Broadband connection

[GillyM]

We're hopefully moving to North Shore Auckland in a couple of months and have promised rellies back home we'll be able to skype. Are there better areas around Auckland with good internet connection?
Thanks Gilly

[JandM]

I know it's not North Shore, but we Skype to Titirangi regularly. Sometimes the connection is worse than others and the picture freezes up on a video link, but it works more often than not.

[Wooly_Cow]

Most locations in major cities in NZ have access to ADSL based broadband (some exchanges are full and the lead times are long - talking many months).

Auckland does not have Telstra Clear cable TV so that is not an option.

Once you have your telephone line there are several providers of the broadband service itself. The offers and quality is changing all the time so best google a recent review.

One thing to watch is that many offers are data capped, and with Skype you could hit that cap pretty quickly at which point some reduce the rate to dial up speeds and other charge for the extra volume.

Telecom has their 'Big Time' package which is uncapped but does introduce 'management' of peer to peer type traffic like Skype and busy times....however in reality it appears to work just fine. (I use it)

[Wooly_Cow]

So my previous post was a bit 'Wooly' ...

I guess you need specifics....

So if you look at Telecoms web site you can enter a telephone number and find out if there is ADSL available. As you won't have a number....just chose one from the online Yellow or White pages.This will tell you if ADSL is at the exchange or not, and if it's full (hopefully if TNZ's system is up to date)

http://www.telecom.co.nz/broadband/getconnected

You can also check out if faster ADSL2+ is available using an address.

http://www.telecom.co.nz/broadband/speed/adsl2

Hope this helps

I did this quickly for a florists in Browns Bay and it confirmed that ADSL and ADSL2+ was available.

....by the way I suspect that ADSL2+ is available in all of the North Shore area.