So you have a broadband connection that is turning you down? Here’s a snappy guide to keep your broadband connection on a high all the time!

Increase Stability

Most of the broadband service providers provide either DSL or cable based broadband connection. If you’re using DSL chances are it’s an ADSL connection. ADSL takes advantage of the existing last mile connectivity. ADSL is dependent on the quality of your telephone line. If you hear the next door aunty chit-chatting with her buddies all the time chances are your line isn’t ready for ADSL. Any amount of disturbance in ADSL can ruin your broadband experience. To make sure your broadband connection link remains stable ensure there is zero noise in the telephone signal. Bug the local linemen until you get a clear signal. Also make sure you have one single wire from the local junction box and the wire is a lengthy one to avoid attenuation losses. If you are using a cable based broadband connection then your stability is dependent on the distance from the local hub/switch from your provider. The shorter this distance the better it is.

Boost Speed

There is no such thing as boosting the speed of a broadband connection. No matter how loud you cry you will not get anything more than what you’ve paid for. What I mean here with boosting speed is to optimize the available bandwidth to the maximum potential. So this is like making sure if you’ve signed up for 256kbps, you get nothing less than that! There are several tricks to achieve this. DSL users can attain maximum download speeds using port forwarding for Bit Torrent. There are several registry editing tools available online that promise to boost your DSL speeds but I’ll advice you against using those. Go for regular speed checks online and keep bugging your customer care in case you’re not getting what you’ve signed up for.

Go Wireless

If you are using multiple devices like laptops, WiFi enabled smart phones etc. in your home/office to access a broadband connection then it makes sense to go wireless. Going wireless is fairly easy as you can purchase a brand new wireless access point for less than Rs. 2000 in the market. Or you could go for access point cum modem which costs anything between Rs. 2500-5000. Netgear’s WiFi access points are quite popular in India. These access points are stable and offer a decent range for a price tag of Rs. 1500 at Nehru Place.

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MTNL Broadband service TriBand has reduced it’s pricing for various broadband tariff plans. MTNL is all set to kick some major ass in the broadband service provider segment. At a time when TRAI is all screwed up with it’s broadband policy issues, MTNL’s price reduction could provide a much needed lifeline for broadband users in major metros. MTNL broadband has reduced it’s unlimited data transfer packages from Rs. 799 per month to Rs. 599 per month for a 256 kbps broadband connection. It is also providing 100 free calls with the same tariff plan. A very smart plan offered by MTNL faces a rotten egg right on the face with another tariff plan introduced by MTNL. The new plan provides the user with a speed of upto 2 mbps for only Rs. 99 per month. But wait! Don’t rush to the MTNL office yet, the plan includes a data cap of just 150 MB. So it evens out the whole thing. Some dumb asses as well as some smart people reside at MTNL Broadband. MTNL has also reduced registration charges by Rs. 100 and Modem security by Rs. 200.

Currently Airtel offers a 256 kbps unlimited broadband connection for Rs. 799. BSNL Broadband service Dataone offers the same for Rs. 750. Airtel could feel the heat in the metros served by MTNL Broadband. Airtel is expected to reduce it’s prices as well. People would obviously opt for MTNL as there’s a price difference of almost Rs.200 along with free 100 local calls. Way to go MTNL Broadband!

Here is the updated tariff plan list for MTNL Broadband service Triband:

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After a really hectic trip back to Faridabad nothing could be more relaxing than finally getting an Airtel broadband connection installed. It took us 15 days to get the ADSL connection. Airtel Broadband in Faridabad isn’t anywhere near the standards they set up in the Delhi region. Anyways I don’t give a damn now. All I need is the connection to work smoothly. So far everything is going well. We’ve been given a cheap Beetel 450 BX1 WiFi router. I have heard about the overheating issues with this router. Let’s see how far it goes before we manage to blow it up with the unlimited tariff plan. The speeds are just perfect. No complaints about that. Installation was quick. Although the technician seemed dumb to me. Lets see how it works out. For now we’re really happy to have a working WiFi connection in our room!

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After WiFi failed to live up to it’s expectations it’s time Chandigarh gets a slice of the WiMAX party. Tata Indicom is the first company to launch WiMAX broadband internet access in the city. WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard which is also popularly known as WirelessMAN. WiMAX can prove to be a great alternative to cable and DSL.

Currently Tata Indicom is charging a little over Rs. 2000 for security and installation which might be a bit too high. It’s not sure if the installation includes the price of a WiMAX adapter card. The installation and security can be waived off provided you pay up an advance rental of four months. The tariff plans are similar to the ones currently being offered by other broadband service providers in the city. A 256kbps unlimited broadband connection has been priced at around Rs. 750 and 384kbps for Rs. 1000.

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Airtel Broadband sucks in Faridabad. At least the installation part does. We called up one of their representatives last week and the dude did the registration part quick. He took the initial amount we needed to pay and promised he would get the dsl connection installed in two days.

It has been almost a week and still no connection. Now they plan to apparently dig up the road to provide us with a connection. That’s crap! Aren’t they supposed to do the feasibility part before letting us fill up the forms? It took me hardly 24 hours to get an Airtel Broadband connection installed in New Delhi. In Faridabad even the customer care sucks. They are so damn rude. God! This is hell!

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The folks at BSNL Dataone have been kind enough to change my tariff plan from Home 250 to 750 Plus Unlimited for this month. Somehow I feel they’re still screwing me up somewhere. They have changed my plan as I can see that on the Dataone user account panel. The speed as per my plan should be just about 256 kbps i.e around 30 kBps. The speeds I am experiencing have a different tale to tell.

I am getting speeds upto 208 kBps. Mind the B! Somehow my speeds remain the same as per my previous plan but my plan name is changed when I look it up on the backend. Strange. I really hope they don’t mess this for me in the billing section. I don’t want a million dollar bill at my place next month. As of now, let me enjoy some speed!

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BSNL Dataone is God’s way of punishing you for your sins. I still remember how I got my broadband connection installed. It took me a week long of frequent visits, requests and clarifications. I begged them for a broadband connection! Not that I am a huge fan but they were and they still are the only broadband service provider in my locality. BSNL Dataone is the best if it keeps working. The moment it goes down you’re in hell baby! The customer care is helpless. The local exchange doesn’t know what broadband means. The billing screw-ups are the worst. So when you have to change your tariff plan you need to write an application and go to the nearest local exchange. Unlike Airtel where you simply have to make a call and they don’t take more than a day to change your tariff plan, BSNL Dataone can only change your plan from the next billing cycle. No there is no mantra involved. They simply don’t have a software capable of doing it.

So I get the application printed out, fax it to my dad, he signs on it and sends it back to me. I go to the telephone exchange. What follows might just prepare you for hell. I walk in for the millionth time. I have been a regular at the local exchange trying to get some or the other problem sorted out regarding my broadband connection. So I just go straight to the lady who takes these applications. She is operating on a computer in front of her like it’s an X-Box 360. Suddenly she walks out of the office. She comes back in after 10 minutes. She looks at her screen and is amazed. She tells everyone that she is downloading something and she can’t entertain any queries. No one in the room is shocked. I expect a screw-up everytime I go there. Some newbies hopelessly wait. I left the exchange. I came back in the evening. This time there was a different lady. She seemed like she’ll do something at least. When my turn came she simply told me she’ll have to re-enter her password so just hold on. I’ll hold on baby. For broadband I’ll do your veggies too! She thinks for a moment. Somehow she showed mercy and said she’ll do it. She took my application and I was like ‘Wow man!’ Now I really hope they change my plan to the unlimited one by next month. They have 3 full days to screw-up. I hope they don’t. I really hope they don’t!

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I’ve been experiencing some really awesome speeds at home for the past few hours. I’ve touched a maximum of 50kB/s which is like really really awesome considering I’m on a 256kbps line. I hope this continues for long enough. Oh! But then I need to go visit Nehru Place all over again for a bigger portable hard drive for my lappy. Cheers to Airtel! And all those of you who curse their ISPs each time you can’t attain even promised speeds, check if Airtel is available nearby.

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BSNL Dataone has recently introduced a shiny brand new plan for the senior citizens. Not that they admit but it’s seriously a plan for your grand parents. The plan features Internet speeds of up to 2mbps at only Rs.125 per month. The minimum hire period is around three months. Here is the catch. There’s is a data transfer limit of, yes hold on to your underwear, just 150MB. Now that might not really surprise most of us since we have seen the worst of it from BSNL Dataone in the past but this one has simply raised the bar. I don’t know where they hire their MBAs from but one thing is for sure that they’re nuts. On the brighter side here’s broadband for the elderly who could use the net at their own will. But don’t you just get all excited and get your Grandpa this deal. If he gets addicted to the speeds, you might end up paying lakhs on the bill. Or you could keep him unaware of what Web 2.0 really is. Anyways cheers to BSNL!

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