# Cheapest internet edmonton



## Mike1 (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi,
Which company is cheapest in edmonton for internet? Telus, shaw, or Teksavvy or any other company?

Some companies are good for 6 months and then it is expensive.

Around 3 people in our home will be using the internet. Will DSL or cable internet better for 3 people? Will 15mbps download speed be enough for 3 people to watch live stream games, etc? And, 250gb be enough?

Any suggestions will be appreciated

Thank you so much


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Can't comment on pricing, but if you have three heavy streaming users, you probably should get closer to 25 mbps down and ideally unlimited transfers. Assuming people who live stream games also tend to download tv shows, etc.


----------



## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

250gb is quite a bit though... Might be worth to wait and see whether you go over that cap before deciding to pay extra for unlimited. Even if you go slightly over on a typical month, the extra charges might be less than the cost of unlimited.

As for cable vs dsl, what is better depends on where you live. Typically DSL works great if you are near one of their repeaters and not so great if you're further away. Cable depends on how many other users are using the internet in your neighborhood. In my experience cable is USUALLY faster and more stable than DSL but not always.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Bell offers a $10 upgrade to unlimited if you have TV service. Whereas they usually soak you $0.50/GB over the limit.


----------



## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

For three people you probably want to go 20 or 25 mbps speed. We have two people with 10 mbps and it can slow down sometimes.

As for the amount of GB, I've always found that our usage is much lower than I thought, despite Netflix and two PC's surfing with some downloading. I suspect that most people pay for a lot more bandwidth than they need.

If possible start with 150 GB and monitor usage closely, then increase if needed.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

As a single user, I use between 150 - 200 GB per month on a 15 mbps connection. And I don't download blueray/high def movies, which could drive your usage much higher.


----------



## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

andrewf said:


> As a single user, I use between 150 - 200 GB per month on a 15 mbps connection. And I don't download blueray/high def movies, which could drive your usage much higher.


That is quite a lot. Do you watch 5 hours of Netflix a day or something?

Everyone's different... I just didn't want the OP to overpay for loads of bandwidth unless he really needed it.


----------



## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

andrewf said:


> Bell offers a $10 upgrade to unlimited *if you have TV service.* Whereas they usually soak you $0.50/GB over the limit.


Yup there's always a catch with Bell... Bell/Rogers/Telus actually aren't so bad if you need internet/tv/phone you can get a decent package deal, but for those of us who only need internet there are better options like Techsavvy or Start or Vmedia.


----------



## zylon (Oct 27, 2010)

I have a similar question to what the opening poster asked, although I'm not in Edmonton.

It appears that within a few months I will have no choice but to switch to fibre optic internet if I want to stay with Telus. The speed and bandwidth will be way more than I require, but that's beside the point. The cost will be $75 per month plus tax - grand fathered in for ever and ever - so they say.

My question: approx how much are others paying for internet? (150 mbps; 600 GB/month)
Does $75 sound way out of line?

I believe the only other option in my area is Shaw, which isn't much cheaper after the first six months.

Tank ye in advance.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I believe there are resellers in Alberta as well. Try Teksavvy, for instance. They are offering DSL 25 mbps/300GB per month for 45$.

I would consider paying $75 for that service here in Ontario, but it is overkill for the vast majority of home users.


----------



## zylon (Oct 27, 2010)

Thanks *andrewf*

Yes indeed, it appears that Teksavvy is available in my area.

Just checking their website, I see $30 for 6 mbps/300 GB, which would work fine.

Plus:
modem and shipping: $85
dry loop: $40 activation + $7 per month
add ons Telus subnet: not sure - maybe $15 per month(?)
other: 
activation: $75
activation discount: $20 credit
line speed change: $25

Yikes!
I'm going to have to call them and get myself educated.
I'm guessing that "dry loop" is in place of a land line, but likely about the same price as a land line would be, so no saving there.
I don't know what "subnet" means - am guessing that it's a required fee to pay off Telus.

Looks as if Telus fibre optic for $75 will have to do!


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Dry loop is only if you do not have a landline. So, without a landline, it is $30+7=$37 per month, with ~$120 activation costs (3 month ROI). You can buy a modem from a local computer store (or second hand on kijiji/craigslist), as well.


----------



## zylon (Oct 27, 2010)

Do you know what these "add ons" are?
Something required to make the system work, or, optional if I need more speed or something?

Thanks again.










http://teksavvy.com/en/residential/internet/dsl/high-speed-dsl-6---ab-2


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

zylon said:


> Do you know what these "add ons" are?
> Something required to make the system work, or, optional if I need more speed or something?
> http://teksavvy.com/en/residential/internet/dsl/high-speed-dsl-6---ab-2


Those are for businesses, they're to set up IP addresses for local networks. You don't need them.


----------



## crr243 (Nov 2, 2015)

I'm in Calgary. I've been on TELUS Internet 25 since March, 2012, and haven't had any problems. I've been on a 6 month trial for *4 years*.

Every 5 months, when my trial is about to end, I check Shaw's prices and jot down what their currently promotion is. I then call TELUS to discontinue service. The call generally goes something like this:

TELUS: "Good afternoon, this is Jenny with TELUS Loyalty. How can I help you?"
Me: "I'd like to discontinue service."
TELUS: "I'm sorry to hear that. May I ask why?"
Me: "My bill is about to double and I'm not looking forward to that."
TELUS: "Alright, let me see what we can do." <brief pause> "Well, sir, would you be willing to stay with TELUS if I extended your promotion for another 6 months? We are currently offering new customers $45/month, but I can extend to you an offer of $35/month for the next 6 months."
Me: "Sure, that sounds fantastic."
<click>

Sometimes you'll get a little crankier CSR and it'll go something like this:

TELUS: "Good afternoon, this is Jenny with TELUS Loyalty. How can I help you?"
Me: "I'd like to discontinue service."
TELUS: "I'm sorry to hear that. May I ask why?"
Me: "My bill is about to double and I'm not looking forward to that."
TELUS: "Well, your promotion is about to end. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do."
Me: "Well, Shaw is offering $35/month for 6 months, so I think I'll go check them out."
TELUS: "Alright, let me see what we can do." <brief pause> "Well, sir, would you be willing to stay with TELUS if I met Shaw's promotion of $35/month for the next 6 months?"
Me: "Sure, that sounds fantastic."
<click>

I've been doing this for 4 years with success every time. My latest call was last week, so I've extended my "promotion" to next May, which will be 50 months and counting. There are some times when I'm late and my bill doubles for one month, but they're usually willing to offer credit for the following month to at least partially offset that single high bill. 

Heck, I was even told by the CSR this time to remember to call back by mid-April to make sure I don't get hit with a bill increase. They know people game the system, but they don't seem to care. There seems to be enough competition between TELUS and Shaw that TELUS is willing to fight for your loyalty.


----------



## zylon (Oct 27, 2010)

Spudd said:


> Those are for businesses, they're to set up IP addresses for local networks. You don't need them.


Thank you!
That's what I need to know.


----------

