ripplecom or permanet?

glic83

ok i was was hoping bbnet would have sorted out the new point they were supposed to be installing in dromina but a couple of months on there is no sign of them and when i rang again today they have no date for when it will be sorted so thats them out,my contract with o2 is up shortly thank god so need to get something decent,from looking around the only options im left with are ripplecom and permanet.

Ripplecom
3mb down/1 up for 40 euro per month,no download limits, 150 euro install

Permanet
Home 23.89 per month, 144.40 install, 1MB down 256KB up, 10GB data per month
Home Plus 34.85 per month, 144.40 install, 2MB down 512KB up, 20GB data per month
Home Express 44.81 per month, 144.40 install, 3MB down 512KB up, 30GB data per month
contention 20:1 for the 3 packages

now i would prefer to have no download limit so i would be tending to go towards ripplecom on this basis but im looking for users advice on either of the above 2 broadband providers,how are they finding the speeds they are getting, ping times etc any down time etc.Im looking for a reliable consistant bb provider as the o2 dongle is absolute rubbish
Thanks in advance

watty

"No download limit" isn't sustainable on Wireless. There will be a FUP, which is an unlisted limit. They absolutely need to implement a download limit as a rolling cap, not calendar to improve the network.

WolfeIRE

Hi

i am with ripplecom on the basic package you mentioned.

Have foudn them excellent since joining the service in November

Here is my speedtest - taken just now

http://www.speedtest.net/result/814475782.png

DL rarely dips below 2. Upload always around 0.75 to 1.25 mark.

I am on the basic package.

No latency when on skype or other Voip. Great for gaming too. I took this test from west clare to limerick so it's a good result.

Wolfe

another test taken two mins later
http://www.speedtest.net/result/814479953.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/814483688.png

watty

Interesting...

Some_Person

watty wrote: »

"No download limit" isn't sustainable on Wireless.

Why isn't it?

glic83

well this is what im getting today





this is the best it has been in a while,
how come it comes up as digiweb for your isp WolfeIRL

Some_Person

Because they are using backhaul from Smart/Digiweb, most likely fibre.

watty

Some_Person wrote: »

Why isn't it?

Because even though Fixed Wireless has about x16 capacity per MHz that Mobile has, it's a totally shared capacity, unlike DSL. Cable is sort of shared too, but has up to x200 capacity of wireless as it has x200 the MHz

So people that watch loads of video and torrent would be <15% of users but eat 90% of the traffic. Your speed would be x10 slower. With a rolling Cap, the approx 85% of people simply get x10 speed and the heavy users are limited to the Cap. This is why you pay much more to increase cap on Wireless as your increased usage is equivalent to maybe 7 ordinary users.

A 30 day rolling cap rather than date based cap is exactly same traffic, but the heavy users are randomly spread out on every day rather than all at start of month (till cap nearly used) and then bad last 2 days (as they try to use up the last of the cap).

Wireless equipment is more expensive than cable or DSL equipment yet serves fewer users. Also the spectrum (channels) at any one site is very limited which means to have x4 cap you might need x8 masts and equipment. No-one will pay x8 as much...

watty

Some_Person wrote: »

Because they are using backhaul from Smart/Digiweb, most likely fibre.

Good explanation. Digiweb also has a lot of Microwave point to point links (some as good as fibre). It's the largest independent backhaul network.

Digiweb also has peering.

Some masts with few customers could even be fed via Metro Wireless, it has the highest capacity of any end user terrestrial wireless network.

glic83

cheers for all the info lads,read people had trouble with permanet round the kerry region has this been resloved?and other users care to coment on any of the providers

jimbuckleybarre

I'm looking at changin from Three in September to Ripplecom (contract is up with Three then). my speed on Three - upload is on average around 0.2 (yes 1/5 of 1MB) up to about 0.55, download is anything from about 0.25 to 2.85. Weather effects it also - a lot!

I'm looking at Ripplecom 3m download and 1m upload package and am wondering if any one could tell me what the speed is really like?

At present if we're on the Xbox Live we can't use the internet or email as it speeds the Xbox right down.

glic83

got it installed last week and happy so far

Ricky91t

Here's my permanet connection 3mb/1mb.

The test results can be taken with a pinch of salt as 2 other family members are both using the connection.



And here's a test with just me testing the connection, Permanets service is coming on leaps and bounds in recent months.

jay93

Ricky91t wrote: »

Here's my permanet connection 3mb/1mb.

The test results can be taken with a pinch of salt as 2 other family members are both using the connection.



And here's a test with just me testing the connection, Permanets service is coming on leaps and bounds in recent months.

nice :)..... since permanet's service has a 3.4 ratings on speedtest while ripplecom only have 2.2 even lower than the mobile network 3 currently at 2.3 stars..for the person who is trying to decide in which to go for permanet would be better ripplecom dont have a good reputation the comapany that they bought the network off (Ice Broadband) were terrible

glic83

ripplecom is made up of a few different companies so i wouldnt rule them out just cos they have a score of 2.2,fixed wireless is much better than mobile broad band especially the 3 network,also no download limits is handy

im happy with them anyway

jimbuckleybarre

I found Three ok but not great - like today with the rain my connection will drop to 0.2 / 0.4 MB download, upload will be anything around 0.2. Useable for emails and some web but for on line gaming with Xbox forget it.

I would agree that permanent is the best option but in my area that isn't available and according to the press office in Eircom they will not be upgrading our exchange ever!

2Mb+ on Ripplenet is much better then Three who are just too much up and down with the speed to be considered reliable.

Mikethenovice

Not sure I agree with any of the Ripplecom comments. I have been using omnitel then Ripplecom for nearly two years in Hacketstown Co Carlow. In that two years I have had a couple of months of pain free service. The rest of the time the service is up and down, Worst of all, for me, is the lack of customer service. When you call all you can do is leave a message and they do not call back - ever. When you email they tend to ignore the email. They respond to about 25% of them. I have never been able to use Skype as the service is just too unreliable. Anytime I have tried to use VOIP the line has cut in and out all through the call. 3 have recently upgraded their service in the area to 3G so I may get a 3 dongle and try that out. I'm just so fed up of the lack of service from Ripplecom

glic83

guess i have been lucky so far not a problem yet,consistent service top speeds,will report back and let ye know when i have had it longer,but over a month done and so far so good

MichaelR

Would appreciate recent data on either's service (interested in the Adare/Croom/Rathkeale area). Are they good enough, and which is better?

I liked BBNet when I was using it, but there are places where they just don't have line of sight.

Mikethenovice

Switched to the National Broadband scheme (3G mobile Boardband) 6 months ago and perfect service since. Haven't bothered to run a speed test in weeks but it is normally a couple meg down and 1 meg up. Works well with skype as well. Huge (really huge) improvement over the service I was getting from Ripplecom (regular breaks in service, poor customer service and massive variations is upload and down load speeds)

I'd love to have real broadband (8mg +) but this will do for the basic stuff I really need to do (email, skype etc)

Guinness69

Here's my speed http://speedtest.net/result/1359959660.png

And I'm on 8 meg. Having terrible trouble with them for over 6 months now. I got upgraded from 3 to increase speed and this is what i got. Now looking at eircom to see if It's any better I believe they have next gen in my area now.