FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Aug 21, 2015 18:05:34 GMT
o all,
I'll be on my way to Dhahran in a couple weeks, and I had a question. Is there only a single internet provider, or are there a couple choices? Secondly, has anyone ever tried to install multiple internet connections into their home on the compound at the same time? I use a CradlePoint network bridge to combine multiple internet connections to get a much faster connection. But, to do so, you have to of course have multiple lines coming in. Optimally, I'd like to have two or three LAN lines in combination with my 3G/4G modem similar to the way I have it now here in the States. Anyone out there ever tried this in Kingdom?
If not, I guess my second question would be what is the fastest single connection available? Thanks.
-CT
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Aug 21, 2015 20:41:17 GMT
There are several providers. I have STC and Mobily. The Hills has a fiber optic network that allows you to get service through STC. I moved to main camp and now have to rely on mobile routers which are generally quite good. Streaming video is problematic at certain times of day and when boarding students return. There are other providers but I find STC to usually be the fastest. You need to check you house location with the provider as it might affect your choice. Cell tower location is everything. The ADSL service you can get at some parts of camp is not worth your time or money. On good days, I get up to 20 gigabits on STC. Not quite so much on Mobily but STC ds down hard during heavy usage times.
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FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Aug 21, 2015 22:17:40 GMT
So, am I understanding right, that the main camp doesn't have a hard-wired ISP? It's all on mobile 3G/4G networks? They've told me I'm heading to Al Rakah, but that it would only be short term until transferred to Dhahran.
If that is the case, I think I will absolutely bring along my load balancing and bonding router and just buy a couple lines with a mobile provider. We do a lot of streaming, and from experience it really bogs down when running over a VPN.
-CT
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FPEPRO
Advanced Member
Posts: 58
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Post by FPEPRO on Aug 21, 2015 22:21:50 GMT
bogiefrommuskogee,
Wait! I almost missed what you just said. "20 gigabits" ? That's awfully high even for optic let alone mobile. Did you mean 20 megabits? Even 1 gigabit lines are very rare in the US.
EDIT 1:
Ahh, I see what you mean. I went to the STC website. You meant 20GB of data allowance. I see they have packages upto 1TB too. But I'm curious what the speed actually is. I know 4G can theoretically push 100Mbps, but I only get about 60Mbps in my hometown right now. I'm curious if it's comparable or reduced from that.
EDIT 2:
I also noticed that Mobility has that service called eLife that is available with 200Mbps speeds. That would be excellent. But is that available on the compounds that you know of?
EDIT 3:
Well, I might have answered my own question. I found the Mobility covee map, and it only listed 4G covee in Dhahran and Al Rakah.
EDIT 4:
Well I found out the issue with SLC. They don't fully support 4G-1800 in Dhahran, but they do fully support 4G-2300. Depending on what kind of phone/modem you have that could make a big difference. Both are fully supported at Al-Rakah.
-CT
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Aug 22, 2015 10:48:05 GMT
It is Saay afternoon and I just checked 9.17 Mbps on Mobily. I'll check STC in a minute and edit this. The Hills have fiber optic wired. When Aramco operated the system, I believe they set the speed at 6 Mbps. After the storm, my modem was toast and my only option was ADSL and even IT said I would not be happy. Main camp has always been ADSL. I got Mobily first and then added STC. They both have pluses and minuses. I think STC provides a service for fiber customers in the Hills but I don't live there anymore. My daughters were here for the summer and all they did was complain about the slow internet. They binge-watch programs on HULU. As far as 4G, I am no expert but I think there is a radio frequency difference between 4G phones in the US and 4G phones here. If you really need 4G, do some research. I do almost everything on WiFi so don't really care. When I am in the field, there is no 4G anyway so it is moot. Aramco has guest WiFi in most of the offices and it is about 6 Mbps more or less.
STC was 11.80 download and 0.86 upload. It seems to vary throughout the day I assume based on system load. I'm a bit lucky because both cell towers are very close. I think Mobily may no longer offer an unlimited data plan. If you exceed your quota, you get dropped to 128 K until the period is up. That is painfully slow.
Guest WiFi check gave 4.12 Mbps down and 3.42 Mbps up.
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Post by expatinwaiting on Aug 23, 2015 14:38:17 GMT
Sounds like the best option once you're out of Rakah is to MUX or load-balance across multiple 4G providers. You should be able to pick up an LTE modem for a few hundred, or perhaps used Cisco routers (e.g., 819 LTE) for a bit more, assuming they support global LTE bands. My overall experience with sixnet and Cisco kit is positive overall, albeit stateside.
If you have the time and inclination, you can park a VPN box in a regional colo facility that will allow you to MUX the multiple LTE links into a single logical link over the VPN. It's probably pricey and obviously the value depends on your use cases.
I'm on a 75/75 FTTH (FiOS) connection here in the states and even the idea of going to a 20Mbps FTTH connection in Rakah feels like a sacrifice. Single mode fiber straight to the house can spoil a person.
EDIT 1: I came across a link bonding service called speedify, which essentially does what I described (i.e., MUXing) above for much less than I had thought. Anyone have experience with this service in Saudi?
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Aug 23, 2015 14:56:25 GMT
Unless you have a specific reason for going VPN, DNS mask may achieve your goal at much higher bandwidth. VPN is for making sure nobody knows what you are doing. DNS mask is so HULU doesn't know where I am watching from.
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Post by expatinwaiting on Aug 24, 2015 16:29:55 GMT
bogiefrommuskogee,
Absolutely. DNS masking or DNS proxying doesn't have the overhead of a VPN tunnel so your performance is typically better. That said, do research the service and choose wisely, as there are security and privacy implications associated with enlisting a 3rd party to intercept and redirect your DNS traffic.
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