MyRepublic
3.0
Pretty happy so far with MyRepublic – MyRepublic is a no frills ISP that only provides internet and phone access and has no web space to host a website or email accounts. I've got an NBN HFC & Phone, 12 month contract @ $70 with them in Mulgrave, Victoria and it has no limits on downloads or bandwidth and includes free local calls. The bandwidth can vary between 30 and 100 megabits down and 10 to 40 up during the day and is mainly affected by the dreaded Netflix viewing period between 5.00pm and 11.00pm.
There were some issues with set-up due to shonky NBN contractors who didn't want to turn up or didn't want to install in the place that I wanted. Beware of this. If you have an old or existing foxtel outlet in your home they will tell you that the modem must be installed at that point. This is not true. Stand your ground if you want it elsewhere. MyRepublic was supportive but all they could do was to rebook the contractors several times over until it was done. Once the line was installed though, that's when MyRepublic kicked in and I was up and running in 30 minutes.
The line has dropped out about 3 times in 5 months and the phone has disconnected about 6 times as well in that period. The modem is superb and beams wifi throughout my house and has an extremely easy to use and informative interface. Initially the customer service had a wait time of 2 hours to talk to but this was when they first offered the internet and I believe this has improved dramatically since.
Overall I am pretty happy with MyRepublic and after being with TPG for 5 years, they are a far better ISP.
- Connection Type: NBN HFC (Cable)
Thanks for the offer but everything is pretty good from this end with the exception of the Netflix drop but I doubt if you can do anything about that. I'd imagine the NBN Co could by installing FTTP as originally promised, but that's unlikely under this present government. Anyway, keep up the good work MyRepublic. :-)
Sadly, a lot can happen in 4 months after I wrote this review. It appears that MyRepublic exceeded the ratio of the number of customers to connection units in my area which meant that everyone’s speeds in Mulgrave dramatically reduced due to congestion. Unfortunately, I went from an average of 90/30 megabits to 25/10 during the day and down to 5/5 at night.
The Lifehacker online magazine explains the process really well. Note, ISP’s are now known as RSP’s (Retail Service Provider).
“RSPs purchase access to the NBN from NBN Co under an arrangement called a CVC (Connectivity Virtual Circuit). In simple terms, if the NBN connection to your area offers 100 units of connectivity, RSPs, lease a portion of that capacity. If your RSP buys 20 units and has 40 customers, then their CVC basically equates to having half a connectivity unit per premises."
Alas, I believe that MyRepublic got too big too quickly in my area and didn’t continue to top up with the units of connectivity to maintain the speeds promised. Too greedy? Maybe. MyRepublic claimed in an email to customers that the blame lay with the Turnbull Government and NBN Co because they changed the funding model for 100 megabit connections. Whatever the reason the outcome was still the same – I had horrid connection speeds.
MyRepublic offered me a $10 discount on my monthly subscription on condition that I went on a 50 megabit connection. I tried it for a month and it was terrible, averaging again only 5 megabit at night. In the end I chose to go with Mungi with a 100/40 connection and free mobile, landline and 13/1300 calls for $85 per month. Surprise, surprise, I am now getting on average a 95 megabit connection, even at night, with the same node and HFC cable and no congestion. You beauty!
"NBN provider MyRepublic has been ordered by the ACCC to pay penalties totalling $25,200 for alleged false or misleading representations about its NBN service performance. The ACCC said MyRepublic marketed its NBN services using statements such as “up to nbn100 Speed Tier” and “nbn50 Speed Tier” but that fine print disclaimers were ineffective as they were not prominent and did not provide clear information.
ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said “We were concerned that MyRepublic’s use of the NBN speed tiers misled consumers to believe they would get broadband speeds of, or close to, 100Mbps and 50Mbps during all or almost all of the time, when that wasn’t the case”." - Lifehacker
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Hi Hoffy, thank you so much for taking time to review our products and services. We are so happy to hear that despite the initial concerns that you had experienced in the connection, everything seems to be fine now and you are happy with the service that we are providing. We definitely want the best for each and every customer that we have. We will be sending you a message to follow up on any issues you may still have. Please check your inbox.