Which internet provider

Hi fellas - looking for a suggestion

I am moving to Doreen which is a suburb in a new estate north of Melbourne. I have heard it is not a good internet area but it does get Telstra ADSL.

What I would like to do is be connected to the internet in Doreen, but if I go camping or interstate, be able to take a laptop and logon to the internet as well. I gather through previous topics this is through a wireless connection (sitting outside MacDonalds !)

I am currently with Optus, but feel with Telstra Bigpond this will provide better service over Australia.

What would you recommend?

Jeff

ha ha ha i use to live at doreen jeff , best bet is ring both companies and ask them what coverage /broad band etc they have and what they supply

Hi Jeff,

i'm sure youwill get quite a few replies to this one.At the moment i am typing this reply on my laptop sitting a few ks out of Leonora.i have a bigpond wireless dongle on a plan with Telstra ,$49 for 3gig.keep an eye out for specials every now and then.Make sure you get the dongle with aerial fitting,mine is blue and white 7.2.To connect aerial you will need patch leads but same aerial can be used with phone with correct patchlead. others i know use their phone as modem but i cant help you with that lot. hope this helps.Ps optus is no good in the bush over here,as much as we like to hate them they do deliver the best coverage in the bush,it all depends on where you plan to go

Two different things Jeff. Internet connection at home thru you're telephone line (ADSL), not portable. Check this link out for whats available in your area http://adsl2exchanges.com.au/detailedsummarystart.php.
For your laptop away from home you need to get a wireless dongle eg: Telstra Elite Wireless dongle, can get them on a monthly plan or pay as you go, but totally separate from your home connection.

Hi Jeff
Ditto what Silverback said, I have a Telstra Bigpond wireless dongle thingy that plugs into my desktop or laptop, when out bush I have a patchlead that connects my laptop to an external aerial. providing you have reception you have access to the net etc. I did away with my wired modum for the desktop, and just plug the dongle into the computer I'm using at the time . If you have other services with Telstra you can usually get a "bundle price" for a 24 month contract. Telstra is the only one to go with if you plan to travel outside the major areas.
Regards
Carms

Telstra pre-paid wireless works for me.
$150 for 10Gb but you have a year to use it.

Depends on how much you use the net.
2/3rds of the year I'm out bush so not being on a monthly plan is good.

Alan

Thanks fellas - exactly what I wanted to hear.

It sounds like the 3gb for $49.95 is what I will be getting as Optus doesnt have cover in Doreen. I'll just have to make sure the wireless connection has provision for an aerial as well.

Jeff

Hang on Jefgold I run Telstra bigpond wireless, which you can take the Modem with you and plug an aerial into it, 7 gig $49.95 per month with $10 cash back, it is usually $59.95 per month.

I have the 7 Gig plan but with discounts it works out very cheap. If you ring them and argue with them you always get a better deal. If you have a mobile and a landline you get an even better deal. I have only once used my 7 gig allowance and then it just slowed for a couple of days. There is normally a gig or so unused each month.
Here are the plans. http://go.bigpond.com/wireless/?cid=ZBP_access_2_mobilebb_280411
I had a smaller one but this is the one you get now. You can take it with you in your laptop. I had Optus but it just wouldn't work for me so they ripped up the contract and I went back to Telstra. None of them are perfect unfortunately.


Panther

Alan WA wrote:Telstra pre-paid wireless works for me.
$150 for 10Gb but you have a year to use it.

Depends on how much you use the net.
2/3rds of the year I'm out bush so not being on a monthly plan is good.

Alan

I concur, i use Telstra now, in fact in rural areas i get faster speed than in canberra, I was originally optus but they (and vodafone) have much less coverage, in fact in some cases there coverage is less than a year ago, hence my switch. Mobile BB is great in bush, i was camping once and got onto bom.gov.au and saw a huge storm heading my way i raced around and secured my tent and eqp and 15 minutes later the storm came over the hill. (then the other campers were racing about!!, it is also great for checking fire and road conditions.

Gee, I'll have to look into this. I'm with Big Pond and paying $59 pm (which they marketed to me for $29.95 after bundle discounts) for a measley 2 gigs on ADSL2+! I run out within a week usually if I watch a few YouTube Prospecting Vids and the rest is slowed down so much MacAfee Antiviris can't even get an update! I'm sick of Big Pond and have had heaps of incorrect billing like $540 for nothing - ongoing battle. And they say there is no ADSL available in Tarnagulla at all (when I move), so it'll be back to dial up as the mobile signal is not even 1 bar.