From 3.5 to 12.7 just because 1-10 is so overrated, it’s like a 6.5 out of 4.3 to 16.2.
It seems you got picked up in lemmy.worlds All feed 😀
We use Skinny. We got 6 months free on a 12 month contract a few years ago (still can’t believe how good of a deal that was), and haven’t found anything better since so are still with them even though it’s now up to $80 a month as of this month (for 300 down/100 up speed I think).
I’ve been trying to find a good deal though, so if anyone has suggestions then I’m keen to hear them. Especially if there’s a good sign on deal!
Edit: I forgot to rate. Pretty much all ISPs are the same so I’ll give them a 9.6 out of 12.7.
I was with Bigpipe (another Telecom/Spark MVNO if I’m not mistaken) and then switched to Slingshot, and now we have internet with our power provider (Pulse). It worked out slightly cheaper and I got a static IP + unlimited up/down.
They’re fine, I give them a 10.2, but I haven’t had many issues so hard to say what their support is like.
Hmm I should check if we get a better deal with the power company. I’ve been hoping to find a good deal for signing up for a contract but they all seem to be half price for 6 months then $100 a month for the other 6 month of the contract. That’s an average of $75 a month, which is what we’d been paying as a standard price until now. Not a great deal.
Starlink, because the RBI 4G towers near me are full and congested for those who have access., and there aren’t any local WISPS with coverage here. I’m in Kerikeri. I’ll give them a 10.1 because I simply could not do my day job without it.
RBI needs a lot more investment in NZ. Starlink is the best/only option for a lot of people.
I’m on Starlink as well, and it’s a game changer. Similar wisp situation where I’m at (Wairarapa), but as I deliver a lot of online training I also have a backup 4g connection with some carefully placed antennas. Starlink means the whole family can be online, downloading, watching videos etc while I can still work. 4g can manage when it’s just me.
I’ll give Starlink an 11.248, as it’s pretty bloody amazing and been super reliable for a dish you can take pretty much anywhere in the country (or on a boat as is my future plan)
Voyager, they have been consistently awesome for the 6+ years I’ve been with them.
- Sign up people were super helpful, made sure everything happened on time and got onto Chorus quickly when their subcontractor screwed up.
- Had a configuration question cos I was trying to be clever and use my own router, help desk person was actually helpful and clearly knew what they were talking about, able to get it sorted super fast.
- Always been consistently fast, clearly not over provisioned
- No CG-NAT nonsense
- I’m weird and want a static IP. Unless you are doing CG-NAT where IPv4 addresses cost you extra, giving someone a static IP is a one-off config change on a router somewhere, so it pisses me off that many providers want a monthly fee for this. Voyager just charges a one-off fee, then it’s done.
+1 for Voyager, I’m with them also - have used them for the last 3 years and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced an outage, speeds have consistently been great.
Fairly local peering too, so for my offsite-backup at a friends house in Dunedin where I also am based, the traffic only has to go via chch, rather than Auckland with some providers. Though I think some places like 2Degrees may have Dunedin peering. Not a problem for me anyway!
Static IP being one-off fee as it should be is a big tick. They also didn’t raise my price for some reason when they recently did update pricing and I have a friends and family discount even though I don’t think I’m friends or family :)
Voyager has been on my radar for awhile. I only haven’t switched because I managed to get a static IP on 2degrees for free and it works out cheaper than Voyager’s max fibre plan.
Well you’ve convinced me, I think I’ll switch.
Also very happy with Voyager.
Voyager is on my list for the sane static IP alone. Currently with Spark, which is all fine a good with bundled phone plans, but the IP fee is a bit wince inducing.
Strongly recommend - if you do end up switching, hit me up. They just started a referral program, can get you a $50 discount
Skinny Broadband 900mbps. Absolutely awesome. Support via live chat, so far always someone available immediately. Such a difference with 2degrees where I would be on hold for 45+ minutes. They even at some point lowered their prices. Highly recommended.
They just put my prices up 🙁
Broadband is broadband, the only relevant thing to discuss is customer service.
Vodafone support didn’t know what port forwarding is, then told me they didn’t support it. It’s a basic function of the internet, so they definitely do. 0/x, they focus more on dumb rebranding than actually providing internet services.
Why is customer service important? In the last 20 years I’ve had to contact my ISPs customer service precisely zero times. What do you talk to them about?
That, is excellent customer service.
The product is doing it’s job. They’re not bugging you trying to up sell something, or overcharging when their plan changes and leaving you on the old one. And you never have to talk to them, that, is some top notch customer service right there.
I use windstream in Nebraska and we lose service multiple times a day, get 200 down 50 up, and the whole town we’re in has to use them cause they’re the only choice – 3.5
Move to New Zealand - we have rock-solid gigabit fibre to just about every house.
We already starting to roll out 2.5+ gbps… It’s awesome here.
Is that due to weather or network issues?
Network issues, my workplace has to frequently call the service techs to restore internet or else our online orders, phonecalls, and card reader stop working
Wow what a pain to have to deal with.
I just moved to 2 degrees. I’d give it an 8.3 because it works fine and speeds are good. However, customer service is horrible, I had to wait an hour on hold to ask for a static ip (because cgnat) they were like “yep all good, you’ll get an email with the details” and… Nothing. Now I’ll have to go through that gauntlet again (emails appear to go unanswered)
Generally I look for a deal on broadband compare every year and switch to whatevers cheapest. It’s all the same fibre anyway. The only one I’ve heard about being iffy on speed was Myrepublic and I think they’ve since gone kaput.
We’re with my republic, gigabit down, 400 up.
They work, not much else to say really. Support were very responsive via chat the one time we had to contact them. A solid 12.
Same deal, never had to worry about it or think about it ever so I consider it money well spent.
The sale to twodegrees doesn’t leave my hopeful though. Not because of twodegrees themselves, but if myrepublic found this product unsustainable I can’t see it lasting unchanged or at the same quality from it’s new owner
I mean fibre’s pretty solid no matter who you go through. I’m still on 2degrees after about 10 years. I don’t really need to interact with them in anyway outside of the signing up process.
Umm, 9.2 out of 12.7. Mainly cause I don’t like how they got acquired by vocus.
The only ISP in my area is comcast and they charge me about 90 dollars a month for metered 20 MB/s down. If you call them for anything they try to put extra things on your account and if you flat out tell them no, they will ignore you and continue saying that they’re going to add the thing until you threaten them or start yelling over the phone it’s fucking insane.
Things like TV service or a phone line or something, to be specific. The two times I’ve called, i’ve been told about hot new deals with included TV service that will be free for a month and start costing money the next. I told them no, and they go “Oh it’s free, I’m just going to add it and you can cancel it before.” Told them no, just to be told how it’s free (it isn’t) and had to get fucking mad over it. They’re so fucking awful but I’ve got no other options
Wow. That’s super super annoying. And probably illegal.
The broadband service in the USA is a joke.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/19/fcc-broadband-new-definition-100mbps/
It is… I lived in Korea in 2014 and my cellphone internet was cheaper and felt like it was the same speed as my landlines back home. I tethered my Xbox through my phone and played through it all the time. My cellphone bill was like, 40 bucks for unlimited internet and my phone came with two batteries and had a tv antennae built into it. GOLDEN YEARS, I SAY!
Spark - 9.4 / 12.7
Nothing wrong with the actual service itself, speed well within advertised ranges, outages are very rare.
But on the rare occasion an outage does occur, getting in touch with their customer service is a PITA. Extremely long hold times so don’t even bother ringing them, and their chat service via their app is pretty janky - they don’t use push notifications, so you wouldn’t know when an agent has replied to you, unless you’re glued to your phone, kept your screen alive and dropped all your work. Better to use the chat feature on their website via a PC, IMO.
Their other contact options are to use either Zuckerberg’s data harvesting apps, or a walled-garden fruity messenger. Why can’t they just use Signal (or Telegram), like civilized people?
I think Spark deserves to lose a fair few points for how they pushed all their ADSL customers onto terrible 4G internet.
I’m with 2degrees, currently paying $65 a month for unlimited 300/100.
Ill give them a 10/12.7 because the customer retention department always let’s me bully them into giving me a good deal.
Performance is great, never had an issue in the 5 years I’ve been with them.
Bigpipe 12.5
In the just short of 10 years I’ve been with them I can’t recall an outage (maybe one a long time ago but unsure). I’ve never had to contact them about any issues and they just stay out of the way.
Fairly recent switch from ADSL2 to fibre was uneventful, just had to change fixed IP address (which I get free) due to IP range change. That one contact process was smooth and informative.
I did have to ask for the SMTP port to have the filter removed when I switched to fibre - no problem and no questions asked. All online, no need to phone, with quick response.
Can’t fault them and their price is fair for the service. $79/mnth unlimited. Cheaper on fibre than ADSL2 (-$10).
2Degrees. I’d rate them 10.4 - the connection is pretty reliable and we don’t have any trouble with multiple streaming services running at the same time. So long as you have no reason to contact them, they’re great but the moment you need assistance it turns into a real mission. They used to be really good but I guess they cut back to about two phone support people and a terrible hold playlist.
We’re with quic. I’d rate them 14.76 out of 19.4.
They’re good, similar model to Bigpipe in that there’s no support team.
Previously with Voyager, they were good but quic was gigabit for the Voyager 300/100 price. Before that Bigpipe, also good.
Honestly, unless you have special requirements (static ip, etc.) just look for the best deal each year.
