Internet Service Providers In Victoria

[CrispyFries]

Well sell it faster

[llama_au]

Hang on...where do you work? *shifty eyes*

[IOWNU]

So I'm looking at iinet plans and this might be a n00b question.

How does VOIP work? Is it just like a normal phone (or is it crummy quality?) Because if it is bad quality, would rather pay extra for a normal phone.

Further, do i need a special modem for it to work? (I will need to buy a new modem for ADSL 2 anyway)

[R31Nismoid]

It sounds the same - as long as you dont have downloads cranking.

I remember i called/spoke to Lowth a few times and he sounded like a big echo... but that was flogging the downloads (you can do both same time)... so thats easily avoidable.

http://www.iinet.net.au/voip/how-it-works.html

[paulr33]

yeah voice over IP is fine, but you can't be running torrents etc when making phone calls

voice IP technology is pretty clever these days and its able to fill in missing packets

and use predictive voice filling etc and your brain is able to patch up missing voice segments also

so its only really sucky like ash said when raiping downloads

ive setup a 250seat callcentre on a voice over IP and its bulletproof

mind you, thats a full cisco setup etc, but even your average home setup is fine

[IOWNU]

Thanks for that guys, will probably give them a call to sort it out.

Looks good.

EDIT:

More n00b questions.

At this stage I have nothing, am I better off buying a modem from them, or buying my own?

It would need to be wireless capable and VOIP capable.

I don't really download too much, but would like to get my PS3 hooked up to the net (which is wireless I assume lol or do I need to by something for this as well?)

[CrispyFries]

Also being about 4km from the exchange seems to make VOIP useless as well.

[Mean_R34]

if you want fast and it to just work check out bigpond

its not cheap, but premium service

LMAO. Ur kidding, right? fast...sometimes. Just works...sometimes.

Lousy service, hideously expensive, uncompetitive and n00besque response to issues.

Oh and huge wait times on the phone.

Buyer beware.

[Mean_R34]

At this stage I have nothing, am I better off buying a modem from them, or buying my own?

It would need to be wireless capable and VOIP capable.

If it's ADSL2 you're after, one option would be to go for TPG NAKED ADSL (if avail on your exchange). That way you don't have to pay line rental. 50GB per month.

A good VOIP modem router is OPEN RLW824. It's a re-badged Billion 7404VGP. Identical infact, right down to it's GUI. Billion is around $240 and OPEN is $99 plus post from SYD. I'm 4kms along copper from exchange and my Pennytel VOIP works perfectly. QOS can prioritise traffic such as Voip so that you don't get echo.

[paulr33]

not sure what bigpond you've been using.....

[CrispyFries]

I'm 4kms along copper from exchange and my Pennytel VOIP works perfectly. QOS can prioritise traffic such as Voip so that you don't get echo.

hmm, may have to look into that. It all just worked on cable.

is there an adsl setting for "Do not dropout and require a modem reboot"?

[IOWNU]

If it's ADSL2 you're after, one option would be to go for TPG NAKED ADSL (if avail on your exchange). That way you don't have to pay line rental. 50GB per month.

A good VOIP modem router is OPEN RLW824. It's a re-badged Billion 7404VGP. Identical infact, right down to it's GUI. Billion is around $240 and OPEN is $99 plus post from SYD. I'm 4kms along copper from exchange and my Pennytel VOIP works perfectly. QOS can prioritise traffic such as Voip so that you don't get echo.

Thanks for that, can't get naked ADSL in my area.

Will get that VOIP router if i end up going with VOIP.

Also, TPG site says I have ADSL 2 in my area, but iinet says I do not. Is that possible?

Wanted to go with iinet but might have to go with TPG if iinet do not have ADSL2 in my local exchange.

[CrispyFries]

Also, TPG site says I have ADSL 2 in my area, but iinet says I do not. Is that possible?

Yes, they each have their own equipment in the exchange.

I wanted to continue with optus, but they were all full up.

[Stagea_Neo]

Go Netspace ADSL2+, decent prices and you get a decent amount of usage and customer service. Decent stability/uptime.

Also hear good things about Internode in regard to uptime/stability etc..

Avoid AAPT/Powertel like the plague, nothing but problems and give you grief

trying to get things fixed.

Telstra are good, except for pricing...customer service a bit iffy.

Similar with Optus.

Im on Netspace adsl2+, about 1.2km from exchange and getting 15M on the downstream and 1M on the upstream....IT FLIES!!

ps. Those mentioning the distance impacts on there voip....nothing to do with it.

Voip is just normal data packets going down the copper line or optical fibre

along with all of your email, gaming, web page packets.

Check your dial string, manually add the dns settings of your isp, add some

port forwards into your router and maybe some packet prioritisation for voip

and that will help things along. Nearly forgot, try changing the codec you are

using for voip. Voip will work on a 512K speed and above...lower than 512 and

it's crap.

Distance will only affect signal strength of the adsl and maximum

throughput obtainable. ie. further out you are, the lower your speed.

[R31Nismoid]

Ali - be very careful with Naked - often your UPLOADS count to your monthly quota, so if you are using it to download legal movies from paying sites... and you are sharing those back... then you will get stung double.

EG:

Naked. 4gig down and 4 gig up = 8gig total quota used

Normal. 4gig down and 4gig up = 4gig total quota used

So you need to double your monthly quota if you intend to use the connection a lot

A lot of people dont fully read what they are getting into. IMO if your getting a 40GIG+ plan, you're getting it to download/upload so Naked is a joke.

Also Ali, the iinet website will tell you when ADSL2+ is coming to your area... but ye, if they are full of connections @ your exhange not a lot you can do other than wait for someone to disconnect as each exchange has a limited amount of ports and some ISP's do not have any equip in the exhange meaning you cant go with them until the 'roll out'.

ADSL2+ is taking a while to roll out to the outer burbs when you consider i've had it inner suburban for 4+ years now. That really is a VERY poor rollout time, but then it is based on demand as infrastructure @ the exchanges, of which inner burbs have a lot more than outer in many instances

Pete - ye Internode are also very good, friend of mine has been with them for many years and has good praise also. They were my 2nd option way back when.

Justin - I rarely rarely have a dropout with my ADSL2+ to be honest.

Unless you have a shitty/poor line filter and your phone interrupts it... there should be no reason.

Once you get hooked up the ISP can tell you how much noise is on your line, if there is a hell of a lot could mean the house wiring is poor, house to street is poor and so on which are reasons for dropouts.

Also Philips 2.4ghz home wireless phones can cause all sorts of havoc with wireless routers/reception i've found out (and promptly disconnected once i worked that out lol)

[paulr33]

if your on a plan where they count uploads just change your max upload speed

bigpond cable count uploads, i just changed my max up speed to 2kb/sec and its fine

you hardly upload any data in a month

[R31Nismoid]

^ umm... you know of all people know how torrent sites of legal content work

You need a good ratio for ultimate speeds...

For those legal content, invite-only sites i use they do at least... lol

I like my 1.4MB/sec+ with approved/sanctioned content

[Mean_R34]

Also Philips 2.4ghz home wireless phones can cause all sorts of havoc with wireless routers/reception i've found out (and promptly disconnected once i worked that out lol)

Ash, It's 2.4ghz phones in general. Mine's a Panasonic 2.4gig and I had the same issue. Whenever I used to phone, or someone called, it killed my wifi connection. That was with the base stn and wifi router almost next to each other. Seperate them by around 1metre and the issue goes away. Worked for me.

Same can go with microwaves. 2.4ghz is the start of the microwave frequency and that spectrum is a dogs brekkie.

[R31Nismoid]

Ye, i read a few things around the net that suggested that some brands are a lot more instrusive than others with regards to interference... probably due to signal strength and so on.

Any long range 2.4ghz i'd expect to really make a mokery of your wireless given the right chance

[paulr33]

yeah if your using private trackers, then you need good upload ratio

from memory a mate mentioned some of the private trackers actually null route australian based IP ranges that count uploads