Internet Speed

[Mervi]

I have a connection that comes automatically with the apartment I'm renting and is included in the price. And that's basically the only good thing I can say about it. The connection uses an "ancient" technology called HomePNA which basically shares the same line to all the apartments in the building, with the theoretical maximum speed of 1Mbps. Only... after I had lived here for a couple of years, the company that provides the connection decided they wanted people to pay *something* for it anyway, and dropped the speed by about half. The idea is that people can pay to upgrade it back to 1Mbps. (The price they're asking is actually very reasonable, but even so I've been so angry about this I decided not to pay. Besides with the crappy technology, I don't think it's worth it.)

So, officially, my Internet speed is 512kbps (incoming) / 256-128 kbps (outgoing). In reality, I'm happy to see anything incoming over 70 kbps, usually it's below that.


On the other hand, I have a pretty good deal on my iPhone which I can use to connect my computer to the Internet. I have an "unlimited" data plan, which means there's no limit how much I can download, and the speed is as good as whatever the network can provide at that moment (It's mostly 3G or Edge where I live). I got some special deal when I bought the phone, so the data plan which would normally be 19,90e + 14,90e per month only costs me 9,90e month and the contract is for two years. (Then again the actual phone calls are pricier than what other operators charge...)