Airtel Xstream Fiber Experience (Direct Cities)
- Thread starter MadAxe
- Start date
all4music
Discoverer
You were right - device change didn't fix it. After digging bit more in settings came across this page. Current settings are as in the screen capture. Looks like it is already in 'Continuous' setting?
Synth-Pop
Guide
As we can see, dial on demand is already unchecked must me something else.
all4music
Discoverer
Update - this issue seems to have resolved to some extent - technical team did some change in the back-end. Now the disconnection issue has come down especially on my office laptop but not entirely eliminated. I don't think they have still figured out this issue completely.
Still my personal laptop/tv if left inactive get disconnected and connects back only when I try to access any content/web page after few tries. This wasn't the case with earlier networks.
Still my personal laptop/tv if left inactive get disconnected and connects back only when I try to access any content/web page after few tries. This wasn't the case with earlier networks.
prajaybasu
Beginner
Mumbai
It's been 6 months since I got Airtel and so far it has been infinitely better than the Hathway cable (DOCSIS) connection I had before.Tata Sky and MTNL both have fiber to my building also.
MTNL provides max 100Mb/s connections only and their ONTs are really bad.
Tata Sky uses CG NAT which was simply not an option for me.
Only con so far is their customer support - if there is a technical issue then their customer support will give 24h/48h timeline for 1-2 months and never follow up. Even Hathway actively responded with more actions than just a timeline. Same happened to my friend.
What made me switch to Airtel was Hathway's extremely degraded performance after they onboarded 100x more customers than their capacity and never bothered to maintain their hardware. Frequent signal issues and disconnects. Thankfully I haven't needed to contact Airtel for connectivity issues yet.
ZTE F670L. Best ONT they could have provided IMO, WiFi is decent (WiFi certified, actually) and bridge mode was not a hassle although you have to Google a bit as these are rare.
I am using it in bridge mode with a TP-Link AX20 WiFi 6 router and the ZTE is doing it's job as a media converter just fine. I don't have LAN, but my WiFi supports ~900Mbps download speeds to my laptop.
With 200Mbps plan, I get up to 29MB/s download - speed tests around 250-260.
With 300Mbps plan, I got 43-46MB/s - speed tests around 370-380Mb/s.
My only issue with Airtel is that with some specific routes the speed is really slow, I use CloudFlare Warp VPN to get better download speeds when I see downloads slow to a crawl. GoodbyeDPI + DNS over HTTPS unblocks everything. On Android, I use an app called DPI Tunnel which is basically goodbyedpi for Android. For some weird reason, Geo IP doesn't work properly, they don't check the location of the customer when allocating IP from the pool (or they just have a shortage).
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I have a few queries about Airtel fiber broadband. The website is super confusing or lacks the info which is why I'm asking here.
1. Does the connection include a landline? It says unlimited landline calls. What does it mean? Does the landline support SMS?
2. Most plan include airtel xtream premium subscription. Does it have TV channels? I'd like to add that we don't have DTH or STB now and not looking to have it anyway.
3. Some plans have TV for Rs. 100 more. What's that? If it adds TV channels then why would anyone need xtream premium?
4. About installation, do they charge for ONU and wifi router? Can I use mine?
5. How is the downtime for you?
6. Does this website open on your airtel? https://flixtor.to/
1. Does the connection include a landline? It says unlimited landline calls. What does it mean? Does the landline support SMS?
2. Most plan include airtel xtream premium subscription. Does it have TV channels? I'd like to add that we don't have DTH or STB now and not looking to have it anyway.
3. Some plans have TV for Rs. 100 more. What's that? If it adds TV channels then why would anyone need xtream premium?
4. About installation, do they charge for ONU and wifi router? Can I use mine?
5. How is the downtime for you?
6. Does this website open on your airtel? https://flixtor.to/
chetansha
Innovator
1) yes
2)few channels, you have to download it's app, I dont use it as I don't watch TV ! And I have netflix/prime for my entertainment.
3) it's a new plan launched to counter jio
4) no charges. You can use your own wifi router. Ensure that the airtel modem/router is in bridge mode. They can do it. At first they may refuse. But cajole them. Jio won't do it
valar007
Discoverer
There's an RJ11 port on the router. They don't provide a handset. You'll have to use your own. No, landline doesn't support SMS
Yes, there are some TV channels and subscription to Lions Play, Hungama, etc.
These plans for 100 more are when you opt for Airtel Black. You need to opt for a HD box(1.6k) or the Xstream box(2k). These are DTH boxes which will require dish installation. The xstream box doubles as an 4k android box. There are standard packs to choose from depending on your region. Bangalore had only Kannada plan. This had some 250 channels.
No, installation and router are free. No, you cannot use yours as they have a very integrated router which they can debug remotely. You can connect an AP to this and need not use the Airtel router for WiFi
In Bangalore, for a couple of hours every 3-4 months. Fixed in 2 hours after I raise the complaint. I can call my area backend tech directly for ping issues
In Udupi, it was a couple of hours every 2 weeks
Nope, it's blocked.
enthusiast29
Innovator
1. You need to hook your own landline device to the ONT Modem + Router device which airtel will provide you and then you can make/receive calls only
2. It's their OTT service. Cable channels are included only if you take their xstream box which is free for first year and then charges ahead. I also do not take this.
3. Not aware of this, if you don't need it don't worry about it.
4. No and No. You can use your router but ONT device has wireless AC router too.
5. Almost 0 downtime in 2+ years. Any scheduled downtime is communicated by SMS and is always done after midnight.
6. No, content promoting piracy, torrents, pornography etc. are banned by the govt. and most major ISPs follow the rules but can be accessed using a VPN.
I added the Airtel Xstream connection to my Airtel Black family plan in Mumbai as the 200 Mbps plan combined was cheaper for me compared to what I am paying separately for Hathway's 150 Mbps connection.
However, the company simply didn't respond to my request for 2 weeks and after some escalation, I finally had a person call back to ask the location. By that time, I already renewed my Hathway connection since I raised the request with Airtel a week prior to my current plan's expiry.
Also, there is no real way to follow-up on connection requests. The call centre even provided the ridiculous suggestion of contacting the local provider to a potential new customer. So far, the experience has been simply unprofessional as they are not even bothered to gain a new connection.
Probably, will still try again 3 months later just because it is cheaper as part of Airtel Black.
However, the company simply didn't respond to my request for 2 weeks and after some escalation, I finally had a person call back to ask the location. By that time, I already renewed my Hathway connection since I raised the request with Airtel a week prior to my current plan's expiry.
Also, there is no real way to follow-up on connection requests. The call centre even provided the ridiculous suggestion of contacting the local provider to a potential new customer. So far, the experience has been simply unprofessional as they are not even bothered to gain a new connection.
Probably, will still try again 3 months later just because it is cheaper as part of Airtel Black.
Thanks for your responses. I'm going to bug an airtel customer care guy tomorrow.
My current ISP is acting up so thinking of ditching it. I'm not 100% sure than Airtel can service me because I don't live in an apartment and these guys are weary of servicing standalone houses.
My current ISP is acting up so thinking of ditching it. I'm not 100% sure than Airtel can service me because I don't live in an apartment and these guys are weary of servicing standalone houses.
chetansha
Innovator
i dont live in apt either. Airtel will give, no issues.
Mann
Guide
So I've migrate from JIO FIBER to Airtel mainly because of free speed from Airtel. Jio has much better VFM given the package one get's at 300mbps or Rs. 1499+tax. Airtel on the other hand gives 200mbps at Rs.999+tax. So if you take a static IP (another Rs.200/-) from them and you get the 1gbps router, you get 1gbps speeds 
How crazy is that!
How crazy is that!
enthusiast29
Innovator
Wait... is that a glitch in the system or what? Am I understanding right that you're saying to just get a static IP and we'll get 1Gbps upgrade for free?So if you take a static IP (another Rs.200/-) from them and you get the 1gbps router, you get 1gbps speeds
How crazy is that!
BTW Airtel already provides a router which is capable of Gigabit speeds.
Also are you sharing only your experience or have you verified this with someone other in some other region/state?
Yes please explain. I have experienced free flow speed before but it was limited to torrents and cached services like gdrive, dropbox, netflix etc.So if you take a static IP (another Rs.200/-) from them and you get the 1gbps router, you get 1gbps speeds
Mann
Guide
So @napstersquest gave me the idea and I tested it my self.
He's from another state so I guess it's verified.
I suppose this will work on other speeds too, it doesn't necessarily have to be 200mbps.
enthusiast29
Innovator
Yes, seen some videos on youtube, some people seem to be using this trick on 500 INR plan which gives 40Mbps but with static IP they get upto 1Gbps. Also it's a hit or miss.
Mann
Guide
What is important is that you should have the router which is capable of 1gbps. If you take a plan which is 300mbps or less, you get a router capable of just 300mbps and all fails. So start with a connection which is more than 300mbps and then migrate back to something less. Airtel black gives first month free so don't worry and go for the Rs.3999 plan.
enthusiast29
Innovator
Yeah perhaps, now they provide such shitty routers. When I installed back in 2020 the installation guy at first was installing a Nokia (internal antenna) router and without me even asking he changed his mind and said I'll provide you with Huawei (HG8145V5) router which he claimed to be the best and rare because airtel doesn't provide that anymore since Huawei is banned in India now.
I got 100Mbps plan when installing and a year later upgraded to 200Mbps.
EDIT: Okay so I'm not a 100% sure since when @Mann you're using static IP and getting these 1Gbps speeds but my friend who lives in Delhi NCR region has also used this trick and I reconfirmed from him again and he said that it only works for initial few days until the static IP provided to you is mapped properly to your plan speed. Also after that period it's not stable as per him and sometimes he had to reset router every 5-6 days to try to get the speed back and if it does come back then it only used to work 4-6 hours but it doesn't work always.
So for a person like me who only reboots the router every 10-15 days (because I have a complicated network setup at home) when I see network congestion or some issues this is a deal breaker but if someone doesn't mind the hassle of restarting the router anytime then I say go for it and try. Cancel the static IP if it doesn't work for you.
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