Sun Broadband (Wireless) Review

Overall: Amazing first week! The rest was dreadful.

First of all, this review is based on my experience only. I live in Makati (near Market-Market Mall) on an elevated area. I use Windows 7 and Chrome almost exclusively. Your mileage will definitely vary.

Applying for a Sun broadband is the easiest, but then these days applying for a 3G broadband is as easy as buying a new SIM card for your phone. I applied for a Post-paid account several months ago at SM Megamall branch of Sun Cellular. It was quite easy: just presented an ID and a proof of billing and paid them roughly 2000. I got the plan without the 2 year lock-in period. They said that the unit (a small USB 3G modem with the Sun SIM card) would be activated within 24 hours. To my surprise, when I got home an hour later, i was able to use it immediately.

For me, Sun’s USB looks much more professional (and elegant) than those of Smart’s or Globes. It has this clean, streamlined look.

The first time i used Sun, i was blown away. Of course, I wasn’t expecting the same speeds as the ones in Japan or in Singapore but compared to the other i had before in the Philippines – it was blazingly fast (for its price). I previously had SmartBro (actually, it was from my BROther) and the old globe-wireless before they changed it to Globe Tattoo. The first week was a blast! I was downloading and watching videos to my heart’s content. I was thanking the fates i changed my provider.

Then came the second week: it was simply dreadful. The speeds that i had the first week was reduced to at times dial-up speeds. It was difficult to browse those sites that i normally can’t live without: Facebook, Twitter, Deviantart, life hacker, yahoo and G-mails. Okay, let’s take a look at the frustrations i had with these sites due to Sun’s connection.

Facebook, Twitter: Let’s assume temporarily that load times are not a major concern. I usually get the “error” message from Facebook, saying something was wrong so my status was not posted. Same goes for Twitter, only this time there’s no error, just the unending circular progress. I usually would have to refresh the whole page and re-post my status. Because of this, i developed a curious habit of copying my post first before clicking the “Share” button.

Deviantart, LifeHacker: Takes forever to load. And, i also get the occasional error in Deviantart when updating my page or uploading a new image.

Yahoo Mail, G-mail: I can only read mails in Yahoo now. I cannot reply, especially when i need to attach something. As for G-Mail, i had the “html version” permanently set as my default interface.

You-tube: I’ve practically forgotten about this site to avoid any more frustration.

Torrent: I just ask an officemate to torrent for me. hehe

The above are just problems that i normally have. There is the occasional loss of signal or slower-than-dial-up connection when it rains or is cloudy. When these happens, i just tell myself that i signed up for a “SUN” broadband, not a “SUN, cloud, rain and moon” broadband. It just wouldn’t work without the sun showing up.

Here’s a screenshot from speedtest.net on a typical Saturday night. Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive check, but you should get the point.

The problem did not instantly appear on my second week. It was gradual, but still within the span of 1 month. It just got worse and worse every week.

And, now i’m in the hunt for the next (hopefully, better) internet provider. I’m going to check out Globe Wi-Max and Wi-tribe. Or, maybe i could check again with PLDT if they already have an available slot in their telephone box (whatchamacallit) – which they promised about a year ago.

Alright, here’s the thing: The situation that i have does not apply to everyone (or everywhere). I have one officemate who also uses Sun, but is happy with the connection. He’s the one i asked to torrent for me. He lives in the Pasig Area. However, recently he is having some complaints as to slowing speeds. I guess the congestion has caught up in their area as well.

I tried calling them, about this but they just keep saying that i should test the unit in another area. They said that if speed is faster in another area, they they would need to upgrade our area. This makes me irritated somehow, because i got the service for our house and not for any other areas.

Their customer service is so-so. I mean, the agents are fine and kind but it’s just difficult to get to their so-called 24 hour support. Thankfully, phones these days have the ‘speaker’ feature so you can put down the handset and just wait ‘til a human being answers your call – and it’s a looongg wait.