3 MPS internet speed

[markpa]

3 mps, oh my god how to you even get on the net?? Ok, sorry,still in the states I get 60 mps day in day out. Can you buy more speed from a provider. Is that wireless service? Ok ive me hell  but love to hear whats really out there ok. Thanks.Mark

Edited May 14, 2016 by Jollygoodfellow
changed title

[Mike J]

1000 peso for "unlimited" for 30 days @ 30-35 MPS.  Very nice until you hit the 800 meg limit per day, then it drops to .01 to .03 megs per day.  No typo, it really does drop to those speeds.  

[mogo51]

Sorry Mark, internet speed (or lack of it) is a major problem.  In all the hotels we stayed in in our recent visit, the internet speed was only slightly north of zero more often than not.

If you have carrier pigeons I suggest you bring them with you.

[scott h]

2 hours ago, markpa said:

3 mps, oh my god how to you even get on the net??

Mark, not real sure what your referring to (not being a computer guy) but as to internet speed? Well like almost everything here in the Philippines, it depends on how much your willing to pay and where you are located. I get up to 15 MBHS for about 75 usd a month. But I live in metro manila and we usually get "most" modern conveniences.

One thing you will learn on your journey of discovery here, is that real commercial competition is almost unheard of. Your choices of internet providers is usually limited to 3 major providers (if they are available in the area you settle in). Monopolies of major services is the rule, not the exception. Price competition is almost unheard of.

If you need fast internet speed, I would recommend you stick close to large cities.

 

[robert k]

3 hours ago, markpa said:

3 mps, oh my god how to you even get on the net?? Ok, sorry,still in the states I get 60 mps day in day out. Can you buy more speed from a provider. Is that wireless service? Ok ive me hell  but love to hear whats really out there ok. Thanks.Mark

There are a lot of compromises that may have to be made in the Philippines. Where I lived (walled gated 2 bedroom 2 parking spaces and free fruit for $136 a month Landlady would also send her helper to stand in line to pay my utility bills) I would sometimes feel fortunate to pull down 200Kbs with my phone late at night. It's not the technology, one time they made a mistake and I pulled down 2 Mbp/s for about 8 hours and I downloaded about 6 GB of PDF files. I could drive 15km to town and get better than that all day long. This is for Globe pay as you go 5 php for 15 minutes time. I didn't get throttled because if they throttle you, you will turn data off and they stop making money. If you get pay / sign up for a promo, you will get throttled.

I could have gotten Sky Cable installed for a reasonable price but I didn't even own a television, didn't need to be constantly connected and paid less for phone and internet than I would have paid for internet alone. I also didn't want to sign a 1 or 2 year contract.

I am in the US at the moment and I can pull 43 Mbp/s on my phone (LTE) down and about 9mbps up. The question is, how much do you really need? I know people who say they stream movies at 3-4 mbps. I would be happy with 2 mbps, especially if I can pull it off my phone. My cable service sucks in the US and from what I hear, it's worse in the Philippines. I think it is wise to have broadband as a back up to cable anyway because I have heard people complain that if your internet goes out with cable, it may be weeks before you get it back. For example, the router they provided may go bad and they don't have a replacement. It happens. I also don't want to sign a long contract for service which I think is standard for getting cable.

It doesn't take a great connection to check e-mail or download a book. It takes a lot more if you want to use Skype or stream a movie. If you have to have a great connection, I think it is going to limit choices for where you live because some places it wouldn't matter how much money you threw at the problem if the infrastructure is just not there. I have seen a map online of LTE coverage for Cebu City and they give the actual addresses where it was strongest. Just make sure you are happy with a place before you sign a lease, whether it be internet or other issues. Don't be in a hurry.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I never see 3 Mbps here.  I get 2, on a good day.  I have a wireless modem at the house.  I used to have wired DSL (another house) - it was no faster.  Odd thing is I can use my VPN, connect through Romania, and get 5 Mbps?  What you will usually find is many area have one provider (generally Globe, Smart, or PLDT) . It is not exactly a monopoly, but close enough.

It works good enough. YouTube, Netflix, and iFlix all stream fine.  Torrents are bit slow, but such is life. 

[MikeSwede]

There are faster feeds available but at a premium.

I am right now looking through the options, and if I get a reasonable list, I make a chart of it and post it here.

The unreliable networks I have been using so far does not par with what I have need for, and even if you will not be looking for 200Mbps, I've found services at 30 to 50 too.

If you are a group of neighbours sharing it would bring the cost down real well.

[Sander Martin]

We have a 3mbs connection. Its ok for youtube and occasional downloading. 3mbs connection is more than enough for a regular person. If you torrent and/or game much it's different.

Biggest problem is the 50gb download limit Globe gives with the "unlimited connection". After we hit the 50gb mark, it drops to 200-400kbs connection... Its not hard to chew up 50gb fast if you have 4 people streaming youtube and doing occasional downloads. Last month we reached the gap on day 9 and this time day 14... 

Edited May 14, 2016 by Sander Martin

[mogo51]

10 hours ago, Mike J said:

1000 peso for "unlimited" for 30 days @ 30-35 MPS.  Very nice until you hit the 800 meg limit per day, then it drops to .01 to .03 megs per day.  No typo, it really does drop to those speeds.  

That gets up my nose, when you buy 'unlimited' and then they freeze you after a certain amount.  They obviously do not realsie 'no limit' is just that unlimited, they do the same thing in Thailand.

[markpa]

6 hours ago, Sander Martin said:

We have a 3mbs connection. Its ok for youtube and occasional downloading. 3mbs connection is more than enough for a regular person. If you torrent and/or game much it's different.

Biggest problem is the 50gb download limit Globe gives with the "unlimited connection". After we hit the 50gb mark, it drops to 200-400kbs connection... Its not hard to chew up 50gb fast if you have 4 people streaming youtube and doing occasional downloads. Last month we reached the gap on day 9 and this time day 14... 

I guess I'll have to change my ways when I get there. I'm a big surfer on the net. I'm on for hours on it, but I can change,  new place new thnings get used to. Thanks. Mark