Category Archives: Personal

Streamyx Finally Providing Faster Broadband Connection?

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TM Net upgraded their services a week ago probably to improve their ailing broadband services (Streamyx). I did not feel any significant performance boost or stability in the past few days. However, the frequency of the line dropping off has reduced slightly. This is when my 3 Steps To Restore A Broadband (Streamyx) Connection still comes in handy.

I did some speed test in between and noted that my connection is fast only when I am allocated with IP addresses that begin with either 218.x.x.x or 219.x.x.x. The 60.x.x.x range has been known to suck big time. I was totally surprised when I did a speed test a while ago on a 60.x.x.x IP address range and got a really fast broadband connection speed.

Test result of Streamyx broadband

Streamyx speed test

I am on the 512kbps package. The usual speed I get on this IP address range is a pathetic 200-300 kbps with a ping time of over 800ms. I wonder if this marks the start towards a better broadband service from Streamyx. I do hope so. I haven’t tested if Streamyx is still cutting off my connection when Bitcomet is running. For this, I hope not.

Migrated To A US Server Hosted By ServerFreak

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I have been hosting my blog with the same hosting company since the very beginning. I have no plans to change unless they fail to fulfill my hosting needs. So far, they have provided me with more than I can ask for. Not to mention the great customer support that they have provided so far.

I read other bloggers complaining about their hosting company’s horrible customer service — some companies do not reply to your emails for days or do not answer what you have asked. I have said this before but I will say it again. I pity them because I have Sam (my hosting company’s big boss) in my MSN contact list. I just give him a buzz whenever I have a question and he replies almost immediately.

For the past few weeks now, I noticed that TMNet’s line becomes a little unstable at times. They have announced that they are in the midst of upgrading their network. To be honest, I have somehow lost confidence in TMNet. That is why I requested Sam to transfer my blog to another server hosted some where else.

To my surprise, he said he has a server in the US. It is hosted under the same company that LiewCF is currently using. Sweet! I asked him to transfer my blog over and it was done immediately. I believe the local dns servers have updated the new IP and my domain names are pointing to the new server in the US.

A big thank you to Sam who runs ServerFreak. I highly recommend those who plan to start a new blog or are frustrated with their current hosting company to try them out. They provide one of the cheapest package that I have seen this far. However, rest assured that they do provide quality servers and great customer service as well.

Celcom Broadband: RM68 Broadband In Malaysia

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Check out this latest Celcom Broadband promotion:
Celcom Broadband + Compaq Notebook + Modem Only RM159 A Month

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Celcom Broadband was launched early this month. It promises true mobility and lightning speed internet access to its users whether they are surfing from home or outdoors.

Plan and rates:

There are 3 plans available. You can choose to subscribe at RM8 for 24 hours unlimited, RM68 for a monthly unlimited access, or pay-per-use at 10 cents per 10kb. The chart below shows a comparison of Celcom’s rate compared to its rival.

Celcom broadband price comparison with competitor

How to subscribe?

Existing Celcom subscribers:

  • Daily Unlimited – Register via SMS or dial *118#
  • Monthly Unlimited – Register at any Celcom Service Centre or selected dealer

Non-Celcom subscribers:

  • Register at the nearest Celcom Service Centre.

What you need?

Laptop or notebook users require a:

  • USB modem
  • Datacard, or
  • A GPRS and/or 3G enabled mobile phone

What is the catch?

#1: The advertised 384kbps speed can only be “obtained” if your phone supports 3G and you are in an area that is covered by the Celcom broadband service.

#2: If your phone does not support 3G or you are not in the service area, you are running on their GPRS service which provides a bandwidth of 60-70kbps only. That is just slightly faster than a dialup connection.

Note: Bandwidth figures and other information were obtained from Celcom’s call center.

UPDATED:
1) You will need to have a 3G sim card in order to get the 384kbps bandwidth. Or else, it will only be 112kbps max.

2) The 3GX that offers you up to 3.6mbps is open for invitations only. You will receive an SMS if you are the lucky one. Even then, you will need to be within the coverage area.

3) The USB modem (Huawei E220) is sold at RM900+ to RM1,200+. You will need to look around to get a good deal on this. My friend bought it for RM1,100 last week.

I Completed Blogathon 2007

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There is no updates in the past 48 hours because I was blogging for Blogathon 2007 at my personal blog. I managed to complete 49 posts in 24 hours. That is 1 post every 30 minutes. USD491.25 in pledges have been collected. The fund goes to MAKNA.

It was a nice and very challenging experience. I’ve learnt a few things from it. The 49 posts (and a few more) can be found in the Blogathon 2007 category.