Metro is Coming!

crawler

All

FAQ (and pictures) now updated here :-

http://www.digiweb.ie/broadband_metro_faq.asp?i=80&i2=81&i6=98&zzz=hm

johndanielmoore

Since the EMTA has USB and Ethernet, can both be used at the same time?

crawler

johndanielmoore wrote:

Since the EMTA has USB and Ethernet, can both be used at the same time?

Nope...it's one or t'other...

Both Phone ports (rj-11) can be used at the same time though

digitaldr

I've been looking at Metro call charges - seem like a bit of a rip off for off-peak local calls - even Eircom are cheaper!

eg Domestic Call Charges
Ireland Local Local daytime: 2.97 Evening/weekend 2.82

Even if they do sort out their call pricing I would be a bit nervous about giving up my landline (which I'd need to do to get value for money) given the unreliability of other admittedly different technology wireless products. I'll probably hang on for a while and let someone else tryt them out! Maybe Smart might get round to activating the Whitehall exchange in the meantime

cgarvey

Would the saving you make on not having to pay line rental not compensate your call costs where they are not cheaper? How about going with a VoIP provider like, say , blueface, if you're a heavy caller.

digitaldr

Smart manage to have no line rental and cheaper calls across the board. I'll probably end up waiting for them although as you say it might be worth trying blueface - I presume it would work fine with metro?

bk

cgarvey wrote:

Would the saving you make on not having to pay line rental not compensate your call costs where they are not cheaper?

It would depend on what type and how many calls you make, many companies include unlimited phone calls with line rental now (e.g. UTV Talk).

cgarvey wrote:

How about going with a VoIP provider like, say , blueface, if you're a heavy caller.

Blueface are excellent for heavy users, unlimited landline calls in the UK and lreland for €15 or unlimited international calls for €25

cgarvey

digitaldr wrote:

Smart manage to have no line rental and cheaper calls across the board. I'll probably end up waiting for them although as you say it might be worth trying blueface - I presume it would work fine with metro?

Jury's still out on Metro .. but if the latency remains low, and pings remain stable, then there'd be no problem with blueface on them. If they turn into IBB Part 2, then I'm not so sure. Point on Smart accepted, if you can get it.

Newshound

Just looking at the Metro 'Where can i get broadband page' and what do ya know it says DUBLIN.
Well done on such a clear and concise map Digiweb.
I live in Dublin, so according to your map i can get it. Not so on the phone though. Do yourselves a favour and put up a DECENT COVERAGE MAP.
Look and learn at this one
http://www.icecomms.net/coverage.htm as an example of how to make a coverage map.

crawler

digitaldr wrote:

I've been looking at Metro call charges - seem like a bit of a rip off for off-peak local calls - even Eircom are cheaper!

eg Domestic Call Charges
Ireland Local Local daytime: 2.97 Evening/weekend 2.82

Even if they do sort out their call pricing I would be a bit nervous about giving up my landline (which I'd need to do to get value for money) given the unreliability of other admittedly different technology wireless products. I'll probably hang on for a while and let someone else tryt them out! Maybe Smart might get round to activating the Whitehall exchange in the meantime

comments on pricing noted - we are trying to get to a single rate regardless of time called prior to moving to an "all you can eat" for a flat fee, model, which is the way voice revenues are going anyway.

on quality - we agree - this product is about quality. If wireless is done correctly it is ever bit a reliable as a fixed line...Sky TV for example are an example of a wireless provider.

ricey

digiweb have said on there website that they would be offering HDTV sometime in the future, can you give me any more info on that? like will digiweb offer TV at some stage.

crawler

ricey wrote:

digiweb have said on there website that they would be offering HDTV sometime in the future, can you give me any more info on that? like will digiweb offer TV at some stage.

Commercially sensitive at the moment as you can imagine but yes both digital and HDTV are being worked on.

Newshound

Hi Crawler,
Any comments on my Coverage map post above?

crawler

Newshound wrote:

Hi Crawler,
Any comments on my Coverage map post above?

Hi Newshound,

There is a product review meeting at the end of September and it is on the agenda....

As I previously posted - I will update you all on this and other questions raised.

Thanks

mikeruurds

Hey Chaz or Crawler...

I live in Hazelwood Lane just behind the Green Isle Hotel (Clondalkin, Dublin 22). Would I get decent coverage in that area? I've been waiting 7 weeks for BT's ADSL product and I'm fed up!

Thanks!

mikeruurds

No worries guys... I placed an order and they'll probably only be live in my area in November. I will have to find some way to fill the gap till then.

garlad

Just rang them.
Cabinteely area should be covered start of October!
Was planning on going with NTL, but now thinking about cancelling my Eircom land line, and going with Metro for voice and broadband for €42 a month. Any thoughts?

bk

garlad wrote:

Just rang them.
Cabinteely area should be covered start of October!
Was planning on going with NTL, but now thinking about cancelling my Eircom land line, and going with Metro for voice and broadband for €42 a month. Any thoughts?

Well, you could get NTL with Blueface VoIP and then cancel your Eircom Phone line, it would cost:

NTL 1m = €25, 2m = €35, 3m = €45
Blueface €15 for free local and national calls at anytime.

comparing them is a little difficult and which is best depends on your needs:
Metro would give you 3m/512k with free line rental for €42.
The closest equivalent from NTL would be 3m/300k + Blueface for €60

However NTL offer free install (€99 for Metro) and first 3 months free (worth €135) and you get the free local and national calls from Blueface, which you don't get from Metro, with Metro you most pay for the calls (and some are quiet expensive).

Also maybe you don't need 3m down, maybe 1m would do, well then NTL 1m + Blueface costs only €40.

NTL is a well known service, it typically works extremely well, never goes down and has very good performance (latency etc.), while I'm not saying Metro is bad, it is simply a new service, therefore we don't really know how it will perform, but past experience with wireless BB (IBB) has been very bad. I hope Metro changes this and shows us that wireless BB can be done well, but for the moment it is simply an unknown.

BTW NTL are expected to do their own VoIP telephone serivce before the end of the year, this may make it more attractive and get rid of the need for Blueface.

aphex™

Ntl only have a contention of 24:1 whereas Metro has 40:1. With even a few people on the phone and a few bittorrent users, the upload would be filled = your phone is down. 50k can disappear so easily.

Ntl would have a special channel for voip, and not run it over your internet connection, but along side it.

Correct me if i'm wrong??

crawler

aphex&#8482 wrote:

Ntl only have a contention of 24:1 whereas Metro has 40:1. With even a few people on the phone and a few bittorrent users, the upload would be filled = your phone is down. 50k can disappear so easily.

Ntl would have a special channel for voip, and not run it over your internet connection, but along side it.

Correct me if i'm wrong??

You are wrong

Voice always has priority on Metro to guarantee bandwidth and low latency on a per user basis. This is part of the Packetcable standard.

BTW Metro is also a cable modem system (like our friends in NTL) using DOCSIS 2.0

BK you are correct in saying Metro is a new service but it is built on standards based technology which has existed and stood the test of time. Like all things time will tell. We are more than confident people will be very happy.

digitaldr

Do you have to be a NTL cable TV subscriber to get their broadband product?I have SKY+ and am very happy with it.

azi

A lovely product. Or rather it would be, if:

- it included at least a static IP address
- it were possible to get an IP allocation

the static IP is available, but only in a bundle with a lot of (for me) useless stuff like autoresponder email addresses (who needs that?) for an extra €20 pcm.

It's a pity that yet another potentially useful connectivity product is, artificially, made useless for professional use

BTW, isn't DOCSIS 2 almost obsolete, already?

rgds,
azi.

Chaz

azi wrote:

A lovely product. Or rather it would be, if:

- it included at least a static IP address
- it were possible to get an IP allocation

the static IP is available, but only in a bundle with a lot of (for me) useless stuff like autoresponder email addresses (who needs that?) for an extra €20 pcm.

It's a pity that yet another potentially useful connectivity product is, artificially, made useless for professional use

BTW, isn't DOCSIS 2 almost obsolete, already?

rgds,
azi.

Docsis 2 is hardly obsolete, with many other cable operators still stuck on 1.0 or 1.1 at best.

As for the IP addressing, there are internal discussion taking place at the end of the month to review some items, including addressing.

bk

crawler wrote:

BK you are correct in saying Metro is a new service but it is built on standards based technology which has existed and stood the test of time. Like all things time will tell. We are more than confident people will be very happy.

Given the excellent people I see invloved with the Metro project I'm very hopeful that Metro will be wireless BB finally done properly. Keep up the good work guys.

azi

Chaz wrote:

Docsis 2 is hardly obsolete, with many other cable operators still stuck on 1.0 or 1.1 at best.

Good point. Or, indeed, on no DOCSIS at all. You (and everyone else) know who you are...

Chaz wrote:

As for the IP addressing, there are internal discussion taking place at the end of the month to review some items, including addressing.

Oh, I hope something positive comes out of that. Right now, this appears to be the only deal breaker, I can see...

zuma

azi wrote:

BTW, isn't DOCSIS 2 almost obsolete, already?

rgds,
azi.

If you call possible 40m/30m connections obsolete!!!
Yeah thats right 40m download and 30m upload.

Still thats over wire and as we all know wireless will NEVER be as stable as wired connections!
I heard someone say that Sky Digital is a good example of a wireless connection.
Well thats true until theres thunder and then you get huge loss!!!

damien

bk wrote:

Given the excellent people I see invloved with the Metro project I'm very hopeful that Metro will be wireless BB finally done properly. Keep up the good work guys.

You two should swap usernames.

oscarBravo

zuma wrote:

...as we all know wireless will NEVER be as stable as wired connections!

I don't know anything of the sort.

zuma wrote:

I heard someone say that Sky Digital is a good example of a wireless connection.
Well thats true until theres thunder and then you get huge loss!!!

...and as we all know, thunderstorms have never had a negative impact on wired connections.

dahamsta

Lightening strikes can certainly cause problems with wired connections, however they're far less susceptible to bandwidth variations caused by simple low and high pressure fronts, and of course rain in some cases.

Sponge Bob

and water never leaks into copper plant in Ireland , of course not