comparison between simba and whizcomm boradband

[xiaofan]

Good point about the real price per month for new users of WC 2.5Gbps for the first 12 months.
https://whizcomms.com.sg/fibreplus-2-5gbps/
$54.50 WhizComms Installation Fee and $61.04 NetLink Trust Activation Fee apply. Prices are inclusive of prevailing GST.

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......

The basic reason is that the $24/month renewal offer is currently the lowest price in the home Internet service market — and by some distance. Even lower than what WhizComms is offering to new customers.

The WhizComms $21.80/month offer to new customers requires upfront fees totaling $115.54. That's roughly equivalent to $31.43 per month ($21.80/month plus the fees divided by 12 months).

The only other carrier that competes at/near this price level right now is SIMBA at $29.99 per 30 days for a 360 day contract. That's roughly equivalent to $30.41 per month (since a few days are missing compared to a full 12 month period), or about $1 per month less than what WhizComms is offering to new customers.

....So enjoy your $24/month renewal offer if you'd like to accept it.

 

[xiaofan]

As of now, SIMBA does not offer installation service and waive the NLT charges (may be limited time offer). Previously they charged for the ONT but they no longer do that.
https://simba.sg/broadband

SIMBA 10Gbps plan --> $29.99/30 days (with GST)
Waived NLT Service Activation fee worth $61.04
FREE ONT device worth $118

 

[BBCWatcher]

As of now, SIMBA does not offer installation service and waive the NLT charges (may be limited time offer). Previously they charged for the ONT but they no longer do that.
https://simba.sg/broadband

SIMBA 10Gbps plan --> $29.99/30 days (with GST)
Waived NLT Service Activation fee worth $61.04
FREE ONT device worth $118

1. Yes, SIMBA is currently offering the lowest generally available/openly published(*) price for home fibre Internet service to new customers. Due to their peculiar 30 day billing there's a slight adjustment if you want to compare it to ISPs that bill in whole months. SIMBA is equivalent to approximately $30.41 per month (assuming a 365 day year). Contract period is 360 days.

2. The next lowest priced service for new subscribers is WhizComms. They're about $1 per month higher than SIMBA after factoring in the upfront fees they charge new subscribers. Contract period is 12 months.

Current WhizComms subscribers seem to be getting $26/month (12 months) and $24/month (24 months) recontract offers. These recontract offers seem to be the lowest prices in the market currently. In other words, if you hop aboard WhizComms you're probably going to get a lower monthly price than SIMBA starting from Year 2. But you'll have to pay an extra ~$1/month to get to that second year. No guarantees beyond the first year, though. Future recontract offers may be different.

3. ViewQuest is advertising a "$20.98 per month" plan. Surprise! It's not $20.98 per month. Not anywhere close to $20.98 per month. It's a 24 month plan that involves paying $20.98 for 10 months and $44.98 for 14 months. The actual average monthly cost is about $34.98. $34.98 is probably the 3rd lowest priced plan right now for new subscribers, but it's a 24 month contract commitment instead of 12 (or 360 days). Maybe next year they'll advertise a $10.98 per month plan...which won't be a $10.98 per month plan either. If someone wants to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore I wouldn't be upset.

4. If you don't like any of these ISPs then I think your next best value is M1 at $36.90 per month all-in on a 24 month contract.

(*) It's possible there are private targeted deals or special time-limited promotions from various carriers.

 

[xiaofan]

Existing users of M1/Starhub 500Mbps users are also enjoying S$30.45 per month pricing. They should be happy as well.

 

[xiaofan]

This is the follow-up post to previous comaprisons of SIMBA 2.5Gbps plan vs WC 2.5Gbps vs Singtel 2Gbps/2.5Gbps plan.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...nd-whizcomm-boradband.6984714/#post-150697339

Comparison of SIMBA 10Gbps plan, WC 10Gbps plan and Starhub 5Gbps special offer, for average users who do not mind using ONR

Power users do not like ONR. But ONR provides cheap setup to achieve 10Gbps.
And at least WC 10Gbps and Starhub 5Gbps plan will be more stable than SIMBA 10Gbps as of now.

For power users, better go with VQ 10Gbps (ONT) and Starhub 5Gbps/10Gbps plan with ONT option.

For average users, Starhub 5Gbps special offer has the best value now.

1) SIMBA 10Gbps --> S$29.99 per 30 days, using CGNAT (no public IPv4 address), IPv6 supported.

The user needs to get his own wireless router. 10G capable wireless router is not cheap. If the user opts to use 2.5G capable main wireless router, the plan becomes 2.5Gbps. If the user opts to use 1G capable main wireless router, the plan becomes 1Gbps.

2) WC 10Gbps --> S$29.99 per month, 10G capable ONR provided, not using CGNAT (with public IPv4 address). No support of IPv6

The ONR is the main router for the home network. The user needs to get his own wireless router. 10G capable wireless router is not cheap. But the user can reuse his own 1G or 2.5G wireless router. It is still possble to use one 10G wired device since the ONR has one 10G LAN port. WC alsp provides another option with HB810 bundle but that is totally not worth it at S$58.90 per month.
https://whizcomms.com.sg/10gbps-broadband/

3) Starhub 5Gbps special offer with Nokia XS-2426X-A all-in-one ONR --> S$29.55 per month. Not using CGNAT, with public IPv4. IPv6 is also supported.
https://www.starhub.com/personal/st...speed-5gbps-onr-at-2955_ultraspeed-5gbps.html

The user does not need to buy his own router to enjoy 10Gbps. And it includes one Nokia Beacon 2 which can be used as a mesh node (1Gbps capable only mesh node). It is also cheap to get second Nokia Beacon if more mesh nodes are needed.

I am not saying the Nokia Beacon 2 or even the Nokia XS-2426X-A is good, it is just that this is the cheapest way to get the user started.

Starhub has fixed its backend congestion issue and now publish typical speed for 5Gbps and 10Gbps plan.
https://www.starhub.com/personal/broadband/typical-broadband-speed-plans.html

Typical Download Speeds	Local
1Gbps	970 Mbps – 975 Mbps
5Gbps	4116 Mbps - 4783 Mbps
10Gbps	7599 Mbps – 8231 Mbps

 

[xiaofan]

Main issues now for SIMBA, at least from the reports, are the following
1) Stability issue
2) Lack of support
3) Bad connection to Singtel and maybe Starhub. Quite some SG websites and services are hosted on Singtel/Starhub network. Bad routing to China -- but this may only affect some customers.
4) Clear documentation to metion the router to be used. SIMBA does offer Amazon eerom Max 7 at discounter price.
5) No digital voice -- only affected some users. May not be an issue for many users.
6) CGNAT without Static IPv4 add-on. SIMBA 10Gbps has native IPv6 which may help but it may still be an issue for those want to have a public IPv4 address. This may not affect majority of the users, but

#1 and #2 are the main problems I can not recommend SIMBA to average users.

Power users know their use cases well -- so it is usually not an issue to go with their choice of ISPs. But I would not recommend power users to go for SIMBA either because of #3 and #6.

So what low cost (around S$30) plan will I recommend now for new sign-up?

1) Average users who need a wireless router to get started and do not mind using ONR.

Starhub special 5Gbps offer with Nokia XS-2426X-A ONR (10G capable with one 10G LAN port, with AX6000 WiFi, cannot change to ONT) and one Nokia Beacon 2 to form a mesh
https://www.starhub.com/personal/st...speed-5gbps-onr-at-2955_ultraspeed-5gbps.html

2) For power users who want to use their own router and want ONT

Starhub special 5Gbps offer with ONT -- Not so sure if the link will be valid for long.
https://www.starhub.com/personal/st...speed-5gbps-ont-at-2955_ultraspeed-5gbps.html

Previously there was no successful report of installation done with the above link. Today we have the first confirmation that Starhub does honor the above link and installed the ONT to the user who use the link to subscribe to Starhub 5Gbps plan with ONT.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...-plan-launched.7024290/page-47#post-153960394

Just to share, I used the ONT link shared here:

https://www.starhub.com/personal/st...speed-5gbps-ont-at-2955_ultraspeed-5gbps.html

The StarHub person just came and installed the Nokia ONT and gave free Nokia Beacon 2. He asked me a few times if I want the ONR instead as he said the beacon 2 cannot support the 5Gbps. I say it’s ok, I’ll use back my current mesh (which is slow Deco M5) but will upgrade next time.

 

[BBCWatcher]

Yes, StarHub’s “secret” 5 Gb/s plan (either ONR or ONT) is a very good deal at $29.55 per month….

Except in fairness it’s a 24 month contract. Both SIMBA and WhizComms are offering reasonably priced 360 day (SIMBA, $29.99 per 30 days, equivalent to about $30.41 per month) and 12 month (WhizComms, $26 per month plus initial fees) plans. And those are different offers. Personally I’m OK signing a 24 month contract, but some people are much more comfortable with 12 month plans even if it means paying more per month.

 

[iloyi10]

Hi, complete beginner here. I read about the possible real speed achievable and maybe double NAT problem earlier in this thread. But could you tell me what are the differences if I use Starhub 5gps ONT option + Tplink AX5400 vs. their ONR? I was thinking to switch from M1 1gbps of $40.65/month now.

Thank you.

 

[xiaofan]

Hi, complete beginner here. I read about the possible real speed achievable and maybe double NAT problem earlier in this thread. But could you tell me what are the differences if I use Starhub 5gps ONT option + Tplink AX5400 vs. their ONR? I was thinking to switch from M1 1gbps of $40.65/month now.

Thank you.

When you say TP-Link AX5400, are you referring to TP-Link Archer AX72 or AX73? They are capable of 1Gbps only (with 1G WAN port).

If you use Starhub XGS-PON ONT + TP-Link Archer AX72 or AX73 ==> using Starhub 5Gbps as 1Gbps. You have to upgrade to a router capable of 5Gbps/10Gbps to fully utilize Starhub 5Gbps. You can probably get TP-Link EB810 at about S$360 (10G capable WiFi 7 router, S$15 per month x 24) -- please check with Starhub. You will need to upgrade one of your computers to be 10G capable, or you buy a cheaper USB to 5G NIC.

If you use Starhub Nokia XGS-PON ONR (10Gbps capable, AX6000) + Nokia Beacon 2 (1Gbps) ==> you can use Starhub 5Gbps plan as a true 5Gbps plan, if you upgrade one of your computers to be 10G capable, or you buy a cheaper USB to 5G NIC.

 

[BBCWatcher]

....I was thinking to switch from M1 1gbps of $40.65/month now.

You can recontract with M1 at $36.90/month if you wish. It's a perfectly fine service.

 

[iloyi10]

When you say TP-Link AX5400, are you referring to TP-Link Archer AX72 or AX73? They are capable of 1Gbps only (with 1G WAN port).

If you use Starhub XGS-PON ONT + TP-Link Archer AX72 or AX73 ==> using Starhub 5Gbps as 1Gbps. You have to upgrade to a router capable of 5Gbps/10Gbps to fully utilize Starhub 5Gbps. You can probably get TP-Link EB810 at about S$360 (10G capable WiFi 7 router, S$15 per month x 24) -- please check with Starhub. You will need to upgrade one of your computers to be 10G capable, or you buy a cheaper USB to 5G NIC.

If you use Starhub Nokia XGS-PON ONR (10Gbps capable, AX6000) + Nokia Beacon 2 (1Gbps) ==> you can use Starhub 5Gbps plan as a true 5Gbps plan, if you upgrade one of your computers to be 10G capable, or you buy a cheaper USB to 5G NIC.

Thank you for your quick reply. It is an AX72.

I am thinking to get a plan nearer to $30+, as 1Gbps is enough for me, so the limitation is alright and I dont plan to upgrade any. Will using Starhub ONR and my own router together affect me in other ways? I read your review about Whizcomms and Simba. High pings and network instability are my concerns as well, because I don't think I face such issue with M1.

You can recontract with M1 at $36.90/month if you wish. It's a perfectly fine service.

Yes, that's a choice, just thinking saving more.

 

[xiaofan]

Thank you for your quick reply. It is an AX72.

I am thinking to get a plan nearer to $30+, as 1Gbps is enough for me, so the limitation is alright and I dont plan to upgrade any. Will using Starhub ONR and my own router together affect me in other ways? I read your review about Whizcomms and Simba. High pings and network instability are my concerns as well, because I don't think I face such issue with M1.

Yes, that's a choice, just thinking saving more.

1. There are conflicting reports from Starhub users about the wireless perfromance of Nokia ONR. Some users claim unstable wireless and some say no issues.

In your case, there should be no issues if you go with the Nokia ONR option, as you can basically use two wireless SSIDs.

Starhub Nokia ONR 10G LAN port --> reserved for future. Or get a cheap USB to 2.5G or USB to 5G adapter, at least you can carry out SpeedTest.
Starhub Nokia ONR 1G LAN poer --> Nokia Beacon 2 (mesh node, optional). This uses one wireless SSID. If it is really unstable (I doubt), you can disable the WiFi function of Nokia ONR.
Starhub Nokia ONR 1G LAN port --> TP-Link Archer AX72 as an AP. This uses another wireless SSID.

2. But if you are worried about Nokia ONR and you are thinking of upgrading to a beter router in the future, go with the ONT option.

Starhub ONT --> TP-Link Archer AX72 router (using the 5Gbps plan as 1Gbps plan for now and upgrade later).

3. Take note I still recommend M1 1Gbps and 2.5Gbps plan for new users as a safe bet.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/singapore-isp-comparisons.6665380/

 

[gnixer]

i also still using m1 500mb and waiting for other providers (except singtel/starhub) to provide with digital line.
currently my asus ac68u show signal of ko liao and it is mesh with lyra trio.

what is the upgrade model recommendation without breaking the piggy bank.

btw i'm still getting close to 500mbps in every corner of the house.

 

[jinsatkilife]

Yes, StarHub’s “secret” 5 Gb/s plan (either ONR or ONT) is a very good deal at $29.55 per month….

Except in fairness it’s a 24 month contract. Both SIMBA and WhizComms are offering reasonably priced 360 day (SIMBA, $29.99 per 30 days, equivalent to about $30.41 per month) and 12 month (WhizComms, $26 per month plus initial fees) plans. And those are different offers. Personally I’m OK signing a 24 month contract, but some people are much more comfortable with 12 month plans even if it means paying more per month.

simba is said to be not stable or well peer
whizzcomms is said to face deprioritization by singtel, whatever that means

besides, WC just increased plan to $24, no more $21.80, After installation and NLT fee, it's about $30 already for 2 years. In that case, SH is much better in comparison, well peer with no stability issue or deprioritization

 

[xiaofan]

i also still using m1 500mb and waiting for other providers (except singtel/starhub) to provide with digital line.
currently my asus ac68u show signal of ko liao and it is mesh with lyra trio.

what is the upgrade model recommendation without breaking the piggy bank.

btw i'm still getting close to 500mbps in every corner of the house.

Just keep using the same M1 500Mbps since no price increase after contract expires.

RT-AC68U was one of the better AC routers out there but Asus has EOLed it, that means no more security updates. It is better you change the router. For example, Asus TUF-AX4200 is a good option, or Asus TUF-AX6000 if you plan to upgrade to M1 2.5Gbps plan later.

 

[gnixer]

Just keep using the same M1 500Mbps since no price increase after contract expires.

RT-AC68U was one of the better AC routers out there but Asus has EOLed it, that means no more security updates. It is better you change the router. For example, Asus TUF-AX4200 is a good option, or Asus TUF-AX6000 if you plan to upgrade to M1 2.5Gbps plan later.

i was looking asus ax3000p to tide over first as i will be moving house in 2026.

btw what is with the TUF model? any special or benefit?

 

[sglandscape]

i was looking asus ax3000p to tide over first as i will be moving house in 2026.

Look on carousell if you have to, and prefer to not import the router from Taobao (with Chinese UI)

 

[gnixer]

Look on carousell if you have to, and prefer to not import the router from Taobao (with Chinese UI)

definitely not import from taobao. not all electronic gadget can chiong taobao.

 

[xiaofan]

i was looking asus ax3000p to tide over first as i will be moving house in 2026.

I would not choose that one as it has only 256MB RAM but maybe I am biased. Unless you got only a few devices, I would not recommend RT-AX3000P.

TP-Link Archer AX72 is at similar price with Asus RT-AX3000P (say at about S$80 from Carousell, BNIB), but may have better wireless performance and it has 512MB RAM. FW feature side it will lose a bit to the Asus though.

 

[xiaofan]

definitely not import from taobao. not all electronic gadget can chiong taobao.

Asus China version is much cheaper and got Chinese/English UI if you do not mind no local warranty.

Good models at around S$150.
TX-AX6000 (China version of TUF-AX6000, dual 2.5G ports, more mature FW ) and TUF-BE6500 (quad 2.5G ports, less mature FW)