Kevin's Ramblings…

I have canceled some streaming services that I was using in order to cut down on my data usage.  Netflix, unfortunately, is gone.  I didn’t use it a lot, maybe 2-3 times a month, but at 3-4GB per hour for streaming, it would just cost too much.  DACN is also gone, after my free trial.  It uses about the same data, maybe a bit more, than Netflix.  I still have MLB.tv and will use it when I need to for the playoffs but renewing it for next year, at this point anyway, is doubtful.

I decided to check the other major mobile providers in Canada to see if they had a better deal than Rogers.  With Rogers Hub, I pay $60 per month for 5GB and each additional 10GB is $20.  It adds up, and quickly.

When I looked at Telus, the same $60 plan provides 50GB of data and it goes up to 500GB of data for $110.  I thought it was some sort of mistake or at a slow speed.  No mistake, and it’s LTE speed.  Holy crap.

So I called Rogers to ensure I was on their best plan.  Yes, indeed I am.  I asked if they could match the Telus plan.  No, they cannot.

So, can you guess where I am going to go to for my internet access?  If you guessed Telus, you’re right.  I will buy the hub outright ($279) so that I am not trapped in a contract because who knows what other options might become available in the near future, or within 2 years for that matter.

Xplornet sent someone to collect their equipment yesterday afternoon.  The took the modem and router and the receiver part of the satellite, but they left the dish itself.  I was sort of surprised by that, it’s got to be worth something but apparently, because it’s secured to the roof and they don’t want to fill holes (I suppose), they leave it.  The tech was the same one who installed everything.  This time though, he didn’t charge me $100 for mileage, a good thing, as he would not have gotten it.  He was surprised that it didn’t work when it was cloudy, he says he’s only collected 4 systems in the past year.  Based on what I’ve read online, I find that hard to believe.  If the satellite internet didn’t work here when it was cloudy, I am sure it wouldn’t work for anyone else either.  Oh well, the latency was sort of irritating as well and it was limited to 100GB of data a month.

Now, I am just waiting for my refund from Xplornet.  According to my bill, it’s been processed, it shows a credit on the account, I am just not sure when it will be credited to me.  Guess I will wait and see.

So, I guess I am moving to Telus for internet.  That will mean I am using all three of the major providers for something.  Bell for satellite TV, Rogers for cell phone and Telus for internet.  One would think I could bundle all of these together with one provider and same some extra money, but nope, doesn’t look like it.  Oh well.

It’s the weekend – have a good one.  Enjoy.

As I have written, I canceled my satellite internet service that I had with Xplornet.  It was OK in the second half of August, the delays were tolerable if not irritating.  It was a bit slow, again due to latency for some of the stuff that I was doing for work, but I could have lived with it.  What I couldn’t live with is apparently it does not work when it is cloudy, never mind a storm.  I am surprised that the technology is that bad, but apparently, it is.  They offered to send a tech out to figure out if there was anything that could be done, but since it works well (as well as can be expected, I suppose) when the skies are clear and then doesn’t work when it is cloudy, well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s up.

So, I canceled and they will, at some point, refund my first-month service which was a no-risk trial.  I will lose the $100 I paid the installer, it was for milage (Lethbridge to my place and back) but I can handle that.

I am using Rogers Hub for my internet.  It is fast, I can do everything I need to do without issues.  The only real issue is that it’s expensive.  My current bill is $189.  This months bill, based on the usage will be considerably higher.  I am hopeful that I will be able to use Tough Country Communications, a local internet provider from Pincher Creek.  They offer unlimited data which is what I need.  The speed won’t be quite as fast as LTE, but at least I can stream to my heart’s content and not worry about huge bills.

If that falls through, there is another option that I may take a look at.  AT&T in the US recently is allowing unlimited data for their users even if they are based in Canada.  So, I may buy a phone in the US and get an unlimited plan and try that out.  I’d have to pay upfront for the phone but it might work.  I need to look into how much plans are of course, but I am sure it will be less expensive than what I am paying here.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end of the world regardless.  I am paying far less here than I was in Calgary for almost everything.  Rent, car insurance, heating the house, I am saving money since I switched the dogs to Kirkland brand dog food (from Costco), so even with an internet bill 2 to 3 times what I was paying, I will survive.

That doesn’t mean I won’t complain.  🙂

Yesterday, I reported that I was getting DSL service through an Ontario company called VMedia.  It was a good deal, under $70 per month for unlimited DSL service, 50mbps down, 10mbps up.

Shortly after signing up, I got an email from them that they were unable to verify my address.  This did not surprise me as UPS was unable to find my address back in August to deliver a SIM card from Rogers, they finally did, 2 days later…  Anyway, I called back and was put through to billing, I think it was.

Anyway, after explaining that no, I am not in Coleman, Alberta but DO share the same postal code and then saying that I had tried Telus (who was going to do the install) and they didn’t service my location, they determined that no, they can’t offer service at my house.  I was not surprised.  I sort of know how DSL works from back when it was first introduced, I am too far from the nearest switching station (I think they are called).  She tried to offer me their service via cable, I told her that we don’t have cable where I am.  If we did, I would have stayed with Shaw Cable when I moved here.

I was suspicious right from the get-go since if this service was available, my neighbours would have had it added in their homes.  Of course, technologies change so I held onto a faint bit of hope.  Alas, it’s not to be.  They’ve already refunded my money so all is well and this chapter, is closed.

The other option that I had tried already, through a local company, Tough Country Communications might still work.  I don’t have a direct line of sight to use them, but one of my neighbours (that I’ve never met) across the river from me is on considerably higher ground than I am and he uses them for internet.  If he allows Tough Country to install a relay on his roof, I’d be able to get service through that.  So, I contacted Tough Country again and although the technician who came to do an assessment here in July put down notes to contact the person on the other side of the river, those notes didn’t make it to the sales team.  My call got her into the file and she’s going to follow-up.  It won’t be as fast as Rogers, but it will be significantly cheaper and offers unlimited data.  I am hoping to find out in the next couple of weeks if this is a possibility or not.

For now, I will continue with Rogers, it works great.  The cell tower is close and I have an excellent signal.