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Apologies, I was not sure where to post this.
I am and have been on o2 for years, however the data tariffs are pretty much in the stone age for pricing, I have seen T-mobiles web n talk deals and they look good. Can anyone advise if I take the plunge and let my o2 contract expire (this month) will I be happy with t-mobile?
I am in the UK for your information, cheers.
Oh and why the different web n talk options, only one allowing VOIP, what is restricting it?
Same situation here, HSDPA access restricted to business only, and they charge ALOT for any downloading at all!!
T-mob does look good however i would only require a SIM only tarriff.....from what ive seen on the site they only offer the good web-n-walk tarrifs with a handset bundled in (for a price obviously)
mrvanx said:
Same situation here, HSDPA access restricted to business only, and they charge ALOT for any downloading at all!!
T-mob does look good however i would only require a SIM only tarriff.....from what ive seen on the site they only offer the good web-n-walk tarrifs with a handset bundled in (for a price obviously)
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O2 used to be great when I enjoyed free access for a year, since then they've stayed at £2.35 per MB. Not only that but as an online customer no bundles supported (still no where near t-mobiles pricing).
T-Mobile have been pretty good, I have a flext 30+ Web and Walk standard, works out at around £35 per month.
Its not actually unlimited internet I think it works out to something around 1gb per month but with the amount you download with normal active sync e-mail and web browsing I havent hit it yet so it (and the fair use policy just says if you exceed 1gb per month they will ask you to cut down a bit, with more restrictions each time you break the 1Gb limit) Basically its not designed for peer to peer, streaming or skype.
The pro version isnt that much more expensive though.
chrisjasper said:
T-Mobile have been pretty good, I have a flext 30+ Web and Walk standard, works out at around £35 per month.
Its not actually unlimited internet I think it works out to something around 1gb per month but with the amount you download with normal active sync e-mail and web browsing I havent hit it yet so it (and the fair use policy just says if you exceed 1gb per month they will ask you to cut down a bit, with more restrictions each time you break the 1Gb limit) Basically its not designed for peer to peer, streaming or skype.
The pro version isnt that much more expensive though.
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Ah so more expensive packages are just cause more data will be used not that on the others it wont work?
thesoulpoet said:
Ah so more expensive packages are just cause more data will be used not that on the others it wont work?
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Click to collapse
Yes, the pro web+walk packages go up to 10Gb per month.
chrisjasper said:
Yes, the pro web+walk packages go up to 10Gb per month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to migrate across to T-Mobile web-n-walk without having to buy a handset?
Not entirely sure about that one, I've been with t-mob since they were one2one.
You can pac code your number across so most likely you could go to W+W without buying a handset....
strange t-mobile
whats strange about t-mobile uk is that, although they say 1gb limit, ive been using my w&w plan since april 06 and have almost consistently exceeded the limits, in the last few months according to my data monitor on the nokia 6680 ive exceeded 10 gigs a month. One of the call centers isnt too far from my town and the area i live in has very few serious w&w users or so i believe.. ive got good HSPDA reception in my area and plan to do some testing with my phones.. will post results..
I moved from O2 to T-Mobile for the exact same reason... I simply couldn't justify the rip-off data charges!
Since moving to T-Mobile I can honestly say I don't regret making the move... their service is as good or better than O2 and having web n walk is absolute bliss
I'm on the basic web n walk package, but as far as I know there is nothing preventing you using your mobile as a modem for a laptop and I'm sure I've read posts from other users saying you can still make internet calls (skype) on the basic package??? - the only thing the saleman told me is they do monitor activities and if they detect another IP address (from a computer I would guess) or any voice/video streaming, there's a chance I could be billed for it
stewcp said:
I moved from O2 to T-Mobile for the exact same reason... I simply couldn't justify the rip-off data charges!
Since moving to T-Mobile I can honestly say I don't regret making the move... their service is as good or better than O2 and having web n walk is absolute bliss
I'm on the basic web n walk package, but as far as I know there is nothing preventing you using your mobile as a modem for a laptop and I'm sure I've read posts from other users saying you can still make internet calls (skype) on the basic package??? - the only thing the saleman told me is they do monitor activities and if they detect another IP address (from a computer I would guess) or any voice/video streaming, there's a chance I could be billed for it
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Click to collapse
I might give them a call and see what they reckon (im on a monthly rolling contract with O2 at the mo)
Whats the basic WnW package got in terms of texts and minutes.....a basic run down of the details would be very helpfull dude
Roaming charges?
I've been thinking to switch to WnW but have been unable to fing the roaming data costs. That is... i use it to sync to exchange while abroad (mostly europe).
Can't find the costs on the t-mob site
t-mobile DATA costs
3G (where available) £7.50 per Mb
This is the data charge anywhere outside the UK. I wen't to India sent two emails with picture attachments. Got bill, ended up sending 4mb which came to about 30 quid. It's a shame they don't have a better deal for people on Web n walk. BTW, i am on web n walk plus, the middle package, £12.50 a month. 3 gb limit and when connected to my laptop avg DL speed is 130.0kbs
Link for roming costs anyway, http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/personal/our-services/going-abroad/details-by-country.do
mrvanx said:
Is it possible to migrate across to T-Mobile web-n-walk without having to buy a handset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a Universal on Ebay that had been on O2 and I stuck in a tmobile pay as you go sim card. Once I'd put in the server details (for which there is a help page on the tmobile site) it works great. I don't do a lot of data normally, but when I do, I get charged a flat rate of £1 for that day. I used it abroad to get email in Switzerland and France. It worked right off the plane with no fiddling at all.
evilv said:
I bought a Universal on Ebay that had been on O2 and I stuck in a tmobile pay as you go sim card. Once I'd put in the server details (for which there is a help page on the tmobile site) it works great. I don't do a lot of data normally, but when I do, I get charged a flat rate of £1 for that day. I used it abroad to get email in Switzerland and France. It worked right off the plane with no fiddling at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same for an O2 XDA IIs - originally I just used it as a phone (on O2 pay-as-you-go) and PDA, but recently needed Web access. Popped into a mobile phone shop, pick up a brochure of tarrifs saw the O2 one, picked myself up off the floor and bought a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go SIM. T-Mobile very helpful in setting up the web access over the phone (they called me back on a different mobile)
mrvanx said:
Is it possible to migrate across to T-Mobile web-n-walk without having to buy a handset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can get sim only then you can get web and walk as i have been using since last 11 months. I only got a sim Flex20 and whenever like i subscribe to web&walk through internet account as well opt out by telling 1 month notice.... or you can use pay as you go sim card... £1 a day and unlimited internet even VOIP.... i often use it for skype and got excellent result, i taked hours and never got problem... cheers
Is it just me or did T-mobile really block the proxy port which alllowed us to access the internet for 5.99
Hey, i would be careful with this, if you get caught they can run a history on your account and see how long youve been doing this and charge you retro on it. I had a friend who was doing this and he had to pay the full price for 2 years of service. Not only that, they consider it a Federal Offense just like stealing cable.
It seems ridiculous to sell a device that does all these things online, when the network won't even allow it. I'm talking about the 500mb fair usage policy (FUP) Vodafone place on their 'unlimited' mobile internet, when T-Mobile seems to allow you a 3GB limit.
But stop the press! I just got off the phone with Vodafone today and was told that they are in talks to INCREASE their FUP limit by Christmas! (in time for their take on the beloved iPhone). Does any one have any more information on this!? Because the FUP is the ONLY thing stopping me from getting the HD2 out from Vodafone now and not wait for T-Mobile!
Also, does anyone have any experience with Vodafone/T-Mobile voice and data coverage in the UK? That would be a big factor too in deciding which network provider to sign with.
I use TMobile in the Midlands and have no problem with voice and data reception, still waiting for my HD2 to arrive so cant comment if the reception is any better or worse than my Kaiser
serk1284 said:
It seems ridiculous to sell a device that does all these things online, when the network won't even allow it. I'm talking about the 500mb fair usage policy (FUP) Vodafone place on their 'unlimited' mobile internet, when T-Mobile seems to allow you a 3GB limit.
But stop the press! I just got off the phone with Vodafone today and was told that they are in talks to INCREASE their FUP limit by Christmas! (in time for their take on the beloved iPhone). Does any one have any more information on this!? Because the FUP is the ONLY thing stopping me from getting the HD2 out from Vodafone now and not wait for T-Mobile!
Also, does anyone have any experience with Vodafone/T-Mobile voice and data coverage in the UK? That would be a big factor too in deciding which network provider to sign with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 500Mb FUP is the reason I left Orange when I had an Omnia HD. Stupid limit.
T-Mobile are excellent - even though they didnt work out for me - heres why:
I went in to get a HTC Hero - did the Street Check online - had excellent coverage and good 3G coverage. Got a great contract and the staff were very good. Got home - which is in a little town called leek (just outside Stoke) and had no 3g coverage at all. Left it a few days just in case it sprung to life then rang customer services. The very nice lady told me they have two versions of the coverage checker - one for customers and one for their Techies - the Techie one showed zero 3G coverage even though the online street check showed good coverage.
The T-mobile guys were great and I returned the phone no fuss - but be wary of the street checker - ring them to double check. There network seemed excellent and they will soon be merged with Orange who have a significant 3G network. If I had coverage I would defo go with T-mobile...
serk1284 said:
I'm talking about the 500mb fair usage policy (FUP) Vodafone place on their 'unlimited' mobile internet, when T-Mobile seems to allow you a 3GB limit.
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T-Mobile nearly always has a one gigabyte limit. They make an exception for one or two Android-based phones, such as the Hero, which have a lot of constantly updating widgets - for those phones only, if you buy the phone from T-Mobile, you will get a 3GB limit. As far as I'm aware the limit on an HD2 will be 1GB - but it might be worth checking this with T-Mobile customer services.
T-Mobile also block some ports on their standard internet service so you can't use MSN Messenger on it, or access certain websites at all (e.g. iPlayer).
I just went with Vodafone as the T-Mobile signal is poor where I live. Almost went with O2 as there have the same Fair Usage Policy as T-Mobile but the Vodafone have a pay as you go option which is a max of 50p per day with a limit of 25 Meg. As I would not use my Phone for internet all that much it is the best option for me. As I don’t need to pay an extra £7.50 a month but can us it when ever I want and not pay through the noise for it.
For myself, the benefits of Vodafone, outweigh the downside of having only 500MB of data. I've never gone over my data for the month, and find it quite hard usually, to go over 15MB a day (roughly what 500MB is over the month). I use SPB Wireless Monitor to keep track of it.
It is nice to hear that Vodafone might be increasing this limit tho.
Shasarak said:
T-Mobile nearly always has a one gigabyte limit. They make an exception for one or two Android-based phones, such as the Hero, which have a lot of constantly updating widgets - for those phones only, if you buy the phone from T-Mobile, you will get a 3GB limit. As far as I'm aware the limit on an HD2 will be 1GB - but it might be worth checking this with T-Mobile customer services.
T-Mobile also block some ports on their standard internet service so you can't use MSN Messenger on it, or access certain websites at all (e.g. iPlayer).
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Click to collapse
lol. T-Mobile have 3 versions of internet for mobiles. Basic Web and Walk with 1Gb fair use policy and blocked ports. Web & Walk plus with 3Gb fair use and open for MSN etc and Laptop Tethering, and Web & Walk Max which has a 10Gb fair use policy and is open for everything including Skype and other VOIP calling. The difference in price between basic and Plus is about £3 -£5. All of these packages are available to all phones.
Shasarak said:
T-Mobile nearly always has a one gigabyte limit. They make an exception for one or two Android-based phones, such as the Hero, which have a lot of constantly updating widgets - for those phones only, if you buy the phone from T-Mobile, you will get a 3GB limit. As far as I'm aware the limit on an HD2 will be 1GB - but it might be worth checking this with T-Mobile customer services.
T-Mobile also block some ports on their standard internet service so you can't use MSN Messenger on it, or access certain websites at all (e.g. iPlayer).
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Click to collapse
I have standard TMobile web and walk and can use MSN Messenger with no problems
Gajet said:
lol. T-Mobile have 3 versions of internet for mobiles. Basic Web and Walk with 1Gb fair use policy and blocked ports. Web & Walk plus with 3Gb fair use and open for MSN etc and Laptop Tethering, and Web & Walk Max which has a 10Gb fair use policy and is open for everything including Skype and other VOIP calling. The difference in price between basic and Plus is about £3 -£5. All of these packages are available to all phones.
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All of these may be available, but the point is that you have to pay extra for them. By contrast, other providers don't block ports in their standard Internet packages.
Shasarak said:
All of these may be available, but the point is that you have to pay extra for them. By contrast, other providers don't block ports in their standard Internet packages.
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Depends how you view it. I would argue that their standard is web & walk plus, that allows you to tether, which O2 for instance would charge you an extra £15 on top of your data bundle to do. However T-mobile also offer a budget basic package for people who just want the football results on saturdays.
Gajet said:
Depends how you view it. I would argue that their standard is web & walk plus, that allows you to tether, which O2 for instance would charge you an extra £15 on top of your data bundle to do. However T-mobile also offer a budget basic package for people who just want the football results on saturdays.
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My point is that if you pay the advertised price for a T-Mobile phone you will not get Web'n'Walk Plus (unless it's a G1 or a G2, which are special cases). You get the Plus version if you pay £5 more per month than the advertised price. If the purpose that you want to use the connection for requires one of the ports that is blocked on the standard service, you need to be aware of this.
The discussion started because someone suggested that a 3GB limit is standard on T-Mobile, and it isn't - it's only standard if you buy a G1 or a G2. Otherwise it costs extra. You could reasonably argue that T-Mobile's upgraded package is better than other carriers' upgraded packages, but we need to make sure that people who decide to buy (say) an HD2 from T-Mobile aren't expecting to get the "Plus" package without playing extra for it.
I think there are also heavier restrictions on Web'n'Walk Plus than there are on a standard "Mobile Broadband" package. If you get a 3GB per month package from O2 you can do pretty much what you like with it up to the the 3GB limit. But (under the terms of your contract) you're not allowed to download audio or video over a Web'n'Walk Plus connection, or make Skype calls. (You need to upgrade to the Max version for that).
Shasarak said:
I think there are also heavier restrictions on Web'n'Walk Plus than there are on a standard "Mobile Broadband" package. If you get a 3GB per month package from O2 you can do pretty much what you like with it up to the the 3GB limit. But (under the terms of your contract) you're not allowed to download audio or video over a Web'n'Walk Plus connection, or make Skype calls. (You need to upgrade to the Max version for that).
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With O2 you can't tether to your laptop
T-Mobile said:
How does Mobile Broadband Plus work?
As well as basic browsing and emailing, you'll be able to take full advantage of what the web has to offer, which means you can:
Send instant messages - chat with your friends in real-time
Stream video - watch clips on YouTube
Update your blog - write when inspiration strikes
Download - save and view music, image and movie files
How does Mobile Broadband Max work?
It's exactly the same as web'n'walk Plus except you can use voice over the internet (VoIP) software, such as Skype and Jajah.com, which allows you to make phone calls and instant message with people all over the world.
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Also with T-mobile you build your own package, so not sure what is advertised The final cost of the total bill determines the handset price. Which is why I've always had W&W Plus and never paid more than a standard £35 pm contract.
Gajet said:
so not sure what is advertised
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Then allow me to enlighten you. If you go, for example here:
http://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/Brands/HTC/b509/n447/p27241.aspx#tabsAnchor
you will see an HD2 for sale on contract with T-Mobile. It costs £35 a month, 18-month contract, phone is free, it gives you 700 minutes, "unlimited texts", and "unlimited mobile web". Do you imagine that this deal will give you Web'n'Walk Plus? Obviously, it won't. If you see a T-Mobile deal advertised as "unlimited internet" or "unlimited web", then what that means is that if you pay the amount of money mentioned in the advert, you will get the basic Web'n'Walk package. If you want the "Plus" package then you will have to pay another £5 per month over and above the cost of "unlimited web" to get it.
T-Mobile's own advertising is similar: if you want Web'n'Walk Plus you have to pay £5 a month more than you have to pay for the same phone with the standard Internet package.
Now seriously, this discussion is getting boring, so let's leave it at that.
Never had a problem with T-Mo, even the 2 months I went over 1GB (only by a hundred MB or so). Didn't even hear from them. On the other hand the only horror stories I've read with people getting enormous over-data charges (both local and roaming) have ALL been with Vodafone.
Data was slow at times a year ago but seems ok now. I also get far better reception at home & work on T-Mo with poor/no reception last time I was on Voda, but that's obviously a local issue and will vary, but it was a deciding factor for me..
Likewise despite the T&Cs saying messenger isn't allowed on the baic service, I've always been able to get on no problem.
recently tmobile had a promotional offer which ended in febuary pay and go £10 top up unlimited txt n web.i got the sim because i use it as modem on my shift i can access many sites the only problem i have is msn i dont know if w7 is causing the issue of signing in or tmobile.but when i use the sim on my hd2 msn works fine as long as i untick proxy.i discoverd if the proxy is ticked the auto update of email dosent work or msn so i unticked it.i have used the tmobile sim from streaming to large file downloads they havnt complained although they do have a slower connection then o2.i stopped using o2 they started complaining then they barded me.
i used tmobile sim as modem for few months i think i used more then 3gb
If you go over your plan limit then T-mobile will throttle your usage between 16.00 and 00.00 (midnight) by restricting your access to gprs speed for certain connections (streaming of video is barred etc).
Other than that it's business as usual.
Not really Nexus S related but just wanted to make people aware when buying mobiles via a 3rd party reseller such as Phones4U etc.
Internet Speed
I found syncing emails, browsing and youtube to be painfully slow so decided to run a few speed tests. My download speed was being capped at 360-380kbps!
Decided to do some research and found that...
T-Mobile only allow 3rd party resellers to include the internet as an added booster which limits you to 3G only and no HSPDA ... hence the crap speeds!
I've had to call up and pay a further £5 a month to have the 'Internet Plus' booster added which increases my usage to 3GB and speeds up to HSPDA. This is included as standard if you buy any Android handset direct from T-Mobile.
Results are..
Before:
Test 1 = 35kbps Download & 24kbps Upload
Test 2 = 329kbps Download & 97kbps Upload
Test 3 = 317kbps Download & 57kbps Upload
After (1min after calling customer services):
Test 1 = 1175kbps Download & 475kbps Upload
Test 2 = 1726kbps Download & 446kbps Upload
I'm not a heavy data user but even I noticed how slow it was, the difference is shocking.
I tried to play dumb and get them to upgrade for free as i know a few people have had sucess with this but it appears all the technical support team are now clued up. They knew that i didn't purchase the phone direct.
Just a heads up
So you're saying that when you sign up for a T-Mo contract through Phones4U or possibly CPW they'll put a speed capped data plan on your contract?!
That's definitely something to watch out for in future, I bet it's hidden deep in their T&C where an average punter wouldn't find it or understand the implications.
Yep.
For example my plan is £25 500 texts 600mins.
Purchased direct from T-Mobile
500 texts
600 mins
Tmobiles Internet Plus (3GB Internet Package allowing HSPDA speeds)
Purchased via Phones4u
500 texts
600 mins
Tmobiles Internet Booster (1GB Internet Package only allowing up to 3G speeds)
That's why Phones4u can offer such a good deal .... sneaky tbh!
Reply from Phones4u...
http://support.phones4u.co.uk/pe/action/forums/displaythread?rootPostID=10127815&channelID=1&portalPageId=1002
Hi thoms04,
As this is one of the network's policies, it is not something that our advisors may have been aware of however I will certainly feed this information back throughout of business in order to ensure that this is known.
T-Mobile are certainly leading the way by offering their customers a 1Gb internet allowance as standard as most networks will only offer 500Mb, I am aware that T-Mobile however are changing this from the 1st February 2011 and will be lowering their 1Gb limit to 500 Mb for new customers (contract & upgrade).
This wont affect yourself however it may explain why they prefer to restrict the speeds available on their internet, we aren't legally required to make you aware of any of the network policies but we can make sure that we're aware if asked in future.
We're glad to hear that you have managed to obtain the speeds that you want however and thank you for providing this information so that we can make our teams aware.
I did this for free the other day, it might depend who you get I spoke to some American woman, just asked for the uncapped speed as I have an android handset and she added upgraded my unlimited data to Web & Walk Plus for free. I have been with t-mob for over a year though with a crappy nokia till I just got a nexus-s. original phone+contract was bought via third party, I'd give them a call and try again until you get someone who will do it for nothing
blueghostuk said:
I did this for free the other day, it might depend who you get I spoke to some American woman, just asked for the uncapped speed as I have an android handset and she added upgraded my unlimited data to Web & Walk Plus for free. I have been with t-mob for over a year though with a crappy nokia till I just got a nexus-s. original phone+contract was bought via third party, I'd give them a call and try again until you get someone who will do it for nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried with 4 different people, you must have got a nice customer service rep! I know a few others had it upgraded for free also.
It used to be that you could pretend you purchased the phone direct from T-Mobile and they would just assume it was missed off and add it. However when i tried this they knew straight away that my handset was purchased via a 3rd Party.
They have also updated their T & C's recently stating that the handset needs to be purchased direct for it to qualify.
I'm not really that bothered as i have what i want, just wanted to make people aware so they don't get caught out.
thoms04 said:
I tried with 4 different people, you must have got a nice customer service rep! I know a few others had it upgraded for free also.
It used to be that you could pretend you purchased the phone direct from T-Mobile and they would just assume it was missed off and add it. However when i tried this they knew straight away that my handset was purchased via a 3rd Party.
They have also updated their T & C's recently stating that the handset needs to be purchased direct for it to qualify.
I'm not really that bothered as i have what i want, just wanted to make people aware so they don't get caught out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i negoiated my upgrade with T-Mo via their loyalties team. Once I did that I got my rate and specified I am using an Android smartphone I was put the smartphone FPU
What Phones4u sold you is the default tariff.
I had to get my phone from CPW I payed and extra 20 quid for the handset and CPW did not modify my plan.
dragon546 said:
i negoiated my upgrade with T-Mo via their loyalties team. Once I did that I got my rate and specified I am using an Android smartphone I was put the smartphone FPU
What Phones4u sold you is the default tariff.
I had to get my phone from CPW I payed and extra 20 quid for the handset and CPW did not modify my plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that lol.
T-Mobile recently changed their T&C's so that it states that you must purchase the handset/contract direct from them.
Before they only stated that you needed to be using an Android handset on the T-Mobile network.
I read this on the way home just after buying my nexus s from carphone warehouse.
I rang T-Mobile and was told that to get decent data speed you need to have a bolt on called web and walk plus. I managed to get them to swap me over for free but still its bad pratice that they don't tell you about it up front.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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For those who prefer to use a VPN for streaming videos without buffering issues can also choose the Smart DNS option, which offers negligible lag while streaming videos and audio files.
Cost Of CactusVPN Subscription & Packages
This is really the best aspect of CactusVPN. They offer a wide range of features, with pricing options for servers in specific countries like the US, UK, and Netherlands. Their VPN with Smart DNS Technology is their most popular service, which includes 12 servers in all 4 countries at $6.99 per month. That is way less than the competition, and really cheaper than those VPN service providers that offer less than half the number of features as provided by CactusVPN. This means that they have certainly priced it right and is certainly a worry for the competition. If that doesn’t take your fancy, they offer Smart DNS on its own.
The only problem with CactusVPN subscription is that with some of the options, you only have a limited choice of servers, either from the United States, United Kingdom or Netherlands. And only the Netherlands server offers P2P access. It is in no way expensive, but the process of diversifying their packages can confuse some customers. Maybe a bit more aggressive pricing for a single package with all the bells and whistles would have been perfect. But we have no serious complaints.
You do get a full 24 hours of free usage with no strings attached. They wouldn’t even ask for your credit card details. This is pretty excellent from the part of CactusVPN, and they even offer 30 days money back guarantee. But if you are an online person, and if you have a blog, forum, website, or just about any form or online real estate with a PR or PageRank of at least 2, you can get a free VPN account from CactusVPN.
Yes, you can get a free account, but in return, you will be required to post a review or some text with a link back to the CactusVPN account. Therefore, the free VPN account is just a link-bait strategy, one that works for every party concerned (Disclosure: We received a free VPN account from CactusVPN in order to review their services).
The payment option is however, a weak point in the CactusVPN arsenal. Only PayPal and credit card payments are accepted. We all know that PayPal is blocked in some countries, and privacy credit card information is extremely valued by people who wish to be anonymous online. Hence, if you want to hide behind an anonymous IP without using either PayPal or credit cards, you should move on to other VPN service providers. Addition of multiple payment options can surely help CactusVPN beat the competition with the pricing on offer.
You can also get a decent discounts on bulk orders. The top end ‘VPN + Smart DNS’ package can be ordered at $17.99 for three months, $31.99 for six months and $54.99 for a year. For server specific packages such as US VPN, UK VPN and NL VPN, you can choose to pay $12.99 for three months, $22.99 for six months and $38.99 for a year. This result in an even cheaper pricing for your subscription compared to other competitors offering the same or similar set of features and services.
Speed Of Anonymous Web Browsing & Bandwidth At CactusVPN
Speed is another feature that truly works in favor of CactusVPN. Time and again, we have faced streaming issues with various VPN service providers. We couldn’t really complain about the loss of speed, because we understand that speed and bandwidth will be lost while rerouting traffic through different servers located around the world. But CactusVPN has given us what we had always hoped.
Instead of the standard 40-80% customary drop in available ISP speed with other VPN companies, CactusVPN was able to tap into almost 80-90% of the available ISP speed. Even we were surprised to find this was possible. This ensured that all streaming media could be viewed without trouble.
CactusVPN also offer unlimited bandwidth across the board, and there are no bandwidth restrictions. Good speed and unlimited bandwidth mean users with P2P traffic preference will certainly choose CactusVPN over other service providers. This does have its own disadvantages, as the NL server faces a few serious downtime issues, and at peak hours, there are issues of server outages. This trouble is not really that prevalent in the servers from US and UK. Adding a few servers will certainly solve this issue.
Number Of Servers & Server Locations
Number of servers and server locations is not really a strong suite for CactusVPN. At present, there are only three countries on offer, mainly United States, United Kingdom and Netherlands. The exact number of servers is not known, but expects it to be in the lower 20s. Unfortunately, this is a really low figure, and seeing that this is just a startup company, we can expect a greater number of servers in the near future.
CactusVPN Customer Support & Website Information
CactusVPN does not have what one would call a top-notch customer service department, but they aren’t any slouch either. The customer support is quite responsive, and you can send an email, submit a ticket or initiate a live chat. Live chat support is only offered to customers, and prospective clients will find it hard to talk to someone directly. Amazingly, there isn’t any direct contact phone number either.
The CactusVPN website on the other hand, is superbly designed and has all the right information. Even the tutorials are presented in an easy to read manner, which ensures that even a novice user can set up VPN on their system without any difficulties. You can find everything you need from their knowledge database, and if you do run into any issues during setup, the customer support team can be of great assistance.
Issues & Drawbacks Of CactusVPN
We have to be really picky to pick out the drawbacks of a VPN service that offer anonymous web browsing services at such an affordable price. But still, we have faced a few issues that we would like to be rectified. For starters, the number of servers is quite low, and we want a large number of locations added to the list as well.
This will also improve the overall speed and reliability, especially for users opting for the Netherlands server. Also, there isn’t an option for dedicated IP, not even as a paid option and this is something that people are willing to pay for. SSL security is also absent, which once again, is something that people will pay for. Combining these features and avoiding splitting up servers for the sake of offering low-priced packages should do the trick. CactusVPN is not overly priced at the moment, and we don’t get the theory behind mending something that wasn’t broken in the first place.
CactusVPN Verdict
This is a no-brainer. For under $5 and with an all-inclusive package available, this is certainly something that will get all the anonymous web users excited. It isn’t as if CactusVPN were conservative with their features. There are unique and standard features on offer, and for this price, CactusVPN is a good choice. We can certainly ignore a few shortcomings, and seeing the way CactusVPN are making changes to their services, we expect most of the issues to be sorted out at the earliest.
CactusVPN Discount Coupons & Offers
There is a free 24 hour trial from Cactus VPN, after which, you can enjoy another 30 days money back guarantee. This means that you can use the CactusVPN without worry for an extended period of time to test out the service.
Your Verdict
Now, you’ve heard our opinion of CactusVPN, but what are your own experiences? Did we hit spot on or do you disagree without verdict? If you have tried CactusVPN please share your thoughts with us using the comment section below.
CactusVPN Facts & Ratings
Name CactusVPN
Based Moldova
Established 2012
Servers 12+ Servers
Countries 3+ Countries with Servers
VPN Protocols OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP
Platforms Windows, Android, Mac OS/X, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Linux
Key Features Torrents/P2P Allowed, Unlimited Data Usage, Unlimited Download Speed
Price 1 month $12.99
Price 6 months $22.99
Price 12 months $38.99
MONEY Back Guarantee 30 days