04-18-2017, 12:32 PM
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#1
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One of the Nine
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Tell me about Xplornet and also Cell Phone Boosters
I have to get internet at a place by Delacour AB, and it looks like the only provider I can get is Xplornet. I'm a bit wary though, because the internet is riddled with complaints and horror stories about them. I guess they really throttle the bandwidth during high usage times. Anyone have a solution to this throttling issue? Or, any other providers that I haven't heard about? CCI can't do it, ABnet can't. Telus has a 250gb wireless offer, but I'm too close to the city to qualify, so they want to charge $80 for 6gb. Rogers can't. Personal vendetta against Bell for life, so I don't know or care if they can... But I need decent internet, so I have to figure this out fast. Any input is appreciated.
Also, inside the house, my Telus cell phone is kind of patchy. Telus told me to go buy a cell booster, but they range in price from $100-$1000. I have no idea what to buy, just for myself, but to add a layer of WTF, my tenant is on Freedom (I know, it's an urban provider), so his phone goes from perfectly fine, to roaming to emergency calling, all while sitting in the same place. Perhaps there's a cell booster that handles both frequencies, but if not, he can switch to Telus. I'd love to hear any info you have on these topics..
TIA
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04-18-2017, 01:30 PM
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#2
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Dances with Wolves
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Section 304
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I'd tell you to run away from Xplornet, but you have next to no other options. My parents live outside of Okotoks and it's excruciating compared to what we've become accustomed to over the past 15 years in the city.
There are several factors, one important one being line of sight to the tower. The neighbour gets a reasonable signal, but his house blocks my parents from getting it. Even with a good connection, his business is online, so he has Xplorenet, Telus, and Bell all running into his house so he can handle the times one (or more) connection dies.
I'd say their speed ranges from 1-3 mbps on a good day. It's fine if you're checking email a few times a day. Streaming most anything is a no-go, so hopefully your job doesn't require a constant connection.
Another issue they've run into is data caps. The simple act of downloading an iPad update can eat 1/4 of their monthly allotment.
I know I sounds like a whiny teenager, but as they age and country living begins to take its toll, I find myself looking forward to them moving back into the city. It'll sure make my roll as their tech support analyst a lot easier.
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04-18-2017, 03:37 PM
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#3
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Playboy Mansion Poolboy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
Telus has a 250gb wireless offer, but I'm too close to the city to qualify, so they want to charge $80 for 6gb.
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How far away do you have to be? Could you setup a billing address further away?
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04-18-2017, 04:32 PM
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#4
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Edmonton,AB
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Try the zte hub or whatever if they get cell phone service LTE they will be able to use it
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04-18-2017, 04:44 PM
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#5
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robo
Try the zte hub or whatever if they get cell phone service LTE they will be able to use it
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I'm not comprehending this post. lol. Is this about wireless internet or cell phone?
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04-18-2017, 04:45 PM
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#6
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken0042
How far away do you have to be? Could you setup a billing address further away?
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Something tells me that they'd figure out where I am based on which tower I'm drawing from. I sure wish I could take this route, though. Anyone tried this? Anyone? Bueller?
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04-18-2017, 04:47 PM
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#7
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Edmonton,AB
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Wireless internet that gets you LTE speed using a sd card i think prices are about 60$ for 50 GB 75$ for 250 GB or 100$ for 500 GB per month
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04-18-2017, 04:48 PM
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#8
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Russic
I'd tell you to run away from Xplornet, but you have next to no other options. My parents live outside of Okotoks and it's excruciating compared to what we've become accustomed to over the past 15 years in the city.
There are several factors, one important one being line of sight to the tower. The neighbour gets a reasonable signal, but his house blocks my parents from getting it. Even with a good connection, his business is online, so he has Xplorenet, Telus, and Bell all running into his house so he can handle the times one (or more) connection dies.
I'd say their speed ranges from 1-3 mbps on a good day. It's fine if you're checking email a few times a day. Streaming most anything is a no-go, so hopefully your job doesn't require a constant connection.
Another issue they've run into is data caps. The simple act of downloading an iPad update can eat 1/4 of their monthly allotment.
I know I sounds like a whiny teenager, but as they age and country living begins to take its toll, I find myself looking forward to them moving back into the city. It'll sure make my roll as their tech support analyst a lot easier.
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That is my biggest fear. I do not have the patience for crap like 15-20-30 seconds to load a page, constant buffering, no netflix, etc. There has got to be an alternative provider, or else a way to keep them from throttling me. I read one thing that says to use a VPN, but someone else (who knows more about computers than I do) says that that's not logical.
I was hoping one of you smartie pants would tell me that it actually is possible.
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04-18-2017, 04:51 PM
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#9
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Crash and Bang Winger
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
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Have you spoke to wiband?
They are more money, but I am using them inside the city (because we can't get shaw where we are, and the telus service is abysmal 3 down, 0.5 up)
But the wiband is a line of sight service, and its actually pretty good. I am on a dedicated 10 down and 10 up service. I am guaranteed those speeds at all times.
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04-18-2017, 04:53 PM
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#10
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robo
Wireless internet that gets you LTE speed using a sd card i think prices are about 60$ for 50 GB 75$ for 250 GB or 100$ for 500 GB per month
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All I see on the Telus and Rogers sites are wireless thumb drives, and the plans are like $85 for 6 or 10 GB. I did not know that an SD card can be an internet deliverer.
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04-18-2017, 04:55 PM
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#11
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Edmonton,AB
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
All I see on the Telus and Rogers sites are wireless thumb drives, and the plans are like $85 for 6 or 10 GB. I did not know that an SD card can be an internet deliverer.
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Look up zte hub then they give speeds up to 50 MBPS and you can take them with you in cars and stuff as long as you have a power source they just pull off cell phone towers we are looking at getting one as we live in the boonies and have xplornet and xplornet sucks
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04-18-2017, 04:57 PM
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#12
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robo
Look up zte hub then they give speeds up to 50 MBPS and you can take them with you in cars and stuff as long as you have a power source they just pull off cell phone towers we are looking at getting one as we live in the boonies and have xplornet and xplornet sucks
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Taht hub is what Telus initially suggested to me, and then they checked my location and told me that they don't offer it in my area (because I'm too close to the city). But if I were to get one of those mobile ones, and then just never move it, would that be a way around it? Good idea, Robo!
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04-18-2017, 05:13 PM
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#13
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Scoring Winger
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Calgary, AB
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I'll echo what others have said, xplornet sucks. We live on a hill so had decent line of site, but some tree coverage. The internet was brutal. I will say, their customer service was decent. Luckily, telus upgraded their infrastructure in our area and we now actually get better speeds than what we had in the city.
As an added wrinkle, we don't have cell coverage here, so that was not an option. I do know other people in the area have moved to the cell solutions since xplornet was so poor.
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04-18-2017, 05:48 PM
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#14
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One of the Nine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hatty
Have you spoke to wiband?
They are more money, but I am using them inside the city (because we can't get shaw where we are, and the telus service is abysmal 3 down, 0.5 up)
But the wiband is a line of sight service, and its actually pretty good. I am on a dedicated 10 down and 10 up service. I am guaranteed those speeds at all times.
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Thanks for the tip. Called them after you posted and am awaiting a call back. Also got a pm from someone who is in the industry, so hopefully he can help, and I can keep it in the CP family.
This thread is simply reinforcing that xplornet is not the way to go. Even when I was at the Telus store the other day asking about the hub, another couple came in asking about it because they're on xplornet and they hate it. I need internet. It's more important than TV or phone.
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The Following User Says Thank You to 4X4 For This Useful Post:
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04-18-2017, 05:53 PM
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#15
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Calgary
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My folks have it at their house in Shuswap. It's not great compared to broadband in the city. It will stream MLB games on not busy out there weekends. It also sucks in the rain, you know, the times when you'd be in the house seeking out entertainment.
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04-18-2017, 08:10 PM
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#16
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First Line Centre
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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I have used Ubiquiti Networks products in the past to connect rural locations with HS Wi-Fi from more urban locations. I just checked and although I'm on the eastern edge of the city, I can't get a good LoS to Delacour. .
You wouldn't happen to know anyone living on Saddlebrook Landing NE?
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04-18-2017, 08:52 PM
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#17
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One of the Nine
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I do have a good friend that lives in Saddleridge. Not sure of the actual address. Perché?
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04-18-2017, 10:39 PM
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#18
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First Line Centre
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Would your friend be willing to share his internet connection and put up a mast at his house?
You can try this to see if this is something that is feasible.
https://airlink.ubnt.com/#/
Last edited by GreatWhiteEbola; 04-18-2017 at 10:43 PM.
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04-19-2017, 05:14 AM
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#19
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Chicago
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I have a vehicle cell phone booster.
Weboost 4G.
Understand there is only so much it will do, but does take weak or intermittent service into solid, stable LTE, within reason.
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04-19-2017, 03:17 PM
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#20
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Don't click that link!
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Rural Alberta
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My current office is North of Airdrie and we have both Xplornet and Airenet.
I use Airenet as my primary source of internet and Xplornet as the fail over option.
The Xplornet LTE connection seems to work decent and not bad for rural internet.
It costs around $80/month.
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