Herm

Mine is 3052 down and 132 up.

Anybody tell me what this means?

Batty

Hey Rob, we've got a DLink modem with wireless capability (I use the PC, Mr B has a laptop) and looking at Orcon's website, I THINK they provide it but I'm not 100% sure. Do you know if they do? this is what has stopped me leaving Xtra previously - a lot of providers don't do it.

lapsed kiwi

You can use your existing hardware with Orcon - I use a router I brought over from the UK - or if Telecon want it back, you can buy a new one quite cheaply. It's definitely not worth staying with a poor ISP just because they provided some hardware.

lapsed kiwi

It means you've got quite good download speeds (original broadband in UK was 512k down) and the standard NZ 128kbps upload. You can get faster upload speeds if you do lots of photo uploads or video calling etc, but it will cost a bit extra.

RobClubley

Agreed. If you are already an Xtra customer and transfer to Orcon you won't get any new hardware, I'm pretty sure they only do that for brand new connections.

Hang11

Orcon supply a wireless router for $150.

But, when I signed up, they were doing free router/modem or 2 months free for customers switching from xtra - that was last November, so it might be worth waiting a while to see if they will do a similar deal.

Otherwise, it's pretty easy to set one up, buy one from somewhere like www.ascent.co.nz for $100 or so.

Batty

We own the router - that's not the issue. Slingshot for instance don't provide the wireless service on the Broadband router so there was no point in transferring to them. At least, the person I spoke to said they didn't

Hang11

Nobody provides the wireless service on the router - it's just a way to connect a computer to the router, same as a cable, except it's done by radio.

The ISP - Orcon, Xtra, Slingshite, or whoever, provide the service to connect to the internet, the router or modem connects to the internet, and your computers connect to the router or modem either by cable or a wireless connection.

Whether or not you have wireless at home depends on the router - if it has wireless, and your computer, if that has wireless.

Anyway, if that's what Slingshot told you, then it pretty much sums up the level of technical support their staff are able to give - ie none.

Batty

Thanks. Tbh, that's what I thought but I couldn't convince them otherwise. And I believe that there is a school only for Telecoms staff where they can all learn to be equally useless It's based somewhere in Outer Mongolia (no offence to Outer Mongolia) and they are sent there from every 'developed' country in the World

Birdey

Dear Lizz

I emailed xtra to ask for explanation and this is the reply, any comments anyone? Im only in NZ til Jan is it worth the effort of transferrfing to anotehr provider? I like to send photos ans stuff but at the moment thats kjust not happening.
Cheers

Thank you for your email.

The Broadband service works with a technology called ADSL this is an asymmetric connection. The distinguishing characteristic of ADSL is that the volume of data flow is greater in one direction than the other. This means that the speed you send information to the Internet is not the same as the speed you download it. For example, with a 7MB plan the speed you receive information is up to 7MB where as the speed you send information is 128Kbits (about 3 times faster than dial-up).

This type of connection is usually fine for most people who use the Internet as most of the time you will be downloading, such as viewing webpages, downloading files, receiving your email. Things that require you to send information to the internet are not improved so much and may still take a little while to complete. e.g sending email, or uploading a file.

If you require a higher upload speed then I would recommend that you switch to the Xtra Broadband Go Express plan or one of our Pro plans. The maximum upload speed you can receive on these plans is up to 800kbps. It is however important to note that the individual characteristics of your phone line will determine the speed you really receive. For more information about speed please visit www.xtra.co.nz/speed.

If you would like to change your broadband plan you can do this online at www.xtra.co.nz/changeplan.

For future enquires please ensure you include your Telecom account number. This ensures we best answer your questions. For future enquiries and self-service account options you may find Xtra's online site useful at http://www.xtra.co.nz/help.

Kind regards


Chris D
Service Co-ordinator
Xtra Online Team
Telecom New Zealand Ltd
Xtra Helpdesk 0800 22 55 98
www.xtra.co.nz
feedback/questions 07/04/2007 08:55 AM
Please explain why I have upload speeds of 121kps compared to download
speeds of 3000kps+. I have a WIFI broadband connection using a new MacBook
Airport connection.

I live in Napier close to the exchange. I think these speeds are slower
than a dial up service i used in Australia.

Please tell me my options this is not good enough.

Regards

Hang11

Bottom line with xtra is that they are generally a lot slower than some other providers, and the plans they put you on. They do some sneaky traffic management, and are just plain slow. There was something about in on Cambell live a couple of months ago.

If you want it to be faster, I would advise a switch to a better ISP.

sky

I went 8 weeks without internet due to a disagreement with Telecom here ... they were wrong but wouldn't admit it but there was absolutely no winning with them and every time I asked to talk to a supervisor I got cut off

I've worked in call centers myself in the uk in the past and we would have got the sack if we'd cut a customer off.

lapsed kiwi

Might be worth trying the go express plan - your current plan limits your uploads to 128k, but with full speed you should get 500-600k. Probably not worth changing ISPs if you're leaving in Jan, because most are 12-month contracts.

I don't know of any dial-up connection that gives more than 56k up or down, in Oz or anywhere else.

Birdey

Thanks everyone for you advice/opinions and general agreement that Xtra is not brilliant. Will let you know the outcome, I understand Orocon has a 6 month contract available, so will investigate. If not looks like the family in blighty will just have do without the photos of the grandson for a year.
Cheers
B

jueinnz

Telstra works for us, phone calls through them too, we still have to pay line rental to Telecom but thats it...Phone charges are a mimium of $10 a month, so that makes sure that you ring UK a couple of times, to use up the standard rate. (yer like we get round to that!!!)