I recently decided I’ve had enough. That’s right, I cut the cable!
Hold on, Bob… what cable? Cut ties with a friend? Cut something from your life? Can you clarify?
Well, I mean it quite literally. I cut the cable. I cut the Internet from the Cable TV company, SkyCable.
Over the years, Cable Internet was never available in any of the areas where I lived until a little more than a year ago. In April 2013, I signed up for Internet Service from SkyCable. The service offered was 6 Mbps speed, quite fast for the Philippines. They offered a free 15 day trial. The service was pretty good during the trial, despite a few hiccups along the way. It was good enough that I made a one year commitment to the service. After a few months, though, the service got worse.
The speed was not the problem. The problems that began to crop up were things like some webpages not opening, some images on websites not loading, stuff like that. At first I thought it might be a DNS issue, but I switched to more reliable DNS servers to no avail.
I have had two Internet services over the past 1+ year, the SkyCable and also Globe DSL. The Globe service was 3Mbps up until a few months ago when they upgraded it to 5 Mbps. Frankly, the Globe service was very reliable, much better than the SkyCable, so although it was a bit slower, I always used Globe as my primary connection while using SkyCable only as a backup connection during times when Globe was down or not very fast. To be frank, the times were few, though, when I had troubles with Globe and needed to use the SkyCable.
Some may ask why I would pay for having two Internet Connections. Both were fairly expensive connections too. Well, Internet is very important to me. It serves as both entertainment for me and my family and most importantly my Internet presence is my business and provides 100% of my income. So, it is vital that I am online all the time. Having no internet access costs me money. Paying for a quality connection doesn’t cost me money, it helps me make more money.
Back at the beginning of February, SkyCable increased my plan to 10 Mbps speed, up from 6 Mbps. Frankly, though, when they made the “increase” the level of service deteriorated. My speeds went below 1 Mbps, then after a few weeks got up to nearly 5 Mbps at times, but usually only around 2 Mbps. I was paying more than double the price for the SkyCable compared to the Globe, and the service just was not up to snuff. The Globe just kept plugging along, rarely having any issues at all.
When I was recently hospitalized, I brought my laptop along to the hospital along with a Smart USB dongle so that I could get Internet. The dongle was slower than my home connections, but still very usable. It was during those days in the hospital that I decided that during the few times when Globe was down, I could get by with the prepaid Smart Dongle for my backup Internet service. Basically the Smart dongle costs me nothing on a month to month basis, the only cost is if I actually use it, and I would only use it at times when Globe was not working, which is quite rare. So, I decided to discontinue my Internet service from SkyCable.
I had been so excited to get Cable Internet. The experience started out good, but got worse as time went along. Frankly, now I am happy to have broken ties with them. As long as Globe keeps being so reliable I will remain quite happy. If reliability goes down, I may consider getting another type of Internet connection hooked up in addition to the Globe, but for now, the prepaid dongle will be fine for me. I also have Internet on my cellphone, so the is just added redundancy.
Yep… I cut the cable. Kicked the habit. I’m a free man.
This summer when our ATT Uverse plan expires, we are going to drop it. That plan includes television and internet. We will use a reduced plan for internet only. We have discovered that we don’t watch television in a way that makes it beneficial. We are going to get an HD antenna (rather small and inside the house). It will pull local channels for my wife to watch her shows. I mostly don’t watch much of those. We have a Netflix account that I use more (on our Roku).
Looking forward to cutting the cable as well!
I hear a lot of people in the USA are cutting off the cable TV, Tom. The prices for Cable TV have gone way out of control. Remember years ago you got a basic package of cable channels for like $15 per month. Now, I hear people pay over $100 per month. Makes it a good candidate for elimination, especially in times when money is tight for many people!
YOU are absolutely correct Bob! They sucker you in with “Bundling” and your monthly bill is about $100 or more! NOT ME! This Kraut is wayyy smarter than that! lmao!
That’s great, Heinz, glad you have not gotten suckered in!
Yes, easily over a hundred dollars. Too much, particularly if you do not use it a great deal.
Absolutely.
Way to go Bob! I know some folks that live in London. They always complained about the poor quality and lousy customer service provided by Sky Cable.
Two different companies. Sky Cable in the UK and SkyCable in the Philippines have no relation to each other.
Bob, Is your globe on a wire or a dish on the roof? I have been looking at providers before we move and see that globe offers a dish style internet at 7mbps for about 2500p.
Hi Terry – As I said in the article, my Globe account is DSL – Digital Subscriber Line.. in other words, it comes in on the telephone line. I am not aware of Globe having any satellite or “dish” plans. I am paying P1599 per month for the DSL.
12. Is the Tattoo Home Broadband antenna waterproof?
In case you need to have an external antenna, you don’t need to worry because it is waterproof and weatherproof. Since it will be installed outside your home, it was built to withstand all weather conditions.
http://tattoo.globe.com.ph/products/home-broadband.html#faqs
This is where I got the idea about the dish. Am I reading this wrong? This is from the FAQS section.
Thanks for the help.
Hi Terry – I believe you that the dish is available. I had just said that it was not something I had heard of. Now that you told me about it this morning, I now have heard of it! 🙂
Thanks Bob. I was just trying to figure out if it was worth the price. I will most likely end up doing what your doing.
Yeah, given that I had never heard of it until this morning… I don’t really have any information. As far as I can tell, it must not be in too widespread of use. My feeling is that something on a hard wired cable is generally better than something coming in through an antenna.
Thanks for cleaning that up! haha
Bob, if you ever make it over to London I’m sure they won’t mind if you bring your scissors with you and cut there’s too! 🙂
I’m considering getting a SmartBro stick, too. Would serve as a backup to my Globe DSL and a way to get online during the every increasing brownouts we are experiencing. I do wish LTE was available in Davao but I haven’t heard of any plans for that soon.
Hi Randy – LTE plans are actually available in Davao.. but the amount of LTE available is very limited. At least I have heard that there are a few LTE spots around Davao. 😉
I just did a little research to see where LTE is available here, as I heard that there were some places getting it, too.
From what I found, if accurate, is that Smart doesn’t cover Davao at all (and the reason I didn’t think it was available), but Globe covers 108 sites in Davao Cel Sur. Including mine and yours! I might need to rethink my getting a SmartBro stick and look into Globe a little further.
Interesting, Randy. There is a downside for you and I if we get the LTE stick from Globe… both of us are on Globe DSL, so if we are looking for a backup if the Globe network is down, the LTE would likely be down too, leaving us without any backup. But, it is still something to think about.
Leon Andrews My first internet connection in Davao was Sky Cable. Like you Bob I was really expecting something after years on dialup back in OZ. Twas in fact slower than the dialup taking sometimes over 2 minutes to load my home page. Had their techs out many times & they always blamed my WiFi. Out came my 6 meter LAN cable which never gave any better speed. Even received a refund when I cancelled my subscription. Looks like they haven’t improved any. Now with PLDT ADSL 3MBs & happy with that & a slow Globe Tattoo as back up.
I am very happy with Globe, but I use a wired solution (DSL). I had PLDT for many years and it was always slow. I guess our experiences have been different. Except on the SkyCable! 😉
When we first started to setup our home in the Philippines we started with Globe , Pldt is better here in Cainta Rizal area but the wait was long up to a month. The Globe service here is not very reliable in the past two weeks we have had five days no phone and off and on 4 days of no internet. We have signed up for Pldt to be installed the cost monthly is the same as Globe. Hope it is better.
Hi Arnie – Certainly the best provider varies from place to place. Here in Davao, in my 12 years of living here Globe has been the best for me. To me, I would not judge any company on the performance in the “past two weeks” – anything can happen on a temporary basis. For example, PLDT recently went through several weeks of bad service due to a cable up near Japan being cut and needing repair.
Pldt is installing our new internet connection,they had to run the new fiber optic line from down the street 3 blocks, neighbors are outside watching and asking questions to the Pldt installers.
Getting new Internet installed is a good thing! I hope it is as good as they said it would be!
DUH Bob! You’re not in the USA! remember that you are living in a 3rd. World Country! Even my cheapest Century Link here is 10 times faster, with virtually NO breakdowns! only when there is lightning which is seldom around here as you remember Bob. Anyway! GOOD LUCK! I think you’re gonna need it in the Visayas!
Hello Heinz – I don’t live in the Visayas, I live in Mindanao. I choose to live in the Philippines, and I know that not everything is perfect here, far from it. I still like to live here, and would not even consider moving back to your area, even if the Internet speeds are 10 times faster. BTW, when I lived there, the fastest speed I could get at that time was 28.8 Kbps dialup, because I lived out in the boonies.
I remember the 28.8 Kbps days also Bob..haha. Now we just pay for 3Mbps and it’s plenty fast even for Netflix etc; but I can get 15Mbps on my phone via 4G but only get 2Gb per month on our plan.
Yes indeed, Steve. Imagine the speed difference since those days! And, we still complain about today’s speeds!
I wonder about live data as I do a little trading in the US Markets.While in the Philippines,Having Price printing out exactly to the tick at the precise moment or incurring a loss due to massive slippage due to inadaquit internet.High frequency trading from the Philippines is possible?
I think it is possible, but it is important to remember that the internet is far from perfect here.
I have Globe here in Angeles, i changed from a bundled plan with Comclark – TV and Internet, cable. Internet should be 2Mb…ha..slow, but ok, it’s Philippines. But over a period for mor than 2 years my average was 1mb or less. Every time i contacted support that told me to measure my speed against some certain servers and the result could sghow almost the 2 i paid for. They wouldn’t listen to me even i have a background as IT manager and know what i am talking about, my ow professional tools could show the true average speed – and much more.
So i changed to Globe with 3Mb and it’s much more reliable. I get my TV via satellite from Cignal, great quality and a lot of HD channels.
So far i am very satisfied with Gobes internet, sure i will like more speed, but hey…i’m not that busy anymore 😉
Sounds like your experience is similar to mine, Axel. Glad you are getting reliability now.
Yeah…i feel frustrated, when i pay for something, but only get the ½ of what i pay for. As i told them: If i buy 1 kg meat, well, that’s what i get and expect – if i got ½ kg instead i feel cheated. These IP’s know what’s happening, they know if they can’t provide the promised connection, they know IFit is impossible to reach the promised speed. If i try to tell them what the really problem is, they just can’t answer or come up with irrelevant answers. I have never met a qualified IT responsible yet. They have been in my house several times to check, but find nothing wrong, i show them my network tools and what is happening. Big surprise – ohhh, can i have that software and so on. “yes – if you pay”…there it stops 😀
Anyway, as for now i feel fine with Globe, i have not needed to contact their support yet. I guess i soon upgrade to a better speed, just have to see if they provide something near the promised first.
I agree, Axel. I want what I pay for. The catch is that all of the ISPs here advertise that the speed is “up to” a certain speed. So, no matter what the speed is, they are providing what they advertise! But, I am happy with Globe, they are providing me good service.
Hi Bob
You have the same package as me by the sounds of it.
The system is quite good and my only complaint is that I have to re-boot it at least twice a day on average. My wife’s family say it is due to the weather but surely not if it is a telephone line and also on a sunny day!
I found out the problem with getting the PLDT. Apparently there are a limited number of lines in my sub-division and we have to wait for one to become available. Yeah right! The really frustrating thing is that we live in a modern sub-division so why not put more in originally?
Anyway, Globe is providing a fair service so no problems there.
Cheers
AJ UK
Hi AJ, interesting that you have to reboot your modem so often. Maybe the modem has a defect and needs to be replaced. I have not rebooted my own for at least 6 months. I am sure Globe will replace it for you if you ask them.
You could be right Bob.
I have suspected my electricity supply for some while now. One weird scenario I have is that when my iPhone is plugged in for a re-charge I cannot use the phone. It is the same with all of our phones in my house. If we charge the phones in the car on a journey there is no problem.
Is this just me or do others find this? I’m thinking of getting the electricity company in.
Sounds like there is something wrong, I don’t have that kind of problem. Might want to get that checked out.
Was using Globe DSL for the first 8 yrs i was here and it was decent to say the least. Back in 2009 was having a lot of problems with having to reboot the modem at least once a day. I called Globe and asked for them to replace the modem, i felt it has been 8 yrs and the modem has to be tired. They gave me a bad time about replacing it, so i got hold of a supervisor (shocked to get her on line) and told her that if they don’r replace the modem by this friday, want them to pick up there equipment on Monday. They replaced it the next day.
Hi David – I am surprised that they have given you a hard time about replacing the modem. There have been a few times in my 4 years with Globe that a new modem was needed and it was never a hassle at all. Not surprised that they came through with one when you threatened to leave, though.
That’s my speed Bob… 30 to 80 Kbps and very happy to have it here in the boonies.
It does everything I need. Occasionally, I even drive or take the bus to the “big city” (PPC) to read the newspapers.
Hi PB – I would guess that you and I have different needs. If I don’t have a decent speed I can’t feed my family. For some reason those kids like to eat!
Here in Philippines it is a jungle to find the best Internet provider. It often depends on where you live, some place the best is the same that is the worst in other places. I hope i have found my solution here, at least i am satisfied now. Globe DSL for Internet – Cignal satellite for TV.
Right now, I am keeping SkyCable for TV, but may make a change in the future.
We’ve been back in Davao for a year now trying to set up our little home business and we’ve had nothing but trouble with internet. We’re up in Panabo area where they don’t have many choices. PLDT is the only one that has an office here. So We signed up for a 2gig plan. speedtest.net never showed a download of 1gig. 6 months later we added a second 2gig line since we have 8 computers syncing large files at the same time.
I then purchased a Globe plan for my iPhone so i can use it as a back up. We had to go into Tagum since there was no office. Unfortunately a few months ago they started enforcing their “fare use policy”. Any time we reached more than 1 gig download the service was throttled way down.
The last 4-6 weeks have been really bad. Two weeks ago I read in the news that one of the major fiber optic cables broke because of tectonic plate movement. All of my staff has been complaining of terrible service. Globe, SkyCable, PLDT. Luckily that was fixed this week and service has been better.
I have a friend in Davao who runs a web design studio and she told me she subscribes to ALL of the services to have the most up time. thats just nuts!
This month we’re trying to get into business plans which they guarantee will not be throttled due to usage. To do so we had to get all of our Ph business permits. thats a whole ‘nother story!
Not surprising, when you get on the outskirts of the major city, service gets worse. Good luck, I hope you get what you are looking for.
Maybe you missed this Bob because I put it in the reply spot.
Also has anybody heard of this before from Globe?
12. Is the Tattoo Home Broadband antenna waterproof?
In case you need to have an external antenna, you don’t need to worry because it is waterproof and weatherproof. Since it will be installed outside your home, it was built to withstand all weather conditions.
http://tattoo.globe.com.ph/products/home-broadband.html#faqs
This is where I got the idea about the dish. Am I reading this wrong? This is from the FAQS section.
Thanks for the help.
Don’t worry, Terry, I saw it. I just could not reply right away because I went out for a bit – to the bank and the barber shop!
You mean you have a life away from your computer? Shocking sir, shocking! LOL Thanks again I love reading your stuff.
Bareley, Terry… barely! Don’t tell my wife.. she won’t believe you! 🙂
Well I also cut the cable about three months ago and guess what? I haven’t missed it.
I still have netflix I use occasionally and I have a antenna in the attic for local channels. I have been missing a lot of shows I always loved, and I didn’t think I could do with out. But life goes on with out me.
And it is cool now I have less distractions. And I hope I am spending more productive time doing what I need. Got rid of my smart phone too. Twice a day I check on my face book and instead of looking right at it when I get a notification. I get to look at 10-15 notifications that 90% don’t really matter.
Hi James – I didn’t cut the cable for the TV, though… just for the Internet. 😉
Funny about areas here in Duma I have Sky and its been really good …
Glad somebody is getting good service from them, Lenny! 🙂
I have enjoyed consistently good service from my Globe Tattoo on my last 4 visits. A friend told me about the 200 peso 5 day unlimited plan which to me comes out to about a dollar a day ( 24 hours ). I never did a speed test with it but on the many web pages I flip through daily the speed was quite satisfactory all things considered. I use the Globe Tattoo in Iligan City, CDO and Manila.
Hi Bob – It’s hard to beat acceptable service at $1 per day! You can’t hardly go wrong at that price.
We get good speed here in us but pay a bunch for it. Two months ago I dropped the paper the cable tv and also the home phone land line. I now use an indoor rabbit ears for tv an pay dearly for my cable internet. Oh and I save about 100 plus a month.
Saving money is always a good thing, Don, provided you are getting what you want and need. Good move.
Hi Bob just courious many of us that moved to the Philippines enjoy a cup or two of coffee in the morning always brewed coffee. While on our computers. Now in our new country where instant coffee seems to be the choice. How many of us have made the switch to instant coffee ? I still prefer brewed but have adjusted to instant for most mornings.
Hi Arnie. You be honest, I am more of a tea guy. In fact, I just finished a cup of English breakfast tea. I drink a cup of instant coffee from time to time, but I prefer brewed.
Haha Yes Bob that is good I also like tea. I brew a big pot have a cup and when it cools down I put the rest of the tea in ref for ice tea. Sorry to change the subject from internet cable 🙂 I have Signal tv with the dish no problems at all wish they had internet.
Hi Arnie – I gotta have my iced tea as well… I’m an addict!
It is strange that in a country that grows coffee beans it is hard to find them for sale other than at the coffee houses. Where they seem to be competing with Starbuck’s pricing and even besting it if you are counting in peso’s. Did score some green coffee beans when we were in Cavite last trip. Had to roast them and they were barako which takes some getting used to. Think Navy/Cowboy Coffee on steroids.
Hi James – I roast green coffee beans. Greens are not difficult to find in the right places. In the Mt Apo area where a lot of coffee is grown you can find greens in many public markets.
Hi Bob,
I’m a little late on this thread precisely because we are trying in vain to secure internet access at our new place in Tagaytay. The options where we live seem to be limited to Tagaytay Cable (5Mbs advertised) and Globe wireless (no DSL).
While the cable company has been “working on an installation” now for four weeks (waiting for equipment, needing money up-front to run cable to our side of the street, etc.), we have started looking at Globe WiMax as a backup. In our area, that means a max of 2Mbs with Globe and the real bandwidth is “TBD” for the cable company. Like you, I make my living off of my ability to be online, so the bandwidth – while important – is less critical than reliable access. So, for now, we are doubling up on providers.
While my American mind is boggled by the fact that the local cable company doesn’t have supplies for a new basic installation on-hand, I’m trying very hard to accept the required mind-set. The sad truth is, we’ve been paying rent on a new house since the first of the month, but cannot move into it due to this one key issue. And since I start my workday at 3am, that leaves any cafes out of the question. Despite having started with our efforts to “get ahead of the game” two weeks prior to signing our lease, we are still stuck in a Filipino time-warp.
Paul – NEED HELP HERE!
Hi John – Over my years in the Philippines I have been through those kinds of situations myself, and I understand how it feels. I suppose all I can do is wish you the best of luck!
Clarification: The “help” I need, Bob is with my attitude. 🙂 Paul has seemingly mastered the “smile when you can’t win” approach and I’m working hard to emulate – but it’s taking a bit of time for me. It’s all good!
Hi John, the key is time… It just takes time for you to make the adjustment.
Hi Bob – I am amazed that people in Australia complain about their internet/phone providers very regularly. For our family needs in the Philippines Globe is just good enough for 2000php a month plan, but the service and quality of Australian companies, in looking back make Globe look like real amateurs.
Important to remember, we don’t live in Australia.
Bob – So true, but I actually do like the slow pace in the Philippines just not slow Internet. Lol.
Bob – a couple of Philippine fiends in Manila that have online jobs had extended poor internet. After many complaints they finally snapped and got abusive with their internet providers to improve their poor standard of connection. Amazingly they had reported immediate instant improvement that was ongoing after their complaints. I said maybe they limit internet to make more profit and increase it a bit more if you complain.