Shaw vs Telus?

[HiTempguy1]

Moving into my condo on the 17th, I've been a dedicated Shaw customer for well over a decade, after having dealt with Telus in the family household growing up, I built an incredible dislike for them and their services.

It seems like things have changed, and I've always had cell service provided through them (which has been great).

We have fibre to the condo, so that is a good thing in Telus' favour. Would you pick one over the other? Telus is cheaper overall for straight internet by a good $15/$20 per month.

[RealJimmyJames]

Shaw has a better wifi network out and around town, if that matters to you. It matters to me.

[rage2]

Telus customer service has improved leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. I still find Shaw's HD quality to be better than Telus's though if you care enough about picture quality.

[rage2]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
Shaw has a better wifi network out and around town, if that matters to you. It matters to me.
That's actually a good point. I'm using Shaw for internet at home, and Telus for my tablet, so I can use both Shaw and Telus' public wifi spots on the road.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
Shaw has a better wifi network out and around town, if that matters to you. It matters to me.

Calgary as in "town"? What about Edmonton (not that I expect you guys to come hang out with us plebs very often ;) )?

I have a big data plan on the phone, but with business blowing up it would be nice to have additional options. I travel a ton throughout the country, so having the hotspots available would be a big bonus.


Originally posted by rage2
Telus customer service has improved leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. I still find Shaw's HD quality to be better than Telus's though if you care enough about picture quality.

Interesting. Do you have any opinions on their TV hardware? I get a "free" package from either Shaw or Telus (their bottom of the barrel packages, I'll be upgrading of course), but I am mainly concerned about the internet. If I end up with a roommate, they may care about TV.

It would be kind of nice to just be able to sit down and watch Game of Thrones in HD at 9pm Sunday nights though without having to do anything...

[rage2]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
Calgary as in "town"? What about Edmonton (not that I expect you guys to come hang out with us plebs very often ;) )?

I have a big data plan on the phone, but with business blowing up it would be nice to have additional options. I travel a ton throughout the country, so having the hotspots available would be a big bonus.
Shaw's hotspots are awesome throughout the country (at least, western Canada). One of my nephews uses my account for shaw hotspot because he doesn't have a data plan throughout BC and Alberta and haven't had problems getting online when going out.


Originally posted by HiTempguy1
Interesting. Do you have any opinions on their TV hardware? I get a "free" package from either Shaw or Telus (their bottom of the barrel packages, I'll be upgrading of course), but I am mainly concerned about the internet. If I end up with a roommate, they may care about TV.

It would be kind of nice to just be able to sit down and watch Game of Thrones in HD at 9pm Sunday nights though without having to do anything...
No clue on hardware. I don't have neither, and just basing image quality based on watching TV at other people's houses.

[nytrydr89]

I have Telus and have had it for years. Hardware is decent especially my wireless TV boxes (which are pretty reliable with a wifi booster). Had issues in the past with previous gen PVR's but current one gives me no grief. My biggest complaint is pricing. Once your outside of the promotional period you'll be spending a fortune if you want decent TV and internet. My bill totals roughly $220ish with Internet 100 and one of the better TV packages with an HBO add on because of course its not included with any of the packages you can select.

[403Gemini]

Telus's customer service is excellent, but that's where their excellence ends. I was with them for about 6 years, asked if I could go with their Internet 50 package (for $15 more a month from what I had) and they advised me my area is "too old" and doesn't support the infrastructure, but they offered me for $15 more a month to give me "unlimited internet" (... the amount of data wasn't the issue, they didn't grasp that....)

I stuck with them for awhile after that, but got very sick of the random disconnects / black out periods (which happens frequently if you look at their facebook page) - last year I had techs come to my house (and I had to take time off work to meet) a total of 6 times in 12 months.

Additionally, they don't seem to plan upgrades intelligently. During the worlds hockey game they decided to do a network upgrade and shut down a lot of peoples connection during this time.

ONE good thing about their TV service is the channel format. They group everything into hundreds. Like 100-199 is local channels, 200-299 is local networks for other areas (like global Vancouver, etc ), 300-399 was various things like AMC, FX, etc, 400-499 was sports (if i recall), 500-599 was movies, etc.

I liked that.

Otherwise, Shaw's navigation is leaps and bounds faster on their menus for TV than Telus' and their internet is much quicker.

Least that's my thoughts after being with telus for 6 years and shaw for 6 months. Shaw took awhile to get used to the cluster fuck that the channel selection is, but once you get used to your favorite channels, it's all good.

[Hallowed_point]

I find Telus to be very unreliable and frustrating. I find Shaw to be less high tech, but reliable. I turn it on and it works.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
I find Telus to be very unreliable and frustrating. I find Shaw to be less high tech, but reliable. I turn it on and it works.
And that's the way I find my TELUS services, turn it on and it works. I can't critique Shaw because I haven't had service from them in over 20 years but no complaints about TELUS either.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by speedog
And that's the way I find my TELUS services, turn it on and it works. I can't critique Shaw because I haven't had service from them in over 20 years but no complaints about TELUS either. I find it to be like pulling teeth dealing with them whenever the Telus TV/Internet goes down. A 1-2 hour phone call usually. Thank god I only have to deal with Telus at work.

[lasimmon]

We have Telus Fibre.

Has been amazing for the 6 months or so we have had it. No issues. Fast tv menus and what not. Fast internet. No downtime.

They did a customer appreciation in our condo building for telus customers last week. I upgraded my cell phone and plan for free so can't really complain :dunno:

[yellowsnow]

Really depends on your area. Some areas have better connections then others. I was with shaw for a year, and my speeds were horrendous during peak periods. Shaw said there nodes were saturated, and had no plans to upgrade anytime soon.

I've been on telus fibre ever since, and have had reliable and fast internet with maybe 1 or 2 downtimes in the last year.

If your building has telus fibre ready, I would go with telus. Upload speed is also 2 times faster with Telus if that matters to you.

[eblend]

Been with Telus for almost 6 years now, first couple on DSL, fiber since. Would never go back to Shaw as long as I live here, has been rock solid. The upload speed is great at uploading all my pictures and videos online, and excellent for watching Plex remotely. My sister out in Vancouver, my buddy in Calgary (on shaw) and my parents on Telus fiber all watch HD videos off my server without so much as a stutter.

[403Gemini]

Within about 1 week of each other

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh233/cryage/speedtest1_zpsp5zwjyo6.jpg

[eblend]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
Within about 1 week of each other

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh233/cryage/speedtest1_zpsp5zwjyo6.jpg

Did you go from a 2mbps DSL line to 100mbps shaw......how about a real life comparison.

This is mine, 5:50PM on a Monday. Telus 50mbps fiber

http://www.speedtest.net/result/5312873542.png

[403Gemini]

Lol, no it was 15 mbps - which I mean I was clearly expecting a gap, but not that extreme (I was expecting at least 15 mbps with telus)

Now I'm running Shaw 60 and just tested right now
9 ms ping, 70.58 mbps, 6.61 mbps upload

I'll take it :thumbsup:

[HiTempguy1]

So is the general consensus all are bad and I can get screwed by any of them? :rofl:

Tough decisions to be made, I think it will really come down to the TV packages at this point.

[msommers]

My mom has used Shaw forever and her speeds vary a lot throughout the day. Since I moved out I've bounced around a few places and now up in Edmonton, and I find internet much more consistent, despite living in high density residences the entire time, always with Telus.

I have zero reason to ever go Shaw.

[rage2]

For internet, you need to try both and see which one performs best at your location. There are way too many variables to say one is better than the other.

If TV image quality is important, Shaw > Telus. Then there's Bell Expressvu, which has much less macroblocking than the other 2 but you lose a bit of sharpness because their feeds are all 720p.

User interface? You'll get used to whatever anyways, so I doubt it's going to be a factor in your decision.

Make your choices based on what's more important.

[kenny]

Shaw's wifi network was something I missed when I jumped over to Telus for internet and TV so I had to log into my dad's Shaw account and add my device's MAC addresses. Now it's all good, best of both world's.

[HiTempguy1]

Thanks Rage, I really appreciate the recommendations. Nothing worse than being gone for a week working and coming home to no internet, internet is definitely the most important aspect for who I choose.

I'll check with both Telus and Shaw about their cancellation policies and then go from there, probably start with whichever one has the most lenient cancellation policy and see if I am happy with their services.

[jacky4566]

Originally posted by eblend


Did you go from a 2mbps DSL line to 100mbps shaw......how about a real life comparison.

This is mine, 5:50PM on a Monday. Telus 50mbps fiber

http://www.speedtest.net/result/5312873542.png

2MS!!! :drool: I wish. Best I get is 70-100ms south of Okotoks.

[rage2]

Shaw BB250. I get this day, night, anytime haha.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/5314977423.png

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
Thanks Rage, I really appreciate the recommendations. Nothing worse than being gone for a week working and coming home to no internet, internet is definitely the most important aspect for who I choose.

I'll check with both Telus and Shaw about their cancellation policies and then go from there, probably start with whichever one has the most lenient cancellation policy and see if I am happy with their services.

They both can be cancelled at any time (unless you take one of Telus' free items to lock you into a contract).

You can get both of their 6 month promo rates without any kind of contract. I believe its ~30 day cancellation typically.

[SportEL]

^Intro offers are 3 months not 6 months.

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by SportEL
^Intro offers are 3 months not 6 months.

Gross, used to be 6

[beecue]

My shaw promo is 6 months currently. However, I will be switching to Telus fibre since my condo comes with TV essentials and internet 15 for free for a year.

Hopefully upgrading to fibre 50-100 isn't too much on top of my free deal.

I've always had Shaw but I figure Telus fibre should be pretty decent.

[yellowsnow]

Telus fibre ping is crazy. Nothing beats fibre right now for ping speed. I usually get 1-2 ms. Telus DSL is another story though.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by SportEL
^Intro offers are 3 months not 6 months.

That's weird, cause the TELUS website I'm looking at right now says 6 months. ;)

[spike98]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
Within about 1 week of each other

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh233/cryage/speedtest1_zpsp5zwjyo6.jpg

Your shit speed with Telus had nothing to do with your connection speed man. ADSL doesn't work like that.

It was hardware related and when you switched to shaw, you changed your hardware.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by beecue

Hopefully upgrading to fibre 50-100 isn't too much on top of my free deal.


I called Telus, instead of 1 year of free "basic" tv and internet, they would give me a 75% discount on the first year for anything I wanted.

Haven't talked to Shaw yet.


Originally posted by yellowsnow
Telus fibre ping is crazy. Nothing beats fibre right now for ping speed. I usually get 1-2 ms. Telus DSL is another story though.

That's good to know, I do occasionally game and nothing wrecks a game of League like 100ms+ ping :cry:

[yellowsnow]

Originally posted by cjblair


That's weird, cause the TELUS website I'm looking at right now says 6 months. ;)

says 3 months on my screen... :dunno:

[bjstare]

Originally posted by yellowsnow


says 3 months on my screen... :dunno:

Ah I see where you're looking.

Promo length depends on the deal I suppose.
http://www.telus.com/en/bc/internet/?INTCMP=TcomHomeTile_FFH_Internet

[NoSup4U]

I had been very happy with Telus, but I am lately left questioning their service.

Apparently, there is a maximum of 3 HD streams (this includes PVR recordings)

When I moved to this neighborhood, I was advised I had 5 HD streams, and however many SD streams. But lately I have been shut out of watching TV. They are now saying a maximum of 3 streams.

While it doesn't matter much at this point in my life as there is only two of us (current GF seems to like to record reality shows, as well we record most shows to binge once they are over)

I am left wondering what the hell a family of 4 or 5 would do? (kids of age that they would be each watching their own thing)

Are the people on Shaw restricted like this to their viewing?

[schocker]

I am with shaw using BB60, nice speeds for the money so far
http://www.speedtest.net/result/5321247733.png
Their poverty tv package is also cheaper than telus based on checking out the different packages. Telus does have the wireless tv boxes though for tvs not near an outlet.

[rage2]

Shaw isn't restricted with their viewing. The TV channels are on the own spectrum so it can record as many simultaneous streams as the hardware supports.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by rage2
Shaw isn't restricted with their viewing. The TV channels are on the own spectrum so it can record as many simultaneous streams as the hardware supports.

I heard Telus is stuck at 3 streams and Shaw has 6 for this reason.

Not a big deal until PVR takes 2 and 2 people fighting for the last live channel.

[bjstare]

TLEUS is only stuck on 3 streams for those that don't yet have fiber to their house (so.. lots of people). If you have fiber to your house, I believe TELUS can do 5 HD streams IIRC

[speedog]

Originally posted by cjblair
TLEUS is only stuck on 3 streams for those that don't yet have fiber to their house (so.. lots of people). If you have fiber to your house, I believe TELUS can do 5 HD streams IIRC

Yupp, we've got 5 on our 50 Mbps fiber feed.

[lint]

Telus is inconsistent with their 3 vs 5 streams. I have been on Telus TV since they launched and have the original pvr boxes. I was told that I could only have 3 streams due to the age of my neighbourhood. That was fine, we rarely needed more. Last year, I called to upgrad my internet from 15 to 25. I was told that in order to do that they had to upgrade my pvr boxes to 5 streams before they could bump up my internet. Made no sense to me, but they insisted that's what they had to do. They were supposed to have the technicians come to my house, upgrade the boxes for the 5 streams and then immediately upgrade my internet. Well they forgot to upgrade my internet after they upgraded my pvrs. So for about 4 days I had 5 streams on internet 15.

[Hero_X]

I tried telus internet and had very bad experience with it. I didn't have the fibre internet though, so maybe that's why. It was the bonded dsl to get 100 mbps.

It was very inconsistent connection as well the speeds weren't good. At best I would get 60 mbps on a speed test. Which sounds not bad but it would be inconsistent.

I'm on shaw right now and while it's a fck load of money, the speed and service is consistently good.

Telus has very attractive pricing though :dunno:

[HiTempguy1]

I officially signed up with telus today, since the package is being offered through the developer, there is no cancellation fees/contract. If their service is shit (it is fibre, so I have high hopes it isn't), I'll kick their ass to the curb and go Shaw.

Nice thing as well, at least with Telus, once the year is up, I've been told that I'll be treated like a new customer and will be able to get the discounted rate for whatever introductory offer they have in 2017, which is nice. Easily $1500 in savings over the next 1.5 years, that's alright in my books :)

Shaw was definitely more expensive for upgraded packages, and the past 4 years of shaw has been... inadequate, especially with nodes being overloaded and peak time bandwidth slowing to a crawl it seems.

[beecue]

I just signed up for next month as well.

$26 extra to get Internet 50 and 1 more theme pack.

What speed did you get for internet HiTemp? I wanted to get 100 or 150 but he said the max I could get is 50. :(

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by beecue
I just signed up for next month as well.

$26 extra to get Internet 50 and 1 more theme pack.

What speed did you get for internet HiTemp? I wanted to get 100 or 150 but he said the max I could get is 50. :(

If you have DSL then it's max 50 but if there is space they can do a bonded connection (2 lines together) to get 100

[beecue]

My building is supposed to have fibre.

Just called Shaw to cancel and they are going to look into matching.

[speedog]

Excuse my ignorance but does Shaw push fibre into any new or existing residential buildings?

As far as regular SFH's and such, I think Shaw is just waiting for he federal government to force companies like TELUS to resell their residential fibre build-outs - why would Shaw bother to do their own fibre build if they can piggyback off of someone else's build?

[Recca168]

Originally posted by speedog
Excuse my ignorance but does Shaw push fibre into any new or existing residential buildings?

As far as regular SFH's and such, I think Shaw is just waiting for he federal government to force companies like TELUS to resell their residential fibre build-outs - why would Shaw bother to do their own fibre build if they can piggyback off of someone else's build?

I wouldn't think so at least not for residential buildings. They may for some business customers. Shaw and other cable providers use Docsis. the latest 3.1 version allows for gigabit speed over copper anyway so there's not much incentive for them to use connect fibre to the home

[speedog]

Originally posted by Recca168


I wouldn't think so at least not for residential buildings. They may for some business customers. Shaw and other cable providers use Docsis. the latest 3.1 version allows for gigabit speed over copper anyway so there's not much incentive for them to use connect fibre to the home

If that's the case, then why all the complaints about Shaw's residential speeds or are they not applying the Docsis 3.1 everywhere in their copper network? Or can they even use Docsis 3.1 everywhere - school me.

[schocker]

I see that Telus now has Fibre in sage hill but can't find any pricing or anything. Just got something in the mail about it and then offering 25mbps :rofl:
Telus also doesn't let you spec out the poverty TV package which is annoying so I will stick with shaw for now.

[rage2]

Originally posted by speedog
If that's the case, then why all the complaints about Shaw's residential speeds or are they not applying the Docsis 3.1 everywhere in their copper network? Or can they even use Docsis 3.1 everywhere - school me.
It's because their nodes are saturated in some communities.

[speedog]

Originally posted by rage2

It's because their nodes are saturated in some communities.

Educate me more, I know TELUS' residential Internet Dsl and fibre build outs quite well because I was quite involved in their design a number of years back but with Shaw, when one says a node is saturated does that mean the node itself is over capacity or the pipe coming in is over capacity?

I only ask because I wish to understand and all I know us the we've been on TELUS fibre for around 2 years now and it's been flawless, speeds are always awesome.

[rage2]

The cable from the Shaw node to the residence is shared with Cable, while DSL isn't. This is legacy design because of how TV is distributed from the analog days. Shaw pumps out every single channel on the cable, and it's simply "split" to a new home and it everyone gets it. A couple of the channels are reserved for internet traffic thats shared by everyone connected to that node. With Telus DSL, you have a fraction of the bandwidth on DSL, but it's switched so it's all your own. For TV distribution, your TV box asks for a channel, it just pumps that channel out using some of the bandwidth of your DSL line and hence a limit to how many simultaneous TV channels you get.

If cable companies invest and build it out to how DSL or any other switched network is distributed, DOCSIS can pump 20gbit per house as well as 20 simultaneous 4K streams with lots of channels (bandwidth) left on the cable. Of course that'll be $$$$$$ investment to rebuild every one of their nodes. I guess it's not too bad, they don't have to dig up and install last mile cable, which I believe is the most expensive part.

That's my 5 min understanding of how it works.