SBB experiences

After MTS did not condescend to introduce a fixed-line for ADSL internet for 2 months, I had to choose SBB because it was my only other (more or less) normal option.

In this article, I will write my experiences with this company and its services. Since I have been their user for only a short time (since March 2019), I will supplement this text with new experiences over time (if there is a change).

Positive

Update (31.08.2020): Some time ago they increased the speed to 150Mbps for free. I would positively put that because I am from the National Assembly, if you are from a place where they do not have that "Giga net", then this does not mean much to you.

I would like to add that I have not had any major problems in these years. The net disappeared maybe a couple of times for a short period. The speed was constant, with no noticeable drops.

Original text:

Right at the beginning, I would like to single out the speed of the intervention when I told them that I wanted to become their user. Since I was without a net for 2 months, I asked them if I could come as soon as possible, and they said they could. They came the next day - Sunday! They set everything up relatively quickly and I had a signal right away.

Another positive thing is the speed of the internet and a small ping. I used to be close to an ADSL station and my signal was above average, but it wasn't as good as it is now. The ping did not go below 8, while at SBB the ping does not go above 4. The net is fast enough even in the smallest package, but when you consider the price of the whole package, it is not very cheap (more on that below).

Next: their customer support is… so it's ok. It's nothing special, but you don't have to wait long on the phone (at least I haven't done this 10 times), their technical team is quite professional and I always get professional and extensive answers and they are mostly kind. So far, I have not needed to invite them to come, but I know from the experience of other users that it is a very painful experience. We'll see in time.

I also like that there aren't many promo notifications that pop up on TV when the receiver is turned on. I would like to add that I like the fact that this promotion can be easily removed and can hardly be activated by chance. This was not the case with Orion, so the promotion is activated whatever you press! Each time I had to call them and send a recording as proof that I did not activate anything because they did not believe me (which I wrote in this article).

Another pleasant surprise was when I received HBO Go for free for 3 months, that is. all users received. I don't know how often they give away some packages, but here are some of them.

I would also praise their EON application and the whole system in general. I do not have an EON box but I can use these services and applications. There is one limitation that irritates me here, and I will talk about that in the section on a negative experience.

Negative

In the first place: new users are all behind CGNAT and do not have public IP addresses! This made me very annoyed and I put it as the biggest flaw. What does this actually mean? It means you can't access your home net (and content) remotely! To be able to do that, you have to pay 600 dinars a month for a static IP address. I understand that there is a shortage of IPv4 addresses, but then let them offer the option to more professional users to request activation of the public dynamic IP address, and by default put CGNAT. Very, very big minus!

Second: the net shoots from time to time. Interruptions do not last long, but they are enough to interrupt my work on the computer or disconnect all smart devices from the network. Net at SBB shoots often and I knew that every user complains about it and they are probably the most famous for that. But for now, it's bearable. Compared to the ADSL I had, it shoots about 4x more often. I noticed that every, but every time I called support, there was the first notice of termination at a location.

I don't know for what reason, but from time to time, for no reason at all, even when the net doesn't break, the devices don't see each other in the local network. For example, I can't cast a Chromecast from my phone, or I can't find a computer from my phone if I want to use a remote desktop application. It's a strange problem and it's hard to intentionally cause it, so I can't even report it as a malfunction. The problem is solved by simply restarting the router.

Fourth: price. They are expensive and point. They are not expensive for me, but they are when compared to other providers. The reason for the high price is, in addition to arrogance, the basic TV subscription of around 1,000 dinars.

Let me add now: they condition users to pay for a TV connection to have a net. I believe that this is a limitation in terms of technology and how the Internet signal is distributed to users, but then let them reduce the subscription to the Net for the price of the TV.

Further: EON can be watched only from Serbia. So: if you are in Serbia and have domestic TV channels wherever you turn, then you can watch over the phone, tablet using the EON application… If you are not in Serbia and do not have domestic TV channels, then you can not watch EON. Well, then I don't even need an EON.

Then I would like to mention that the SSH connection to any server in the world, with every single SBB user, breaks after a few minutes. I just tested this: with several friends (who are with SBB) I connected to 3 different servers via SSH, tried several applications and devices, and the connection always broke after a few minutes. This is very frustrating and I give them a big minus because of it. Just to be sure, I did the same test, but on an ADSL connection - everything works without problems.

As for their portal and site in general: logging in to the account takes forever. I tried to log in through various web browsers, devices, and even via the official application - I always waited for a few minutes! I don't know why this is so, but so far I haven't been able to find a combination of devices and settings that I could use to log in immediately.

For the end

These were my previous experiences with this company and its services. So far, the experiences have been mostly negative, but I will see if they will improve or worsen over time.

What are your experiences? Write below in the comment.

Read more: MTS experiences, Orion experiences.