Enhancing UniFi HyppTV Experience with Powerline-Ace

Back in mid-2010 when I had just got my UniFi high-speed broadband service installed, I wrote a detailed post describing my setup. Since then, I had received numerous questions from blog readers pertaining to UniFi installation in general. It’s 2012 now and I’m writing this post because I’ve got an interesting technological bit to share. Read on…

UniFi HyppTV Review

In my last blog post, I’ve written about my UniFi IPTV setup. In this post, I thought I share my brief experience with the UniFi IPTV service itself — namely, HyppTV.

My UniFi IPTV Setup

It’s about 3 weeks since I’ve got my UniFi high-speed broadband service deployed. In my previous posts, I’ve written about my UniFi installation experience and some speed tests that I’ve done.

This time around, I’m going to share my experience on one of the UniFi service triple-play component, namely the HyppTV IPTV service.

Getting IPTV Up and Running

As part of the UniFi VIP5 offering, an IPTV set-top box (STB) is provided free by TM (see below). The STB connects to the TV via a regular set of A/V cables. An HDMI cable is also provided but we’ve only got a Standard-Definition TV (SDTV).

UniFi Speed Tests

Having been using TM’s UniFi high-speed broadband service for slightly over two weeks now, I’m quite pleased with the service. It’s been surprisingly stable for me.

Internet Speed Test Results

I’m currently on the VIP5 package (over FTTH) i.e. 5Mbps download and upload. In my previous post, I had written about my UniFi installation experience.

Here are the speed test results from Speedtest.net:

The UniFi Installation Experience

In my post on HSBB last year, I wrote about the arrival of FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) in my area of residence.

Well, I finally made the move of switching away from Streamyx broadband for the newly-introduced UniFi high-speed broadband (HSBB) service. In particular, I signed up for the VIP5 package which is a triple-play service i.e. 5Mbps Internet, IPTV and VoIP.

In this post, I thought I share my experience on the UniFi installation process.

Installation

It was a Tuesday morning at 10am on July 6, a crew of four installers from TM came with two reels of cables (see below) and big bags containing equipment.

Getting Hyped-Up Over HSBB

There’s so much buzz around HSBB (High-Speed Broadband) in Malaysia lately that I can’t help but write a blog post here.

Word has it that HSBB residential customers would be offered download speeds between 10Mbps and 100Mbps. These speeds are unheard of for residential “broadband” users in Malaysia and should get a lot of people excited — me included.

For years, Malaysian broadband users have been lamenting over the poor speeds. Being one of the early Streamyx adopters, I had my fair share of complaints.

The fact is the law of physics also plays a role here. The copper lines can only do so much. As they say, wired-broadband in Malaysia will never progress much until something is done to the last mile.

And indeed, certain prime areas will finally see something done to that tune. These areas will have fiber connection to their premises or homes.

Lightning Scare

Just about more than a month ago (on March 7th), both my Aztech broadband modem and D-Link wireless router were fried by a nasty lightning strike.

More Misery

Two network cards within my home network later turned casualties too.  Within weeks, my two-year old Brother laser printer refused to work.  Brother customer service told me that the printer mainboard could be the issue.  Repairs would not have been worth it.

The Belkin Deal

I replaced the router and modem with a Belkin 7632 wireless router cum broadband modem combo and it came with a lifetime warranty and one-to-one swap deal.  For that, Belkin's product came at a premium price and it took some convincing before I decided to put my cash into it.

Lightning Strikes Back!

Not taking anymore chances, from that day onwards, I was diligent in disconnecting my network equipment on the slightest sound of thunder.  Thunderstorms are getting more frequent in KL these days.  But today, I missed the hint by probably a few minutes.  There was slight rumbling of the thunder and without much warning, my Belkin was zapped...just like that!

The Calm after the Storm

I went to the dealer and got the Belkin checked. Within 10 minutes, I was given a brand new unit (in shrink-wrapped box). They didn't even need my old box!  So, the one-to-one swap was indeed a real deal. The unit I was given has an updated firmware and slightly different port arrangement.  Other than that, it looks the same.  I must thank the original sales rep who sold me the product.

I got back home and got the new Belkin configured for Streamyx broadband within minutes.  Thankfully, so far, no problems with my network cards.

So, if you're living in a lightning prone area, I strongly recommend getting a Belkin even if you have to pay a little more!

Technorati tags: belkin, modem, router, lightning

ADSL modem blues

After a frustrating week without Streamyx broadband access, two Telekom technicians came by to troubleshoot the problem. After 20 minutes fiddling with my ailing modem, they replaced it with a brand new one. Voila! Back to civilization!

The following is what I've learnt over the years when dealing with Streamyx access issues:

Before calling the TMNet support line (1-300-88-9515), make sure you have done the following:

• Bypass the router when testing the connection
• Reset (off-pause-and-on) the modem a few times
• Replace the network cable connecting the computer and the ADSL modem
• Delete the old dialer and reinstall the dialer

If all the above fail, call support. Let support know of the general nature of the issue, error message/code, OS type, modem model, indicator status on modem and get a report number from the service rep. Remember, no report number, no action. After 3 working days and no resolution, call them up again to press them to escalate the issue. If you are subscribed to the "with modem" package, make sure the technicians are aware of that when they first contact you. This is so that they'll get a replacement modem ready when they come visit you.

Switching to the fast lane

Got a visit by an agent of TMNet at my home doorstep. The agent signed me up for the upgrade of Streamyx broadband from 384kbps (@RM77/month) to 512kbps (@RM99/month). That saved me a trip to the Clickers at Kelana Jaya coz I was going to upgrade anyway. I was told that activation will be in two weeks' time. I will also enjoy the new speed at the current pricing for the 384kbps package for 3 months. This upgrade offer is supposedly valid till December 31, 2003.