WhizComms, new Fibre Broadband provider

[Alphas]

I wonder if WAN aggregation will increase network latency, that’s important in some fps games.

 

[sglandscape]

I wonder if WAN aggregation will increase network latency, that’s important in some fps games.

No it would not

 

[jinsatkilife]

Sian. Recontract Whizcomms they offer me only $24/mth. But their website is $21.80/mth for 2.5Gpbs.

Why never treat retaining customer well......

Was ur plan $21.80 previously?

Very sneaky, this $21.8 plan is only for one year. After one year, they may switch back to original price of $38+ or an renewal offer that is higher for the same plan

1.8 All broadband contracts will be auto-renewed on a rolling month basis (no contract) after contract expiry until WhizComms receives renewal or termination instruction from the subscriber. A contract expiry notice will be sent to the subscriber within 1 month before the contract expiry date. Auto-renewal subscription prices will be based on the following:

• 2.5Gbps Broadband will auto-renew at 2.5Gbps No-Frills Plan usual price of $38.15/mth.

dont forget still need return the ONR if u switch since it's on loan, don't know if they will come down to pick up or u have to travel to their place and settle it

i guess the 1st year is subsidized and written off as customer acquisition cost, knowing it is hard for consumers to switch since there's installation fee etc

 

[jackiehuat]

I am jumping from M1 to Whizcomms once my contract ends this month. Just wondering how do I maximise the 2.5 gbps?

I bought the TP-Link AX55 AX3000 router from them S$126 (cheaper than outside). This will provide speed up to 1gbps correct?

Can I buy an extender TP-Link RE705X AX3000 to hook it up to another LAN port in one of the bedroom and use it as Access Point to get another 1 gbps from another LAN port?

 

[BBCWatcher]

I am jumping from M1 to Whizcomms once my contract ends this month. Just wondering how do I maximise the 2.5 gbps?

I bought the TP-Link AX55 AX3000 router from them S$126 (cheaper than outside). This will provide speed up to 1gbps correct?

Not cheaper than outside. The AX55 is as low as $74 on Lazada. If you can back out of that part of the deal, I would.

The AX55 has one WAN port, and both it and the LAN ports on the ONR are 1000BASE-T. This cable will support up to about 9XX Mb/s maximum.

Although the AX55 supports 160 MHz wide channels, I would not use them. I’d configure 80 MHz wide (or narrower) on 5 GHz and always 20 MHz wide (and always Channel 1, 6, 11, or 13) on 2.4 GHz. Configure the AX55 in access point mode since the ONR is handling routing. An 80 MHz wide channel with 2 spatial streams and a Wi-Fi 6 (or 6E or 7) device close enough to the AX55, and with little or no interference from neighbors, should get the full 9XX Mb/s that’s obtainable with that equipment. Plug any wired equipment near that location into one of the other LAN ports on the ONR.

Can I buy an extender TP-Link RE705X AX3000 to hook it up to another LAN port in one of the bedroom and use it as Access Point to get another 1 gbps from another LAN port?

If the additional WAP is physically near the AX55 then it doesn’t really help, except (for example) if you’re trying to create a separate guest network — for example, you’ve got a tenant renting one bedroom that you want to put on his/her own dedicated Wi-Fi channel(s) with the second WAP plugged into another LAN port on the ONR, to stay off the maximum 9XX Mb/s you can get from the AX55. Individual wireless devices aren’t going to associate with more than one WAP at a time. If you want to have 2 physically separated WAPs (on different sides of the house) to cover the house better then that might work, but if that 2nd WAP isn’t on a wired connection to another LAN port on the ONR it’s just going to be sharing the 9XX Mb/s to your AX55 — and sharing Wi-Fi channel time, too, if it’s using a wireless backhaul. (The AX55 only has one 5 GHz radio and one 2.4 GHz radio.)

To simplify, with WhizComms you can’t ever get anything in/out of your home faster than 9XX Mb/s unless you use at least 2 ports on the ONR *and* manage to drive them simultaneously to total > 9XX Mb/s. And no single device can ever get more than 9XX Mb/s unless 2 or more ports on the ONR are aggregated somehow — referred to as “WAN aggregation.” (Or you have 2 ports connected to 2 ports on a PC via 2 cables, for example.) Some Wi-Fi access points/routers support WAN aggregation, but it’s fairly pointless if the wireless devices are going to be real-world “urban jungle” wireless capacity limited at or below 9XX Mb/s anyway. In other words, don’t worry about it too much.

 

[zhongfu]

Not cheaper than outside. The AX55 is as low as $74 on Lazada. If you can back out of that part of the deal, I would.

+1, don't buy the routers that ISPs give out at retail -- you can almost invariably find them for a significant discount on Carousell, often still brand new and sealed

 

[xiaofan]

FYI, TP-Link Archer AX72 should be better than Archer AX55, BNIB at S$80 or lower from Carousell, dumped by M1 users.

M1 users also start to dump TP-Link Archer BE230 (dual 2.5G ports) at around S$100, the price may drop to S$80 soon.

For WC users who use ONR, Archer AX72 is probably better than Archer BE230 as the wireless spec is a bit better (AX5400 vs BE3600).

Example connection with two TP-Link Archer AX72 units.
WC ONR --> Archer AX72 in AP mode in the living room, up to 1Gbps
WC ONR --> Archer AX72 in AP mode in main bedroom, up to 1Gbps
WC ONR --> Wired device like a desktop PC or NAS in study room,up to 1Gbps
Total up to 2.5Gbps download and 1.25Gbps upload (GPON technology limit).

 

[BBCWatcher]

Example connection with two TP-Link Archer AX72 units.
WC ONR --> Archer AX72 in AP mode in the living room, up to 1Gbps
WC ONR --> Archer AX72 in AP mode in main bedroom, up to 1Gbps
WC ONR --> Wired device like a desktop PC or NAS in study room,up to 1Gbps
Total up to 2.5Gbps download and 1.25Gbps upload (GPON technology limit).

The above assumes the ONR connections are all wired. For example, if the ONR is located in the living room then one WAP can be located there. Another WAP in another room could be linked by a cable run or something like a hop via in-wall coax cable (with MoCA or G.hn adapters to bridge across the coax). Which is the arrangement I have, actually. MoCA adapters and coax work really well.

Also, the ever changing wireless broadcast environment in and around your home counts tremendously. If you've got neighbors on all sides blasting across all Wi-Fi channels then that'll limit what you can achieve with your own wireless devices in your home. In that case, don't worry about the "limit" of 9XX Mb/s in/out of your house that a single WhizComms ONR port delivers. I'm happy when I can get whole house wireless coverage at 200 Mb/s. If you've got a home in some remote part of Pulau Ubin maybe you wouldn't be happy with that.

 

[zhongfu]

For WC users who use ONR, Archer AX72 is probably better than Archer BE230 as the wireless spec is a bit better (AX5400 vs BE3600).

only on paper

for the AX72, it's specified as 574Mbps on 2.4GHz (probably 802.11ax, 2x2, 40MHz) and 4804Mbps on 5GHz (probably 802.11ax, 4x4, 160MHz)

for the BE230, it's specified as 688Mbps on 2.4GHz (probably 802.11be, 2x2, 40MHz) and 2882Mbps on 5GHz (probably 802.11be, 2x2, 160MHz)

afaict 4x4 MU-MIMO is not going to help you if not all your devices on the 5GHz radio supports MU-MIMO (e.g. quite a few IoT devices, I presume). so if that's the case, there's not much of a reason to go with the AX72 -- you might as well just go straight for the BE230 if the price difference isn't significant, since you get support for more efficient modulation schemes with wifi7 (= better spectral efficiency, I guess? which would come in handy since most of us live in dense residential environments)

plus it's also newer, lol

 

[xiaofan]

only on paper

for the AX72, it's specified as 574Mbps on 2.4GHz (probably 802.11ax, 2x2, 40MHz) and 4804Mbps on 5GHz (probably 802.11ax, 4x4, 160MHz)

for the BE230, it's specified as 688Mbps on 2.4GHz (probably 802.11be, 2x2, 40MHz) and 2882Mbps on 5GHz (probably 802.11be, 2x2, 160MHz)

afaict 4x4 MU-MIMO is not going to help you if not all your devices on the 5GHz radio supports MU-MIMO (e.g. quite a few IoT devices, I presume). so if that's the case, there's not much of a reason to go with the AX72 -- you might as well just go straight for the BE230 if the price difference isn't significant, since you get support for more efficient modulation schemes with wifi7 (= better spectral efficiency, I guess? which would come in handy since most of us live in dense residential environments)

plus it's also newer, lol

Based on previous test reports, 4x4 does offer advantages compared to 2x2.
https://www.acwifi.net/18179.html

But YMMV. Wireless coverage and performance will depend on the situation.

In any case, I admit I am biased against BE3600 grade routers (or AX3000 grade, or routers with only 256MB RAM, etc). Archer BE230 is quite special that it has dual 2.5G ports, so it is kind of bare mimimum M1 can offer to customers. But then there are many others (with dual or quad 2.5G ports) are better, like ZTE BE7200 Pro+, Xiaomi BE6500 Pro, Asus TUF BE6500, etc.

One more thing, there are quite some negative comments about TP-Link Archer BE230 in the M1 thread, probably due to immature firmware.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...ussion-part-2.5658375/page-632#post-153737529

 

[zhongfu]

Based on previous test reports, 4x4 does offer advantages compared to 2x2.
https://www.acwifi.net/18179.html

But YMMV. Wireless coverage and performance will depend on the situation.

In any case, I admit I am biased against BE3600 grade routers (or AX3000 grade, or routers with only 256MB RAM, etc). Archer BE230 is quite special that it has dual 2.5G ports, so it is kind of bare mimimum M1 can offer to customers. But then there are many others (with dual or quad 2.5G ports) are better, like ZTE BE7200 Pro+, Xiaomi BE6500 Pro, Asus TUF BE6500, etc.

One more thing, there are quite some negative comments about TP-Link Archer BE230 in the M1 thread, probably due to immature firmware.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...ussion-part-2.5658375/page-632#post-153737529

oh yeah, more beamforming modes... I guess there's that as well, I stand corrected

 

[souldude]

whizzcomma or Simba better? it seems these are the two low priced BB nowadays?

any recommendations?

 

[BBCWatcher]

whizzcomma or Simba better? it seems these are the two low priced BB nowadays?

It depends on what you mean by better. SIMBA has a lower price if you only plan a 12 month (360 days for SIMBA) service period (WhizComms may cost less after contract renewal), offers a higher advertised line speed (if you can use it), and supports IPv6. WhizComms rides on Singtel’s infrastructure (reliable and available nationwide), provides a public dynamic IPv4 address as far as their ONR (better than SIMBA’s IPv4 CGNAT), and offers a lower monthly charge once you get past the upfront fees.

 

[souldude]

thanks. ipv4 Vs ipv6, probably not important for "normal" usage?

availability and cost is top considerations

 

[jackiehuat]

Not cheaper than outside. The AX55 is as low as $74 on Lazada. If you can back out of that part of the deal, I would.

The AX55 has one WAN port, and both it and the LAN ports on the ONR are 1000BASE-T. This cable will support up to about 9XX Mb/s maximum.

Although the AX55 supports 160 MHz wide channels, I would not use them. I’d configure 80 MHz wide (or narrower) on 5 GHz and always 20 MHz wide (and always Channel 1, 6, 11, or 13) on 2.4 GHz. Configure the AX55 in access point mode since the ONR is handling routing. An 80 MHz wide channel with 2 spatial streams and a Wi-Fi 6 (or 6E or 7) device close enough to the AX55, and with little or no interference from neighbors, should get the full 9XX Mb/s that’s obtainable with that equipment. Plug any wired equipment near that location into one of the other LAN ports on the ONR.

If the additional WAP is physically near the AX55 then it doesn’t really help, except (for example) if you’re trying to create a separate guest network — for example, you’ve got a tenant renting one bedroom that you want to put on his/her own dedicated Wi-Fi channel(s) with the second WAP plugged into another LAN port on the ONR, to stay off the maximum 9XX Mb/s you can get from the AX55. Individual wireless devices aren’t going to associate with more than one WAP at a time. If you want to have 2 physically separated WAPs (on different sides of the house) to cover the house better then that might work, but if that 2nd WAP isn’t on a wired connection to another LAN port on the ONR it’s just going to be sharing the 9XX Mb/s to your AX55 — and sharing Wi-Fi channel time, too, if it’s using a wireless backhaul. (The AX55 only has one 5 GHz radio and one 2.4 GHz radio.)

To simplify, with WhizComms you can’t ever get anything in/out of your home faster than 9XX Mb/s unless you use at least 2 ports on the ONR *and* manage to drive them simultaneously to total > 9XX Mb/s. And no single device can ever get more than 9XX Mb/s unless 2 or more ports on the ONR are aggregated somehow — referred to as “WAN aggregation.” (Or you have 2 ports connected to 2 ports on a PC via 2 cables, for example.) Some Wi-Fi access points/routers support WAN aggregation, but it’s fairly pointless if the wireless devices are going to be real-world “urban jungle” wireless capacity limited at or below 9XX Mb/s anyway. In other words, don’t worry about it too much.

Thanks. I managed to cancel my wifi router order with WC. The AX55 is not so cheap on Lazada but I got a second hand at $70 on Carousell.

 

[jackiehuat]

FYI, TP-Link Archer AX72 should be better than Archer AX55, BNIB at S$80 or lower from Carousell, dumped by M1 users.

M1 users also start to dump TP-Link Archer BE230 (dual 2.5G ports) at around S$100, the price may drop to S$80 soon.

For WC users who use ONR, Archer AX72 is probably better than Archer BE230 as the wireless spec is a bit better (AX5400 vs BE3600).

Example connection with two TP-Link Archer AX72 units.
WC ONR --> Archer AX72 in AP mode in the living room, up to 1Gbps
WC ONR --> Archer AX72 in AP mode in main bedroom, up to 1Gbps
WC ONR --> Wired device like a desktop PC or NAS in study room,up to 1Gbps
Total up to 2.5Gbps download and 1.25Gbps upload (GPON technology limit).

I got a second hand AX72 at $70 on Carousell. Not new though.

 

[BBCWatcher]

I have an anecdotal report to pass along from a WhizComms subscriber who was on a "legacy" 500 Mb/s plan (actually the 300 Mb/s plan "boosted" to 500 Mb/s, which was a common offer). I think this detail has been pretty much confirmed upthread, but it's good to see another report.

This subscriber contacted WhizComms and asked to recontract a few months early on a 2.5 Gb/s plan. That's not possible, but WhizComms still bumped the subscriber's speed up to 2.5 Gb/s (down, notional across the fibre) on the existing contract at the same contracted price. When the contract is up the subscriber will have the option to recontract. WhizComms said it might take a day or two for the speed increase to take effect, but it only took a few hours. When it happened during daylight hours the subscriber's Internet service was lost, but simply power cycling the ONR restored service — and with the same dynamic IPv4 address assignment as before the interruption. This subscriber has a bridged ONR as originally configured by the WhizComms installer, so the public IPv4 address is exposed on the LAN side to the subscriber's own router. Their bridging remains in place after the speed upgrade. The subscriber is only using 1 port on the ONR ("LAN1"), so the maximum speed in/out is limited to this one port at 1.0 Gb/s. Other ports on the ONR haven't been tested, but they probably aren't functional when the ONR is bridged. This subscriber is fine with all that.

The subscriber ran a speed test all the way to a server in North America and got 9XX Mb/s down — exactly what you'd expect a single 1000BASE-T port to deliver when there are no upstream bottlenecks. That's really quite impressive.

I think the only potential downside to bumping up the speed on a "legacy" WhizComms service plan is that you get the 2.5 Gb/s plan's higher non-contract month-to-month rate if you don't recontract. So if you request this upgrade mid-contract then you should expect either to recontract with WhizComms or to switch ISPs. If you stay with your legacy speed then you should stay with the same monthly price when your contract ends, even without recontracting.

 

[xiaofan]

WC Facebook post today.

Not so sure if this means the price will soon increase.

***********
🕰The Clock's Ticking! Only 3 Days Left to Grab Our Best Valued 2.5Gbps Broadband at only $21.80/mth.

Don't miss out on this chance to enjoy seamless online experience at an affordable price!

Complete your WiFi setup with an AC1900 wireless router at an additional $5.45/mth.
Powered by SG's #1 Network.

T&Cs apply.

 

[morimorimori]

Probably. Now that simba is up to 30 there's no need to kill themselves at 21.80.

 

[laokorkor]

WC Facebook post today.

Not so sure if this means the price will soon increase.

***********
🕰The Clock's Ticking! Only 3 Days Left to Grab Our Best Valued 2.5Gbps Broadband at only $21.80/mth.

Don't miss out on this chance to enjoy seamless online experience at an affordable price!

Complete your WiFi setup with an AC1900 wireless router at an additional $5.45/mth.
Powered by SG's #1 Network.

T&Cs apply.

WC undercuts its competitors by quite a bit. In order to do that, WC probably tried to garner subscribers by taking a loss. It won't be surprising if they make a call to end the toxic competition. If it jacks up the price by $5, it's still a low-cost leader. LOL!