Alternatives to getting good Internet?

confidantduk on 07/09/2020 - 10:29

Heya, I'm at my wits end here.

Currently living in a unit in Melbourne CBD which is super old and we're still on ADSL2+, our unit's internet gets throttled if there's any bit of an upload on the network(eg. syncing folders, uploading attachments to email), and as a gamer, this is so painful.

NBN is supposedly 'coming' eventually and we aren't able to do anything till then, and from what I understand, it still uses the same infrastructure(my same telephone line) to transmit the data. Don't know enough on the topic but it doesn't feel like the quality of life will change even if the switch to NBN happens.

The house is a little bit of a hobbit hole, with little windows/visibility to the street, great for keeping the house quiet but very little ability to have 4G wireless broadband not stuff up because of the amount of interfering objects in the way. I've tried gaming on it once and the ping is so high, I returned the 4G modem the next day.

Was wondering if anyone had better solutions to this situation(other than moving houses) that I potentially haven't thought of?

Side question:
- is gaming on 4G wireless broadband possible? Do other people experience high ping with it?

Internet

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2020 - 10:32
    +1

    5G Optus unlimited /thread.

    • confidantduk on 07/09/2020 - 10:35

      4G wireless didn't work out, don't think 5G would work 🤔 unless you're telling me there are alternatives in that thread, thanks! will check it out

      • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2020 - 10:37
        +5

        5 is better than 4. It's one bigger.

      • richadam on 07/09/2020 - 11:06

        5G is considerably faster than 4G and uses different towers. You may have a 5G town right out your door. Make sure to check the coverage before purchasing.

        Also, who did you go through with your 4G? Some carriers are better than others when it comes to mobile phone service.

        • Indomietable on 07/09/2020 - 13:19

          5G signal is 95% weaker than 4G. You need to be in close proximity to a tower use it.

        • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 11:02

          I was with optus, I always assumed they used the same infra and that my room was having enough walls between my modem and the tower for it to not work out, but now I know, thanks!

  • jackinyourbox on 07/09/2020 - 10:34
    +2

    Share neighbours internets

    • confidantduk on 07/09/2020 - 10:35

      literally had this thought of pulling a wire from a neighbour's building lol

      • Ruprect on 07/09/2020 - 10:56
        +2

        When the alternatives get down to zero then I think this sort of approach is all that's left. See if you can access from a neighbour where its available.. share costs etc.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2020 - 10:40

    Move overseas.

  • DannyC on 07/09/2020 - 10:58
    +2

    Currently living in a unit in Melbourne CBD which is super old and we're still on ADSL2+, our unit's internet gets throttled if there's any bit of an upload on the network

    Have you tried switching ISP? Who are you with at the moment? Is your apartment block high density? There are a variety of factors to slow internet including frequencies n congested channels, old modems, as you said in your post ur Unit has a lot of obstructions etc. It could be the settings of your modem.

    Was wondering if anyone had better solutions to this situation (other than moving houses) that I potentially haven't thought of?

    How is your reception in the Unit for your phone? From personal experience in my 2nd room of my apartment it was a dead zone for Optus phone reception and 4G for my phone and the WIFI speed was pretty poor in that section of my apartment as it was further away from my older modem. When I switched to Telstra for my phone I was getting mad 4G speeds and reception which I would sometimes hotspot my phone to my laptop rather than use my current wifi if I needed to. This could be a quick fix.

    Another possible solution is to get a Telstra 4GX USB Wifi Dongle and a data plan. It'll be about $55 a month for 60GB. If you need more it goes up to about $75 a month for about 200gb a month.

    • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 11:11

      Haven't tried switching ISP, currently still on TPG, small block with circa 1960s infrastructure, also didn't think changing the ISPs would make a difference for the wired experience

      Interesting! Another +1 for evidence that carrier signals can vary so much esp for towers (doh!), kinda wanted to avoid Telstra for their prices but might be easier than pulling a wire

      thanks!

  • Kib33 on 07/09/2020 - 11:01
    +2

    Alternatives to getting good internet?

    Getting bad internet?

    • pjetson on 07/09/2020 - 12:53

      That was my first thought too.

  • Jolakot on 07/09/2020 - 13:05

    If you need ultra low ping then you're pretty much stuffed until 5G.

    But in the meantime, I'd suggest getting 4G internet and investing in a high-end consumer 4G antenna. Lots of people get a 4G router and find it crap, but with the right accessories you can easily rival NBN for consistency. Shouldn't break the bank either if you do your research, but you definitely can just throw money at it as well if you can't be bothered.

    • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 11:12

      interesting, so 5G actually has low ping?

      yea I was thinking about getting an antennae but the process felt so daunting I put it off

      • Jolakot on 08/09/2020 - 13:02
        +1

        5G on spec is radically better, about 10x lower ping than 4G, faster than wifi.

        Our current networks aren't at that point yet, since the 5G being sold today is a cut-down version of the spec and we won't be getting full-spec 5G until mid next year, but you'd still find it to be a huge improvement, about 5x lower depending on where you are.

        It can be pretty daunting, but you can also just splash for a Nighthawk M2 and be done with it, their built in antenna is usually good enough, but you can also splash an extra $100 for extra antennae if need be. Only have to worry about the technical stuff if you want to do it on the cheap or are a hobbyist.

        • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 14:42

          I'll keep that info, thanks!

  • Indomietable on 07/09/2020 - 22:17

    Currently living in a unit in Melbourne CBD

    The house is a little bit of a hobbit hole

    So is it a house, a unit, or apartment? how many floors? How long do you want to stay there for? If you have access to erect a mast then you can try fixed wireless ISP.

    Another option is to get 4G Outdoor Antenna.

    Moving is not a bad idea too since CBD apartment is grossly over supply. You might get better place for half the price

    • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 11:16

      apartment, on the ground floor(3 more floors above me), intend to stay here as long as possible cause the money I save here is better than anywhere else in the city tbh

      it might be possible to erect one tbh! I'll think about it, thanks!

      • pjetson on 08/09/2020 - 11:44

        Do you have a balcony?

        • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 14:41

          nope, I've got a window that goes out to the ground level tho, the thought of a cable running back into my house feels funny tho (the elements + privacy)

          • pjetson on 08/09/2020 - 15:54

            @confidantduk: I was asking because a balcony rail would have provided an easy place to mount an external antenna. With only a window, an antenna would have to be mounted on the outside wall or on the window itself, with much less opportunity to orientate the antenna towards a tower. Unless you were looking to mount it on the roof, perhaps on the TV antenna pole, and run a cable down the outside wall?

            • confidantduk on 09/09/2020 - 00:28

              @pjetson: Yea maybe, sounds like a whole lot more work than I feel safe to do myself 🤔 rental to boot so unsure if landlord would be happy with that.

              Good to know, thanks!

  • bonezAU on 08/09/2020 - 11:16
    +1

    When is NBN supposed to be coming to your area OP?
    If you can hold out, wait for it. Even though it's delivered over the same cabling you have now, it's a totally different kettle of fish. It'll be much faster than what you have now.

    If you're lucky enough to be in a 5G area, it could be worth investigating as a temporary solution until NBN is available - but personally if I were you I wouldn't go signing any long term contracts for 5G if NBN isn't that far away.

    • confidantduk on 08/09/2020 - 11:18

      really good to know that it'll be different. I really wasn't expecting much out of the telephone cable tbh.

      thanks!

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