My Review of Globelines Broadband Budget Bundles, Smart Bro and PLDT MyDSL
Six months ago, I subscribed to three (3) Philippine Internet Service Provider (ISP) namely, Globelines Broadband Budget Bundles, Smart Bro and PLDT MyDSL. At the time of installation, I believed it was not yet time to make a review. Give it six months, I said to myself. Since it’s been six months already, I think it is high time I make a review of my 3 ISP’s.
Take note, I am a paying subscriber located in Pasig City near the Marikina, Cainta, Quezon City area. I don’t believe in getting free subscription because I cannot demand the service I paid for. right? Anyway, here goes:
1. Smart Bro- 999 pesos for a 384 kpbs connection- installed March 2, 2007
This internet connection is located at Lauren’s computer. Installation was pretty fast with only 1 day waiting period. During the first four months, there were barely any connection problems. Slow speed started to occur sometime June. Calling the Smart Support (6727277) is torture. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour before you can get to talk to someone. They make you do all that PING, bandwidth testing on your PC before they call in the tech support to go to your place. I keep telling them that they have congested their cell sites. They replace the antenna thinking it’s defective. I complain it is a congestion problem. After a replacement of the antenna, the slow connection continued on especially starting at 6:00 PM .
SMART BRO’s dismal performance turned me into a “nasty” person and sometime August, I threatened to report them to the National Telecommunications Commission for non-existence of an internet connection. This was after waiting again on the phone for an hour. Fortunately, the nice technicians came. They are amazed that I am given support a day after my phone call. I kept thinking the SMART BRO tech people must have googled my name and found out I was a blogger. They changed my base station to a less congested base. I was optimistic this would work but no….slow connection still happened. I was more emphatic this time “If you can’t give me a stable internet connection, then just release me from the locked-in period”. In fairness to the tech guys, they did a great job the third time around. Since August, SMART Bro connection has been very stable.
Rating- 5/10 only because calling SMART BRO Support is torture and they tend to congest their base station. Though Support takes time to answer your calls, they give feedback in your cellphone regarding the progress of your report.
2. Globelines Broadband Budget Bundles - 1 MBPS with landline. The Globelines Broadband budget bundle costs only 1450 pesos a month (now at 1,250 pesos only)
The Globe Broadband connection is attached to Marielle’s desktop. The thing I like most about Globe Broadband is that their modem comes with a wi-fi router. My macbook uses this wi-fi connection. During the first few months, calling Globelines Support at 9198888 took at least 45 minutes. For the past 5 months now, I didn’t have to wait too long for tech support to pick up my queue. I have encountered 2 connection problems with them so far. The first one lasted for one day with no internet connection. My second problem with them was dropped wi-fi connection. I still get dropped wi-fi connection problems but I can live with it since it goes back up in less than a minute.
Rating 8/10 because their connection has been reliable. It could be better if wi-fi connection is more stable.
3. PLDT MyDSL 784 kbps and landline bundle at 1520 pesos a month.
Of all the 3 ISP’s, PLDT was the last to install. PLDT has dropped connections every 15 minutes or so. I called their Tech Support (171) and it took them a week to get a technician to our house. It was the landline tech personnel who made sure that there were no problems in the landline connection. After they assured me that all the lines were working well, I thought my DSL connection would be smooth. I was wrong. The dropped connections continue to this day. Upon calling PLDT support, they keep saying that they are working on it. I give up calling on them. Maybe because I have another reliable ISP to run to when their connection is not working.
Rating 4/10 because of the lousy PLDT myDSL connection. Support keeps saying they are working on it without giving feedback.
My suggestions to the Philippine Internet Service Providers:
1. Don’t assume that we don’t know anything about computers. Don’t say we have a virus when you don’t even know if I am using a mac or a PC. Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I am clueless about computers. Don’t assume we are ignorant.
2. If you are going to have long queues in your Tech Support lines, consider using the SMS system that Destiny Cable (my old provider) uses. When there is a tech issue, I would just send a text message with my landline to their support. When they are free, they return my call. Works like a charm.
3. Stop using the byline line faster than dial-up when you promote your broadband ads . You can’t fool someone like me who has been using cable internet for 8 years now. Yes, you can fool the dialup users but how long can you fool them?
4. Stop congesting or overcrowding your servers. There is huge potential and an untapped market for internet users . You can still earn profitably as demand rises.
To all those who have asked me which is the better internet service provider among the 3, I can say it is Globelines Broadband because of the stable internet connectivity and prompt customer support. But remember, not all ISP’s are the same in any locality. I heard Globe Broaband is really bad in Cavite.
My ISP recommendation is based on my location which is Pasig City near Marikina, Cainta, Quezon City area.
In conclusion, in terms of the best to worst ISP based on stable internet connection and customer service reliablity, here it is:
1. Globe Broadband (best)
2. Smart Bro
3. PLDT MyDSL (Worst)
Hope you find the best internet service provider in your area.
Edit- November 14, 2007
Read my entry on an upcoming Philippine Broadband company Happy Communications
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
[…] September 30, 2007- Added a Review of Globelines Broadband Budget Bundles, Smart Bro and PLDT MyDSL Technorati Tags: Philippines Cable Internet Providers […]
I’ve been a MyDestiny cable internet subscriber for three years now. I’d probably give them a 9/10. Rarely have i had any connection problems. And their customer service text hotline is really fast. At least if i ever had to wait, i wasn’t stuck on the phone. Needless to say (but I say it anyway). cable internet is the fastest web connection, kaya when I use other PCs with DSL connection, I get really impatient with the speed. hehe
@chateau- I was a destiny subscriber for 8 years . Sob . but I had to move here in Pasig where Destiny cable internet is not available. Yes their service and text hotline is fast.
Hi Noemi, Thanks! Your review is very helpful. I’m currently looking for the best ISP to subscribe into. There are contradicting reviews on myDestiny internet service that is why I’m confused.
I live in the Paranaque / Pasay border area, have you heard any feedback on myDestiny internet service in that area?
And how much was the fee on myInternet before?
Unfortunately http://www.mydestiny.net is down so I can’t get more information from there
i linked this post to my blog, i found it very enlightening
Date: October 9, 2007
I have been having major problems with Globe line Broadband for over 4 months, and now with the 5th Globe tech visits at my home! Last week was the last tech at my house who told me that Globe reduced the DSL speeds in half. Before the reduction my true speed was around 100 on down-loads and my service plan was the 768 speed. You would loss your connection about 6 times a day.
Also I live in Davao City which is a few worlds apart from Metro-Manila–so the problem may be a local problem, meaning any place outside of Metro Manila. After all Davao City is the 3rd largest city in the Philippines with over a few million people, but that means nothing to Globe or the Philippine Government.
Globe over the past several months had reduced speeds by over 50% and are now limiting your access to USA sites–they are redirecting your search to Philippine or approved Philippine sites. Also now their 768K service plan runs at only 56K for the past 3 months –what a joke! Censor, Censor and censor! They must be working with Fools and censoring your views–so maybe they are trying to stop price compares so high goods prices in the Philippine will not look so bad!.
Do not try to watch video news above 56K since it will stop many
times or no picture. At 56K it stops only a few times when it works with a bad video picture! Also down loading data, is mostly at 7kb, so a 25mb file will take you about 4 hours if the line stays up—but mostly the line goes down before the file is down-loaded.
Frank
Former Vise President of Operations for a USA Computer Technology Company for 15 years.
With the Globe landline can you call local numbers for free like you can with a regular telephone? I was told that you can only call other Globe subscribers for free and even local numbers get charged as long distance.
Im a smartbro subscriber. Unfortunately, for 1 whole year my computer never reached their 384 kbps… Only 150 kbps.
Now that PLDT is terminating Teletipid/Telesulit prepaid landline this coming November 1, I guess I need to change my ISP provider with the one that offers an Internet bundled with a phone line. Isn’t it a good idea?
Thanks for the review…. Im from Pasig too.
Elvic
Machine and Computer Tech. (Davies Paints)
hi
i had globelines broadband 512kbps for a year and it’s really crap. i’ve had problems almost everyday. i get disconnected almost every 5 minutes for an hour before the connection stabilizes. i even experienced a week up to 3 weeks without connection. i called them but they kept repeating same sh*t. i can’t switch to other ISPs coz it’s the only ISP available here.
location : san fernando cebu
speed : 512kbps
rating : 0.5/10
after being fed up with this f***ed up connection, i decided to switch to 1mbps. now, this are brilliant, they give me sometimes 50kbps instead of 1mbps for a whole damn week, wtf? at 512 my dl speed was 75kbps at max. so i thought i would have 150kbps with a 1mbps connection. all i can get is 130kbps dl speed though. so i get a dial up speed connection most of the time with like 5kbps dl speed instead of 150kbps at 1mbps connection. damn it. it’s really hard to talk to techs coz all they do is let you listen to jose marie chan. grrrr. hopefully pldt will expand and reach our place. i’d like to give it a try.
rating : .0001/10
still arguing with the tech people as they wont believe it’s congestion problems or anything.
hopefully they’ll do some upgrading with their hardware. i think they can’t handle the ever increasing demand for broadband connection with their current state.
why do i get high ping latency in online games between 9am~2am early morning? its been 3 weeks now and i cant fix it. globelines wont send a tech. all they do is tell me to observe. errrr how can i play games if the only time it gets normal is when im sleeping. no matter how many times i restart the modem, the ping just wont go down. it causes too much delay to the games i play. befor this problem i used to get only 30~80ms. now i get 200~500ms >_
@Jenny- I don’t really know the Paranaque area. I’ve heard PLDT is the more
reliable provider
@Frank- just be persistent. Document and try to send your feedback to the NTC.
@phil- as far as I know, local calls are free here in Manila.
@elvic- that is normal speed for smart bro. They promised up to 384 kbps anyway.
so saying you have 150 kbps is being safe to them
@euman- keep bugging them. Be persistent. Document everything and report to NTC.
im a smartbro subscriber for over a year now. so far ive never encountered any serious problem with them. Yes sometimes i’ve encountered no internet connection but that only happens after strong typhoons wherein they have to repair their base station. After that back to normal again.. for me ill give smartbro 8/10…
How does Globelines fare in the Muntinlupa Area? Lately Smart BROken gets disconnected (Request Time Out when you Ping) about 3 times then it will ping normally. A few times it will Request Time Out for about 10+ consecutive times for about 5+ minutes. Very Unstable ever since October.
Anyone have any feedback regarding Globelines Broadband in Leyte?
I’m fed up with Bayantel and the only other available ISP here is Globelines.
Do you think it would be wise to transfer?
[…] Over six months ago, I wrote about my three new Broadband internet providers (Globelines Broadband, Smart Bro and PLDT Mydsl) for which I pay around 4,000 pesos a month. Am I happy with my three internet providers? I wrote a brief review about these providers a month ago. The ratings I gave those three providers are as follows: […]
hello,
i like your blog. lately i had been reading blogs about ISPs, which ones are better and economical. Blogs and research led me to smart bro and globe packages. i first applied with Globe but they said that my house will cause overlaying of wires and malamang extra charges. lousy globe guys gusto ko pa namn sana ng package nila. i now landed with smart bro and just got it installed. so far connection is around 120 kbps, 2x ng dial up for a cost of Php999. sad but no choice. i really would like to get in touch with you coz u have diff ISPs and i know you could help me with my future questions. you can email me at rinoa2babes@yahoo.com. tinx hope to hear from u soon
Connection for globebroadband here in bacoor cavite is really very, very bad. wish i have a choice.
Imus Cavite Globe Broadband Plan 1295 - 1Mbps
current connection:
Download Speed: 737 kbps (92.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 351 kbps (43.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
…not bad
[…] Most of you have probably read my Review of Globelines Broadband, Smart Bro and PLDT Mydsl. This time I am presenting the speedtest of my ISPs. Tests were taken at 9:30 AM on December 13. Usually mornings have slower connections, hence I tested it at this time. I used speedtest.net. Remember, I am based in Pasig City, close to Quezon city and Marikina to have an idea of my location. […]
I had two past ISP’s : Bayantel and Globelines
I am in QC area
Bayantel : This is a dismal, sluggish BUT RELIABLE ISP… Never had a disconnection or if there was, I cannot really remember because it was just for a short period of time. I give it a passing mark!!!
Globelines: I hate this ISP. Well, at least here in Congressional QC. I had a faster connection, I must hand it to the Globe and the Tech Support answers your call in about 5 minutes. BUT Hell, the connection was rarely there!!!! One day a week lang ang connection ko. For most days, I was without any internet…. It would’ve been the best deal in town but they fail in giving real service… So, I terminated the contract in just one month. How did they allow me, I have no idea…. maybe my letter request was compelling enough….
Now, I’m with Smart: I am afraid this is gonna be a slow one!!!So wait til you hear from me guyz!!!
Good luck!!!
Globelines Broadband is a scam!!! Letting us customers experience their 7-day trial period of real broadband speed then they will tie us in their 1yr bond then after that the HELL ON EARTH of internet begins.
I am experiencing problems with globelines broadband… I subscribed to their 512kbps wireless broadband package with wireless phone (PHP1295/mo.)… they gave me 7 days trial period and within that trial period I was amazed with the speed… pumapalo from 700+ kbps to 1+ mb… kaya pina-activate ko kaagad. Pero eto na ang kalbaryo… right after the 7-day trial period nagsimula nang maging intermitent ang connection speed nila either super bagal (I even got 5bps or lower!!!) o totally walang connection. Lagi ako nagrereklamo sa CS nila pero wala naman sila ginawa kundi palitan yung modem na wala naman nagbago ganon pa din naman problema. My work is related to IT and I know that there is no problem at my side (hardware, softwares, cabling, etc…). Kakainis na talaga ang service ng globelines… feeling ko naloko lang ako kase nakatali ako ngayon sa kanila for 1yr dahil sa 1yr bond na kasama sa package.
I am currently a subscriber of Globe DSL (384KBps). My location is Pasig. I WAS a happy subscriber on my first 6 months. The connection was fast and stable. Sometimes my bandwidth is at 500. But things changed… i now have an intermittent connection (gazillion times a day) since mid dec of last year and up to now it is not yet resolved. Doing follow up almost every other day since no technician came to our house to check my connection.
Please help me.. who should i contact to report this issue with the bad connection and service.
Hello! I can’t help but leave a comment on this topic. Just so I can bring up my thoughts and release my emotions on PLDT’s very poor service. I would really really agree with you by saying that PLDT MyDSL is worst in terms of their service. I can attest to that. My family used it for more than a year but decided to have it cut sometime last year because of their really really poor service. I was really dismayed with them. Our plan was the P1995 with 512 kbps then. First it went so well but as time passed by their service began to be nasty to the point that we didn’t have connection at all. This is the catch…we were still billed P1995 every month huh! Everytime we call to report the connection problem it took us 10 years to get connected with one of their CSRs. And worst, once connected they would just say they would forward your complaint to their tech team and nothing follows. Nobody bothered to do a visit to check the equipments, which I also requested for a replacement. But to no avail. I ended up buying my own. I also asked about the speed because the new customers with the same plan (P1995) will be able to get a speed of I think 1+mbps as compared to what the old users like me are getting (512kbps). They just said that they’re in the process of aligning the speed for all subscribers nationwide in a 5-year timeframe. Duh! But being the good citizens that we are, we still paid those monthly bills and gave ourselves the hope that they would do something about it. Unfortunately there was no improvement. After several months of paying but with no connection we came to a saturation point that that was it. We requested to have it cut. We asked for some rebates for those months that we weren’t able to get what we’re supposed to have. And all they gave us is P99. Wow… Thanks a lot!!!
I just hope that PLDT and all providers likewise will be fair enough to their customers. Give the customers what is due to them.
been using globe for 6mos now, i get a lot of network outages.. im on a 384kbps bundled with a land line.
rating: 5/10
reason why is, i like the idea of buddling their internet with a land line, because we use our land line regularly. internet is bad, gets disconnected all the time, intermittent, High ping Latency 500+. after the contract, will be switching to cable internet, well.. im looking at Destiny or zpdee cable internet..
Hi I was researching for GlobeLines reviews and I end up on this page…
for the reason for this was lately our PLDT DSL 1995 pesos became intermittent ever since they transfered the port from the old one AT&T i think or what ever that is Alcatel I don’t care but what i do mind is that the internet connection has been cutting off for 3 weeks now.. and to top it all… timing on the weekend pa! when you really needed the internet because you are not in the office… it will start around Friday night up to God’s knows when the Technician gets in to your house that is Monday afternoon… then same thing will happen when the Friday night comes…
since we are 2 years customer of PLDT DSL and our lock period has expired we are really looking forward for new provider since this problems has not been totally solved.
I really don’t know what other provider that is reliable here in Obrero, Davao City
Can you help me guys?
hey guys…
i subscribed to smart bro plan 999 just a month ago so far so good i had experienced good internet connection with 394kbps speed i got 264kbps but its rare thats because i think of peak hours from 7pm to 10 pm but everything is fine and most of the time i got the speed that i want for(max speed)…i hope the speed wont change til my locked up period will expire.
tnk u bro…..
Hi guys, I think I need help badly.. advise perhaps. (?)
I’ve been using my N70 to serve as a modem for my laptop for months now, but my hub went crazy and I need to try these “faster than dial-up” stuff. I am from LB, Laguna and I went to PLDT but I think it’s too heavy in the pocket for they have this PLDT + landline 1 mbps but you need to avail a modem (P1,200) and 1,700/month with 2 months advance.. That’s about P4,600 for availing their service. (ouch!) then, there’s this cable connection here, offering 310 kbps for 880 (no installation fee whatsoever plus the modem is free).
Hence, one of the rooms in the apartment has SmartBro but their supposedly 384 kpbs/999 a month has been screwing giving them a range of 100-150 kbps (not so exact about this though) almost all of the time. Geez, am really confused with this. I’m thinking of risking with the CCTV kwiknet connection but am quite hesitant with all the comments i’ve just scoured on this blog. Please advise me as I desperately need it.
As for Globelines, there appears to be no office here. (darn it!)
Thanks mucheeze..
I’m from Fairview, QC and I would just like to give my review (based on my experience) on Globe and Smart Bro services.
1. Smart Bro P999 Wireless Package — very stable, almost no disconnections experienced. Very reliable and stable speed at ~250 to 300 kbps.
2. Globelines Broadband P1995 2MB w/ landline package — absolutely pathetic! It has been 20 days now since they had me connected but I only had dial tone for 4-days. Internet is not stable…from a 2-day streak of ~1,500 kbps to about 3 days of up to ~45 kbps. A lot of drops in connection. Customer Service is the WORST of its kind!!! In the span of the 20 days in hell, I probably called in around 15 times to follow-up on my dial-tone and lousy internet speed. I practically know their spiel:
“I apologize for that sir…I’ll make an urgent/priority/personal (take your pick, they just pick from a bowl) follow-up on this. Paki monitor na lang po within 24 to 48 hours”
Every agent I talked to said the exact same spiel. So I told them na 384 hours ko nang minomonitor!! Not even a single technician visited me up to this point. I am having this service disconnected today and switching back to Smart Bro. 2MB Globe? No, thanks!
Joel
I totally agree with your review for PLDT. I have my share of nightmares … let me share the conversation i had with them..
here goes…
Hello!
I knew this is going to happen but because they said PLDT is worth a try , I applied. Look what’s happening now, it hasn’t even started all I’m getting now is poor customer service. In short , nothing but bad experiences with you. I paid the installation weeks ago and until now not even a single word from you . I know this is not your fault but please do extra mile for me. I don’t want to become another but unsatisfied customer writing negative feedbacks on every BLOG there is on the internet. I want to know the installation date ASAP.
Thank you ,
Norman
——————————————————————————–
From: customercare@pldt.com [mailto:customercare@pldt.com]
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 10:15 PM
Subject: RE: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION FOLLOW UP
Dear Norman
Good day!
This is to acknowledge your email. We regret to inform you that due to some technical problems, we are unable to access the record details. Should our system becomes available we will attend to your concern the soonest.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Marie for customercare@pldt.com
——————————————————————————–
From: Norman
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 7:36 AM
To: customercare@pldt.com
Subject: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION FOLLOW UP
Importance: High
Hello !
I was promised that I will get my connection this week but unfortunately I got no call from anybody to inform me of that promise.They told me to pay immediately so I can get the service, which I did but until now there’s not a word from you.
I hope you’ll consider the urgency that I’ve been telling you in all communications I sent to you.
It’s frustrating to start like this with your company, I wonder what’s in store for me in the future.
I will give you until Monday If I don’t get I word of the exact date of installation please have my application cancelled.
Thank you.
Norman
——————————————————————————–
From: customercare@pldt.com [mailto:customercare@pldt.com]
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 1:02 AM
Subject: RE: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION FOLLOW UP
Dear Norman;
Thank you for your e-mail.
We will advise you if this is possible for installation today. We are still coordinating with the Division-in-charge and we are still waiting for their response.
Sincerely,
Jean Cruz
for customercare@pldt.com
——————————————————————————–
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 11:14 AM
To: customercare@pldt.com
Subject: RE: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION FOLLOW UP
Please let me know the status if I will get connection today.
Thanks
Norman
——————————————————————————–
From: customercare@pldt.com [mailto:customercare@pldt.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:32 AM
Subject: RE: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION FOLLOW UP
Dear Norman
This is to acknowledge your e-mail.
Please be advised that we have forwarded your concern to the Business Area Head to confirm the exact date of installation of your telephone line and DSL. We will keep you posted as soon as we receive their feedback.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jean Cruz
for customercare@pldt.com
——————————————————————————–
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:28 PM
To: Customers@pldt.com.ph
Subject: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION FOLLOW UP
Importance: High
Hello!
I would like to know the date of installation of S.O.7329240
I need the connection badly.
Thank you,
Norman
——————————————————————————–
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:33 PM
To: ‘customers@pldt.com.ph’
Subject: DSL AND LANDLINE APPLICATION
Hello!
I applied online few days ago but unfortunately until now i still haven’t received any update from you.
please let me know the status , ASAP. Thanks.
Norman
Oh well, been using SmartBro since ‘05.
The only rub I encountered was when Bagyong Milleño visited the Flips.
And Noemi is kinda right when she stated that Globe Broadband isn’t performing great here in Cavite. THANKS FOR THE FORUM!
i encountered the same congestion problems with Smartbro. What makes it worst is that nobody from my family knows computer much, I am an OFW by the way. Smartbro insisted that it was due to virus, sometimes due to tree blocking their signal, sometimes due systems maintenance they were doing, etc. etc.
I got fed so I requested it to be disconnected only to find out of the 12 months lock in period ruling. I waited for another 4 months to have disconnected. Then I applied for Globelines internet + phone. So far everything’s ok with globelines. Smartbro is now begging me to pay my one month bill…..
we have been using globe wireless and they suck!!! i’m from pasig too but i think our connection is with mandaluyong.
gud afternoon! i have pldt my dsl at my office it was connected on april 04,2008 but it has no dial tone…i really need a landline on my office so as soon as possible please connect it.how come my bill is running but i cant use my landline…it was located at sto domingo capas tarlac..
I have used two so far:
SmartBro — connection never really got up to 384 kbps. Mostly below 200. Intermittent. A little bit of wind and the connection is gone. If you have a storm or typhoon, forget it.
Globe Innove — i thought their wired connection would be much better than SmartBro’s wireless. I was terribly wrong. Disconnected every few minutes. We have to reset our connection everytime just to get back online. Even as I’m typing this I can see my connection is again gone. I hope I don’t lose this comment. Speed goes up to 200+ when it’s on. Their speed check tool says it’s 500+. Don’t believe it.
So far I have yet to find a good broadband provider in Las Pinas.
@susana reyes lol. edi tawagan mo ang PLDT about your landline na walang dial tone. normal lang na mawalan ng dialtone kapag ang landline mo ay kinokonek sa dsl for the first time. nangyari sa amin pero one day lang naman. ok na ulit. lol.
saws kung may problema kayo sa connection, tawagan nyo lang noh. tatamad nyo kasi eh.
Well, i have been a loyal PLDT Mydsl subscriber for 2 years now, in the past i have been experiencing some sort of problems in my connection but my connection is real fast now. Im planning to switch to Smart Bro but im not sure if its really fast compared to PLDT Mydsl. My location is in Cebu.
Dont try to get SmartBro! If you will try to access the UI of the canopy that they provided, you will actually see that the uplink and downlink is set to 256kbps, sucks right?! they said that it is 7x faster than dial up, but guess what, try to make a speed check, you will find out that it is 2x faster than dial up…running about 100kbps! they tech support sucks same goes with with their customer support! after doing some powercycle and ipconfig/release and renew they will conclude to try to connect some other time!
Guys if you’re going to ask me, I may say that I am good wtih computers, DONT GET SMARTBROken!!!!
smartBro in elbi sucks so bad. the first two months were good then problems started cropping up. I was at the office so I had my girlfriend call up smartbro tech support to fix it. They told her to UPGRADE THE OPERATING SYSTEM. WTF. I had windows xp then. The problems never stopped until I had to move to Sta. Mesa. My lock in period wasn’t over so I just had them reinstall the antenna there. It’s been fine for 5 months now but I had my first problem yesterday morning when tech support said something about doing “technical upgrade”. BS. i now have slower speeds. I’m thinking about migrating to Globe.
I am using globelines broadband,and for me it’s worst connection!
I live in makati,in an exclusive condominium where globelines has exclusive contract.
Everytime I change room I experienced an unexplainable dropping out of my internet connection and it was every 15 minutes.So many times I called and asked to globelines to repair but nothing change! they said this time the server system was on going to repair but until now I dont have any answer!
globelines broadband is worst!
I have globe bb a imus and except for the occasional dc/slow down… i am satisfied with it. maybe other parts of cavite…
I’m using Bayantel DSL for almost a year now (I live in Quezon City). And so far, so good! They rarely have bad connections (except during super bad weather but service immediately resumes). I highly recommend it to those who are still looking for a reliable internet connection or those who have decided to shift from another ISP.
I availed of their bayanDSL + phone package. It’s P1,199 per month. This package includes:
- 384 kbps of DSL
- landline
For me, this package is ideal for basic home use. But there are other packages you can choose from if you want faster internet connection (http://www.bayandsl.com/resi/bundle.html).
I think their customer service is also noteworthy: you don’t have to wait very long when you call the customer hotline, they have money-back guarantee and they have 24-hour service guarantee for both phone and DSL.
Wow nice review. Anyway, I am subscribed with smart bro for 6 months now and I may say I am currently satisfied. Not with the speed but with the stable. I live at meycauayan, bulacan and I never had any disconnection unless it’s very windy. But I was thinking of changing to globe broadband cause I just want a cable subscription. Thanks also to other guys and now I’ve sent an application to myDestiny hope they have a junction here :-). And to all guys there who ask by there technicians to upgrade their operating system, DON’T DO IT! Even a windows 98 could have connection. I don’t know about windows 95. But anyway, windows users, try to switch to Linux. There are a lot of linux os out there. I would recommend linux mint! I’ve been using this for 1 year and I’ve never experienced any viruses or spyware. And the good part is, it’s 100% free. Try searching the web. I have not encountered any hardware conflict.
Nope. The different ISP DSL performance/reliability is still depends on where your location is (don’t ask me how’s that possible, but its true)..
I am from Fairview Q.C, last year I subscribed in Bayantel DSL(384kbps) and My connection is reliable but slow (no discons but speed drops from your actual subscription). After a year bond from them I switch to Globeliness which is much cheaper and much faster(1mbps). But, this is the most worst ISP I know! (although I haven’t subscribed in PLDT yet but we have in Novaliches with My family and there are no problems regarding with the reliability of the connection).
Globelines drops connection every 2-3 hours lasting for 30-60 mins, Tech Support has no o little “know how” technical ideas of the actual problem we has. And best of all, our landline phone… yes the phone which invented century ago is also DOWN!!! Imagine that, not just your Internet connection but also your phone! We had a phone in our house since my birth 27 years ago and I don’t remember having a problem with our phone. Anyway, just wanna share this story of mine. I decided not to pay globelines this coming month(I don’t care with the bonds they had because I still have 7 months from them) and switch to PLDT.
nice blog…i’m one of those unhappy subscribers of digitel1 here in bulacan. the unstable speed keeps me wondering what’s going on with my connection. is it really true that these ISPs are throttling our lines to cope up with the demand?especially during daytime when my speed drops to 30% of my subscribed plan.
I agree very much with your ratings especially pldt mydsl. But you didn’t test Bayantel, I rate it the same as Globelines or much better.
Hi, i just read your entry about the comparison betweenthe 3 ISPs and i found it to be very helpful and very well contstructed. I was wondering what your opininon was about Smart Bro prepaid internet. Unfortunately at the condo where i am staying the thats only option i have for an internet connection. Any advice or opinions would be very much appreciated. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Hi Guys,
Globe Broadband is far better than Smart Bro, MyDSL and Bayantel. Lahat nman yan may problema pero sa experience ko, ok ang customer service ng GLobe. Bottom line is, you can never get a perfect connection from any of these providers, just weigh the pros and cons… read reviews like this… and accept the facts.
My suggestion, go for the GLobe Broadband wired or wireless data only package. (if it’s available in your area)
nothing beats smart bro kung bad performance and bad customer service…
it takes one hour and a half to download a file which is only big as 50mb….
and it disconnects every 5 mins when i am using skype or playing online games….hindi nako makalevel up!!! hahahaha…. tooo bad i live here in pampanga….it stinks…. now i have to choose the other two…..pldt or globe……dahil patapos na rin ang paghihirap ko dito sa smart… 2 weeks n lng ako…. hahahahaha…. sa customer service naman grabe … halos malast song syndrome na ako dahil halos 1hr nako naghihintay .. ath
sasabihin lang sa iyo “sir ok naman yung signal mo ang lakas pa nga e
napamura ako sabi ko “eh p@#@@@ ina mo pala eh kung malaks signal ko bakit ako naddc at mabagal? basta worst ang smart ….
smart is a living hell…. “ooohhhh 7x faster than a dial up”
what a crappy add…. i wish lahat ng smart bro users magsamasama para sumugod na sa ntc(with background music of sugod by sandwich)
wow. thanks.
i’ve been thinking a lot of getting an internet connection in my apartment. This review is really helpful because i’m really half-decided.
What can you say about your Globe Broadband connection now? Just want to know your latest review about them. Because for me Globe sucks!!!http://www.suplado.com/2008/05/quality-service-%e2%80%93-consumer-welfare-and-protection/ this my post about my previous problem. Now I dont have internet connection since June 13 after I reported june 14, (office) because my phone was also affected until now(june23) no technical person came. Already followed up more than 20xs.
I agree. PLDT DSL really sucks. I have to pay 3000 per month for a suposed 3Mbps speed but barely get 1.5Mbps (1.7Mbps if I’m lucky). They don’t want to give a rebate. They refused to downgrade my account. at pinagbabayad pa kami kung magddowngrade daw!!! Sinungaling pa mga technicians nila. Kesyo, tinransfer na raw kmi from Legacy to IPDSLAM but when I confirmed sa Customer Service sa SM North aba imposible nmn dw mangyari yun! Yung customer service rep din nila walang alam, basta basta na lang kmi pinayagan mag-upgrade to 3mbps only to find out after 2 months (and a bill of 8000++) na up to 2.2 Mbps lng kaya ng net namin dahil nga nasa Legacy p kmi. Ang pangalan ng customer service rep na basta basta lng nag-upgrade samin without informing us or checking our account is ARNEL QUERIJERO. Dito cia sa SM North PLDT makikita. He really ruined our life.
nice write up. i’m using smart broadband and i’m suffering exactly what u been through. those asshole in smart really think that users are ignorant where in fact they are more clueless especially when it comes to mac
Yo! Fook those internet service providers! Go! They deserve to be rated.
Nice post!