[clug] After the InstallFest is over...

[steve jenkin]

Felix Karpfen wrote on 22/10/09 8:01 AM:

> 
> Hard data from a CLUG-lurker - who received *great* help from CLUG
> members in his recent switch from "dial-up" to "broadband":
> 
> Dial-up
> =======
> 
> Supplied by IINet (Special deal for ex-WebOne customers):
> 
> Monthly dialup fee          $9.90 for first 20 hours access;
>                 $1.00/hour for additional access;
> 
> Telstra phone charges        $0.21/per call
> 
> Given that I was highly organised, did most of my "Internet reading"
> offline, rarely exceeded the 20 hours access and generally managed to
> connect to IINet on the first dial-up call, my total monthly costs
> rarely exceeded $18.00.

<snip>

> Felix Karpfen

Felix,

Thanks for real data. Much appreciated.

Here's a little more work on those figures:

56k modem @ 80% effective == 44,000bps (I used to get that)
Async overhead (8 data+1 start, 1 stop bit) == 440 by/sec

MTU of 512 by == 8.6 packets/sec
TCP/IP headers == 40 bytes/pkt [if not using header compression]

~= 4kB/sec or 14Mb/hr (max)

That's 42 hours to download a 600Mb CD image, modulo Telstra dropping
the call, or if you've forgotten to turn off 'call waiting' :-(.
Of course it will restart perfectly every time.

A $1/hr excess translates at best to $71/Gb.

It used to be that Telstra would only guarantee 9600 baud for dial-up,
that might now be 28.8k... I've lost track.
Some people will do considerably worse - but then they won't get good
ADSL either.

Some ISP's offer cache/accelerator software that gives good results I'm
told.

Images and MP3's become challenging, video out of the question.
Software downloads have to be carefully calculated...

You always notice big web pages downloading and cancel 'flash' animations.

Under Felix's plan, an hour on-line a day (30hrs) plus 2 connections/day
 comes out over $30/month, considerably more if the modem drops
out/reconnects.

Someone raised the question of "what value do you place on your time"?
If others are inveigled to do your support, who's pricing their time at
"zero"?

Thanks for pulling me up on my broad generalisation :-)

cheers
s

-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin