ADSL 2+ exchange

[SMOKEU]

How do I find out the location of the ADSL 2+ exchanges in Christchurch? I have managed to find out the suburbs in which the exchanges are located, but not an exact area. Google search doesn't help much.

[Paul in NZ]

Why do you need that info?

[SMOKEU]

Why do you need that info?

I'm thinking of making the change from Telstra cable to ADSL but if I live too far from the exchange then the speeds are going to be shit, so I'd like to find out before signing up for a contract.

[Paul in NZ]

They will give you a list of connectable addresses ans should be able to test the speed from your front gate.

[sil3nt]

http://chorus.co.nz/service-availability-tool
http://hwiki.digitalsouth.net.nz/broadband/exchange_locations

Apparently Google Earth has them listed as well. Haven't checked though.

[iYRe]

most places have cabinets these days.. at least in Auckland anyway... not many people in urban areas should connect to the exchange directly anymore.

[Gremlin]

Service availability tool is what you're after by sil3nt ^

Otherwise, flick me a PM with the address and I'll be able to tell you indicative speeds for that line. Indicative only obviously, but you won't get faster.

[bogan]

Whats this VDSL stuff that is supposedly faster than ADSL2 and available at my address? Might be a better option for smokeu also?

[steve_t]

VDSL is way faster but still not as fast as cable, so I'm told. I've also previously asked about exchange and cabinet locations but have been told by telecom that they're not allowed to disclose that information. I guess people might go steal the equipment or something

[SMOKEU]

http://chorus.co.nz/service-availability-tool
http://hwiki.digitalsouth.net.nz/broadband/exchange_locations

Apparently Google Earth has them listed as well. Haven't checked though.

That map shows that I'm in an ADSL 2+ area (my place is inside the pink area on the map, very close to the edge).


Whats this VDSL stuff that is supposedly faster than ADSL2 and available at my address? Might be a better option for smokeu also?

No VDSL2 in my area unfortunately.

[Gremlin]

Whats this VDSL stuff that is supposedly faster than ADSL2 and available at my address? Might be a better option for smokeu also?
Depending on area, effectively you're getting a much faster upload. We upgraded our office from ADSL2 to VDSL, and while down is slightly faster for real world purposes of downloading (ie, receiving the data from a server) it doesn't make that much difference. Upload however, well, that's awesome, but the average person won't benefit if they're browsing the web.


VDSL is way faster but still not as fast as cable, so I'm told. I've also previously asked about exchange and cabinet locations but have been told by telecom that they're not allowed to disclose that information. I guess people might go steal the equipment or something
Generally your best bet is to ask for a line test to see what kind of speeds you could expect. Previously, we had to simply order the line and find out when the modem was connected, but now with access to a portal we've got a lot more ability, which helps advise our clients.

[bogan]

Depending on area, effectively you're getting a much faster upload. We upgraded our office from ADSL2 to VDSL, and while down is slightly faster for real world purposes of downloading (ie, receiving the data from a server) it doesn't make that much difference. Upload however, well, that's awesome, but the average person won't benefit if they're browsing the web.

How about the latency for gaming?

[Gremlin]

How about the latency for gaming?
That's a complex question. It depends on the provider, whether you're connecting to a server they actually host, or going somewhere else. If you're going somewhere else, it depends on their links to their peers, how the data is cached or routed etc. This can also change over time, as a provider seeks to reduce costs (buying cheaper bandwidth with a higher contention ratio) or increases performance (more expensive bandwidth).

Their decisions have a big impact on the service you receive but your point to point link from house to cabinet (then backhaul to network) hasn't changed one bit.

[bogan]

That's a complex question. It depends on the provider, whether you're connecting to a server they actually host, or going somewhere else. If you're going somewhere else, it depends on their links to their peers, how the data is cached or routed etc. This can also change over time, as a provider seeks to reduce costs (buying cheaper bandwidth with a higher contention ratio) or increases performance (more expensive bandwidth).

Their decisions have a big impact on the service you receive but your point to point link from house to cabinet (then backhaul to network) hasn't changed one bit.

So better to go with a provider getting good reviews (specifically locally, or countrywide?) with adsl2, than expect a better service from vdsl?

[Gremlin]

So better to go with a provider getting good reviews (specifically locally, or countrywide?) with adsl2, than expect a better service from vdsl?
Being business orientated cost is small consideration with performance ranking far higher, also not up with gaming demands etc. Gaming certainly has an upload component, but I have no idea how much data...

Ultimately, yes, you'd want low latency as the packets are far more time sensitive vs an email, so yes, good local reviews. If the provider hosts the servers you'd be using then yes, you could expect good results. Point of Presence is another factor, ie, if you have a Wellington provider, traffic from your home would go to Wellington before Auckland (if you tried to get to Auckland)... we've had some interesting headaches around that with VOIP.

Buying a faster line likely removes one link from the equation, but treat your connection to the servers as a chain with a series of links. It could be any of those links that's causing the slower service.

edit: VDSL isn't an option for smokeu

[SMOKEU]

I was actually tempted into Slingshot, but after all the bad reviews I decided not to. I'm considering going with Orcon Genius, as their unlimited plan is $99 a month (it's the plan that comes with a VOIP box). I do plan on a fair bit of online gaming, but the current Telstra Clear data caps suck.

[bogan]

I was actually tempted into Slingshot, but after all the bad reviews I decided not to. I'm considering going with Orcon Genius, as their unlimited plan is $99 a month (it's the plan that comes with a VOIP box). I do plan on a fair bit of online gaming, but the current Telstra Clear data caps suck.

Unlimited plans have been slow as balls for gaming in the past, as the traffic is managed to give them less priority on the network than those who pay for a set amount.

[SMOKEU]

I wish there was such as thing in NZ as fast-ish broadband with no data caps.

[Gremlin]

Unfortunately it looks like Orcon is going down hill. The new merger with Kordia will be interesting, as we saw changes since Kordia bought Orcon.

Had a business relationship with Orcon for over a decade, but if anything, performance has got worse on some connections, not even remained the same. Big degradation when the traffic shaper was put in (not to mention other routing issues in the middle of the night :zzzz:)

We suspect they've reduced their capacity to reduce cost, which has impacted on performance. Bear in mind it's big dollars. Dropping a pipe to the internet can save millions a year. Apparently the call centre is trying to be moved... so they're turning into one of the big ISPs... with worse service.

[Bald Eagle]

until all isp's stop charging for the water & the pipe we are all screwed. first isp to just charge for pipe only will clean up. But that wont happen while being an isp is a license to print money

[SMOKEU]

Is there any better ISP to choose from then? I need at least 100GB per month. Unlimited would be good, so then I can run a Gomez client or 2, but otherwise I'll have to go with a capped plan :weep:

[Gremlin]

until all isp's stop charging for the water & the pipe we are all screwed. first isp to just charge for pipe only will clean up. But that wont happen while being an isp is a license to print money
You can buy the rights to a pipe and not pay for the "water", but the cost for the pipe is gonna make your eyes water...

Paying for the data is the easiest and most equitable way to share the big pipe you're all on. Simple user pays.

[Gremlin]

Is there any better ISP to choose from then? I need at least 100GB per month. Unlimited would be good, so then I can run a Gomez client or 2, but otherwise I'll have to go with a capped plan :weep:
Better ISP? All have pros and cons... you get what you pay for. Cheaper ones usually have crap service...

Hell, I'm still on Telecom at home, data cap is 120GB or something. Static IP would be handy, but Telecom charges extra for that. Haven't been arsed to get around to including home in our WAN...

[Buyasta]

Is there any better ISP to choose from then? I need at least 100GB per month. Unlimited would be good, so then I can run a Gomez client or 2, but otherwise I'll have to go with a capped plan :weep:

I'd advise Snap. Their base plan comes with 25GB a month, but you can also buy an addon datapack for $15-$70, which give an additional 100GB-1TB. If you do buy an addon datapack, all traffic between 1am and 7am is uncapped, and they don't shape.
Since I can download around 35gb a night in the 1am-7am period, I'm essentially getting an additional 1150GB for that $15 addon price for the 100GB pack.
Snaps support is also top-notch, and they frequently update their data pricing to keep them somewhere between competitive and dominant in terms of price/gb.
Pretty much the only potential snag is that their upstream provider is TCL, whos upstream provider does cap the speeds of individual connections, so if I tried to download off my full-duplex 100mbit seedbox, I wouldn't get my full potential line speed, but chuck in a few simultaneous threads, and it will. Also since you're coming from TCL, nothing will be changing for you in that regard.

[SMOKEU]

I'd advise Snap. Their base plan comes with 25GB a month, but you can also buy an addon datapack for $15-$70, which give an additional 100GB-1TB. If you do buy an addon datapack, all traffic between 1am and 7am is uncapped, and they don't shape.
Since I can download around 35gb a night in the 1am-7am period, I'm essentially getting an additional 1150GB for that $15 addon price for the 100GB pack.
Snaps support is also top-notch, and they frequently update their data pricing to keep them somewhere between competitive and dominant in terms of price/gb.
Pretty much the only potential snag is that their upstream provider is TCL, whos upstream provider does cap the speeds of individual connections, so if I tried to download off my full-duplex 100mbit seedbox, I wouldn't get my full potential line speed, but chuck in a few simultaneous threads, and it will. Also since you're coming from TCL, nothing will be changing for you in that regard.

I had a look at their website and their plans are very attractive. Would the speed and latency be a lot better with Snap than Orcon or Slingshot?

[Buyasta]

I had a look at their website and their plans are very attractive. Would the speed and latency be a lot better with Snap than Orcon or Slingshot?

The speed would likely be better than Orcon's uncapped plan, since it's not shaped, and my speeds definitely got a lot better when I switched to Snap from Slingshot's AYCE plan (Not to mention infinitely better customer service).
As far as latency goes, you'd really need to compare some results... My latency did get a whole lot better with Snap than Slingshot, but there really shouldn't be much variance unless you're either on an overcrowded network (Slingshot), or they're doing their routing stupidly.
If you take a look at http://www.netindex.com/download/2,5/New-Zealand/ you'll see that Snap is the second highest in average speed, but that's not really indicative of a whole lot, as it's the last mile that's generally the limiting factor, and it'll also be skewed in their favour because they were one of the earliest ISPs to begin offering UFB plans.

[sil3nt]

It annoys me that I can't get VDSL2+.

Uploading a video to youtube can take an entire day and the chance of it not uploading correctly is pretty high. The houses on the street behind me (less than 50 metres away) can get VDSL2+ but not me. My download speeds are fine but my upload speed is the same as that of ADSL(1).

Would quite happily sacrifice download speed for faster upload.

[SMOKEU]

I will also need a modem/wireless router. My budget is around $150. Can anyone suggest one with DD-WRT support?

[imdying]

Is there any better ISP to choose from then? I need at least 100GB per month. Unlimited would be good, so then I can run a Gomez client or 2, but otherwise I'll have to go with a capped plan :weep:Should have asked me at the track! I've told you guys before that 700GB is a bad month... on a 60GB plan... Buyasta is on to it!

[Reido]

I will also need a modem/wireless router. My budget is around $150. Can anyone suggest one with DD-WRT support?

I have been running Gargoyle on my TP link WR1043ND pretty successfully. Its just a router not a modem. Cost me $99 I believe.

[Ntoxcated]

Better ISP? All have pros and cons... you get what you pay for. Cheaper ones usually have crap service...

Hell, I'm still on Telecom at home, data cap is 120GB or something. Static IP would be handy, but Telecom charges extra for that. Haven't been arsed to get around to including home in our WAN...

Check out the latest Telecom offerings (http://www.telecom.co.nz/packages/packages/plansandpricing/createyourown/). The 150GB would probably have done for a while, and is cheaper than what I was paying, but we were close to our 120GB a few times so I just switched to the 500GB package. Both the 150GB and 500GB packages can have a free static IP.