Need help with new internet plan

Hi everyone,

This may sound like a fairly ignorant question so please forgive me. I'm currently with Optus (An ISP based in Australia) on a 120gb internet plan with 100mbps download (cable connection). However, I am thinking of changing to a new plan which has unlimited internet but with a speed of 30mbps download. 

Do you guys think it's worth it? Will there be a dramatic and noticeable difference in streaming and download speeds? I'm a fairly heavy internet user (e.g., Steam downloads, youtube, downloading in general etc..). Would 30mbps be sufficient for my needs?

I would like a greater data allowance, but I'm just a bit concerned with the new download speed.  

Thanks in advance,
Special-K 

 

yep - I would take unlimited at 30mbps over 120gb at 100mbps any day of the week

 

 If you regularly exceed the 120gb cap i guess it is not even a competition. What is the consequence of exceeding the data cap with your current ISP? I have a 30mbps connection at home which i am happy with. However the speed that you actually get vs the one advertised is quite important. 

Thanks for your input Vandal85. Much appreciated. 

Hi Julin,

Many thanks for your input. Regarding my internet use, during uni I rarely exceed my data cap (most of my time is spent downloading journal articles rather than gaming). However, when I'm on break I can reach my cap easily. 

With my current ISP, if I exceed my cap my speed is throttled to 256kbps until the next billing month (no financial consequence). 

I agree with your statement about speed. I suppose this especially relates to my internet plan as it is cable based. From my understanding, speed should slow down on peak times for cable users.

Another thing that I should mention is that this internet plan is part of an entertainment bundle. Specifically, an internet set-top box is included (Fetch-TV) in the package where television shows are streamed via the internet. In your opinion, would speed significantly degrade if someone where to watch TV while another person is heavily using the internet? (e.g., downloading a large file/steam game, playing online)  

you should be fine - im on a telstra 25mbps connection and I can multitask no problem.

My (girlfriends) tv is running the same thing and i have yet to experience issues during peak consumptions. Ofc there are limits, but they are not unreasonable or obstructive in my opinion. The only time i notice the limits of my connection is when i want to play online, download a large amount of data and the tv is in use. However i'll just limit the bandwidth allocated to my download for a while and thats it. 

I know a lot of people who have issues with cable and from what i understand if the issues do not originate from your home equipment it is unlikely to be fixed. 

Man, i exceed 120GB monthly on my 2mbit connection, so yes, I would definitelly take 30mbit connection with no limits. Its really nonsence to have limits in the first place.

Thanks for your help everyone. I think I'll be going with the new plan.