Ice Broadband steadily becoming even more terrible

daveharnett

nickw wrote:

Not quite true...

There is also other Broadband providers here in Murroe... but they are one man, overworked etc etc....

Right now I am (in Abington) considering getting my own 1 to 1 link and reselling!

My connection in murroe went down in the early hours of monday morning. Support says it's a physical problem with the local antenna, and it'll be sorted today (monday) >48 hours after the problem began. I'll report later as to whether it is actually fixed

Be sure to let me know if you get that going man, i'm just down the road!

daveharnett

daveharnett wrote:

My connection in murroe went down in the early hours of monday morning. Support says it's a physical problem with the local antenna, and it'll be sorted today (monday) >48 hours after the problem began. I'll report later as to whether it is actually fixed

Be sure to let me know if you get that going man, i'm just down the road!

Got fixed on monday afternoon, as promised. No complaints yet in limerick then

romino

I have never heard about ICE BB before, just last saturday I saw a guy in Swords Shopping centre advertising, saying that ICE BB is just coming to Swords .You know, at first I was interested very much as I'm using Clearwire, which is sometimes unstable but what is worse is blocking P2P ports so I can forget about using Torrent etc.
So the offer looked good, only 37.99 euro and 3MBits download/1 Mbits upload ? no donwload limits, not blocking ports ? cool .... too good to be true I thought...so did some research and found boards.ie . phew !!
anybody knows about some better alternative to clearwire in swords ?

mayhem#

Marlow wrote:

Well, you should not buy any kind of fixed wireless broadband then (including WiMAX). It's all based on WiFi with maybe proprietary extensions and specialised drivers, that can handle the distance and timing needed to do so. WiMAX is nothing else than next generation WiFi.

/Martin

We more often see eye to eye on things but that statement is just so incorrect that it isn't funny.
It's like saying that a car is a a next generation ass & cart....

E.

mayhem#

I referred to Ice's convaluted claims before: http://wimaxxed.blogspot.com/2007/05/irish-government-withdraws-national.html

However one thing that si quite often overlooked when referring to unsasfactory service by WISP's is the fact that a service provided through the medium of radiowaves is inherently different to a wired service.
When a node is installed on a mast the radius in which the signal can be received , lets call this "X", is not the same as the radius in which a dependable service can be provided. A radio signal deteriorates over distance and is also subject to all sorts of intereference. Hence the radius in which a WISP can provide a dependable service with sufficient QoS is decidely less than "X".
What is happening a lot in ireland is that due to the huge demand for broadband WISP's that are still building their network generally oversell on network capacity and range. It's crappy, but it seems to be the norm.
let's just hope that in time the current networks will grow to such an extent that a dependable service can be provided.
However if you live out in the sticks (as I do) you are unrelaistic if you expect to ever be able to get a decent (4Mbps+) broadband connection for €30 p/m or so...

E.

Mikebyrne

I've never gone above 250+ kbps when downloading from newsgroups or torrents and I've the 3mb package.

Can anyone offer me a reason or advice to improve speed??

DSB

RazielDoomgate wrote:

has anyone with ice around the lusk/ballough/balbriggin and surrounding areas felt a BIG decline in there quality of theyre connection.

i live in lusk, just outside it accualy. and am 0.5 miles away from the eircom switches hence i had to go wireless and ice were the first to offer that service to me. i still dont think i can get any other isps in my area.

from exactly the 23 of july i lantency/ping has shot up to 400+ for 90% of the day. anyone else have the same problem...

as a result my download/upload speeds are like that of a 512kb connection or less with the extra annoyence of the huge ping.

i have sent ice tech sopport 3 emails. on the 2nd they replied saying that they are looking into it and that i should help them by doing speedtests. i sent the tests in all 3 emails. and 2 weeks later i am awaiting a reply to the last.

taking this as a sign to ring them with i did 3 times i have gotten 3 different answers from them.
1. they are doing maintenance on my exchange, it should be back working properly in a day or two.
2 another wireless isp has come into the area and it is using the same data transering frequency as ice. ice are now requesting theyre own private frequency from the frenquency regulater or somewhere.. it should be working properly in the next day or 2.
3 there is a lot of server choke on 2 of the data exchanges. and hence they are setting up a new one near me. this will bypass all of the choke and hopfuly reduce it for everyone else. it will be up and runing by this wednesday.

saying this. i have had runing with ice before and i have aways found their tech sopport very easy to deal with and polite.
my net connection was quite stable most of the time with maybe it spiking for a day once or twice a month.

but ive been without a proper service for nearly a month. am i wrong to question the trustworthy of the tech support after 3 diff answer?..

ill be ringing them again later today and see what the story is. hey maybe ill get a 4th explaination

ive been having this problem too. im living in garristown which would be quite near all the places you mentioned. really losing my patience with them. tech support wasnt even running yesterday or today.

Unablecorpse

Hi guys i live in Hartstown in Clonsilla and am just wondering does anyone around my area have ice broadband.

I ordered there gaming package today of 4mbs download and 2mbs upload.

I currently have eircoms 2mbs download 256kbs upload but want a much faster upload for hosting games.

They have told me that there is too much interference on my line to get any higher package so this is my only option.

Any replies much appreciated..

TCollins

Unablecorpse wrote:

Hi guys i live in Hartstown in Clonsilla and am just wondering does anyone around my area have ice broadband.

I ordered there gaming package today of 4mbs download and 2mbs upload.

I currently have eircoms 2mbs download 256kbs upload but want a much faster upload for hosting games.

They have told me that there is too much interference on my line to get any higher package so this is my only option.

Any replies much appreciated..

Ice will be fine for a couple of months and then you will have the worst broadband you ever thought possible.
Did you not even read this thread before you ordered?

My advice is , the minute you dont get what you are paying for you hassle them and hassle them until you get what you are paying for.

dodonovan

daveharnett wrote:

Got fixed on monday afternoon, as promised. No complaints yet in limerick then

I'm using ICE Broadband in Caherconlish, not too far from Murroe I guess. The internet connection has been ok so far, although the speed fluctuates a bit. However, I just started using the VOIP service, and it's not working very well. The voice quality is ok, but most of the time when I dial out it fails to make a connection and gives me a busy or out-of-service tone. I'm about to call customer support now to see if they'll sort it out.

Sales service has been shocking bad though. For VOIP, they took several weeks to deliver the phone adapter, and didn't tell me what my phone number was or how I would be billed or anything at all about the service actually. Rang their help line and the person who answered couldn't tell me either!!!

crawler

Hmm....

Would be unfair for me to comment on ICE coz of who I am etc...but in GENERAL...

It is extremely difficult to run a wireless network in Ireland using mainly unlicensed spectrum - not that the spectrum is bad, it is simply unpredictable and in congested areas unreliable (due to all channels being used). Many of the unlicensed channels also overlap which case issues....2.4Ghz is used by everything from baby monitors to wifi routers to garage door openers...and increasingly 5.4/8Ghz is filling up (due to issues @ 2.4Ghz)

Mods - feel free to delete this if you think I am being unfair here but I am SPECIFICALLY talking spectrum here not my good friends in ICE.

Sponge Bob

I hear is breeze (c.5.4 or 5.8) and canopy (5.8) which is clean unlicenced ....unlike 2.4 which as Crawler correctly points out is unclean .

I would be very pissed off with them if I heard it was 2.4

crawler

sadly in many population centres 5.4/8 is now also congested due to loads of PTP links and frequency hopping by most gear. not helped by the fact loads of Wifi router now are 802.11a, b and g...canopy makes pooh of all unlicensed stuff in a given area...it's greeeeedy!

lucernarian

An extra point:

I don't think companies would use unlicenced spectrum if they had the choice. Many bands would require uncommon and most likely expensive gear. And the likes of 3.5-3.7 GHz is basically maxed out, thanks to having to avoid adjacent channel interference, the NBS and eircom have a small part of the spectrum here too.

With 2.3 GHz, ComReg are to blame. Eircom's nice allotment of spectrum comes about because of the little-used Rurtel and the mystical beast that is FWA with €600 install.

The same rurtel where people (usually) aren't able to order a simple copper phone line! As for wimax, I've heard of no one using that since the accept-all-orders thing launced.

JohnnieM

crawler wrote:

sadly in many population centres 5.4/8 is now also congested due to loads of PTP links and frequency hopping by most gear. not helped by the fact loads of Wifi router now are 802.11a, b and g...canopy makes pooh of all unlicensed stuff in a given area...it's greeeeedy!

isn't 802.11abg. using 2.4 ghz?sure its the same standard 802.11 but how/ why could that affect 5.4/8 gear?

crawler

802.11b & g use 2.4Ghz
802.11a uses 5.x Ghz



More here if interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11

In general 5.x is just becoming full for lots of reasons - ask anyone trying to get a clean channel for even a PTP link within any size population centre...never mind PTMP.

Psycopat

thinkin of gettin ice bb, i hear very mixed reports on it, it seems like it depends on where you live though, ive been thinking of getting the Gaming package, mainly for counter strike source, warcraft and large downloads, anyone in or near the Carlow area able to comment?

auggie2k

I worked for ICE and was a customer for well over two years, I was on the old hardware (called Breeze, basically looked like an NTL cable reciever). Had a lot of problems myself and felt bad advertising the service because it was so dreadful most of the time.

When I (so happily) left ICE, the whole network was hogged because a mast in Derrinstown was recieve like a couple hundred too many customers (so much for contention ration) and the network was basically piped through this... so everyone was slow... fantastic!

BTW, the DNS servers for ICE are as follows if you wish to change them...

213.168.233.7
213.168.233.6

caff

Psycopat wrote:

thinkin of gettin ice bb, i hear very mixed reports on it, it seems like it depends on where you live though, ive been thinking of getting the Gaming package, mainly for counter strike source, warcraft and large downloads, anyone in or near the Carlow area able to comment?

expect to get kicked off a number of cs servers as your ping will be terrible

pm.

Psycopat wrote:

thinkin of gettin ice bb, i hear very mixed reports on it, it seems like it depends on where you live though, ive been thinking of getting the Gaming package, mainly for counter strike source, warcraft and large downloads, anyone in or near the Carlow area able to comment?

i think it all depends on where you live, i have ice and play dod and my ping is betwen 10 an 25.

pedropumpalot

crawler wrote:

802.11b & g use 2.4Ghz
802.11a uses 5.x Ghz



More here if interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11

In general 5.x is just becoming full for lots of reasons - ask anyone trying to get a clean channel for even a PTP link within any size population centre...never mind PTMP.

The reason is is becoming so messy is the fact that most WISP's have no idea how to roll out a wireless network never mind optimize one. WISP backhauling on unlicenced spectrum with unsecured equipment! CPE's transmitting >10km on the 5GHz spectrum :eek: ICE are particularly bad for this! On a certain shopping center in North Dublin which is their high site they have provided the Shopping Center with a wireless link (15m from CPE customer premise equipment to Tx transmitter) rather than wiring them straight into their switch! Its comical, just raising the noise floor for the area.

The sooner WiMax is rolled out we will all start to get decent QoS using wireless.

Psycopat

Got ice a few days ago, not getting the speeds i should be getting (700kb/s instead of 4mb), bad bad bad for games and no service at all this weekend....

<edit> Carlow area

mrplop

Tonight is sh!te again.
Technical support aren't there at all - it's 7pm and I'm getting the automated message with their opening hours.

Speeds:





I hate them SO much.
I'm advising anyone who's thinking about getting Ice not to bother unless you like endless hassle and zero technical support.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

mrplop

Psycopat wrote:

Got ice a few days ago, not getting the speeds i should be getting (700kb/s instead of 4mb), bad bad bad for games and no service at all this weekend....

<edit> Carlow area

Not being funny but did you actually read the rest of this thread before you got Ice?

Did you think we were joking about how bad it is?

You should still be within the cooling period.
Opt out before it's too late and avoid huge phone bills making endless call to Ice technical support who won't be able to fix your connection - THAT'S IF THEY ANSWER IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Psycopat

there were people saying its great and people saying its crap, a friend of mine has it and highly recommended it, i have of course shot him.....

how long is the cooling off period do you know? i wanna get rid of it and take up metro

mrplop

Normally the cooling off period is around the 28 days mark.

They may try and hit you for a €100 disconnection fee - don't go for it.
You paid Ice for a service that will allow to participate in online gaming - doesn't work does it?

Also try making a voip call without the person on the other end of line sounding like a character from the Matrix.

Packet loss, sh!tty pings, no online technical support,etc.

Quote any or all of the above if they give you any hassle.

I intend to leave the fukkers any day myself now - I've put up with too much sh!te as it is.

MrVostro

I'm trying to get through to Ice tech support from 4pm til 6pm today. They are supposed to be there til 6pm.

No callback. No answers to my emails.

Im only getting upload speeds of 30kbs - 70kbs and download of less than 800mbs. Im paying for a 1Mb upload. and 3Mb download.

Any chance of someone from Icecomms ever appearing here and talking to your customers?????????

mrplop

MrVostro wrote:

I'm trying to get through to Ice tech support from 4pm til 6pm today. They are supposed to be there til 6pm.

No callback. No answers to my emails.

Im only getting upload speeds of 30kbs - 70kbs and download of less than 800mbs. Im paying for a 1Mb upload. and 3Mb download.

Any chance of someone from Icecomms ever appearing here and talking to your customers?????????

Are you get the automated message with support times?
If you are it means the one person that's supposed to there is away again.

MrVostro

I am getting that message alright.

Todays supposedly 3Gb/1Gb speeds.

[IMG][/img]

My upload is worse than dialup.
Download is better than usual but still far from what i am being charged for.


Im beginning to think there are 2 things happening at ICE.

1 - They are lying about the hours of support.

2 - I suspect they are selling products to customers and are actually giving the customer lower grade products. (eg if you order a 3GB connection you get 1.5GB and so on). Most customers would never notice at all that they werent getting the full service they are being charged for.

Is there a way to get comreg in to look at their logs or anything. There is probably no way to catch an ISP doing this, so they can get away with anything they want.

I'll post my speeds every few days and update if i get any action from ICE.

bartificer

You can try contacting comreg. But I can almost guarantee you what the answer will be "broad band is not regulated, there is nothing we can do". I've heard that so often at this stage that I don't bother ringing comreg anymore. They are a tootless farce set up by the government so that it looks like they're doing something.