Computer help offered and asked for.

Markit

Markit

Well-Known Member
First the good news: got wifi installed at the villa this week for the non-princely sum of 1.3 million including the sim card and first month of connection. The modem is placed upstairs in the rafters (outside) and seems to work for all the bedrooms, pool area and out to the Bale. Connection speed is about 54kb/sec which is good enough for surfing, emials and update downloads - skype voice at a pinch. Not good enough for video streaming but at only 85k IDR/month that's fine by me. Supplier - 3

Now my other problem; I've got an oldish DV camera that films onto DV tape (duh!) and I've done this wonderful video that I want to edit on my funky new i5 Core laptop. Slight hitch is that to get the video from camera to lappy it goes through a firewire connector
firewire.jpg

Does anyone know where I can find a computer that has this type of connector so I can download my incredible Oscar ready film to and then to my lappy as said modern/super/expensive machine neglected to have this connection. Have asked all internet cafes in Sanur and Candi without success.

Very greatful for your help and advice as always your humble
Markit
 
Trying to figure out the 54 kbps - isn't that extremely slow??
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Yes - that's extremely slow. Do you remember the days of dial-up-modems? Why any Indonesian company still sells crap like that is beyond me.

Don't even start thinking about "GB limitation". At that speed it'll take weeks to even approach the download limit (if there is one). I'd also be surprised if Markit could make (and successfully complete), one Skype call.
Skype video calls would be out of the question.

Markit says:
The modem is placed upstairs in the rafters (outside) and seems to work for all the bedrooms, pool area and out to the Bale.
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Even that surprises me, and if true, his overall connection speed will be slower as a result.

You get what you pay for.

An aside: I just spent four hours fixing a computer in a Sanur hotel. The owner thought he was getting a download speed of 1.6Mbs (via "Smart"). I did some tests for him and the speed was 0.4Mbs.
To my horror, the main computer has three anti-virus programs running at the same time (normally a big no-no). And one of them was the infamous Indonesian SmartAdv (a total pain in the arse). I installed a fresh copy of SuperAntiSpyware and the Indonesian program thought it was a "virus". After running it, it picked up a couple of Trojans.

I pointed this out to the owner. Why run "SmartAdv" if all it can do is come up with false positives and is about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike?

Now, how to get the owner to stop his kids downloading problem files?
Guess I'll be back there again tomorrow to sort out a few more things.
 
Johnny, thanks and yes the apple connection is a possibility that I will look into. I have asked in the major PC places I know (is Rimo the one accross from the Ramayana Mall?) of in Denpasar and gotten that blank look with smile that says they generally have no clue what I am on about. Add - on cards for the laptop.... well first order it and hope it gets here then fit it and hope it works. I'd rather find some kind sole that has the connection and will let me spend an hour downloading the tape to file and then I can edit on my own comp.

Claudia, if your are used to 2 Megabit/sec broadband then yes 54kb/sec is slow and like I said it won't do for the heavy user but I have no problems with small film clips, voice skype and of course emails and "normal" surfing. Please remember to get anything like 2 Megabit BB you need to pay about 20 times as much. For the person wanting to check his emails in the privacy of his Bale it's just dandy. In the UK and Germany we were getting 8Mb/sec speeds and I frankly didn't know what to do with it. Where's the rush to load a stupid website? Whether I wait .01 second or .0000001 second is fully unimportant to me - I spend the money I save on loose women and cold beer. Or is that loose beer and cold women?

Sorry, My Bad! It says 54Mbps not 54kbps. Not been paying attention.
 
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Wow..... are you computer expert? How can I check the internet speed?
In Bali I use Telkomsel Flash and on a good day ie no clouds, no wind my modem (that thing you stick in the USB port and uses a SIM card) shows I have 3G and if extremely lucky the light is a nice dark blue color. But it would interest me how fast it really is...... In one month I used up about 4 GB and I email loads of pictures to customers, work on my online store and check my ebay sales...... Of course for the uploading of photos on my online store and uploading ebay sales I go to my sisters and use her "speedy" internet connection.

Initially I checked the offers from 3 but there is no office in our region and the store in Denpasar could not give me any definite information about my connection reliability in the Amlapura area so I went with Telkomsel since they gave me a SIM to try out at my home before I signed up for a plan. They were extremely helpful.

But back to to what I wanted...... how can I check the actual speed of upload and download. I use the website whatismyip.com to check the speed. Will that work in Bali?
 
Sorry, My Bad! It says 54Mbps not 54kbps.
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Hmm...maybe, but for the price you're paying, I doubt it.

...is Rimo the one accross from the Ramayana Mall?) of in Denpasar and gotten that blank look with smile that says they generally have no clue what I am on about...
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Yes - that's the place.

As for the blank looks, that's more or less "normal", unless you can speak Indonesian. (Even then, it can be problematic if they don't know what they're talking about - think used-car salesmen).
They are not all dumb and useless. The trick is to find the knowledgeable ones.

Read on to see one way to test your current internet speeds.
 
@kayoticlaudia
Wow..... are you computer expert? How can I check the internet speed?
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Maybe I'm too old for flattery to work its magic these days.

What follows is one way to check your internet speed.

1) Go to this site: Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test
2) Be patient - wait until it loads completely
3) The first "default" test might be to Jakarta (or somewhere else in Indonesia - it varies)
4) Click the button that says "Begin Test"
5) Wait. The test will check the download and upload speeds to that "server" (the one in Jakarta, or wherever)
6) When it finishes, you'll see the results

The results can vary quite a bit, depending on your actual internet connection (and how it's configured), the time of day (or night), etc. Ideally, you should run several tests and take an average.

You can run the tests using different servers. On the speedtest map, left click it with your mouse and scroll around. Pick some other place, eg, Surabaya, Bandung, Jogjakarta, etc. Compare (and average) your results.

There is a green rectangle on the map of the world. You can move it around to find other servers on the planet. Try a server test to somewhere outside of Indonesia, eg, South Korea, France, Japan, USA, etc.
Chances are you'll see a considerable drop in both download and upload speeds because Indonesia's internet "infrastructure" sucks big time.

Raw internet speed tests like this are only part of the picture. The "other" part is the quality of the connection you have.

On the speedtest site, if you look towards the bottom you'll see something called "PingTest - See How". Click that and you can do your quality checks to whatever servers you like (just like in the "speed" test).
The results will give your actual connection a grade (A, B, C, D or Fail).

In Bali, IMHO, anything less than a B+ means you have a lousy connection and/or, a crummy internet service provider (ISP). OR - you're testing at the wrong times and your ISP is overloaded. (Too many people trying to download stuff at the same time, neighbour's pinching your bandwidth, rats chewing through your telephone wires, and so on.)

OK - enough for now. Try the tests for yourself and see how you go.

Good luck (and I hope this has been a little helpful).
 
JohnnyCool said:
@kayoticlaudia

Maybe I'm too old for flattery to work its magic these days.
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You're never too old for flattery..... Trust me! Maybe you just don't get all excited like before.....:icon_biggrin:

Thanks for the information..... in one month I'll check that!

I wish we had a phone line to our place, but no luck. Applied for one but since we are the only ones up on that hill it won't happen.:icon_rolleyes:
 
Recently we changed provider service to Blueline. They are more expensive but we didn't have too much choice. We don't have the option of a land line for Speedy and Telkomsel was so slow we often couldn't send or receive emails or the connection was non-existent.
Blueline is charging 660,000 inc. tax for "speeds up to 1kb". And that is what we're getting. Every time I check the speed is just under 1kb. Their service has been excellent so far. They quoted for the mast and receiver. That didn't give enough height for good reception so they raised the height at their expense since they had mis-quoted. We own the equipment. Balimedianet gave us approximately the same equipment quote and they retained ownership. We're very happy with Blueline and happy with our "fast" connection. My son in Australia laughs. His connection is 24kbs and he says his isn't particularly fast by Australian standards.
Speed Test.jpg
 
Interesting info there Johnny, just checked mine in Perth,,,,1.32Mbps download 0.21 Mbps upload. Thanks johnnycool :icon_wink:
 
Speed

Goldminer, I just checked mine over 30 minutes I got best, Ping 55 D/L 8.62 mbps U/L 0.43. Worst I got Ping 55 D/L 3.99 U/L 0.53. That's here in Perth:icon_mrgreen:
 
pollyanna
..."speeds up to 1kb". And that is what we're getting. Every time I check the speed is just under 1kb.
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Looking at the picture you posted, you're getting 0.99 Mbs download and 0.96 Mbs upload.

Note: not 1 kbs. (One Megabit is about 1000 times bigger than a Kilobyte, which is about 1000 times bigger than a Kilobit. Don't worry - many people get confused by this.)

Looks like your Blueline connection is giving you the same down/up speeds. That's a good thing (for Bali) and what you're paying! How much did you have to spend in total to get up and running?

Moving on now to the Perth guys:

goldminer
...just checked mine in Perth,,,,1.32Mbps download 0.21 Mbps upload
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A "budget" connection (for Perth)? Should be OK, more or less, unless it's "limited" with speed throttling. Frosty (below), is getting much better, but probably paying extra, too.

Frosty
I just checked mine over 30 minutes I got best, Ping 55 D/L 8.62 mbps U/L 0.43. Worst I got Ping 55 D/L 3.99 U/L 0.53. That's here in Perth
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Hmmm. Even your worst is four times faster than what I put up with. You should be happy.
 
JohnnyCool said:
pollyanna

Looking at the picture you posted, you're getting 0.99 Mbs download and 0.96 Mbs upload.

Note: not 1 kbs. (One Megabit is about 1000 times bigger than a Kilobyte, which is about 1000 times bigger than a Kilobit. Don't worry - many people get confused by this.)

Looks like your Blueline connection is giving you the same down/up speeds. That's a good thing (for Bali) and what you're paying! How much did you have to spend in total to get up and running?

Moving on now to the Perth guys:

goldminer

A "budget" connection (for Perth)? Should be OK, more or less, unless it's "limited" with speed throttling. Frosty (below), is getting much better, but probably paying extra, too.

Frosty

Hmmm. Even your worst is four times faster than what I put up with. You should be happy.
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mmmm well its not that cheap....might have a word to telstra about it thanks again Johnny
 
Hi Goldminer,
I have VividWireless, the cost is cheap I think, the dongle outright was $69 no plan, for that I get 6gb per month for $39, can upgrade for an extra 2gb for $4. You can choose your own plan and if you don't like you can pull the pin any time. I checked there coverage area and I'm in a bit of a hole at my house so had to get a booster ( $29 from Dick Smith). Only downside I find is reception is not good all over my house so I found the best place for the signal and usually leave my laptop there. You can check there coverage so you might be in a good area. the tower for the signal is in Perth so it is usually fast. I had Virgin but got lousy D/L speed.
 
goldminer said:
mmmm well its not that cheap....might have a word to telstra about it thanks again Johnny
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Previously, in Sydney I used TPG ADSL2+ Unlimited version. The charge is $59.99 per month on a 12 month contract with a setup cost of $59.99, unless you take a contract for 18 months, then they waive the setup cost. They also have cheaper plans for lower monthly usage.

The connection was very fast and reliable. I don't know how this compares to what you're paying now.

ADSL2 Internet Unlimited Broadband, TPG provides Fast ADSL2+ DSL Connection
 
JohnnyCool said:
pollyanna

Looking at the picture you posted, you're getting 0.99 Mbs download and 0.96 Mbs upload.

Note: not 1 kbs. (One Megabit is about 1000 times bigger than a Kilobyte, which is about 1000 times bigger than a Kilobit. Don't worry - many people get confused by this.)

Looks like your Blueline connection is giving you the same down/up speeds. That's a good thing (for Bali) and what you're paying! How much did you have to spend in total to get up and running?
Click to expand...

I got my kilos, bits, bytes, and my megas switched so thanks for straightening that out.

This is what Blueline charged:
Radio Receiver - 2juta
Antenna Mast 11m & supporting materials - 1.280juta
UTP cable - 200,000Rp
Lightening Protection - 1.180juta
Electricity Stabilizer - 500,000Rp

So, 5.675juta. Then the mast had to raised from 11m to 25m. I have no idea whether we were over or under charged but we were desperate since we were cut off from family in distant countries.

Those speeds I posted from the Speed Test are consistent. It is still a pathetically slow connection by world standards but at least now we have a reliable connection, can send/receive emails, and can download videos if they aren't too long and if I am reeeaal patient.

And, as I said before, Blueline have been a pleasure to work with. They did just what they said they would do when they said they would do it in a friendly easy-going manner. I couldn't say any of that about the horrid Telkomsel.
 
Markit said:
Now my other problem; I've got an oldish DV camera that films onto DV tape (duh!) and I've done this wonderful video that I want to edit on my funky new i5 Core laptop. Slight hitch is that to get the video from camera to lappy it goes through a firewire connector
View attachment 954

Does anyone know where I can find a computer that has this type of connector so I can download my incredible Oscar ready film to and then to my lappy as said modern/super/expensive machine neglected to have this connection. Have asked all internet cafes in Sanur and Candi without success.

Very greatful for your help and advice as always your humble
Markit
Click to expand...

There are firewire to usb adaptors that can be used to transfer your masterpiece for editing. Depending on your usb speed it could take a while to transfer the data since firewire is typically faster than usb. Best case speed would be 400Mbps.
Don't know if they are available on Bali though.
 
Sherm, that hit's the nail on the head - I'd previously found those listed too but they are not to be found on Bali. So the masterpiece will have to wait.
 
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