 laser93069
join:2009-06-24 Langley, BC
| [BC] Telus vs Shaw
Shaw has an offer for 2 months of free trial internet for all Telus internet clients right now. Of interest is that when I do a speed test between the two I get a high download speed from Shaw ( 15 - 25Mb/s) but a mediocre upload speed (0.5Mb/s). On the other hand I have been a very satisfied Telus subscriber for almost 10 years (3Mb/s UP & 0.75Mb/s DOWN)
Why would Shaw upload speeds be slower (~0.5Mb/s)? Is the Shaw download speed real or would they have it cranked so as to sucker me in and then drop it?
Telus Speedtest results (Very Consistent): »www.speedtest.net/result/503235692.png
Shaw Speedtest results (Fast but getting progressively slower): »www.speedtest.net/result/502597421.png »www.speedtest.net/result/502602136.png »www.speedtest.net/result/503235118.png
Thanks Jim |
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 bobbingoff
join:2004-02-05 Vancouver, BC
| If you ever need help with setup, Shaw is much quicker to get thru to on the phone. If there is a long wait for support, Shaw gives you a call back option, unlike Telus (supposed to but rarely offer it) Shaw is also more willing to send out a technician if need be. Telus is a nightmare to deal with on the phone. |
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 jyeung inspiration reality Premium join:2004-03-30 North York, ON
·Cybersurf Corporat..
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1 edit | reply to laser93069 Keep in mind some of those speeds may be inflated if you have Shaw PowerBoost.
Technically, cable DOCSIS is a better technology and can allow for higher speeds. TELUS however does offer higher speed service as well (at a higher price, of course).
- Jason |
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 laser93069
join:2009-06-24 Langley, BC | reply to bobbingoff @bobbingoff That is true however the only support I have ever really needed has been when the issue has been between Telus and my DEMARC on the side of the house. Wiring and Modem/Router setup is not an issue for me. - Jim |
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 Kruisey
join:2006-12-30 Vancouver, BC | reply to bobbingoff I've just had next day service from Telus. The Technician came to my home......How much faster then that could anyone be.? |
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  joshb Don't sweat the small stuff. Premium join:2006-03-04 Calgary, AB clubs:
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·Primus Talkbroadband
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| said by Kruisey :I've just had next day service from Telus. The Technician came to my home......How much faster then that could anyone be.? I have had 2 times where when I called in the morning they had a tech out later that day... But both of those times were not normal circumstances...
Yeah overall you can't ask for much better service that what you got...  -- R.I.P Mom. |
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  phoneboy3
@shawcable.net
| reply to laser93069 Which is better has a lot to do with where you live. Telus is still twisted pair to the home which will NEVER be as good as Shaw Coax with Fibre nodes. In busy areas with too many people connected to a Shaw node it can get slow when busy until Shaw splits the node up.
If your more than a mile or two from a Telus Exchange your speeds can be pretty crappy and if your in an area with too few potential customers Telus doesn't like to spend much for upgrades to improve speed/service.
So to summarize, Telus is likely to be a bit better in dense areas not far from a Telus Exchange whereas a Shaw node could get slow at busy times. Shaw is likely to be better is less dense areas as hybrid Fibre/coax systems don't have issues with distance.
Of course there are all sorts of variables that can change that such as Telus having the ability to do Fibre to the Node for longer distances and Shaws ability to split their nodes for busy areas. |
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 Glynn023
join:2009-03-01 | We've had FTTN for years... you're looking at a max of 5-600 meters to the node in most areas... -- My opinions are my own and are not necessarily those of my employer. |
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 river_ratbc
join:2007-09-21
| reply to phoneboy3 said by phoneboy3 :
If your more than a mile or two from a Telus Exchange your speeds can be pretty crappy and if your in an area with too few potential customers Telus doesn't like to spend much for upgrades to improve speed/service.
I have to disagree. Telus speeds are fine a mile or two from the Central Office. Neighbourhood ERA's are installed in most areas, where you start to get beyond 15, 000 feet, so the speeds there are fine. Telus is in the process of installing many RDACs, to allow for TTV and higher speeds, in area's that were previously limited to slower speeds. My statements are general and of course there will be areas that are out of reach for optimum speeds. |
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  phoneboy3
@shawcable.net
| said by river_ratbc :said by phoneboy3 :
If your more than a mile or two from a Telus Exchange your speeds can be pretty crappy and if your in an area with too few potential customers Telus doesn't like to spend much for upgrades to improve speed/service.
I have to disagree. Telus speeds are fine a mile or two from the Central Office. Neighbourhood ERA's are installed in most areas, where you start to get beyond 15, 000 feet, so the speeds there are fine. Telus is in the process of installing many RDACs, to allow for TTV and higher speeds, in area's that were previously limited to slower speeds. My statements are general and of course there will be areas that are out of reach for optimum speeds. That is certainly one end of the argument. Of course you can make the same sorts of arguments for Shaw. It's all about how much each is willing to spend in what areas. Telus still does not have DSL service in many less populated areas that Shaw has served for years. With unlimited budgets both could serve equally well everywhere but there is no such thing as unlimited budget so it's an unrealistic argument.
The proof is on the ground and in more rural areas Shaw wins hands down. |
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 laser93069
join:2009-06-24 Langley, BC
| @PhoneBoy & River_ratbc... Thank you for your input, much appreciated. Even though Shaw appears faster on downloads at my location, it is significantly slower on the uploads. As I use my computer with a VPN connection to the main office, both upload and download speeds are important however a balance is even more important. I run the Siemens SE567 as a WIFI 802.11b with two other routers as bridges in the house as WIFI 802.11g and WIFI 802.11n(draft) which keeps each WIFI frequency seperate without being dragged down.
I think I will stay with Telus for the following reasons: A) Inertia - I've been a Telus subscriber for almost 10 years without any real complaints about service. B) Speed Balance - having to wait 1-2 minutes (Telus) on a download instead of 30 - 45 seconds (Shaw) is not nearly as significant as if I have to wait 30 minutes (Shaw) versus 15 - 20 minutes (Telus) for an upload to complete. |
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 river_ratbc
join:2007-09-21
1 edit | reply to phoneboy3 Re: [BC] Telus vs Shaw
said by phoneboy3 :
That is certainly one end of the argument. Of course you can make the same sorts of arguments for Shaw. It's all about how much each is willing to spend in what areas. Telus still does not have DSL service in many less populated areas that Shaw has served for years. With unlimited budgets both could serve equally well everywhere but there is no such thing as unlimited budget so it's an unrealistic argument.
The proof is on the ground and in more rural areas Shaw wins hands down. Well, again I'm not sure about that. In the last few years a lot of the rural areas I've worked in haven't had Shaw High Speed, in fact they didn't have Shaw Cable, as it was deemed too expensive. These same areas did have Telus High Speed, simply because their telephone service originated from a local RSU (Remote Switching Unit). So it was just a matter of installing a Dslam, and they had ADSL. Some customers were just too far from the RSU, and have to resort to dial-up. I still see lots of dial-up in remote areas. The areas I'm referring to are parts of Sumas Prairie, Matsqui Prairie, Hatzic Prairie, Errington, Whiskey Creek, and Port Alberni. All these areas have Telus ADSL, Telus phone, and dial-up internet. In parts of these area, they have no Shaw cable whatsoever. Two years ago, Telus ran cable into Tunkwa Lake, to supply the year round residences with dial tone and high speed. They still have no Shaw Cable in the area at all. Telus is currently spending a lot of money, on replacing the ERA's with RDACS, bringing higher speeds and TTV to neighbourhoods, that were limited because of their distance from the Central Office. I've seen line trucks pulling in fiber and cat 5 cable. All I'm saying is, from my view point, Shaw does not necessarily win hands down when it comes to more rural areas. There are always going to be exceptions either way, and I am seeing first hand Telus spending money to upgrade their infrastructure. Just my 2 cents. |
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  joshb Don't sweat the small stuff. Premium join:2006-03-04 Calgary, AB clubs:
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| reply to laser93069 From my point of view when I look at the two companies the big difference that stands out to me as to how the companies decide where to spend money and where to put service is real simple,
Shaw is looking for a place where there is a very low almost no risk and are going to be able to make a return on there investment... Very quickly. This same practice seems to follow them in there Research and development of current products. I would really like Shaw offer something new and exciting not just the same old basic cable products...New hardware new some thing. More internet speed does not cut the mustard for me anymore.
Where on the other hand.. Telus is willing to take a risk, As much as they don't like loosing money Telus has figured out that at times spending money taking risk will make you more money. Look at Telus TV and a number of other ventures Telus has on the go. If you want more information use google. -- R.I.P Mom. |
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 Telus Lurker Premium join:2008-11-25 Surrey, BC
| reply to river_ratbc said by river_ratbc :Two years ago, Telus ran cable into Tunkwa Lake, to supply the year round residences with dial tone and high speed. They still have no Shaw Cable in the area at all. Me and another tech did the first dozen or so installs 3 years ago. They had been waiting a long time, so they were pretty happy when they finally got service. |
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  phoneboy3
@shawcable.net
| reply to river_ratbc said by river_ratbc :said by phoneboy3 :
That is certainly one end of the argument. Of course you can make the same sorts of arguments for Shaw. It's all about how much each is willing to spend in what areas. Telus still does not have DSL service in many less populated areas that Shaw has served for years. With unlimited budgets both could serve equally well everywhere but there is no such thing as unlimited budget so it's an unrealistic argument.
The proof is on the ground and in more rural areas Shaw wins hands down. Well, again I'm not sure about that. In the last few years a lot of the rural areas I've worked in haven't had Shaw High Speed, in fact they didn't have Shaw Cable, as it was deemed too expensive. These same areas did have Telus High Speed, simply because their telephone service originated from a local RSU (Remote Switching Unit). So it was just a matter of installing a Dslam, and they had ADSL. Some customers were just too far from the RSU, and have to resort to dial-up. I still see lots of dial-up in remote areas. The areas I'm referring to are parts of Sumas Prairie, Matsqui Prairie, Hatzic Prairie, Errington, Whiskey Creek, and Port Alberni. All these areas have Telus ADSL, Telus phone, and dial-up internet. In parts of these area, they have no Shaw cable whatsoever. Two years ago, Telus ran cable into Tunkwa Lake, to supply the year round residences with dial tone and high speed. They still have no Shaw Cable in the area at all. Telus is currently spending a lot of money, on replacing the ERA's with RDACS, bringing higher speeds and TTV to neighbourhoods, that were limited because of their distance from the Central Office. I've seen line trucks pulling in fiber and cat 5 cable. All I'm saying is, from my view point, Shaw does not necessarily win hands down when it comes to more rural areas. There are always going to be exceptions either way, and I am seeing first hand Telus spending money to upgrade their infrastructure. Just my 2 cents. Again, your just offering one side of it. I can find plenty of areas with Shaw high speed that do not have Telus DSL. I have even phoned Telus about a few of these areas and they said they had no plans to provide DSL to these areas. It's not out in the boonies either. Some of these communities have hundreds of households. |
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 river_ratbc
join:2007-09-21
| . Again, your just offering one side of it. Ummm...the point I'm trying to make is not to say one is better than the other, but rather, there are always exceptions in either case. You stated,"The proof is on the ground and in more rural areas Shaw wins hands down." I'm saying not in the rural areas, the I've worked in...actually that I still work in. Back in the day, BCTel/Telus, were mandated by the CRTC to supply phone service to every community. Costs were subsided by long distance revenues. If the communities wanted cablevision...they had to write a cheque to the cable company. No cheque, no cable. This is still the reason why you see so many satellite dishes in rural/remote communties...no cable. Try Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Alert Bay and Sointula. No Shaw there, you'll find a privately owned company called Keta Cable, supplies cable TV and high speed internet, to Port Hardy and will be adding high speed to the other 3 areas soon. BTW...Telus supplies cable and high speed there as well. Point is ....you can find exceptions, and so can I. To say that , "The proof is on the ground and in more rural areas Shaw wins hands down." It may be your opinion, but......it's not necessarily true...and that's Just my opinion!  |
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 river_ratbc
join:2007-09-21
| reply to laser93069 wow..check this link out »www.cableyellowpages.com/Canadia···e_BC.htm I'd say Shaw is not in a lot of the remote communities of BC. I know Telus is..maybe not all with high speed, but at least with phone service...so they have at least dial up. |
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  phoneboy3
@shawcable.net
| reply to joshb said by joshb :From my point of view when I look at the two companies the big difference that stands out to me as to how the companies decide where to spend money and where to put service is real simple, Shaw is looking for a place where there is a very low almost no risk and are going to be able to make a return on there investment... Very quickly. This same practice seems to follow them in there Research and development of current products. I would really like Shaw offer something new and exciting not just the same old basic cable products...New hardware new some thing. More internet speed does not cut the mustard for me anymore. Where on the other hand.. Telus is willing to take a risk, As much as they don't like loosing money Telus has figured out that at times spending money taking risk will make you more money. Look at Telus TV and a number of other ventures Telus has on the go. If you want more information use google. Unless you have been living under a rock you would know Shaw is moving to DOCSIS 2, standardizing on Digital cable and phasing out analog, adding more HD channels. Oh, they offer phone service now btw. Maybe you never heard.
Where do you get the idea they are just standing still? |
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  joshb Don't sweat the small stuff. Premium join:2006-03-04 Calgary, AB clubs:
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| Thanks for the FYI, Thats not really anything new... That's just improving there current service. And yes I was aware of all that thank you. Most of that is old news now anyways.
Regards
Joshb -- R.I.P Mom. |
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