You use Smart Wi-fi too? *sigh* I hate their service… *_* It always times-out when I’m uploading a lot of files through FTP or uploading images to the Internet. If there was PLDT broadband in our city, I’d go for it. I already asked my parents to transfer to another ISP (1-2-0-2 metrophone) but so far, nothing’s happened. I guess I shouldn’t really care much about it anymore since I won’t be living in Kidapawan for long because of college.

My dad uses our Smart Wi-fi connection on his phone too. I don’t know much about it but I think when he surfs they’re pretty much the same speed because my dad uses the Smart Wi-fi connection itself. I’m pretty sure he read through manuals on the Internet to learn how to do that. He even managed to have our Smart Wi-fi connection go through a few computers. Sometimes when my other family members are using the computer, I’d just borrow my sis’ laptop, connect it to the computer and presto–Internet!

no it’s not wi-fi. it’s via GPRS internet connection — which explains why it’s so maddeningly slow. i just connect my mobile phone to my laptop (via pc suite), dial up, and voila — i’m connected. dsl and wi-fi are still wayyyy better (easier on your nerves, too).

a couple of friends at work who have smart wi-fi accounts say that — except for occasional glitches — the service is basically ok. i think it’s partly because they live near smart’s nearest relay station. i also have another friend (based in cavite) who’s been bellyaching about smart’s wi-fi service for months heheh

Ok, is wi-fi and broadband the same? I’m using broadband so far so good pa naman.

hey onyxx, glad you’ve settled your connection already. actually, the speed depends on the signal. i’m using mobile connection right now here in the province. Ang bagal! It’s not like this in my apartment. it can reach up to 500 kbps there, fast enough to be compared with that in my office. but here, it flactuates erratically, ranging from 57.6 to 400 kbps. bad trip talaga. I have to raise my mobile phone and hold it until i finish connecting. My arm is already aching.

Smartbro (or smart wi-fi) is not 100% wi-fi (wireless) because you’re still basically using wires. wi-fi connection is a good option if you’re downloading files (audio/video/text) from the internet; also, you have more service providers to choose from (globe, airborne access, etc.). yun nga lang, you need to find a wi-fi hotspot for this type service. another good option would be DSL.

i don’t know know why but ever since i started hooking up with smart’s GPRS internet connection, the speed is always constant at 115 kbps. venkatesh, who uses the same hook-up, swears he gets up to 400+ kbps each time he gets on-line whenever he’s in manila, which is a real head scratcher for me. unless of course it has something to do with our respective phone models (nokia vs. ericsson). if that’s the case next time i’ll think of buying a new celphone, i’ll definitely switch back to nokia.

update: venkatesh unearthed this info from a forum — connection speed is apparently affected if your phone is 3G or GPRS-enabled. (and, you guessed it, mine is GPRS). sheesh!