What is the best Internet and phone deals ?

[Psyber]

My issues with my Internode package I mentioned above are largely resolved.
What remains is a factor of general line degradation and distance from the exchange - about 4.5Km.
I'm keeping the modem logs for them and they are following up with Optus, who are their carrier, the issue of line quality.
However, things are now fairly stable at 6.4Mbps, but get dodgy if we try for speeds above 8Mbps.

The issue of interconnecting my land line to my VOIP handset via the modem - as per the modem handbook - was causing a lot of the issues.
Keeping them totally separate has made a big difference.

[Punk Rooster]

Pennytel $5 per month plan is good as well, we pay about $7 per month (including the plan as they include a ridiculous number of free calls) for telephone calls from home - mobile, internation, STD as well as local.

We also pay $21 to Telstra for the honour of having a phone line and about $50 to Adam Internet for ADSL 2+.

so I need-
(Line Rental) Telstra
VOIP (Pennytel)
IP (?)

You need:

1. get off BigPond as they're screwing you (ask Dutchy)
2. shop around and get a better ISP deal (I use Internode Easy Broadband $49.94pm for 50Gb)
3. get Telstra's HomeLine Budget line rental plan ($20.90 per month)
4. subscribe to a VOIP provider (ie. Pennytel)
5. a VOIP device - either an all in one adsl modem/router/voip (around $200) or add a voip ATA ($50-$100) to your existing adsl modem/router

You can do all this seperately or get a bundle deal. Internode can supply the broadband plan (Easy broadband), voip plan (NodePhone), and VOIP device for example.

The financial benefits are massive and based on your current costs you will save an absolute packet. The sting is that its not easy to set it up. I've been in IT for 20 years and it took me a while to get it working perfectly, but I did everything myself.

If you stop posting Bay rumour threads and offer a slab I'd consider setting it up for you!

Hmmm, 3 days later, & I'm still mulling over your offer- the 2nd part is fine, but the 1st part is currently the sticking point

[dedja]

LOL, then keep asking questions here and the answers are free with no strings attached.

[Wedgie]

Listen to Dedja, he knows his stuff, I can't fault any advice he gives on here. He's an asset to the IT Forum.

[Psyber]

You need:

1. get off BigPond as they're screwing you (ask Dutchy)
2. shop around and get a better ISP deal (I use Internode Easy Broadband $49.94pm for 50Gb)
3. get Telstra's HomeLine Budget line rental plan ($20.90 per month)
4. subscribe to a VOIP provider (ie. Pennytel)
5. a VOIP device - either an all in one adsl modem/router/voip (around $200) or add a voip ATA ($50-$100) to your existing adsl modem/router

You can do all this seperately or get a bundle deal. Internode can supply the broadband plan (Easy broadband), voip plan (NodePhone), and VOIP device for example.

The financial benefits are massive and based on your current costs you will save an absolute packet. The sting is that its not easy to set it up. I've been in IT for 20 years and it took me a while to get it working perfectly, but I did everything myself.

If you stop posting Bay rumour threads and offer a slab I'd consider setting it up for you!

Re:3. That's what I did in Victoria, but when I looked at transferring over here I discovered Telstra had inserted a clause into the contract stating that in taking their budget plan your agreed not to get ADSL from another supplier. I am not sure they can make it stick - one would think the ACCC might object.
However my Internode deal includes ADSL2+, land line, and VOIP service at $69.95 per month, and that includes $10 per month credit on the VOIP service.
[I am only getting 6.2Mbps speed though due to local conditions, and it is only a 5GB per month download plan, but I never use more than about half that.]

[dedja]

Re:3. That's what I did in Victoria, but when I looked at transferring over here I discovered Telstra had inserted a clause into the contract stating that in taking their budget plan your agreed not to get ADSL from another supplier. I am not sure they can make it stick - one would think the ACCC might object.

This is another of Tel$tra's bullying tactics ... the clause about not using another ISP to get Homeline Budget.

3 facts to consider.

1. It actually relates to wholesale infrastucture, so if you're with another ISP (Internode, say) but are on Tel$tra infrastructure (yes, this is very common) then then clause does not apply. They cannot deny you Homeline Budget if you are on their infrastructure (wholesale) but obtain services (ie. retail) from another ISP.

2. Tel$tra retail are not supposed to utilise Tel$tra wholesale details for market or competitive gain ... ie. if you are on another carriers infrastructure then Tel$tra cannot use that information to deny you access to other parts of their network or penalise you price wise. They will deny that they do this but reality dictates that they do. So under no circumstances do you tell them who your ISP provider is if you are on non-Tel$tra infrastructure ... they have no right to know this and will only hold this against you.

3. The wholesale vs retail argument described above is exactly why the Federeal Government is considering forcing Tel$tra to split into 2 companies ... to avoid them abusing their wholesale market dominance to their competitive advantage.

[Psyber]

3. The wholesale vs retail argument described above is exactly why the Federeal Government is considering forcing Tel$tra to split into 2 companies ... to avoid them abusing their wholesale market dominance to their competitive advantage.

Agreed.. I spent some time, under the Howard government, lobbying inside the Liberal Party for that action.

[Dog_ger]

Looking through one of Mrs_Dog_ger's mags.

100GB (50GB peak {8am-2am} + 50GB Off peak {2am-8am} = $49.95

Plus Mobile $14.99/month = $300 Calls, text & data.

when you have TPG broadband.

http://www.tpg.com.au/

*NO CONTRACTS*

How does this compare guys....?

I am thinking of a new provider too...

[Wedgie]

Don't go TPG Dogger, they are very cheap but you get what you pay for, no value.
I was with them once before, never had a worse connection or worse service in my life.
Almost make Telstra look like a viable option.

[dedja]

Don't go TPG Dogger, they are very cheap but you get what you pay for, no value.
I was with them once before, never had a worse connection or worse service in my life.
Almost make Telstra look like a viable option.

beat me to it ... I have the same thoughts re: TPG

[smac]

I'll third that motion from my own experience, however my parents have been with them for almost 10 years without a single issue.

[smithy]

I can highly recommend Westnet.
I've got 50gig peak 9am-1am and 50gig off peak 1am - 9am for $89.95 per month.
Maybe not the cheapest but I've had them for 3 years now and there customer service and reliability is 2nd to none.
Recently I got an email from them saying they were upgrading me from 1.5mbps/256kbps to 8mbps/384kbps for free which I was stoked about as I was thinking about increasing my speed.

[Dog_ger]

I have to get away from Telstra Broadband.

Like my mobile bill, they were far too costly.

Went Vodafone.

But I worry about my IT skills will let me down upon setup with a new Broadband provider...?

Any advice guys...?

[Wedgie]

Its easy Dogger, if you want the best go Internode or Adam.
if you want the worst go Telstra or TPG.
Everything else is in between in various positions.

[Westsider]

I'm on telstra homeline budget and im running ADSL2+

Shhhhhh

[dedja]

I'm on telstra homeline budget and im running ADSL2+

Shhhhhh

[Westsider]

Well I moved out, applied for the phone line, they never asked me about internet, then got the phone line and then applied for internet. No issues.

[Punk Rooster]

LOL, then keep asking questions here and the answers are free with no strings attached.

well i posted a Glenelg rumour that wasn't a sledge...
signed up for Internode today on their home phone, VOIP & 'net package- costing me $84 a month (minimum spend), down from about $99 (minimum spend), but will have free calls on VOIP, cheap O/S calls (for the missus) & cheaper moble calls, plus increased monthly d/l (from 12gb to 30gb)

[zipzap]

How good is Adam?

Customer Announcement
As websites become more sophisticated, they require more of your data to access them so Adam Internet is moving with the times for the second time in less than 12 months! With more data, you can do more of the things you love doing online. Whether it is emailing, web browsing, tweeting or watching YouTube, Adam Internet is giving you more so you can continue to get the most out of your existing plan.

To maximise your experience with us you may have also noticed the introduction of a new Quota Warning System to help you recognise when you have exceeded your monthly data allocation and help you in making a choice on how to continue using your connection. You will then have the option of purchasing a data block, giving you a bit of extra data for the current billing cycle, otherwise your account will be shaped to the new speed of 128kbps. This enables you to continue using basic web functionality until the end of your billing cycle, at which time your normal account settings will resume.
The quota upgrades and new shaping speeds will take effect today, Wednesday 31st March 2010 - no action is required from you.

To see how much more you will get per month follow the link to the data quota increases page.
From the team at Adam Internet

[RustyCage]

I did this, but can anyone tell me what it actually means?