I don’t mean to be a kvetcher, but the local broadband internet service provider – Streamyx, provides very inconsistent internet service. Sure it may have first mover advantage over the other broadband service and sure as hell almost killed off Jaring. Its inconsistent internet connection leaves much to be desired.
I have quite good connection at my office, but at home, the service level really drops. I can connect to Google and local website effortlessly but not with Yahoo. Even my own website at Cameron Highlands Destination could not be loaded up.
If I can’t load up Yahoo, then about all the services related to Yahoo like del.icio.us, Flickr, etc also could not be accessed.
It can’t be my internal wiring problem because I could zip in to local websites effortlessly and Google related websites. And it can’t be an overseas connection problem because I could connect quickly using Streamyx in my office. So the problem definitely lies with Streamyx.
Lately Maxis and Celcom has been trying to promote their wireless broadband service and pushing real hard. I see the promoters always hanging around Digital Mall in section 14, PJ. I even checked up their service plan and it looked like a better alternative than the sucky connection service I get from Streamyx. Pricing wise, it looks really competitive against Streamyx.
Trying to connect to Streamyx customer service is just as bad as their connection service. If after contacting (if I can just get through) Streamyx customer service and they still cannot improve their connection service, then it looks like sayonara to them. I think many people will migrate over if the alternative service is better. Will see how it goes.
Finally! After waiting for something like 10 minutes listening to their inane promotion, I finally got through. Apparently I was not the only one calling in to complain about their lousy sporadic connection. It seems the recent daily storm havoc has caused telekom lines to be damaged. It is taking telekom a long time to isolate the problem. So looks like I have to lived with this bad connection! It looks like Maxis wireless broadband is becoming to be a more viable alternative and I may just consider switching over.
[update 14/May/2012]
Happen to revisit this old post. So back in year 2008 I was having a lot of problems with Streamyx. Nowadays, the connection is somewhat better. There are many competitors out there now and so, either many users has migrated over to other ISPs thus making Streamyx less clogged or TM has improved their services or both. TM also rolled out their UNIFI fiber optics broadband services and many has moved on to this faster internet connection. Even in my office, we have also migrated over to fiber optics and it is really fast!
As for my home ADSL connection, it was much better now although I still get connection drop every once in awhile especially during and after a thunderstorm. On the whole, I don’t get serious lag during school holidays when kids have time to spare and go online for gaming and watching YouTube hogging the lines. I suppose the FUP (fair use policy) also helps.
IZZI is now dead, however there are newcomers.
Basically in Malaysia we can get wired and wireless connection. The wired ADSL is monopolized by TM Stremyx. While the fiber optics is mainly provided by TM UNIFI with Maxis and DIGI trying to make some headway but not getting anywhere much probably due to the cost of infrastructure.
However as alternative, the wireless 3G/4G scene is exploding thanks to the convergence of handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablets. Now we have uMobile, Maxis, DIGI, and Celcom. With WIMAX we also have P1 and YES by YTL. There is also RedTone but I don’t see it around here in the Klang Valley. Read that it was more for Sabah and Sarawak.
WIMAX is still trying to get a foothold with YES being the fastest but having very limited coverage. As for wireless 3G/4G, Celcom is the best with a price. In order to get the best from lowest cost vs coverage, I tried on uMobile for my mobile/tablet and so far not too bad.
I will need to sort out my internet connection needs because signing for the various wireless and wired services would be paying quite a bundle monthly. Well will blog about it later on a full post.
Maxis sucks, don’t ever think about that.
Subscribe to their Maxis Unlimited Data plan, that time they’re promoting as M$99 then after I sign the plan, I told my brother about it, he was excited too, and rang Maxis, they said they have withdraw that promo, and he asked “what about those already took up the promo?” they said, they still have to pay for old price not M$99!
I was so angry ring up their Customer Service to whine (of course), the customer service supervisor talk very rudely back to me! not even feel sorry!!!
And I used that data service… when they switch from UMTS to EDGE or GPRS… you are going to wait till the “negotiation” to downgrade to the slow connection… and it is not “seamless” connection as what they try to portrait.
I am happy with DiGi except everyday around mid night they have some connection problem, maybe that is for them to do billing? and from time to time DiGi will down on weekend… but if you call up their customer and reasoning with them they are nice and I even insist to talk to their customer service supervisor, she herself even follow up my issue!
Haha! If you said Maxis plan was bad plus with their poor service level, then I think just about any broadband services in Malaysia should suck then!
There’s also IZZI touting themselves to have a faster connection then Maxis or Celcom.
The problem with many of these plans is that they tie you down with a one year contract. And you have to live with their services good or bad for one year. Sigh…!
Are you really having b-r-o-a-d-band?
Click this links to check
What is Broadband? (http://www.broadband.co.uk/guide.jsp)
Connection speeds and download limits (http://www.broadband.co.uk/guide.jsp?section=3)
Is telephone cable the same as road highways?
1. Roads during peak period will have traffic jams.
2. However, telephone cables are similar to TNB cables.
3. One electric cable from TNB is connected to a row of terrace houses.
4. Bear in mind the usage of electricity is 24 hours per day in every house. Peak usage is during the night with TVs, airconds etc. Do you experience low voltage? Power surge perhaps.
5. Is broadband usage 24 hours? Is every house using broadband?
Therefore,
1. I urge everyone to check whether you are getting the download speed that you subscribed from streamyx. For your info, you should get at least 90%.
2. Please click this link to see how much speed you get. Click a few times to confirm. (http://promos.mcafee.com/speedometer/test_0150.asp)
3. If you are getting below 50%, please do a print screen.
4. To do a print screen, put your cursor at the down right hand corner (put the cursor at the time) to get the date and day appear. Once appear, press together the keyboard buttons ctrl and prt sc.
5. Next click start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint
6. Press keyboard buttons ctrl and v
7. Then File, Save As (put a name) Save into your desktop
8. Send it as attachment to amarjit.singh@cmc.gov.my, shaharliza@cmc.gov.my, mdshaani@fomca.org.my
9. They need your support and evidence to bring up to TM
10. Please support for everyone benefit