9.11.2009
Sun Broadband Wireless Doesn't Work with Torrent
Whether you are a Sun Broadband Wireless (SBW) user or not, you probably must
have heard about SBW users complaining about very slow connection speed, connection
“throttling”
(e.g. when you try to download huge files i.e. torrent, software, etc., the
download stream will slow down dramatically); cannot use video chat service;
cannot play online games; FTP clients won't connect to FTP ports, etc.
As for the torrent issues with all SBW subscribers, I can only assume that
Sun Broadband restricts/blocks/controls torrent listening ports to screen for
any abuse or misuse so that the bandwith can be easily shared by all subscribers
in any vicinity. I've read from one forum that Sun deliberately restricts file-sharing
bandwidth during peak hours to prioritize browsing.
Simply put, that's where their fair usage policy
comes in.
Sun Broadband Wireless Doesn't Work with FTP
Personally, I’m not too concerned with the torrents download or online
games. As a web developer, my main concern is to gain FTP access to web sites
that I presently maintained. And since all of my FTP clients wouldn't work when
I'm connected to the Internet using my Sun Broadband Wireless, I resorted to find an FTP client with
http and https protocols. Then I came across Fire
FTP [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/684]. FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client that works as plugin
for Mozilla Firefox. It provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers. Please
see the screen capture below (click to enlarge):
Before my wife signed the lock contract for the SBW subscription (the
SBW subscription by the way is a birthday gift from my wife), we read the
contract thoroughly and were fully aware that the Internet connection I'm availing
would be somehow limited due to the so-called Fair Usage Policy. It is important
that every subscriber read the contract verbatim. I have heard that most
subscribers would just sign the contract given to them without even reading
a part of it.
Factors Affecting Your Internet Connection
We
used to live in East Rembo, Makati and I didn't experience downtime so far.
My connection problem started when
we moved to our new home in Pasig. There was zero signal inside our house
especially in our dining area. I can only get sufficient signal when I'd bring
my laptop down the road. But of course, who will do computer works at the road
side? Inside our bedroom, I could get weak signal if I extend my SBW usb dongle
outside our window (click the thumbnail to enlarge photo). Obviously, the culprit
are the two towering houses on both sides of our apartment that must have blocked
the wireless signal. For a wireless Internet connection to work properly, location
is a primary consideration. Fortunately, or unfortunately, some areas could
be better spot than others. It's a fact of life.
Other factors that could affect the speed of Sun Broadband wireless (and of
any wireless broadband thus far) is the Internet traffic, GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA
signal, hardware conditions, software settings, etc. An article with tips and
comments relating to Sun Cellular’s unlimited mobile broadband service
is available here for us to read: How
To Speed up your Sun Broadband Wireless (SBW) mobile broadband connection.
What Works Best For You
If you're already a SBW subscriber who would want to enjoy torrent downloads,
I'm pretty sure the download "throttling" may only disappoint you.
Some users were bypassing it though, trying to work around a virtual portal
or VPN or figured out what particular ports of their torrent downloader worked
best.
If you are presently subscribed to a wired Internet connection and wished to
migrate to a wireless service, you should weigh your priorities before making
the leap. If you are for Internet mobility, then wireless service is best suited
for you. But if you are a hard-core online gaming fanatic, you better stick with your
present DSL subscription. It’s a known fact among online gamers that wireless
internet is not the best for network gaming.
Lastly, if you're a SBW subscriber who is always getting pissed off with slow
connection, you may also try checking your network settings. If you do not fix
the signal to WCDMA sometimes it will use other network signal such as EDGE GPRS
and causes an extremely downfall in the speed. You should always set up your modem
first. Here's a simple workaround:
WCDMA
Go to...
1. Options
2. Network
3. Network Type => change from WCDMA preferred to WCDMA only
4. Band = All bands
5. Connect it.
6. You're done!
(otherwise see the step-by-step installation procedure here)
Lastly (again), in my humble experience, Sun
Broadband is still better in its connection compared to SmartBro.
Labels: How To
15 Comments:
I have MyDestiny...cable internet together with TV.
Not bad... but in the evening it can become very slow...
I installed wi-fi in the house.
My Babe Misogyn Wallpapers:
http://screenfonds.blogspot.com/
Feel free to announce your blog on mine.
- Peter Ingestad, Sweden
so thats what you do.. play games. hehe
i really don't know how to use torrent
@ Sidney: That's my plan, too. Too install wi-fi in the house once the family is getting bigger...
@ tin-tin: Hello, Pretty Tin. No, I don't play games. I'm doing FTP to update web sites that I maintain...
uhhh.... I cant see "WCDMA" on my network seetings just "Automatic" and "Manual" with the preferences "UMTS", "GSM" and "Automatic only" please help.... uhmmm here's my e-mail. swigman_almighty@yahoo.com (too lazy to make a googleaccount)
thanks a lot.
im using suncell broadband for 3months pass till now. the only problem is may time out hours tlga.. like your using online for 4hours. after that, ma-eencouter muh ung timeout about 1-3mins.
12-8:00am in a morning, best time to download!.
im a web developer also, and im using cuteftp and filezilla as ftp apps qoh. work naman. :D
I've actually been on the Sun Broadband for nearly a year now. And I'm a tech guy. I dunno about you, but I can torrent since I started using this, and even access stuff from my office back home. No VPN necessary. Dunno why, but it doesn't seem to affect me.
@ Maula: You may want to read this: http://www.suncellulartips.net/2009/04/how-to-install-sun-broadband-wireless.html. I sent you an email too...
@ Jenner: I agree with you. It's best to download during off-peak hour...
@ rider555: It's a good thing that the restrictions somehow didn't affect you. But it was never the case in me. Anyhow, I'm quite satisfied with the service. Maybe someday, they'll lift the restrictions due to stiff competition...
Hi Dodong. I am wondering if SBW and FTP is still problematic? Does FireFTP still work for you?
Hi, Rob. Thank you for asking. I haven't tried Sun Broadband again with the usual FTP client. I probably would do so one of these days. For now, I'm still quite satisfied with FireFTP and it works without glitch in my system.
Thanks! I am temporarily a resident of Marikina City and looking for an alternative connectivity than PLDT DSL which seems to be severly throttled or just very slow!
Hi, Rob. Do you mean you are in the Philippines right now? :)
dodong flores
Yes we arrived last week and will be here til early January. We are here unexpectedly due to family reasons. Anyways, I have SBW now, which is as quick as advertised. My problem is mobile internet. My iPhone with Prepaid Voice and Text and also loaded with with a prepaid SBW card, the speed is very disappointing. When I load the SBW sim into my phone the speed is very good. Am I missing something here? I called the support line and they tell me I need to call apple for support! I just think they are blocking the Sim. Have you any experience with this?
You can also use Portable Apps FireFTP Extension. The FireFTP Extension works within Portable Firefox and gives you access to a lightweight FTP client using much of the built-in functionality of Firefox. It includes SSL/TLS support, file diffs, image thumbnails, resumes, proxy support and more. And, since it uses Firefox for many of its functions, it's a very small download.
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