise there might not be enough money in the bank to cover a scheduled debit, suddenly no internet makes you think. What did we use to do? Get in the car, go down town, check the bank balance and add some more if there wasn't enough. We have all become used to the convenience of the internet. Just like those checkout chicks have got used to the cash register telling them how much change to give. We either accept it or stay in the old ages. It's whatever suits us. And school holidays (when more than just kids are using the internet) certainly 'cramp my style' when broadband speeds are slow.