Hi all *Background*Our household moved to Skinny Ultra Fibre from Vodafone around 2 months ago on their "2 Months Free" deal.Starting out on the 200 Plan, we immediately noticed that this was not enough performance for us, so we moved to the Ultra Fibre plan. Since moving and having this confirmed by Skinny, we have seen a very marginal increase in speed (max I have seen is around 360 down and 400 up).I have tested on multiple laptops in the house directly connected to the Skinny box with Ethernet - same thingWhen I logged a case with Skinny, I was advised to connect my laptop directly to the ONT to test speed. Ran this on 3x laptops - same speed (around 360/400). Their conclusion is that my 3x laptops are not capable of receiving anything faster than what I am seeing and asked me to prove (photo evidence) that the laptops can receive more than the above (I have seen with my own eyes one of the laptops connected to a Spark Fibre connection previously and getting 900+ down and 500 up). Anyone had/having similar issues with Skinny?I am realistic and know that real world speeds will be lower than advertised, but I can't help but think it should be faster than the above and that there is more than meets the eye...
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Skinny Ultra Fibre - Speed Issues
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Will there ever be visual voice mail
@hio77 , Do you know if there is ever going to be visual voicemail at all ??.Does anybody else have any experience with 3rd party visual voicemail providers. I see Vxt are they pretty good and what are their costs ??
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Edgerouter X + Huawei B618s-65d Wireless Broadband unit
Does anyone have experience of using the Edgerouter X with the Huawei B618s 65d LTE Spark combo? I'm keen to explore what the ERx (and Ubiquiti generally) has to offer but I'm a bit concerned as to compatibility with the Huawei unit. Once the ERx is set up and configured, I was hoping to take a feed from the B618 into eth0 and reticulate from eth1, 2 & 3. However I can't see the ability to put the B618 in bridge mode so instead was intending to switch off DHCP and Firewall with the ERx doing that. I might if possible and in the short term use the B618 WAP as one of several WAP's (re-purposed de-commissioned routers) around the house. I'm intending to rationalise the WAPs down to two Unifi PoE WAPs as soon as funds permit! Questions I have with this proposed setup are: does switching off DHCP & Firewall on the B618s effectively achieve bridging, or will I be at risk of double NAT and if so is that likely to be a problem in practice in a domestic environment?can I use the Huawei WAP as well as the modem function and just switch off its routing funcionality? All advice appreciated. Thanks & regards,
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Spark voicemail setup reset today
Has anyone else had their Spark voicemail setup completely reset recently? Last used yesterday to check for messages but when I went to check messages today I was prompted with a first time setup including setting PINs and voicemail greetings. Hadn't been changed for many many years prior to this. Pretty weird.
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Spark 4G router - bridge mode
Hi AllI've just swapped our old ADSL2 connection for spark 4G (we are in a rural area). We have a Huawei B168S-65D 4G router.Previously, I had a Draytek Vigor 130 and a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter 5. The DrayTek was in bridge mode with the Ubiquiti using pppoe. This worked very well despite the 2Mbit blazing speed.Does anyone have experience with setting up the 4G router in bridge mode (modem only)? Is it possible? I gave up after an hour and I'm now using it as modem and router with the EdgeRouter sitting idle. Ideally, I would like to replicate my old setup.Any help would be great.Cheers.
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Buying a phone on plan.
I'm looking at buying a phone on plan and Sparks deal looks good. Just wondering if anyone answer a couple of questions - can I trade in my old device and do Spark allow you to trade up to a newer device at any time during the contract?
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Not skinnys fault, but older people get confused with their system.
Mum's CC expired, and her skinny $16 prepay plan expired and she couldn't use her phone. She thought it was simply because she wasn't paying enough money each month... so tried to change plan herself, also called skinny -- resulting in two $36 top-ups to her account and now she is on the $36 plan.....mistakenly thinking it will last longer because she paid more. Not sure how to fix this, I don't think you can change plan's so the new plan starts at the end of the current plan. A little funny, but it shows how older people just get so confused with these things. Even skinnys website does not explain things well at all.
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WBB router swap issues
My mum's with Spark and she has been on Wireless Broadband for a while. She is currently using the older B315 router which is working well providing both WiFi and a "landline" phone connection. Luckily she lives right across the road from a Spark cell site and gets excellent reception on the LTE side.Recently Spark got in touch with her and told her they would be sending a new router. The B618 arrived and Mum asked me to come over to set it up as she didn't feel confident doing it herself.So I swapped the SIM from the B315 over to the B618. Turned it on and all the status LEDs seemed OK (all green; except for the the bottom one was blue but looking online this seems normal?). Connected to the WiFi and was redirected to a Huawei set up wizard which I was able to complete without any issues. After this Huawei set up, internet worked fine over WiFi.However the phone connected to the B618 could not work. Same phone (a cordless base station) and same phone cable (that came with the B315 I assume) that previously worked fine on the B315. Mum reported beeping sounds or engaged sounds when trying to phone out (before attempting dialing). My husband with Skinny tried calling her number and it went straight to answerphone.Looked into the Huawei settings and noticed that the VoIP part had lots of blank settings (e.g. for SIP server and so on). Is this supposed to be the case? I didn't touch anything however.Didn't want to change any of the settings so ended up swapping back to the B315 as mum needs both internet and voice to be working. With the phone connected to B315 she was able to make and receive calls in both directions.Will go back next weekend for another try. Any ideas on what I should check? Or is this one of those 'plug it in and wait x number of minutes' sort of thing?Bit of a worry as the Spark person said all that needed to be done was swapping the SIM over...!
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Skinny VoLTE availability?
Hi, will skinny customers be able to benefit from spark VoLTE since they share the same network?
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Skinny app - managing more than one phone
I have put both my boys on Skinny. On the website, I can manage both phones via the same login, but it seems like the Skinny app (iOS) only lets you manage a single phone. Am I doing it wrong?
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Spark remove cap on Unplan Metro wireless broadband plans
Just received:For the first time in New Zealand, nearly a third of addresses across the country will have access to an uncapped wireless broadband plan - as Spark removes data caps on Unplan Metro, free of charge. Following years of sustained investment in network capacity and a strong performance during Covid-19, where wireless broadband traffic nearly doubled, Spark will be progressively rolling out uncapped wireless broadband for customers as capacity becomes available over the next three years.Data caps on Unplan Metro, which previously limited customers to 600GB per month, will be removed from 23 September. Available across the country in eligible coverage areas, Unplan Metro offers customers tiered pricing options based on the data they consume, starting at just $65 for base data usage of 0-60GB, and up to $85 for anything over 120GB. Mark Beder, Spark Technology Director, says uncapping wireless broadband is another positive step towards a wireless future.'New Zealand, like the rest of the world, continues to experience huge growth in the demand for data, which drives a 50% increase in traffic on our network every year.'Over the last two years we have made a significant investment in our network capacity, adding an additional 212 mobile sites and upgrading more than 700. We have now started our rollout of 5G, which will boost capacity even further.'We know our customers have been wanting more data since we launched wireless broadband in 2016, and our goal over the next three years is to make uncapped wireless broadband available to as many New Zealanders as possible.'Spark's wireless broadband works by connecting customers to the nearest cell tower, just like a mobile phone does. This removes the need for physical infrastructure, so it can be a good option for customers where fibre isn't available or isn't preferred due to the inconvenience of the installation required. Wireless broadband is quick and easy to set up - once a customer receives their modem they simply plug it in and they are ready to go in a few minutes. Customers also have the freedom to move the modem around the house to optimise WiFi and signal strength. Wireless broadband was initially developed for moderate data users who mostly use the internet for emails, web browsing, social media and some streaming, however the uncapped plan means customers with higher data requirements can now consider wireless broadband. A Fair Use Policy will apply to ensure all our customers have a good experience. Existing eligible Spark Wireless Broadband customers based in the Unplan Metro coverage area will have the data caps on Unplan Metro removed automatically, at no extra cost. For more information on Spark's Wireless Broadband or to check if Unplan Metro is available in your area, visit spark.co.nz/wireless broadband. Terms and Conditions apply.
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Skinny Mobile RCS Messaging now available?
Hi all, Was walking down the street yesterday and noticed when I went into the Google Message app on my Unlocked Huawei Mate 20 Pro it prompted me that RCS was now available and it was ready to be turned on. Is this something that other phones have had on he Skinny Network for some time and my poor Mate 20 Pro is late to the party or have Spark turned on RCS Messaging for Skinny customers?
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iOS 14 - Skinny Mobile
iPhone user with the updated ios14 on skinny mobile. When updating to iOS 14 it forced a carrier setting update as well which is normal but what I've noticed is when making a normal voice call (not FaceTime audio) with full 4G reception it switches to 3G to make the call. As soon as the call is over, it switches back to 4G. Now I've tried this in 3 separate locations in Auckland and every time it switched to 3G. My iPhone mobile settings under mobile data for voice and date is 4G. Has anyone else noticed this? Is there something i'm missing?Wasn't like this under iOS 13 and I just didn't notice?
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The end of Skinny Direct
An email just arrived advising of the not unexpected end of skinny direct so looking at options.Skinny - 28 day @ $36 makes it $39.11 per month $469.29 yearly gives only 1gb extra data.Voda - 4gb max speed but endless data $40 per month $480 yearlyKogan - Small plan 1.5gb $15.11 monthly $181.28 yearlyI mostly have wifi coverage when using my phone so just don't need a lot of data so Kogan seems the way to go - any thoughts on getting their $1 plan for 90 days then changing to the 12 month small plan, i'm guessing this is possible?
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Spark eSim / One number iOS14 possible problem
Possibly unrelated to the iOS 14 update, but I can no-longer receive calls on my mobile number unless my iPhone is switched off, then my Apple Watch rings... otherwise 'The person you are calling cannot be reached at this time'. I can make calls without issue. Anyone on Spark with an Apple Watch Cellular with one number able to check they can still receive calls? (Yes I have logged a fault with Spark but they didn't seam to understand the eSim Apple watch product)
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Spark Fixed Wireless Broadband - Recent Speed Increase to over 100Mbps
Just wanted to give a shout out to Spark guys and ladies that assisted me to resolve my connectivity issue a couple of months ago. It has been running very well since then. This is actually an understatement, it is running perfectly really, not even a single manual reboot. Now this weekend I noted that Steam and Epic are updating at much greater speeds. I'm seeing speeds of up to 130Mbps, typically hovering around 100Mbps now! Previously I got around 60-80Mbps, which I thought was the limit of the Huawei 618B router. This morning I Googled the specs on the router and see it is rated at up to 600Mbps. This means I'm still only running at a 1/6th of the maximum rating of the router. That made me wonder what are the maximum speeds currently being recorded by Spark Wireless Broadband customers? Am I already one of the privileged few in the 100Mbps plus range, or am I one of the poor guys still struggling along at "only" 100Mbps. Also, now that I know that more speed may be possible out of these 4G routers, does anyone know the roadmap for the speed increase that they can share?
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Last mile/backbone providers? nameservers?
Hi, Bit of a noob question, but I'm looking for a redundant circuit that does NOT use Vocus or Telia, which our current provider uses. So who do spark and their subsidiaries use?Also is there an updated list of nameservers somewhere? Xtra used to have alien.xtra.co.nz or similar, and another scifi-popculture reference, but IIRC they all went corporate and boring with forgettable names.
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Considering switching to Spark - a few questions
I am currently with MyRepublic, who I went with for various reasons including a 3 month discount and the fact that I have Google Wi-Fi which doesn't support VLAN tagging and they allow turning this off. I found out after I joined that they use CGNAT though so I have to pay for a static IP to be able to access services on my PC at home. I also work from home most of the time, and have found the stability to be a little poor with some services (MS Teams for example) dropping out frequently some of the time even on a wired connection. I'm on a full 950/450mbps plan so its $108/month. I am thinking about switching to Spark because they have a pretty sweet deal with the Xbox Series X + Gamepass for $52/month. I also pay $22/month for Netflix Premium and I believe there might be a plan that will reduce this? My questions are:What is performance like?Do Spark do CGNAT?How can I use Google Wifi, will Spark let me turn off VLAN tagging?If Spark don't turn off VLAN tagging what options do I have for a cheap bridge that will fit into a tiny comms box?Are there any good deals I can take advantage of? Cheers, Nick
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Do Spark ever block Xtra client access?
I'm helping a Spark customer set up xtra email their phone, but whatever I do I get an authentication error. I've tried 4 different apps, 3 different devices, including a Thunderbird client on a pc. All give authentication error. I even tried POP3, and still the same error. All port and SSL setting are exactly as they should be. Yet webmail access on any PC or Android tablet works fine. Online chat with Spark are adamant they don't ever block access. Could it be that they are anyway?
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Is Skinny Direct Closure Staggered
Re Closure of Skinny Direct my partner has had notification that it would close but I have never seen any notification and my account just rolled over as it has done in past. Maybe the closure is staggered?
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