Lecture slide preparation includes rapid exploration of webpages, pdfs, images and videos, and downloading suitable material for inclusion in lecture slides. A fast connection is extremely helpful and encourages exploration so I have always pursued this.
In 2004-2006, the Starhub 6.5mbps line I was on provided wireless connection speeds of less then 1 Mbps. That was okay then but Starhub choked as their consumer packages were very successful and the density of connections increased. That was the time unprotected wireless networks were appearing all over the neighbourhood.
It was slightly faster on the Singnet ADSL line I subscribed to in 2007 but that line would give me lots of problems.
In May 2009, I was very tired of hiccups and rebuffs by webpages due to the Singtel setup. M1 was offering a 100 Mbps line and I forked out $94.40/month for a six month trial – and loved it. I was experiencing 80+ Mbps on a wired connection.
So in November that year, I signed for two more years at $65/month.
Then came the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network in 2011 which saw M1 road show deals offering 100 Mbps at $39/month. It was important to wait for road shows and this is still true today. You are otherwise stuck for two years and every dollar more you paid amplifies your grief even as you see faster offerings in the newspaper!
Well, I was fascinated to see a 300 Mbps fibre broadband line going for $49/month at the Consumer Electronics Exhibition (or CEE) at Suntec. This is on until Sun 03 Nov 2013.
NUS’ ethernet ports are gigabit capable, which can theoretically support a maximum data rate of 1 gigabit per second or 1,000 Mbps.
To make use of this, I had to get a Thunderbolt-Gigabit adaptor for the MacBook Pro. And now I have, with the help of a flat Cat 6 ethernet cable, a speed bump of about 100-150 Mbps at my desk in NUS.
100 Mbps is sufficient for my needs. With an SSD hardisk and 16GB RAM that’s good enough for lecture preparations.
Otterman speaks... 