An Introduction
iiNet is Australia’s third largest ISP, behind the two giants, BigPond and OptusNet.
iiNet was founded in 1993, growing in a matter of years from a business in a suburban garage to a company to a company providing coverage to every state in Australia, thanks to the internet boom of the 90’s. iiNet became big enough in its home state of Western Australia to branch out into other states and New Zealand to buy out over a dozen ISP’s such as iHug and OzEmail.
Internet Services
For this reason, many Australian ISPs, including iiNet, offer “off-peak” bonuses along with their monthly download limit. For example, if you were to be supplied with an iiNet broadband plan with 8 GB pre-paid data and 15 GB off-peak, this would mean you can download up to 15 GB per month between 2 AM and 12 PM, while being limited to 8 GB per month for the remaining time.
At the slowest download speed they offer for broadband internet, 256/64 cobs, iiNet offer 1 GB off peak and 1 GB pre-paid for $39.95. At the maximum speed of 8192/384 cobs, iiNet offer from 8 GB pre-paid and 15 GB off-peak for $79.95, to 25 GB pre-paid and 40 GB off-peak for $129.95. These are among the largest download limits available for home broadband use.
iiNet’s excess data usage is “shaped”. That is to say if, as the end of the month draws near, the user has exceeded their monthly download limit, rather than receiving a charge for downloading more than their plan allows, the speed of internet access will be slowed.
Like many internet companies, iiNet also offer discount prices if users bundle their internet and phone services into one package. Their monthly phone charges are $29.95 per month. Rather than lowering the price of internet supply, however, bundling in this way will raise the amount of gigabytes available to the user per month.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Large monthly download limits
- Pricing better than Optus or Telstra
- Option to bundle with phone
Cons:
- Arranging off-peak downloads can be a hassle
- Some complaints about customer support services
- Large download limits come at a price
Conclusion:
If you’re willing to arrange your internet usage around taking advantage of off-peak times, iiNet should be high on the list of potential ISPs for you. As always, of course, make sure you’ve fully researched each company before choosing which provider to go with. It’ll save you a ton in the end!
