What is normal HK broadband service?

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  1. #11

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    Odd behavior

    So I ran into some latency issues tonight and did a little investigating. Right in the middle of some traceroutes, i-cable up and changes my IP address. Not a logoff of the cable modem and a logon again, but just "boomo" right in the middle of calling up some "what is my IP address pages" and other utilities.

    Needless to say, there were some packets colliding. I'm wondering if having my vonage on the line is causing problems when they due this "active dynamic" switching. Wonder why they even do the switching for that matter....


  2. #12

    I talked to both i-Cable and Netvigator sales people on the street again today, for the second or third time after having a chance to understand the different providers and their offers.

    1. i-Cable offer: $111/month unlimited broadband, or $129 broadband w/ broadband TV (limited channels, most of which I'm not interested), or $139 broadband w/ phone line. 12 month contract.

    2. Netvigator offer: $288/month x 12 months 3mb unlimited broadband, with 3 months free (average $216/month), or $194/month x 18 months 6mb unlimited broadband. Includes 12 Now TV channels.
    (Do their offers vary in different places? I seem to have been given a different offer when I talked to them two weeks ago.)

    Netvigator sales told me not to be fooled by the i-Cable guys and their seemingly attractive offers, as their so-called 8mb line is shared with lots of other people in the building, so connection is slow, unreliable, etc. He showed me several articles on consumer complaints against i-Cable and dishonesty of some i-Cable sales.

    I then went to i-Cable to see what they'd say. They admitted that the line is shared, but showed me an article saying that there is no such thing as dedicted line in HK, no matter what the service providers may say (e.g. Netvigator dedicated 3mb/6mb lines), quoting confirmation from some telecom authority. He then showed me a few articles regarding independent research comparing the speed of several providers, and i-Cable consistantly ranked top.

    I ended up registering with Netvigator after all (Good to see this thread that assured me I probably made the right decision). I also signed up for "HK Broadband"'s broadband phone, for $34/month, 12 month contract.


  3. #13

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    The issue of shared vs. dedicated and cable vs. dsl was fought in the US a few years ago, and if I recall there was something like a court order against the DSL companies demanding that they stop their FUD campaign against cable modems as being shared. Eventually, if you go up to the node or to the router to the OC-45 or whatever, everything is shared.

    As for my situation, I'm somewhat intrigued by the fact my cable modem is receiving multiple IPs (switching my IP address every minute or so) and suspect that might have something to do with my lag problems. I've done a lot of research into this modem (I can now tell you about every PIN and setting inside it) and will have to troublefix it once I get a telephone.

    Now, as for the best mobile provider...I think that will be another thread...My wife is going through hell trying to get me a phone as they keep refusing every document we have that proves our address ("can't read that one, that's in ink, that isn't good enough"). You'd think they'd want our money...


  4. #14

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    Penguin, The US copper systems are antiquated and can hardly be compared to Hong Kong's network.

    Would recommend you take a look at how PCCW's lines are designed and structured and compare them to iCable's setup before blowing off the issue.

    Your lease, Electricity Bill or Bank Statement should be proof of residence. The "chain of proof" starts at the lease. Have never had a problem with phone companies like Orange or Smartone or PCCW. Which one are you deal with?


  5. #15

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    well, yes and no.....

    HK's network is really only modern if you aren't considering the rat's nests (say that one fast) to be found in Sham Sui Po, for instance. It is true that neither technology can deliver the full 100% bandwidth 100% of the time, however for different reasons.

    As I remember it, and I do stand to be corrected: the full capacity of the coaxial cable is shared with everyone in your building, as soon as it exits your building. The only way to get more bandwidth is for i-cable to pull a new cable into the building (it usually doesnt go directly to your flat either. It terminates in a seperate room, where it is then split to the different units). Whereas DSL works over copper, every flat does have their own copper wiring down to the access mux, which concentrates the bandwidth into a manageable amount before sending out the building to the central office (which can only be a reasonable distance away). So to increase the DSL capacity, they would need to add another DSLAM (reduce the concentration) or shorten the distance.

    In either case, once you start measuring throughput over the public internet, you will get different stats since any # of different routes can exist from A to B. Probably i-cable has purchased cheaper routes with less reliability, more downtime, etc. hence their slow access to oversea's sites. Whereas Netvigator can rely on PCCW and Reach for (international) access, i-cable cannot.

    I would hazard a guess that the multiple ip's are either a malfunction of your particular modem, or the server back at i-cable which provides the address in the 1st place is acting up (reset?).


  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by sfosymphony:
    (Do their offers vary in different places? I seem to have been given a different offer when I talked to them two weeks ago.)
    Same here, different area, different sales person, different time will get a (albeit slightly) different offer! I recieved the NOW converter box with dvd player, 1 week later a friend who signed up got the dvd-less version. Reason? "That offer expired"

  7. #17

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    Sep 2004
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    Penguin,

    Regarding your mobile phone, when we moved over here & basically had no phone, & no HK ID card so of course I don't qualify to purchase/ sign up for anything, I bought a prepaid Sim card from Circle K for $68 (if needed you can recharge), this allowed me to solve my immediate problem of being reachable by the movers, furniture delivery guys, etc. only thing is you will need a cell phone that can accept Sim cards, I swiped an old one from a relative. Hope this helps.


  8. #18

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    Sep 2004
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    Angry

    Quote Originally Posted by sfosymphony:
    2. Netvigator offer: $288/month x 12 months 3mb unlimited broadband, with 3 months free (average $216/month), or $194/month x 18 months 6mb unlimited broadband. Includes 12 Now TV channels.
    (Do their offers vary in different places? I seem to have been given a different offer when I talked to them two weeks ago.)
    Hi,

    I've just signed up with Netvigator this week.

    They included;

    6mb unlimited broadband - fast as fu** compared to my service on the mainland

    Usual crap free tv stations

    BBC World and National Geographic channel

    all for the tidy sum of $210 but just found out from a friend that if I'd pushed them they would also have thrown in a few more of the 'premium' channels

  9. #19

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    >I also signed up for "HK Broadband"'s broadband phone, for $34/month, 12 month contract.

    Is there any extra box required for the HKBN's broadband phone? How are the quality of the calls?


  10. #20

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    For what its worth, many of my problems have since gone away. The extremes of latency and DNS errors have pretty much cleared up.

    I read a lot about the modems used by i-cable. Apparently, they don't have MAC addresses and the central server at the other side sort of "pulls" a MAC address off of whatever you have on the other side of the modem. It assigns an IP to that address, but if you change devices sometimes it doesn't register in the central server for a few minutes. Turning the modem on/off doesn't really do much apparently (the geek boards recommended five minutes or so).

    For those interested, there are appears to be little way to "uncap" the modems used by i-cable (hundreds of gamers in Canada have been trying on a similar setup, but they are really primative modems).