[suebeenz]

Avalon, you posted some interesting results with your Internet. Sounds like you are living in the country, which is exactly where I hope to be. (classic by the way, with the sheep mucking with your transmitter/receiver :laugh ) Broadband access is a big concern for me though. I figured I'd start this up in a different thread since I'm guessing there are many others with the same idea and concerns.


We went with WiseNet - who have been bought out by Orcon. We have a radio BB connection - which basically means we have a small radio dish in the paddock pointing towards a distant hill. We get a VERY fast connection ...
[snip]

My IT department (hubby) says: currently 3-3.5 meg. We were getting 7-10meg when we first went online with Wisenet - but since Orcon took over we seem to be down quite a bit. Which is odd - because when we dealt with WN - we were actually on an Orcon account anyway
[snip]



I think you also wrote that your Internet was unlimited up/down MB? Sounds great! I looked at Wisenet's website here (http://wise.net.nz/wireless/index.html). Is that the type of plan you have? Looks like coverage is limited to the region around Masterton (http://wise.net.nz/wireless/coverage.html) ?

Does anybody know about high speed solutions around rural Hamilton areas? I'm afraid Satellite is too slow and expensive.

Thanks!

[Jenny & Mark]

I don't have any input, but thank you for starting this thread. My parents have the same rural internet connection as mentioned here in Canada. I do hope that it catches on in NZ quickly.

Mark.

[MB]

Does anybody know about high speed solutions around rural Hamilton areas? I'm afraid Satellite is too slow and expensive.

Thanks!

Hi, suebeenz! I made a quick couple of calls to Xtra and asked. I put your question to them more or less exactly as you asked it, couching it as "If someone can't get regular ADSL, and satellite is too pricey for them, what are other options?"
They said there's always Xtra wireless: the basic price is $700 install plus $60 a month for the service. But I think that price is similar to that of satellite: depends on details/company, maybe.

Whichever technology you try, you could I suppose make a case for a discount and see if that works. Competition is, at least in some ways, increasing, so companies might be receptive to such a request.

We are in a rural area not that far from Hamilton (we are on a street, not a farm or isolated property, so some might class this area as semi-rural). Our situation was that the wiring of our street made ordinary ADSL broadband possible but not optimally fast. We went with it anyway. So bear that in mind: there's a chance that Telecom will assess your line and reach the same conclusion: in which case, if the speed is about the same as ours, I'd say that it's probably worth getting ordinary ADSL. I have not compared our broadband speed vs. dial-up, but I'm pretty sure it's better. Pages and, e.g., youtube videos, seem to load fairly quickly. Download speeds can be slow, but that usually only becomes a challenge when I'm downloading big-ish files (e.g., 50MB+) and even then I'm not usually in a huge hurry. The Internet feature I use most is streaming audio, and that works fine. Whether any of these features would work as well via dial-up I don't know for sure, but I suspect things would be (considerably) slower.

Finally, ISTR that months ago, when I was discussing broadband access in streets with older wiring, someone on a 'phone-company helpline suggested that persuading neighbours on the street to request broadband might well make wiring updates happen faster. This of course is a very different kind of approach, but if you arrive, make lots of friends on the street, and all it takes is a basic request to the phone company from each of you, it's worth bearing in mind. If the advice is still valid, of course.

Hope that helps a little.

[suebeenz]

MB, thanks so much for your reply! Gives me more hope. I didn't realize that Xtra offered wireless solutions as well. Too bad they don't have more info online about areas of availability.

This is the site I use to gauge my up/down speeds (if you're ever at all curious to test)

http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

(I click the LA link)

However, if you ever complain to Telecom about speeds, quoting results you obtained from that site, they'll ask you do use a different site. But the site they ask you to use doesn't check your upload speed. Meh.

Thanks again. Once I have more free time to rattle the cages on the matter, I will let you all know what I find.

[MB]

Thanks, Sue, for the speed test. Interesting.

Also, if and when you find a specific address of a property you are considering in NZ, you could also try to 'phone one or two really nearby places -- cafes, home businesses, etc., whose contact details you find on the Web -- and just explain who you are, that you're calling from overseas, and ask politely what Internet options they know/think exist in the immediate area.
Of course, the places you call would probably have to be very near your intended address to get relevant results, but you never know: you might end up having a nice chat and making a new contact for when you arrive. At the very least they might be pleased to have someone with whom they can share Internet-connection stories (or moans!)!

Just a thought. I did not try this, but if you're upfront and pleasant it might work a treat. :yes

[suebeenz]

Hi MB,

Thanks for the idea of calling nearby businesses. I have asked around a bit, and unfortunately the people I talked to didn't have Internet. But perhaps some businesses will. I have to say, I have some serious troubles understanding kiwis on the phone sometimes though. :laugh