slow internet service what about you

reyntj


Joined: 26/01/2011
Posts: 229

Message Posted:
06/02/2012 17:13

can other people let me know there current internet service as every day now my internet is very slow a lot of the time unusable im using comtech im in iskele the service is awful.maybe others are having a similar experience.i dont want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire

coffeeman


Joined: 25/04/2009
Posts: 242

Message Posted:
06/02/2012 18:11

yea mine very very slow since electric cuts

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
06/02/2012 18:13

I'm even further out than you and it's very slow. To download a 1 hour TV programm can take sometimes nearly all day. I'm using Nethouse supplied by somebody called 'Fly Tom' in Yenierenköy. It's not flying, that's for sure. I tested it on the free BBC tester and it fell short of requirements by a long way. Other people in the village think its ok, but they don't probably want to watch TV or listen to the radio

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
06/02/2012 18:15

Hi Joe, who is your internet service provider? eXtend have got a very good deal on at the moment. See the thread - eXtend Broadband - Double your Bandwidth.

Gwyn

0533 869 4371

munchkin


Joined: 12/08/2011
Posts: 15

Message Posted:
06/02/2012 19:08

I'm also with Nethouse in Bellapias and it's nothing like it's supposed to be, slow most of the time and very rarely do I get the speed I'm paying for, I'm on the verge of abandoning internet altogether it's useless compared to the U.K.

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 09:41

munchkin, look at this link to see the special offer that eXtend have on at the moment - http://www.cyprus44.com/forums/85328.asp

Cocklebay


Joined: 26/02/2011
Posts: 353

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 09:46

Nethouse? We have nothing but praise for them, good response times etc!

Dillon


Joined: 05/02/2012
Posts: 134

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 09:50

Check your connection speeds and ISP here, http://www.speedtest.net/



Regards

glw215


Joined: 02/04/2008
Posts: 178

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 11:07

I have used both Extend and Nethouse in the past, Extend was a disaster, Nethouse was better. I am now with Multimax, Absolutely brilliant by comparison. Go with Multimax.

reyntj


Joined: 26/01/2011
Posts: 229

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 12:27

ok so extend sounds like a no no.no wander there trying to get people to pay for a year its probably a con

judyr


Joined: 07/07/2009
Posts: 956

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 12:33

Agree with message 9 - Multimax - absolutely brilliant!

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 12:58

Message 10 - eXtend aren't trying to get people to pay for a year. You can pay for 1 month if you want and get double the speed. If you do pay for the year then you get 3 months free and have double the speed for all that time and not just 1 month. The offer ends on 10th March 2012.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 15:26

Messages 9 & 11 have it right - Multimax.



Message 5: I have never had the speed that I pay for (4mbps) - it is always faster!

harita


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 1343

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 16:00

Jovial_John .. What speeds do you get ..



What speeds would you expect to get paying for 4Mbps ..



Ping ? .. Download ? Mbps .. Upload ? Mbps

harita


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 1343

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 16:10

Can anyone answer the above qestion ?



What speeds would you expect to get paying for 4Mbps ? ..

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 16:13

harita, if you pay for a 4 meg connection it should never drop below 3 meg. Bear in mind that all the connections here in North Cyprus are 'shared' connections. Dedicated is extremely expensive.

harita


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 1343

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 16:38

Ping 120 .. Download 3.58 Mbps .. Upload 3.09 Mbps ..



Don't really understand what this means .. Are these figures what you wold expect to get ? ..

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 16:55

Harita, yes

harita


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 1343

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 16:58

Thanks Gwyn ..

A bit off topic .. Do you know of anyone going back to the UK shortly ..

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 18:05

My normal use is torrent downloads and it must be accepted that I don't always get a good source. But when I am confident that there are plenty of seeders then my internet speed (using task manager to monitor it) is always running at 5mbps or better. Often it is over 6 and sometimes I have even had 7.

I did actually run a speed test in response to another thread - see message 23 of....

http://www.cyprus44.com/forums/82808.asp

...but I don't generally run them because I have to stop everything to get a meaningful one. The one mentioned above was just ad hoc (not timed to get a good result), I did it as I was writing my reply. Just now I am downloading so cannot do.

I hope this helps.

Giles


Joined: 16/08/2011
Posts: 256

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 18:26

Extend were completely useless when forced off the mountains a few years ago! They made no attempt to contact customers, they just stopped providing a service. This a company to Avoid. Why risk them, when firms like Multimax and Nethouse have never stolen from their clients?

snakes



Joined: 28/10/2008
Posts: 1512

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 18:58

Post 1 and others. if you download programmes using UTorrent etc check that your downloaded torrents are totally deleated as UTorrent will automatically seed it back into the network. This is almost like downloading many big programmes at once and will slow you down beyond tollerance. just a thought. regards Barry

Dillon


Joined: 05/02/2012
Posts: 134

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 19:07

@ Message 20 "The one mentioned above was just ad hoc (not timed to get a good result),"



Aah, so Mbps (Mega bits per second), is not timed? Ooh? so, 'per second' isn't a reference to time? I'm confused John, it's not that difficult I admit and I know the fault will most probably be entirely mine, but maybe you could explain to me and others on the forum who are possibly wondering the same, how is Mbps NOT related to time? and if you can manage to do this, perhaps you could explain what exactly 'Per Second' is in fact a reference to?



maybe you meant the test isn't taken over a period of time? no, it can't be this as you can perform as many tests as you wish at any time of the day and besides, you definately said "not timed"



Regards

stockiefan


Joined: 04/05/2009
Posts: 574

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 19:08

I have been with Extend for 6yrs. generally happy with their service. Last September went to renew my contract, the year before I got three free months, I asked this year, "no chance was the reply" I should have changed provider but stuck with them. I will ring Gwyn and ask what Extend can do? I am tempted to go with Multimax I must admit.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 20:20

The expert is erolz but he hasn't chipped in on this so I will try.



MBPS is the number of bits per second that you should get incoming to your computer - your provider will quote a different rate for the output speed. When you do a speed test:-

a) the ping is the time required to send a message to the test centre and receive a reply - there is no data in the message so this basically measures the network overhead

b) the download speed is calculated by sending a fixed amount of data to your computer and measuring the time it takes to do so - typically about 10 to 15 seconds

c) the upload speed is the opposite - data from your computer to the test centre

To get an accurate reading you must have nothing else network related running on your machine (no Firefox, Explorer, Utorrent et. al.) - it is not enough to not use them - you must close them.

My 'timed' referred to the time of day - the internet will always be faster when nobody else is using it.

I hope this makes sense.

truffles808


Joined: 16/10/2007
Posts: 183

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 20:27

Well, since up-grading our multimax to 10mbps it has been useless. We are lucky to get 4mbps and it is so slow we cannot stream TV. Any idea's? I have emailed them but have not had a reply back as yet.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 20:28

Finally, when you run a speed test (use http://www.speedtest.net/ ) you can choose the test centre. If you run a speed test to/from a London centre you will see the speed to/from London but that is not a fair test for your provider. Similarly Larnaca is not fair because although it is nearby physically it is a long way as the networks are configured. The fairest way to measure what your provider is giving is to choose somewhere nearby in Turkey (Alanya or Antalya say) because all network connections fromTRNC go via cable to Turkey. Anywhere else involves further connections and therefore further delay or slowing down.

reyntj


Joined: 26/01/2011
Posts: 229

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 20:37

ive done the test with comtech and my download speed is 0.26 mbps upload 0.39 mbps its a awful i can hardly do anything

reyntj


Joined: 26/01/2011
Posts: 229

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 20:41

my ping is 422 ms .and actually my internet gets slower than this but im moving provider as i pay 85 tl per month for this rubbish

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 21:36

reyntj

I have Multimax - it costs 960 for 15 months (64tl per month) for a 4mbps service; I nearly always get better than I pay for and never less (except for power cuts, telecom sabotage etc.).

The last speedtest I did was:-



14:23pm Speedtest.net (Antalya server):-



ping 35ms, download 8.32 mbps, upload 3.59 mbps



It is not always so fast but I have never had less than 5mbps download

PhilUK


Joined: 31/03/2010
Posts: 236

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 21:52

I'm not an expert- but running a speedtest is not really representative as far as your connection is concerned.

There are lots of other factors that can affect your internet speed in my exp.

I'm with Multimax, and have found them good overall,I think using a directional antenna is prone to weather problems a little like a satellite dish is.

It can be confusing if you have wireless as the Icon in your taskbar in windows refers to the speed your infranet (your local network) is achieving- not the speed of your internet connection.

Also- If you have a wired connection from your router- it will often pop up and say you have a 100mbs connection-again my understanding is that this is the speed the data from your router to your ethernet adapter is receiving, it does not refer to the speed of your internet connection as such.

I stand to be corrected(said the man with the orthopedic shoes)but I think this is right.

Hope this helps

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 22:23

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1758480270.png



Just did this and the result is pretty awful



Nethouse

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 22:29

You will find nearly all internet service providers give you the speed you want if you do a speed test to Turkey. It's the World Wide Web that the brits want as we don't just go to Turkey for web browsing. You need to do a speed test to the UK ie Maidenhead.

eXtendAgent


Joined: 02/02/2012
Posts: 99

Message Posted:
07/02/2012 22:31

harita, sorry no not at the moment. If it's important please let me know by email. Forgot to say that you need to do your speed test to the UK as you may have been doing it to Turkey. Gwyn

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 00:28

So much in this thread.



There are two metrics that relate to internet connection 'speed'. There is latency and there is 'banwidth'.



Latency measured in ms (milliseconds = thoustanths of a second, 1000ms = 1 second). Latency is a measue of how long it takes to get a response from a given site to you machine.



Bandwidth is measured in bits per second or bytes per second (8bits = 1 byte). Bandwith is a measure of how much volume of data arrives at your machine from a given site in a set period of time.



In anology terms if you imagine a water pipe (that is empty). Latency is a measure of the delay from when you turn on the tap to when it starts flowing and its just measured in seconds (or fractions of a second). Bandwitdh would be what volume of water the pipe delivers per time unit once it starts flowing and would be measured in liters per second.

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 00:34

One other thing I have to say is the internet is fundamentaly shared. It is in the very nature of the internet. You can buy a 'dedicated' connection into the internet but once it leaves that and goes onto the general internet, it is shared from the point on. You could have a dedicate link from one location to anthoer, that would not be shared, but that would just be a private network and not the 'internet'.



With ISP's in north cyprus, there is part of the network they have built and control directly themselves, then there is the dedicated links they buy from Turk telecom that link out to the internet and then there is the 'rest' of the internet. When you get 'slow' speeds, be it in terms of latency or bandwitdh or both, it could be caused by congestion or problems in the part of the network the ISP built and controls. It could be because of cngestion or problems in the Turk Telcom link out that they buy or it could problems or congestion past that in the 'rest' of the internet [cont

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 00:39

or it could even be that the physical machine that is sending the data is itself congested (overloaded) or having other problems.



Now the advert part. What we at MM are comitted too is too do our utmost to ensure that in the part of the network we have built and control directly, customers get the speeds they have paid for more. In addition we are comitted to ensure that the link out from this part of the network to the rest of the internet that we buy from Turk Telcom is never 'overloaded' and thus a cause of slow speeds. What we can not do, like any other ISP in the world, is give guatantess about what happesn once the connection leaves the Turk telecom link out onto the internet in general. It just is not under our copntrol.

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 00:48

Oh and I should add that if you have an internal network in your house that the single connection your ISP sells you plugs into, it is possible for slow speeds to be because of issues with that internal network and not anything to do with your ISP per se or the internet in general. This should not really happen and would never happen with a properly configured internal wired network in your house. However once you introduce 'wireless' within your own house and internal network, it becomes more possible that this can be a source of 'slow connection', as wirless connections within homes and offices are infinately variable dependent on many factors, from the generation of wireless tech you are using at the sending or recvieing end, distance between the two, obstacles between the two and how many other wireless devices are trying to simultaneously use the same bit of 'airwaves' in a given location to name just some.

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 00:55

Determining what is causing 'slow speeds' and if it is something that your ISP can control or not is not an easy thing to do. What we do at MM to try and help both our customers and ourselves easily determine if 'slow speeds' are being caused by the part of the network we control directly, is to host our own speedtest server on a machine at our main 'NOC' (network operation center) which is where all traffic from all our customers will be gathered togeather before passing out to our Turk telecom link and the rest of the internet. By doing a speedtest to this server, you are not testing the speed to the internet in general, but are testing the speed on the part of the network we control directly. THis removes all the elements we can not control and we will also often ask the cutomer to remove the elements we do not control at their end by asking them to plug their laptop directly into the single connection we provide before trying this test [cont]

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 01:01

By doing this we can 'isolate' the part of the network we control directly and test just that. It is also possible that 'slow speeds' could be caused by us loading too many customers onto our link out from Turk Telecom and this is not tested by doing a speedtest to our server at out NOC. However we constanly monitor the load on that single link out and buy increased capacity on it before it reaches '100%' load, which is when it would start slowing down our cutomers.



In general terms then this is one of the 'problems' with generic speedtest to random locations in the UK. You can not tell what may be causing the 'slow results' if you do get such. It might be something your ISP controls but it could also be something they do not, either in your own internal network, or out past their link out bought from Turk Telecom or even the actual machine that is sending the test out. In addition they are simply to 'short' imo to be meaniglful. [cont]

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 01:09

In summary then probably the best way to test your 'entire' internet speed, would be to do an actual download of meaningful size, using a download manager, from a site that you can be reasonably confident has the resources and ability to themselves push out data at consitently high rates. So for example do a download from bbc iplayer, not using 'for iplayer destop' but using 'for windows media player' and using download manager software (like free download manager) and seeing what actual speed you get on that download. And do it several times over time to see what sort of average speed you get. That will give you a much more acurate impression of what actual speed you are getting all the way from your home to the BBC.



So for example I have just started downloading prisoner wives from here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01bzx6z/Prisoners_Wives_Episode_2/

using the download for widows media player option and a download manager called [cont]

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
08/02/2012 01:14

'internet download manager' and it is showing currently a speed of 1.345MB/s



This is 1.345 mega BYTES per second which equals 10.76 mega BITS per second (8 bits = 1 byte, thus 1.345 mega bytes per second * 8 = 10.76 mega bits per second), which is just over the 10Mbs that I have paid for.



Usually readings with capital M or capital K are in bytes and ones with small M or K are bits, but not everyone adhears to this standard.

xiziqo


Joined: 23/04/2011
Posts: 19

Message Posted:
14/02/2012 22:41

i have never had what i was paying for in trnc lol. Extend wasnt good at all, nethouse was not better. Multimax seems to be fine provider, so i will give it a try when it will be available in magosa.

Salamisboy


Joined: 20/03/2011
Posts: 54

Message Posted:
14/02/2012 23:51

After a lot of reading on these pages over several months I opted for a 'Dongel' from Turkcell.



The service has been fault free, i can also use it portable with my laptop anywhere a mobile phone signal can be received which seems to be just about anywhere in TRNC.



I only use it for net browsing and emails so 2 Mgb is sufficient for my needs, the cost is 40TL permonth. If I wanted to watch TV then 10Mgb would cost 70TL per month.



As I do not spend all of my time here then when I am away I do not have to pay which is a bonus.

Sb

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
15/02/2012 00:12

Salamisboy for someone who's internet usage is low then mobile phone based internet packages can be a good bet. Mobility has and always will be their strongest feature. Being able to buy a month's service as and when you want without any restrictions is also an advantage they have over fixed services like ADSL or wifi based ones for some too, especially those who visits for a month or two a year. They do however have 'black spots' where reception is less than good, my house for example is not very good with Turkcell, it may be better with Telsim I have not tried, so its always worth trying someone else's dongle from the main location you would use it from first. Their weakness has always ben data limits, which for some will not matter but for others will. Looking at BBC iplayer downloads one hour of TV in standard def is around 0.6 GB of data and in HD around 1.2GB, os with a 10GB service that would equate to about 16 hours of SD TV or 8 of HD per month and nothing else.

Salamisboy


Joined: 20/03/2011
Posts: 54

Message Posted:
15/02/2012 00:51

Hello Erolz,

I do recall in a previous thread several months ago you mentioned to me that The Multimax system would be available at some later time over here on the east coast.



That is an interetsting point which you make regarding data speeds over the mobile network. Not having tried TV downloads I was unaware of that. I have seen comments of poor signal areas of the microwave links from some providers and my post was not to criticise any particular provider but to make people aware that the Turkcell service, so far as I have found it in all areas I have used it such as Iskele and Karpaz, has been reliable.



Initially I used the extend wi-fi pay as you go which was fine until one day they removed the antenna/router or whatever it was that was providing my signal, Despite being on the top floor of the highest apartment

ctd

Salamisboy


Joined: 20/03/2011
Posts: 54

Message Posted:
15/02/2012 00:54

block in the area in Magusa I couldn't get a signal and all credit to extend they refunded my subscription.



So, as with many things, it is horses for courses, being able to 'try before you buy' would be an ideal solution.



All the best,

Sb.i