CSL/PCCW's 8Mbps Plan... Alternatives? (4G Broadband)

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  1. #1

    CSL/PCCW's 8Mbps Plan... Alternatives? (4G Broadband)

    Hey guys, could seriously use your help.

    So this new building I've moved into only supports CSL/PCCW's 8Mbps plan ($238/month) for home broadband.

    Considering all the fiber options out there (coming from a Smartone 1Gbps broadband at sth like $160/month), think this is pretty ridiculous...

    Heard 4G broadband (or whatever it's called) was an option, so I'm currently "trialing" the HKBN 4.5GB unlimited plan (20GB then FUP at $208/month) by plugging it into a spare phone and hotspotting.

    However, while the apparent download/upload speeds I'm getting are great (better than the 3HK mobile plan I'm currently using which is like 5GB then throttled at $138/month), the signal is quite bad. Getting just 1-2 bars (sometimes switch to 3G...), compared to 4-5 for 3HK.

    Also, for some inexplicable reason (could it be the signal issue above?), when using / connecting to my work network VPN thingy (which we need to use to work remote / away from the office), it's just too slow / unusuable with the HKBN tethering, while it works perfectly fine with 3HK tethering (despite the HKBN being faster). As mentioned, perhaps this may have something to do with the less stable signal? Or could it be a latency / ping issue?

    Anyone have any similar experience or can maybe recommend a 4GB broadband? (Seems HKBN is the only one that supports an unlimited 4G broadband?)

    In any case, it seems my only option may be the PCCW's 8mbps plan. For those using it, could you kindly comment on how it is or what speeds you are getting?

    Last edited by loveandbeer; 16-09-2019 at 01:43 AM.

  2. #2

    Join Date
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    If you are doing any kind of gaming or so on the 8mpbs will probably be more suitable for lower and more consistent latency. You will be able to get something like 5-50mbps depending on the area and congestion over 4g connection. Occasionally higher but don't bet on it.

    If you were very keen you could get the 8mbps connection + a 4g connection then use a raspberry pi with openmptcp + a VPS in Hong Kong to bond both connections so that you can get the lower latency plus higher download speed but this will be quite a bit more expensive and a bit of a pain to setup.


  3. #3

    I used the PCCW 8mbs for quite a while - I generally got around 50% of the maximum speed, much less depending on where the servers were located for downloads etc. - putting a VPN in between helped with the speed a bit, but you rarely got full performance. Please also note that PCCW has the worst customer service you can imagine - should you decide to sign up, let them hand you the cancelation form when you sign up otherwise you will lose a lot of your nerves later.


  4. #4

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    I had a similar situation in my last flat and now my new one. What I couldn't understand was that the 8M they could give me was more expensive than the fibre they were advertising. $268 per month that I'm paying is ridiculous but it was the cheapest I could find!

    This issue wasn't lack of fibre in the block I am in but silly remodelling of flats that make upgrading the internal wiring impossible!!

    I too considered using mobile data but as there was 2 of us in the flat it seemed not to make sense.


  5. #5

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    Wow 8 is really low. 100 mbps is OK for me since they cap the overseas traffic speed anyway. But I don't think I could live with 8 my 4k netflix would not be happy lol.


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by jack55:
    Wow 8 is really low. 100 mbps is OK for me since they cap the overseas traffic speed anyway. But I don't think I could live with 8 my 4k netflix would not be happy lol.
    TBH it's OK. It will stream standard Netflix fine and most of my UK streaming (via VPN). Only BBC causes problems but I think thats due to them causing difficulties to VPN networks rather than the actual speed.

    When I left the UK 2 and a bit years ago I was getting 2-3M so this is luxury!! They've now installed fibre at my UK home so I'm looking forward to going back!

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by loveandbeer:
    In any case, it seems my only option may be the PCCW's 8mbps plan. For those using it, could you kindly comment on how it is or what speeds you are getting?
    I used 8mbps plan when i used to live in a Village house as that was the only option, it was fine for regular use like going on the internet, watching youtube etc, I also had an internet TV box which only required 5mbps to work so we could watch quite a lot of stuff and got rid of the NOW TV rip off. It all depends on what you are going to use it for, like someone above said, if your into gaming then it will SUCK

  8. #8

    Many thanks for all the responses. Looking increasingly like CSL is the only way to go...

    For those who have commented / used it, could you also comment on stability or latency / ping? This seems to be vital for my corporate VPN (gonna assume it's at least better than 4G wireless...)

    Have heard heaps about how terrible the service is which is why I wanted to avoid it in the first place.


  9. #9

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    3HK has a 21 mbps plan. I think it's $118 per month.

    but it slows down to 7.2 mbps after a while.


  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by loveandbeer:
    Many thanks for all the responses. Looking increasingly like CSL is the only way to go...

    For those who have commented / used it, could you also comment on stability or latency / ping? This seems to be vital for my corporate VPN (gonna assume it's at least better than 4G wireless...)

    Have heard heaps about how terrible the service is which is why I wanted to avoid it in the first place.
    Wired latencies to local targets should be trivial, perhaps 5ms or under. Unless something is broken. I don't think there should be any variation between providers for this.