On Sun, 2004-11-07 at 20:40, dave G wrote: > Hi all > > I see telecom are offering a broadband starter promotion this month (for > existing customers?) - no this isn't a promo > > plans start at $39.95 for 256 kbs/1GB allowance up to $69.95 for 2Mbs/10Gb > allowance > > plans include "free" xtra broadband single pc self install kit and jetstream > connection etc. ($99) - supposedly compatible with linux etc. > > I am reasonably keen on switching from my current dialup/second line setup > but > don't know much about the pros and cons of broadband, > > I will keep googling but would appreciate any suggestions/recommendations > etc. ...eg .the 1GB cap seemed a bit on the low side to me etc.
I've been on the Jetstream Home 500 Full Speed plan and am switching to the Jetstream Swift (2 M bits/sec, 10 GB/month allowance) plan in a few days (end of monthly billing cycle). I'll give up a bit in theoretical top download speed (my phone line seems to be capable of about 4M), but few sites seem to be able to keep up with 4M bits/sec anyway. I never download music, movies etc., but even so the 500 MB/month cap has been very frustrating. For example, an unfortunate effort at installing the Ximian Desktop ran to over 800 MB and the last 300 of those cost 20 cents each. A month of mere surfing by two adults runs close to 500 MB. If you go for a 1 GB/month plan forget ever downloading a new distro - and beware downloading too many updates in a single billing period. I can't comment on the hardware Telecom are throwing into the new packages; I'm using a ZyXel router/firewall with which I've been very happy, although the purchase price was painful. I have found, talking on occasion to Telecom help desk personnel, that they seem to be happy to assist Linuxers even if they have no official Linux support policy. So you might get an answer directly from them as to the compatibility of their 'free' hardware with Linux. I've found Telecom's ADSL service to be very reliable (if you ignore the roading contractors down the street severing the cables twice in the last six weeks). A duff filter on an analogue phone on your line, though, can render your service quite UNreliable. And if you've got a wired-in monitored alarm system, forget filters; you'll want a splitter wired into your house. All that said, if your budget will withstand it, get the most generous Jetstream plan you can afford and enjoy! =====Andrew
