Now, in the smartphone world, people LOVE to compare benchmark tests, and the higher the score, the more bragging rights a phone gets. But I disagree, because real-time usage is more important than numbers. But, when it comes to internet speeds, numbers do matter!
Recently, I was excited to learn that Unifi had a 2Gbps plan in my area, but after researching, I discovered something interesting. It turns out that you don’t actually get 2Gbps download speeds. SAY WHAT?!! Yeap, 1 + 1 doesn’t always equal to 2. Let me explain.
TIME 2Gbps Vs Unifi 2Gbps Plan
Now before talking about the speeds, let’s first compare what both TIME and Unifi plans offer.
Unifi
On Unifi’s end, for their 2Gbps plan, which is actually 1+1, according to their official website, you are looking to pay a fee of RM399 per month, which includes streaming apps like Disney+ Hotstar and 6 others, which you may or may not use.
And then they have stated that there are download speeds up to 2Gbps aggregated offering. Now, what’s aggregated offering, you may ask? Don’t worry, I will explain that in a while.
Then there is a certified Wi-Fi 6 Optical Network Router and a certified mesh; they didn’t say how many units of the certified mesh, though, but that’s good to know.
Then there are other stuff like free 600 minutes voice plans for fixed lines; if you still do use fixed lines, of course. Then there is Unifi TV Subscription, including their Unifi Plus Box and other services like Next Day Installation and 12 Business Hours Service Restoration.
TIME
As for TIME’s 2Gbps plan, it comes with a lower monthly fee of RM379 per month (subject to a 6% service tax) and it clearly states the download and upload speed of 2Gbps download and 500Mbps upload speeds.
And then there is 1 unit of 2Gbps WiFi 6 router, with a 2.5Gbps Port and they clearly state that they give 2 units of the WiFi 6 mesh nodes.
Then finally, they also include the Time Voice Home Basic, which is based on your usage, so if you don’t use it, you don’t have to pay for it of course.
Then if you are applying for the plan online, you will get RM200 Shopee Vouchers too, which to me was sweet, because you can use the RM200 to buy anything you want.
Now depending on your priority, you may or may not appreciate Unifi’s free 600 minutes talk time for their voice plan and their Unifi TV box because if you are not the kind of person who needs it, you are paying an extra RM20 per month for something that you don’t really use.
All right, so from a monetary perspective, you are spending less on TIME’s internet plan per month. But before deciding, I decided to feed my “curious cat mind” to find out what does Unifi mean by “Aggregated Offering”?
So according to their website, if you click on the information icon text, there is a diagram that explains this, now don’t worry; I will explain this to you in laymen’s terms, ok?
In a nutshell, the aggregated offering means that each device can only transmit maximum bandwidth of 1Gbps, so technically, you are NOT getting 2Gbps download speeds per device, because if you happen to run a speed test, even through a wired connection, you’ll only get a maximum speeds of 1Gbps.
However, on TIME’s 2Gbps plan, not only did they state the EXACT download and upload speeds, but both my teammate Lehud and I even tested those download and upload speeds ourselves and did get the download and upload speeds as stated.
So with that, it is clear which plan will give you a true 2Gbps download speed, so in case you did not know, well, now you know, my friends.
FAQs
Now, allow me to answer some of the frequently asked questions about the issues that people face with their internet speeds, so before calling your Internet Service Provider and shouting at them on the phone, be sure to refer to this first.
The first common question is why isn’t my internet speed as close to 2Gbps or even the plan that I have subscribed to?
Well, the best way to achieve high speeds internet connection is using a wired connection, and you will need to ensure that your wired internet connection is coming from the 2.5Gbps LAN port on your router.
Speaking of wires, you will also need to ensure that Ethernet Cable is a Cat5e cable and above to get the best and most consistent speeds.
And yes, this is the same for other lower download speed internet plans as well, for you to get the best download speeds.
Then, you might have a follow-up second question, what if my laptop does not have an Ethernet Port?
Then you will need to purchase an Ethernet adapter and make sure that no matter what adapter or hub you use, it needs to have a 2.5Gbps port. Recommended adapter: https://bit.ly/42QtJzd
Conclusion
All right, so that’s my conclusion, my friend. If you are looking to get a true 2Gbps plan, you already know the answer and the purpose of me making this is not to bring any ISP down or anything but merely to inform you that SOMETIMES, you will need to dig further to find out not everything is what it seems to be. And also, with the fact that you all have me and the entire Adam Lobo TV team to help you in your purchase decision.
