# Please read if you have or are considering getting Clearwire!



## Effie (10 Dec 2006)

Since day one I have had problems with Clearwire. However, what I have learnt will I hope, help other forum members.

(1) The ethernet cable provided with the wireless modem is not up to the job. Save yourself a lot of hassle and use the full thickness one as can be obtained in PC shops etc.You will probably get a far better signal by doing this one thing.

(2) VOIP- I had nothing but problems getting good VOIP. System seemed to go to pieces especially after 2300 and you'd end up reverting to the landline whether you liked it or not!!  ( You'll need it to spend hours chasing their customer services if nothing else!!) 

If you are planning to use VOIP, make the contract subject to getting A1 VOIP reception and keep a log of calls made to them so that you can pull the plug on the contract if you need to!! Also if using a Router, get the laterst firmware update for that so Clearwire can't go Blaming your Router as the cause of the problem!

Best solution after spending hours chasing customer services was for them to put me on a FIXED IP Address. 

This greatly reduced the issue with fluctuating audio reception but I still have problems due to the affect of winds so even if Clearwire say that their system isn't affected by wind, believe you me it most certainly is! 

Would I recommend Clearwire, NO! I thought IBB was bad at least their signal didn't fluctuate as badly for me and I didn't have to waste as much money and time using their technical expertise. 

Clearwire sounded the Bees Knees initally but a reality check is that they simply don't live up to expectations............ 

Hope this is of help to other forum users. Cheers


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## ClubMan (21 Mar 2007)

*Re: Please read if you have r are considering getting Clearwire!*

What location are you in? _Clearwire _arrived in our area (_D7_) recently and I am interested in trying it on an non contractual evaluation period (e.g. c. 2 weeks) if at all possible (I am willing to pay for this period).


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## pad1010 (21 Mar 2007)

*Re: Please read if you have r are considering getting Clearwire!*

cancelled them recently.
had them for about a year until NTL finally came to area (no dsl available either so they were the only option available).

they are just ok for just internet access duringthe day. Evenings and weekends got unusable.  voip, downloads, p2p, gaming etc is all crap. alot is blocked. check out irishisptest.com or boards for the general consensus - ie crap. 

expensive. tech support hard to get through to.

digiweb/ibb sound just as bad but if you can go with cable or dsl, i'd stick with that.


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## aircobra19 (21 Mar 2007)

*Re: Please read if you have r are considering getting Clearwire!*

its seems hard to get a reasonably priced reliable BB offering these days.


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## room305 (21 Mar 2007)

*Re: Please read if you have r are considering getting Clearwire!*

I cancelled my Clearwire account after numerous billing problems. They just couldn't seem to sort out the direct debit and kept cancelling the service. Mailed them a cheque and told them to close the account completely.

Painfully slow and a lot of services are blocked. Given the competition you would need to have no other choices to choose Clearwire for €40 a month!


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## ClubMan (21 Mar 2007)

*Re: Please read if you have r are considering getting Clearwire!*

The job pays for interenet connection so price is not necessarily an issue but reliability certainly is.


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## gebbel (21 Mar 2007)

After one very unreliable month, Digiweb have come through for me in Drogheda big time. €240 for a 1 Gb download package for 1 year.....best value in town.  Worth considering if they are in your area


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## ClubMan (21 Mar 2007)

I don't want an external dish/antenna if that's what _Digiweb _uses?

My preference would be for cable but _ntl: _still don't do it in my area. I'd like to get a broadband package that would allow me to ditch the landline. It may not be feasible.


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## Jo90 (21 Mar 2007)

Effie - cant agree more, i have been posting on this site for months to try and get resolution / advice to my clearwire problems with VOIP i was made to feel i was only a small minority who were having problems with them.

whilst i live just behind UCD eircom state my line is not suitable for BB, and they wont reply to any of my mails to see when it may be suitable or how can i make it suitable. it is not as if i am living the back of beyond !

any advice / views would be appreciated


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## ClubMan (22 Mar 2007)

No trial period on offer so I have told them that I am not interested. Oh well...


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## Effie (29 Mar 2007)

I'm in the Dublin 3 area if that helps the person who was interested in the D7 area.  Clearwire use a wirefree modem inside the premises pointing to the dish which gives the best signal in the locality. That being said, even the best quality  signal which apparently I have according to Clearwire, does not guarantee  good reception. Digiweb appently have an antenna outside the house ?? on the chimney  and I'm currently in negotiations with them to change over to trying out their service depending on whether or not they can provide assurances re the quality of the Voip. 

Voip is terrible at present with Clearwire and no hope of NTL becoming available in my area so if Digiweb doesn't work, I will have to go for BB on my landline, the one options I wanted to avoid!!

Good luck everyone!!!


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## aircobra19 (29 Mar 2007)

have you considered the Vodafone 3G broadband?


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## ClubMan (29 Mar 2007)

Me? No - not yet.


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## bsloe (29 Mar 2007)

we had the vodafone 3g card in work for a while and its not great. I wouldnt like it as my main broadband connection. it would be alright for people who are on the move but it is not great for speeds. The service may improve in a while but i would wait


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## Effie (5 May 2007)

Jo90, 
All I can suggest you do is keep chasing them. Problem is, if there are any tall buildings near you, the signal may well be affected with Clearwire, Digiweb etc. McAfee do a test for speeds which could indicate what you are recieving with Clearwire . I know that Blueface tech help are excellent in trying to get more in depth info to pt to Clearwire. Worth a try.

Yippee yippee everyone, NTL are coming my way very SOON!!!! Lets hope they at least can keep their promises!!!


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## only1 (19 May 2007)

Hi all,

       I have had clearwire now for just over a month and i really have
       to admit that i have enjoyed a reliable and quick broadband connection
       usually working off 5 bars sometimes 4 and have been delighted with
       it until now!!!

       It has been windy for the past couple of days with fairly strong gusts
       and my connection has gone haywire! I am lucky if i get two bars and 
       it keeps flickin to 1 bar then three then two and so on.

       I rang them and suggested to them that it could be the wind as my 
       connection has been good until now and i was told this could not be
       the problem and to try moving my modem to another room or maybe
       down stairs and when i told her this hadnt worked she actually used
       the words "oh well"!

       I have had a problem with my direct debit set up as well and have 
       promised three times now that the billing department would ring me
       back to sort it out but i havent heard anything yet.

       As i said earlier i really cant complain about the speeds or reliability
       of CW from my first month of being with them so i am not going to
       moan to much i guess i just have to wait for the wind to die down!


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## z108 (20 May 2007)

I concur with the problem of VOIP and clearwire


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## only1 (20 May 2007)

Wind has died down and im back to full strength working off five bars!
I have been informed though that it is only my first month and i will recieve
the best service in that time from a friend of mine who had it in santry D9,so i just hope i wont end up eating my words
but for now happy with CW!


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## allendog (20 May 2007)

only1 said:


> Wind has died down and im back to full strength working off five bars!
> I have been informed though that it is only my first month and i will recieve
> the best service in that time from a friend of mine who had it in santry D9,so i just hope i wont end up eating my words
> but for now happy with CW!


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## allendog (20 May 2007)

Hi,
Thanks for sharing ur experience of using CW. I've been using CW since last August. Prior to that, I had asked NTL (of which we're subscribers for nearly 30 years for cable TV) for BB service, but our area isn't covered. When the engineer came to our house to set up the CW signal (the black box which displays up to 5 green lights), I was quite dubious it'd be that possible to get wireless BB connection successfully, but when I tried looking up various websites at home and abroad with much ease, I was more than delighted, particulary as we had Eircom landline cut off for over a year, due to our usage of mobile phones/e-mail at work.
   Maybe we are lucky for the fact that our house faces 3-Rock/Dublin mountains with TV/radio/mobile transmitters which made it possible for trouble-free connection with CW.  However, over the past few weeks, CW connection became erratic, and we suspect that it would be tall trees in way.  Last week, connection worsened which drove us crazy, and my husband had to go up to the attic (fortunately with dormer windows) to set up the CW signal box, and connection was restored.  Now, the signal box is brought down to the original location (upstairs bedroom) and connection back to normal.  
  Now i see it was windy conditions last week (and obstructions such as trees / buildings) which could have affected the CW BB connection.
Cheers,
allendog


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## only1 (21 May 2007)

Hi all,

        Im glad allendog you reckon your bad connection during the last
        week was at least in some part due to the wind. That pretty much
        confirms to me the wind is a problem with clearwire (even though
        they blatently denied to me that it is!) and i suppose its just another
        example of how far behind we are as a country when it comes to bb
        that a strong breeze can cause havoc with your connection.

        For 49.99 a month though it really ought to be better but it is very
        convenient (i have no landline) and "broadband in a box" really is 
        ideal for me personally.

        As long as the wind stays away i really cannot complain, its very 
        fast and i mostly work off 5 bars.

        Are there any other CW users out there that are generally happy?

        Thanks.


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