Farmside Broadband Review
We review Farmside broadband's plans and outline the pros and cons of each, benefits and how to get the best price
Updated 18 July 2021
Summary:
How to get the best price on Farmside broadband plan:
Our review:
In this guide, we detail the pros and cons of all Farmside plans, compare the plans side-by-side, and outline how to choose the right Farmside broadband plan for you. We cover:
- Farmside in a Nutshell: Farmside is a broadband provider that specializes in serving rural and hard-to-reach areas in New Zealand. To do this, it is supported by the telecommunications network of its parent company, Vodafone, as well as specialized satellite services.
- Coverage: Farmside provides broadband services to rural and remote areas of New Zealand.
- Plans and Pricing: Farmside offers a total of 28 plans, which we have grouped according to the broadband technology used. Farmside offers ADSL/VDSL Broadband/Phone Plans (starting from $84.99/month), RBI Wireless Broadband/Phone Plans (starting from $91.99/month), Fibre Broadband/Phone Plans (starting from $79.99/month), and Satellite Broadband/Phone Plans (starting from $99.00/month). In addition, Farmside also offers special broadband plans for Haast (starting from $108.99/month) and motorhomes (starting from $79.00/month). A plan for the Chatham Islands is also coming soon.
How to get the best price on Farmside broadband plan:
- New Customers: Plans with Farmside are cheapest when you bundle the broadband service with a phone line and sign up for 24-months and don't plan to change providers for at least 24 months (therefore avoiding the early exit fee).
- Renewing: If you're happy with Farmside and would like to continue, the best approach is to compare the pricing when your contract comes up for renewal. If Farmside is offering a better deal than the renew rate, contact their support team and ask for them to apply it to your account.
Our review:
In this guide, we detail the pros and cons of all Farmside plans, compare the plans side-by-side, and outline how to choose the right Farmside broadband plan for you. We cover:
Christopher Walsh, Founder of MoneyHub, shares his views on comparing broadband providers:
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Farmside Broadband Set Up and Installation Charges
Know this first: When comparing broadband providers, service setup charges are an essential part of the deal. In the case of Farmside, the installation cost will depend on the type of broadband technology used – the four choices are ADSL/VDSL, RBI (3G/4G wireless), Fibre, and Satellite. The differences in cost are quite significant:
Important:
- ADSL/VDSL, RBI, and Fibre: The modem is free - you only have to pay a $15 fee for postage and handling. Standard installation is also free, but in the case of RBI and fibre broadband services, additional non-standard fees may apply depending on your location.
- Satellite: The satellite broadband service requires a special satellite modem and outdoor equipment at your premise. Although Farmside retains ownership of the modem and equipment used during installation, you have to pay a standard installation fee of $799. Depending on the area where you live and the location of the satellite hardware, you might have to pay additional installation fees. For more information, read Farmside's Terms & Conditions
Important:
- Farmside services are not available in some areas of New Zealand, you can check broadband availability by visiting Farmside's website.
Farmside Broadband Customer Service and Outage Support
- Farmside Customer Care Hours are 8 am - 7 pm, during weekdays and 9 am to 5:30 pm on weekends and public holidays. There's a free phone number as well as remote support designed to help you in case your internet is not working.
How Fast is a Farmside Broadband Connection?
The speed of your internet connection will be determined by the type of line available in your area. Depending on your location, Farmside may have ADSL, VDSL, Fibre, Satellite, or 3G/4G Rural Broadband Internet (RBI) lines available. Below is a reference of what to expect from each line:
- Farmside’s ADSL Speed: Up to 10Mbps download speed / 1Mbps upload speed
- Farmside’s VDSL Speed: Up to 50Mbps download speed / 10Mbps upload speed
- Farmside’s RBI (3G) Speed: Up to 10Mbps download speed / 1Mbps upload speed
- Farmside’s RBI (4G) Speed: Up to 36Mbps download speed / 10Mbps upload speed
- Farmside’s Fibre Speed: Up to 100Mbps download speed / 20Mbps upload speed
- Farmside’s Satellite Speed: Up to 16Mbps download speed / 2Mbps upload speed
Comparing Farmside Plans - ADSL/VDSL vs RBI vs Fibre vs Satellite Plan
Farmside offers 6 fixed-line broadband plans and 22 wireless/satellite broadband plans, that for your convenience we have grouped in ADSL/VDSL Broadband/Phone Plans, RBI Wireless Broadband/Phone Plans, Fibre Broadband/Phone Plans, and Satellite Broadband/Phone Plans. We outline the offering of each, as well as the pros and cons.
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FarmSide ADSL/VDSL Broadband Plans ReviewSummary: This plan offers the cheapest alternative to enjoying high-speed broadband internet in rural New Zealand households. It is ideal for light video streaming and basic/moderate web usage.
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Farmside RBI Wireless Broadband Plans ReviewSummary: Farmside's RBI Wireless Broadband plans give New Zealand households located in rural or hard-to-reach areas the opportunity to enjoy high-speed internet at a reasonable price
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Farmside Fibre Broadband Plans ReviewSummary: Where available, FarmSide’s Fibre Broadband Plans offer the fastest connection speed ideal for audio/video streaming, content creation, gaming, and other bandwidth-intensive applications.
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Farmside Satellite Broadband Plans ReviewSummary: This plan is ideal for Kiwis living in remote areas of New Zealand who require reliable broadband service for leisure or work
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Farmside Haast Broadband Plans ReviewSummary: This special plan developed by Farmside gives Haast residents the opportunity to enjoy rural broadband connections at home.
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FarmSide Motorhome Broadband Plan ReviewSummary: Developed for motorhomes, this plan provides motorhomes and boats with an adequate amount of data for basic internet functions
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Which Farmside Broadband Plan is the Best?
Not all plans offered by Farmside are available throughout New Zealand. However, it is our opinion that the plan that offers the best price/value ratio is the Fibre Broadband Unlimited plan. If a fibre connection is not available at your location then our suggestion is opting for the ADSL/VDSL Broadband Unlimited plan. And ultimately, for remote areas of New Zealand without fibre or ADSL/VDSL lines, we recommend the RBI Wireless Broadband 120GB plan.
Choosing the Right Farmside Plan - ADSL/VDSL vs RBI vs Fibre vs Satellite Plan
To determine which plan best suits your needs, consider the following specifications and features:
1. Connection Speed: In general terms:
2. Flexibility:
3. Set-Up Charges:
4. Monthly Costs: Farmside offers plans ranging from $79.99 per month to $219 per month. If you live in a remote area of New Zealand you may not have much control over which plan to join, as you will have to choose from the options available at your location. However, as a general rule, you should favour plans in the following order: fibre, ADSL/VDSL, RBI (wireless), and satellite as the last option.
1. Connection Speed: In general terms:
- ADSL/VDSL Plans offer adequate connection speed for families, couples, and individuals with basic/moderate needs including checking email, reading news, watching YouTube videos, light video streaming from services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ etc and browsing the web.
- RBI (3G/4G) Plans overall, these plans offer slightly slower speeds than their ADSL/VDSL counterparts. So, depending on the strength of the wireless signal, you can expect similar results when streaming videos and browsing the web.
- Fibre Plans hands downs, this is the go-to option for enjoying 4k video streaming, high-quality audio streaming, VoIP services, content creation, gaming, and more.
- Satellite Plans given its high cost and limits on data transmission, this plan should be used only for basic tasks such as browsing news, checking email, and perhaps occasionally watching YouTube videos.
2. Flexibility:
- Given the nature of the plans offered by Farmside, most of them require contracting the service for a minimum period of 12 months. Some plans, like the case of satellite services and the special plans for Haast, require a contract of 24 months. This greatly limits flexibility, although this should not be an issue for homes in the most remote parts of New Zealand.
3. Set-Up Charges:
- The total cost for equipment and installation of broadband service depends largely on the type of technology used. Thus, this cost can vary from hundreds of dollars (in the case of ADSL/VDSL and Fibre connections) to thousands of dollars (in the case of satellite services). Unfortunately, if you live in hard-to-reach areas, your options in this regard will be quite limited.
4. Monthly Costs: Farmside offers plans ranging from $79.99 per month to $219 per month. If you live in a remote area of New Zealand you may not have much control over which plan to join, as you will have to choose from the options available at your location. However, as a general rule, you should favour plans in the following order: fibre, ADSL/VDSL, RBI (wireless), and satellite as the last option.
Farmside Broadband Frequently Asked Questions
To help you decide if Farmside is right for your home, we've included several frequently asked questions to help you know more about the service.
Is Farmside available at my address?
Farmside specializes in providing broadband and phone services to rural areas of NZ - you'll need to type in your address to see if you're covered. You can do that here under See Availability.
Does Farmside offer a free modem?
Yes, FarmSide offers a free modem with its Fibre plans and ADSL/VDSL plans. However, you will have to pay equipment and installation fees for RBI, satellite, and special broadband plans.
Does Farmside offer additional perks?
FarmSide offer copper and wireless phone lines at an additional cost on most of its broadband plans.
Does Farmside offer an open term contract?
Aside from its Motorhome plan, all FarmSide plans require you to sign up a fixed-term contract. However, some plans (like ADSL/VDSL, fibre, and RBI plans) allow you to discuss a possible open term contract with FarmSide’s sales team.
Does Farmside offer discounts for broadband plans?
Yes - Farmside’s ADSL/VDSL, Fibre, and RBI Plans offer one or two months free of charge when signing up a 24-month fixed-term contract
Who owns Farmside?
FarmSide is owned and partially operated by Vodafone.
Does Farmside offer a home phone add-on with its broadband plans?
Yes – Farmside provides the option to include phone voice services, either wired or wireless, in all its plans.
