SushiFan

Having applied for MM2H am I now waiting for approval. Meanwhile am I researching for a condo to rent in Penang. In my search for this am I wondering whether I should take considerations about internet access, phone and TV into account?
Where I currently live (not Malaysia) are internet access, fixed phone connection and TV delivered by the same provider. The signals come in through the TV cable plus two modems: one for the fixed phone line and another one for broadband Internet. So I am rather spoilt with fast internet at home and am hoping that I can get something similar in Penang.

How do things work in Penang? Are TV, phone and internet considered as separate services? Or are these jointly delivered? Should I consider having a fixed phone or use a mobile phone (for voice communication and for internet access)? Is fixed internet access in Penang the norm, or is it more common to use mobile internet (3G or 4G)? How about costs associated with these services?

Any help and advice is appreciated.

annie29

We are also in the same position as SushiFan, having applied for MM2H and awaiting approval. We had been wondering the same thing about internet speed and mobile phones. Are there some areas very much worse than others in terms of speed? Knowing this might help us to narrow down where to live! Many thanks.

bakedbean

I am very non-techie so shall leave for the experts to answer you in detail but, yes, you can consider them separate. Having said that, TM Streamyx can provide a telephone landline and internet.

Once you know which condo you will be staying at, best to ask other residents there what they use and how good it is. Eg I used to live in Tanjung Bungah Hillside and could see a Digi mast from our rental flat, therefore fairly good reception on Digi.

Conversely, I have a Digi number for my mobile, and the condo I now live in (in Tg Tokong) I get a really crap signal unless I run down one end of the flat. Keeps me fit anyway.

InVinoVeritas

I installed TIME Fibre Home Broadband 2-3 months ago. Although I went for the 10Mbps package they offer speeds up to 100Mbps. You can check if you're eligible using this link:-

Coverage Search | TIME dotCom

SushiFan

I am indeed looking for a condo in Tg Tokong or surrounding area. However, if I would first select a condo and then ask around I might discover that I selected the wrong condo.... So I would prefer to ask around before making a decision.

BB, you mention phone and internet in your reply. How about TV? Do you have your own antenna, or do you get it through a cable?

IVV, Thank you. Is that for internet only, or in combination with other service such as phone?

annie29

Thanks bakedbean, that is exactly the kind of information we are looking for. We are thinking of Straits Quay or even Georgetown itself. Of course, it is 18 months since we were last there so I imagine it will be different now! We live in North Wales at the moment and broadband is slow and mobile reception terrible so we would like something better in Penang if possible.

InVinoVeritas

Yes, it includes telephone (VOIP) and on the 10Mbps package you can boost to 50Mbps for 30 hours per month.

As for TV there is TV via satellite with Astro but most expats use a VPN so they can watch UK channels via internet.

bakedbean

Have TV via Astro. But we don't actually watch much TV. I suppose it's satellite. Modern condos tend to have their own satellite dishes, so you don't need to install your own one.

SushiFan

IVV and BB, thank you both for your replies regarding TV reception.
To be honest do I not think that I will watch TV a lot. I tend to watch more video via internet.
IVV, why do you mention that one should use a VPN to watch TV via broadband?

NeonHippy

SushiFan, for a detailed discussion take a look at 'The Lab' forum and search for VPN and DNS. You can also search for these in the America section.
As I understand it, DNS is a way to fool region restricted content into thinking you are in the correct region. VPN also fools the content provider into thinking you are in the correct region but in addition it encrypts the data, passes in around a collection of servers before decrypting it at your end. This makes you anonymous and untraceable.
Watching BBC iPlayer in Malaysia is a form of copyright theft so you might want the additional anonymity but I doubt anyone is going to prosecute you for watching Eastenders in Penang. The advantage of DNS is that the data is piped direct to you so you should get faster data speeds if you are downloading large files.
No matter what data speed you pay for the quality of your picture will depend on how fast you can get data moved across the world. This is unlikely to be at your full rate during peak periods. The video provider's system will detect this speed and compress the signal to suit.

IVV do you notice any signal degradation using VPN?

InVinoVeritas

NeonHippy, I've only just started playing around with VPN and have run into some problems but can't say for sure at what level they are arising. For sure my computer is not powerful enough so until I do something about that I can't say much more. I did manage to watch the F1 last Sunday using Firefox/Hola but not without it dropping to SD most of the time and the occasional pause.

This week there has been some "interference" which I put down to Bersih 4.0 which has made things more difficult.

Sorry SushiFan if this is a bit technical but if you're a keen watcher of UK TV there is not much alternative to the VPN (Virtual Private Network) solution and as Neon says there is a wealth of information if you search for VPN across the forums.

SushiFan

IVV and Neonhippy, thank you for your responses related to VPN. I am aware of the functionality of VPN and DNS. I wasn't sure whether you use it to obfuscate the UK side or the Malaysian side. Your replies clarified that.

InVinoVeritas

You have successfully read between the lines! PM is always for available for more discretion.

ex reg

Just to add my 2 cents.
We are on holiday in Lisbon atm but just before we left UK there was an article in one of the newspapers saying that you only needed a UK TV license if you watched live TV. You didn't need a TV license to watch recorded programmes.

This is all a bit murky because the BBC are trying to screw a TV license fee out of everyone to add income and the government are trying to get the BBC to sort themselves out.

Anyway I add this bit because to me at least watching recorded programmes over the internet is not now subject to a license fee and copyright restrictions, bearing in mind 'wot I wrote' above.

But it's still somewhat murky and dthe BBC don't want to clarify.

( A programme may be considered live if you use a recording device to record a live to air programme. )

SushiFan

To recap the information I received thus far:
TV: either satellite (own dish or shared among all condo's in a building), or watch programs (live or replay) via Internet.
Internet: depending on location and infrastructure use mobile (3G, 4G) or broadband.
Phone: if you have broadband internet you could sign up for VOIP.

I don't know yet whether fixed phone lines are commonly used, or that most people use a mobile phone (even when at home). Also ADSL (internet via fixed phone lines) is something I don't hear a lot about.

Any more suggestions?