Smart Bro Share It Review – P999 with Free WiFi Router and up to 2mbps
I just recently installed a Smart Bro “Share It Unlimited” internet broadband connection for P999 per month. Smart Bro’s newest unlimited wireless service promises speeds of up to 2mbps and comes with a free HSPA modem, which doubles as a WiFi router. I’m so excited to finally be able to share my experiences now that I have it connected to my home network.
Why I applyied for Smart Bro Share It
I actually have a great Smart Bro Plan 999 post paid connection, which I’ve been subscribed to for 3 years already. The signal in my area is great and I’ve enjoyed its published speed of up to 1mbps (in my experience its mostly around 700+kbps) and I’ve only had disconnections very rarely. Recently, I’ve upgraded to Windows 7 and found out that it does not support the latest drivers of one of my LAN Cards in my desktop computer, which is the internet server here at home. We lost our home network and, as a result, my sister couldn’t use her netbook to connect to the net. This left me with the option of buying a new LAN card with driver support for Windows 7 (less than P500) or a new WiFi router (around P2000+). Good thing I discovered Smart Bro’s new Share It Unlimited service before I had bought a LAN card or a WiFi Router.
What’s the catch, why does it seem too good to be true?
I inquired about the new service in our nearest Smart Wireless Center and asked them particularly what the difference is between my current Smart Bro “Plan 999 Unlimited” and “Share it Unlimited.” I wanted to know if there’s any “catch” … why they offer faster speeds and a free WiFi Router for the same P999 price. The general answer I got was that it’s a great service since for the same price I get more for my P999 per month BUT it’s only available to selected areas covered by Smart’s 3G network. Sound like a good deal to me since my area (Mandurriao, Iloilo City) has 3G coverage and a great signal from Smart since our house is near their cell tower.
What do you get with Smart Bro Share It Unlimited?
True Wireless Service
They added that their Share It Unlimited does not require an antenna (canopy) since the modem receives wireless signals via Smart’s 3G (HSPA) network. This means their new Share it Unlimited is a true wireless service not like the Plan 999 service, which they just claimed to be wireless but (if you don’t have a wireless router) you actually still need cables to connect the canopy to your computer … You can actually easily bring the new modem with you and transfer to a new location with Smart’s 3G coverage anywhere in your province.
I was told that their modem has a province lock and you have to apply for relocation if you want to use it in another province. You can only have the modem registered in one province at a time and can apply for another relocation every 4 months.
Free WiFi Router
The 3G / HSPA modem doubles as a WiFi Router, which can handle up to 5 connections at a time. The modem also has one port for LAN connections if, like me, your desktop computer doesn’t have a WiFi adapter / receiver. The CSR of Smart told me that only 2-3 connections is recommended as not to sacrifice speed and connectivity. The WiFi Router also has a usable range of about 30 meters.
Unlimited Internet Connection
Share It Unlimited is now post paid … No more limited free hours and additional charges per minute of excess.
Faster Speeds of up to 2mbps
Now we get to the most important part. Does Smartbro’s Share It Unlimited live up to its promise? I’ve done a speed test and got this result: Download speed of 1.61mbps, upload speed of 0.29mbps, and ping / latency of 321ms
It’s not 2mbps but I’m not complaining … for the same P999 price I still get twice the speed of my old connection.
What will you need for the Smart Bro Share It Unlimited?
To apply, you will need to fill up their Subscriber Application Form, Proof of Address (Power, Water, Credit Card Bill etc…), Proof of Identification (Government ID), signed Waiver Form, and initial monthly service fee of P999.
Smart Bro Share It Unlimited has a lock-in contract of 24 months. If you decide not to comply, you will have to pay for the remaining months and P2,500 for the modem / WiFi router.
I hope Smart Bro’s Share It Unlimited will consistently give me a good connection for the whole 24 months. If you have your own experience with this new service, please let us know and leave a comment.
Smartbro Share It Speed Test Update
Did the speed test again and it’s true! Share It Unlimited does go up to 2mbps (1.96mbps was the average speed but it got up to 2.01mbps a briefly). I got this speed when I moved the modem closer to the window. Download speeds go up to 250KB/s.
Smartbro Share It Ping Test
Just found out its flaw, which could be a very big deal to a lot of potential subscribers. I get a high ping most of the time. I tried to play DoTA in GG client and the hosts keep kicking me out because I have a ping of 120-140+. I’ll try to find out what’s the problem but I’ll get back to it next week since I’ll be leaving for my next trip (and the last for the year) in Guimaras. Here’s the ping test result that I got:
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chymera00
posted "Smart Bro Share It Review – P999 with Free WiFi Router and up to 2mbps" on
December 18, 2009 ;
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13 comments.View more posts about: Internet
Tags: , 3G, Broadband, HSPA, Internet, ISP, Router, Smart Bro, Smartbro, WiFi, Wireless
21 December 2009 at 5:53 pm #
I read before it was locked to a specific cell site. That would be cool if you could use the router anywhere in a province! How do you find the lock in period?
22 December 2009 at 4:32 pm #
Yep, they enumerated to me several towns in Iloilo that have 3G coverage by smart, where I can use the share it modem/wifi router. Well, the lock in period is quite long, 24 months. Right now, their service has been very buggy, I’ve not had a decent “share it” connection for 2 days now … Good thing I still have my P999 Unlimited plan, I think I’m not yet ready to have it disconnected. I’ll stick with it for a few months as back-up.
[...] Installed a Smart Bro Share-it connection here at home. I originally planned it to be a replacement for my Smart Bro Plan 999 (the [...]
31 December 2009 at 10:33 am #
My uncle and me was visited in wireless center in SM Cebu last December 26, 2009.After that application we got home and excited bringing new smart bro share it modem.I had headache upon installing it because it was defective then the day after we went back to the smart wireless center to return it but they refuse to recied it.We need to go their service center to traise the defect.Then we follow their instruction badly.We leve the unit to the air touch which was thier service center for one day.Then 1 day after we went back their at it is needed to replace the modem unit because it is defective and that was their firndings.So I brought it again the wireless center and they replace it.they replace only the moden and not the simcard.At that time i decided to bring my notebook because I like to test it before I was leaving to be sure that it was good already.They refuse to test again beause we need to wait for another 3 mins.The I decided to go home and then i was shock again beacuse the problem was not solve.The moden did not detect the sim card.I returned again and the service attendant said to me that the sim card is in need for replacement cause it was defective also….but they refuse to replace it beacuse there are no sim card stock available yet.so untill I write this message my smart bro was not functioning yet..
12 January 2010 at 9:15 am #
pwede po ba lagyan ng external antenna yan? hirap kasi ng signal ng smart sa loc ko
15 January 2010 at 11:19 pm #
SMARTBRO SHARE IT IS THE WORST BUSINESS IN INTERNET INDUSTRY
They advertise their Smart Bro Share It plan 999 as having speeds of up to 2Mbps; but in reality, all I get is somewhere around the neighborhood of 30Kbps. “K”, not “M”. And please allow me to remind you that a technology from Internet’s ancient past called dial-up has speeds of 56Kbps. Smart Bro Share It has 30. 30! Clearly, an ancient technology is way better than Smart Bro Share It plan 999. In addition, Smart Bro Share It is waaaay more expensive than dial-up, disconnects more often and has a two year lock-in period. This makes dial-up not just better than Smart Bro Share It but superior! Finally, if you plan to use Skype calls, Yahoo voice or Bittorrent, forget Smart Bro Share It. These applications require a decent upload speed and Smart Bro Share It can only deliver a measly 5Kbps for upload. It’s double NAT configuration also adds another barrier in the case of Bittorrent.
“So, are they lying?”, you ask. No, they aren’t. They only said that Smart Bro Share It plan 999 has speeds of UP TO 2Mbps—and it does reach that speed once in a blue moon. What they did not tell you is that while Smart Bro Share it can achieve speeds of up to 2Mbps sometimes, you have to stay in the 30-50Kbps range almost all of the time. Their advertisements may not be false, but it is definitely very misleading.
16 January 2010 at 8:31 pm #
GOOD DAY!!!
Mr/Ms Cebu i think its depend you location… if its accessible or you are not in business area the speed will greatly affect with your location …i’m injoying my smartbro connection speed up to 2mbps-3mb using my share it product and i’m satisfied the performance i really appreciate the speed but i hav some problem about gaming result its totally piss me of the ping is very high like above mention. its rights that if you even play GG client game it;s kinda worse ping that you receive
the host keep kicking me out it;s kinda weird but i found out when the game started i expecting log problem and Ive observed nothing worse about the performance no log no delay it`s ok to play but the ping appears high i have to configure out this things i’m gonna call the CSR about this
share it is more on download….
i’m not recommend this for gaming they hav to fix the ping problem
16 January 2010 at 8:51 pm #
thanks for the comment greatly appreciated
19 January 2010 at 6:28 pm #
@Cebu: I agree with jepogzkie … before lock-in in any contract do your research first. Ask around in your location what ISP other people are using and their performance.
@jepogzkie: let me know if they fixed your problem since I also have the same..hehe
12 February 2010 at 7:53 am #
can u give me an advice? my share it has great signal but the problem is, internet speed is only 0.09, 0.18 tops..what shud i do? and by the way, theres a sticker in front of my share it kit that says do not close the share it homepage etc or the connection will be terminated..is that true?
11 February 2010 at 9:33 am #
hey guys..can u give me an advice? my share it has great signal but the problem is, internet speed is only 0.09, 0.18 tops..what shud i do? and by the way, theres a sticker in front of my share it kit that says do not close the share it homepage etc or the connection will be terminated..is that true?
16 February 2010 at 7:53 pm #
I’m not sure about the sicker thinggy. I get slow service a lot too but only a few times during the day, I guess it’s most likely because of peak times. I think you can talk to the customer support of Smart Bro if you get it most times of the day.
11 March 2010 at 6:00 pm #
sa manila ba malakas signal?? balak qo kc mg share it na din
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