Smart Bro Prepaid or Globe Visibility?
The new school year will officially start for us Lasallians in Cavite next week so I’m starting to prepare myself for a productive school year or the first semester to say the least.
My class schedule this 1st semester is one of my lightest ever! With my classes ending a few hours before lunch time leaving me with over 6 hours of free time at school. However, that free time would easily be eaten up by my extra-curricular and off-campus work, engagements and advocacies. Managing all these would be done with my new Four-eyed notebook.
And for me to really get things done, I need a mobile internet connection to do my research, keep in touch with contacts and of course blog like I’ve never blogged before.
Even before I actually bought my new notebook, I was already contemplating on which mobile internet connection service I would use: my 3G enabled Sony Ericsson K800i (either with Smart or Globe), SmartBro Prepaid or Globe Visibility. The paid Wi-Fi services that DLSU-D offers wasn’t included in my list because even though it would the most convenient way, it came at the price of having limited internet access because of the university’s firewall and content filtering system. The weird case in which my Gmail-powered domain-based email was blocked was more than enough to make sure of this.
Using my K800i as a modem is out of the question because I don’t want my surfing sessions to be interrupted by calls and I use it to keep some notes, take photos on the go and record meetings. Plus, grime, dust and fungi(?) have begun to grow on my phone’s port making it
Now I’m left with two options: SmartBro Prepaid or Globe Visibility?
SmartBro Prepaid is my strongest contender since around here in Dasmarinas (where I go to school hence spend 80% of my waking time) and my hometown of Silang, Cavite, SmartBro has been getting good reviews from my neighbors and friends who use the service. Well most of them. Plus the fact that it is a prepaid service means I only pay whenever I access the net which will help keep my expenses more manageable. Hopefully.
Here are the rates and time allocations for Smart Bro Prepaid:
On the other hand, I still consider signing up for Globe Visibility since I am already a Globe Broadband subscriber and that it will entitle me to some discounts for Globe Visibility plus the convenience of having a single bill to horrify me every month.
Sir Abe has a breakdown of the new rates and hour allocations of each Globe Visibility Plan:
GV Plan 799
Php 799 per month (MSF)
Php1,000 one-time setup fee
40 hours free surfing time (effective rate Php20/hour)
Php0.50 per minute excess hours (effective Php30/hour)
2 hours/month Free WiFi on all WiZ hotspotsGV Plan 999
Php 999 per month (MSF)
Php1,000 one-time setup fee
60 hours free surfing time (effective rate Php16.65/hour)
Php0.50 per minute excess hours (effective Php30/hour)
3 hours/month Free WiFi on all WiZ hotspotsGV Plan 1,499
Php 1,499 per month (MSF)
Php1,000 one-time setup fee
100 hours free surfing time (effective rate Php20/hour)
Php0.50 per minute excess hours (effective Php15/hour)
So which one should I go for? Any advice on this one would be hot. 
Check out my shoot-out here
And the winner was … WeRoam!
jim aysons last blog post..ScribeFire makes it too easy to steal content
WeRoam is too expensive. I’ve read one too many negative comments about Smart Bro Prepaid. Meanwhile Globe Visibility launched its new Prepaid kits for the same price as Smart Bro Prepaid. P4,500 for the Huahuei E220 USB Modem dongle type. I’m inclined to subscribe with Visibility Prepaid, but I need feedbacks too. I think I’ll let time decide on that before actually subscribing. 4500 is a big amount to risk.
Ruben
It will all depend on your location, since SmartBro has a better signal than Visibility, then go for Smart. You wouldn’t risk buying a product/service with lesser feedback, especially on your own location.
im using smart bro (in manila) prepaid and it is pretty fast. as long as u use the umts setting (which selects 3G signals only) coz otherwise if it’s the gprs or edge, it’s pretty slow. even with 2 bars of 3G signals i could surf email chat etc but most of the time i get 3 bars of 3G signals.
i have yet to read how fast the globe visibility prepaid is, from other bloggers.
mariss last blog post..Rainy Day Sale in LB
Hi,
I am writing to this forum, to inform you of the possible HEAD ACHE that you may encounter if you avail SMART BRO PRE PAID.
You will not encounter problem connecting to SMART NETWORK, but as you use your internet, you will notice that you cannot connect to any site that you want to visit.
Now, as you look into your connection, you will see that your PC is connected to SMART Network No. 57 or 58, etc. etc…. BUT Smart Network to Internet is NOT CONNECTED……
And the worst thing is your time is running…… MEANING YOUR LOAD IS BEING CONSUME EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET…..
MAIINIS LANG KAYO……
SO THINK TWICE IN GETTING THE SERVICES OF SMART BRO PREPAID….
regards,
Rey Atienza
if my signal sa location ng UMTS(3.5G) its better to use globe visibilty. in fairness parang connected u ng wired DSL ang speed and fast download tska very minimal lang ang disconection. but kung ang location mu is walang 3g (gprs/edge/gsm) gamit k nlang ng smart bro mas mabilis ng konti sa globe visibility…. but take the risk having problems gaya ng sabi ni….
Comment by Rey Atienza
Hi,
I am writing to this forum, to inform you of the possible HEAD ACHE that you may encounter if you avail SMART BRO PRE PAID.
You will not encounter problem connecting to SMART NETWORK, but as you use your internet, you will notice that you cannot connect to any site that you want to visit.
Now, as you look into your connection, you will see that your PC is connected to SMART Network No. 57 or 58, etc. etc…. BUT Smart Network to Internet is NOT CONNECTED……
And the worst thing is your time is running…… MEANING YOUR LOAD IS BEING CONSUME EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET…..
MAIINIS LANG KAYO……
SO THINK TWICE IN GETTING THE SERVICES OF SMART BRO PREPAID….
regards,
Rey Atienza
I bought a Globe Visibility Prepaid Kit and it sucks. The computer says that the signal strength is good and that the speed is 3.6 Mbps however, not even a single website open. Neither can I open my YM. On the other hand, SmartBRO performed quite well.
You may use your 3g phone if you wish to avail of the smartbro prepaid, dont buy the unit if you already have a 3g phone. just buy a sim card or if you are using a prepaid sim well you don’t have to buy that simcard at all.