Does Anyone Else Have a Bad Experience with Mobile Data with Catch Connect?

Lzukokun on 04/02/2021 - 17:08

I recently switched to the $89 dollar 365 day 60GB catch connect plan and the mobile data is super slow and horrible for me. I may as well not have wifi. NB: I know "you get what you pay for", and I will accept that if everyone else has the same experience as me. However, simple things like loading webpages/doing a search on safari take about ~30 seconds!!! Browsing Instagram and Reddit is unfeasible, and constantly it's trying to refresh but sometimes it ends up as "not connected to the internet".

I am in Western Sydney and use the T2 and T5 line. Mobile data doesn't work well at all on trains for me, and games on my phone requiring wifi don't even load. I did notice however that as I got closer to my home, the data signal improved slightly. On the train, I tried resetting network setting to no avail. I just think that the mobile data is too horrible for me for a year. If I had known this before I would've spent extra money on a plan with working wifi.

Sorry for the rant. The thing is, I have been with catch connect before, and I remember it was definitely not this bad. Why did it get even worse? Or is it just me with this experience? if so it may be a setting on my phone making the connection bad.

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Comments

  • bazingaa on 04/02/2021 - 17:23

    For me, Catch speed = Optus speed. Do you have any experience with Optus speeds?

    • zukokun on 06/02/2021 - 13:33

      My internet at home uses Optus. It's sometimes iffy but it works fine for me. Actually, when I use data IN my house, its slightly better and webpages actually load… When I'm outside though, the quality deteriorates quickly. I believe data should not rely on my location (unlike wifi where I have to be near my house obviously) so I'm pretty confused and frsutrated

  • mbck on 04/02/2021 - 17:27
    +1

    I'm with optus and never had issues with speed and connections, unless I'm underground.

    Have you tried restarting your phone and retesting?

    Try using a different phone and see if the speed is still an issue too

    • zukokun on 06/02/2021 - 13:34

      I have restarted my phone on the train multiple times hoping the connection will improve but no. I will try a different phone, but then that would imply that it is my phone's problem.

      • mbck on 06/02/2021 - 13:52

        Rhags what I'm trying to suss out. Is it the network/sim card issue or is it the phone?

        Finding out which one is the issue will obviously help you find the solution

        • zukokun on 06/02/2021 - 13:54

          Its not the phone. Ive been with catch connect before last year and the connect was not this bad. The mobile data right now actually works ok in my house but when I go outside far away from my home it deteriorates. I also use optus wifi at home but mobile data should not rely as much on location as wifi does

          • mbck on 06/02/2021 - 14:41
            +1

            @zukokun: I'd still test on a different phone.

            But the next thing you can move to is getting a new sim.

            Also check if there are any network issues on the network map.

  • philart on 04/02/2021 - 19:05
    +1

    Mobile BroadBand varies from tower to tower. Optus likes to offer massive data plans like 500GB for $100, but is not really ideal for streaming as speeds will slow at night.
    Another problem with Optus is their 700Mhz Band 28, it hogs connections which are not within line of sight of a tower. Most devices default to the strongest signal and in most cases that is band 28. So too many on band 28 sharing the data. If you could block band 28 you could well find that Band 3 1800Mhz will give a considerably faster download speed. It's what I did before we had the NBN arrive at our place. How I did it was to use an older mobile broadband modem without B28 with an external antenna as we're in a dip and 5 klms from a tower.

    Something like this might work: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/WIFI-signal-Dongle-Plug-Adapter-…

  • outlander on 04/02/2021 - 19:42

    What device are you using? Not every phone is equal when it comes to reception

    • zukokun on 06/02/2021 - 13:37

      iPhone 7 Plus. I have Optus wifi at home and it works fine. But Optus data with catch connect… that doesn't add up when it should be the same

      • outlander on 06/02/2021 - 17:09

        Category 9 device. Not superfast but certainly no 30 dollar cheapy from woolworths.

        Somethings that I've had improve my reception with a midrange phone
        -disable wifi and bluetooth
        -remove sim and clean the contacts with metho
        -delete network access point names. A ditch effort but if you sim swap a lot sometimes there can be conflicts that slow things down.

        Some helpful links
        fast.com -> tests your internet speed and gives you a firm number
        packetlosstest.com -> see if there's interference that is causing the issues.
        https://www.rfnsa.com.au/ -> put in postcode and it will tell you where the nearest cell phone tower is.

  • dandosr on 04/02/2021 - 19:58

    I have a Samsung A51. I switched to Catch 6 months or so ago. Where I live in Hurstville the reception and 4G speeds are fine.

    I have been working in Penrith for the past 3 months next to Nepean Hospital (I am outside) - I am having the same problem… it is driving me nuts. I have between 1-2 bars of reception, at times no bars. I seem to be able to receive and make phone calls without a problem however the phone struggles to load a webpage. I keep getting the connect lost page and it takes 10-15 refreshes and a minute to get a simple webpage to load.

    • zukokun on 06/02/2021 - 13:42

      Perhaps it IS a location thing - I go near Penrith (carlingford) and the mobile data is really trash. As I go south ie down towards Campbelltown it improves I guess. Also I use Optus wifi at home and it is fine!!!

  • indeedido on 06/02/2021 - 10:07

    Yes I had this issue. And I have another phone that is with Optus proper and it works beautifully in the same location. I tried playing with the settings and nothing worked. I could not get enough speed to even load a webpage. Gave up on it. Still don't know what the issue was but I noticed similar comments in the productreview website.

    Edit: Just want to add that I know it wasn't an issue with the phone itself, as I used Vodafone with it without any issues.

  • dandosr on 07/02/2021 - 14:43
    +1

    Spoke to my friend who works in the industry. It appears to be a tower issue. Will it get fixed? That's the next question. Lol.

  • seug123 on 09/02/2021 - 13:12

    Based on my experience it also depends on usage levels. I remember data was NOT usable at all during peak hour train travel from the time you left Central until Holsworthy

  • newbie12345 on 14/02/2021 - 16:53

    Yes, I've got a nightmare experience with Catch Connect.

    I bought the $120 yearly deal and got my SIM pretty fast.

    I ported successfully from Telstra to Catch Connect on Saturday. Telstra dropped off in 5 minutes and then I inserted the Catch Connect Sim.

    I make a phone call and it says "insufficient credit" but I can receive texts on Catch Network. I also have no data (insufficient credit most likely).

    I contact Catch Connect and they say my account is "stuck" and they can't activate me till Tech support looks at it. I don't think this is one of those horrid porting issues, I think its just a Catch Connect internal issue of not activating my account (or half activating my account).

    Just a warning , if it works, I'm sure you'll be fine. If it doesn't, you'll be stuck.

    If anyone had this experience, please let me know how long they took to fix this ?

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