Gravity Broadband Review
We review Gravity broadband's four 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 Gravity broadband plan:
Our review:
In this guide, we detail the pros and cons of all Gravity plans, compare the plans side-by-side, and outline how to choose the right Gravity plan for you. We cover:
- Gravity in a Nutshell: Gravity is a broadband provider that specializes in offering satellite services for Kiwis living off-the-grid
- Coverage: Thanks to its cutting-edge satellite technology, Gravity is able to offer its internet services even in the most remote places in New Zealand.
- Plans and Pricing: Gravity offers a total of 14 satellite broadband plans. For your convenience, we have grouped them as follows:
- Everyday Satellite Broadband Plans (starting from $80/month)
- Unlimited Satellite Broadband Plans (starting from $199/month)
- Chatham Islands Broadband Plans (starting at $99/month)
How to get the best price on Gravity broadband plan:
- New Customers: Plans with Gravity are cheapest when you sign up for a 24-month contract and don't plan to change providers for at least 24 months (therefore saving on the installation fees as well as avoiding the early exit fee).
- Renewing: If you're happy with Gravity and would like to continue, the best approach is to compare the pricing when your contract comes up for renewal. If Gravity 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 Gravity plans, compare the plans side-by-side, and outline how to choose the right Gravity plan for you. We cover:
Christopher Walsh, Founder of MoneyHub, shares his views on comparing broadband providers:
|
|
Gravity 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 Gravity, the installation cost will depend on the type of contract you choose – the two contract choices are open term and 24-month fixed term. The differences in cost are significant:
Important:
- Open Term: When you select an open term plan, you must pay the full cost associated with installing the satellite dish and the modem/router. The standard cost is $1,999 (excluding travel fee), though you won’t have to pay any lease fee.
- Fixed Term (24 months): On the contrary, when you opt for the 24-month contract, you will only have to pay $495 for the installation, but you will also have to pay a lease fee of $19/month.
Important:
- Regardless of the type of contract, you will have to pay for the travel charges to your household.
- The fixed-term contract has an early termination fee that can vary depending on the number of months remaining in your contract. For more information visit Gravity Terms and Conditions page.
Gravity Broadband Customer Service and Outage Support
- Gravity Customer Care Hours are 9 am - 7 pm, during weekdays and 11 am to 4:00 pm on weekends and public holidays. There's a free phone number as well as a Helpdesk designed to assist you in case your internet is not working.
How Fast is a Gravity Broadband Connection?
All the broadband plans offered by Gravity use the same satellite technology. However, the speed of the connection will depend on the plan you choose.
Gravity's Rural Starter Pack offers a basic internet connection so the connection speed is very low.
Gravity's Anytime Plans offer three different connection speeds. These are:
Gravity's Unlimited Satellite Plans offer unlimited data at two speeds:
Gravity's Chatham Islands Plans offer three different speeds:
Gravity's Rural Starter Pack offers a basic internet connection so the connection speed is very low.
- While the exact speed is difficult to determine, we believe it would be around 1Mbps download speed.
Gravity's Anytime Plans offer three different connection speeds. These are:
- Up to 10 Mbps: Up to 10Mbps download speed / 1Mbps upload speed
- Up to 20 Mbps: Up to 20Mbps download speed / 2Mbps upload speed
- Up to 30 Mbps: Up to 30Mbps download speed / 5Mbps upload speed
- Gravity's Anytime customers can choose their connection speed and how much data they would like to access at this "premium" speed (either 50GB or 100GB). After reaching their data cap, customers will still be able to use their internet for the rest of the month, just at a noticeably reduced speed.
Gravity's Unlimited Satellite Plans offer unlimited data at two speeds:
- Unlimited 40: Up to 40 Mbps download speed / 5Mbps upload speed
- Unlimited 50: Up to 50 Mbps download speed / 5Mbps upload speed
- Unlike Anytime customers, Unlimited Satellite customers do not have a cap on how much data they can use at "premium" speeds.
Gravity's Chatham Islands Plans offer three different speeds:
- Up to 5 Mbps: Up to 5Mbps download speed / 0.5Mbps upload speed
- Up to 10Mbps: Up to 10Mbps download speed / 1Mbps upload speed
- Up to 15Mbps: Up to 15 Mbps download speed / 1Mbps upload speed
- Similar to Anytime customers, Chatham Islands customers choose which "premium" connection speed they would like, as well as how much data they would like at this "premium" speed. After reaching this data cap, customers can still use the internet, just at a noticeably reduced speed.
Comparing Gravity Plans - Rural Starter Pack v Everyday Satellite v Unlimited Satellite v Chatham Islands Plan
Gravity offers you a wide variety of data transfer and connection speed combinations. In total there are 14 combinations. To facilitate the selection process, we have grouped the plans into four categories: Rural Starter Pack, Anytime Satellite, Unlimited Satellite, and Chatham Islands.
|
Gravity Rural Starter Pack Plan ReviewSummary: The Rural Starter Pack is the cheapest way to access Gravity's Satellite Internet. This plan offers adequate speed to meet the most basic needs in homes that do not require streaming video services.
The Pros:
The Cons:
|
|
Gravity Anytime Satellite Plans ReviewSummary: Gravity's Anytime Satellite plans allow customers to use a certain amount of data at the premium speed of their choice, providing significant flexibility for different wants.
The Pros:
The Cons:
|
|
Gravity Unlimited Satellite Plans ReviewSummary: Gravity's Unlimited Satellite plans offer high speed internet to rural customers, perfect for larger families using multiple devices at once, or for households wishing to stream videos often.
The Pros:
The Cons:
|
|
Gravity Chatham Islands Plans ReviewSummary: Gravity's Chatham Islands Plans offer unlimited data at different premium speeds for the Chatham Islands, creating choice for customers who are used to having limited internet providers.
The Pros:
The Cons:
|
Which Gravity Broadband Plan is the Best?
- Satellite broadband technology is notably more expensive than its fibre or DSL peers. That said, for many New Zealand households located in rural or remote areas, satellite broadband is a solution that allows them to stay connected.
- In our opinion, the 50GB Anytime plan at 10Mbps ($89/month) offers the best price/value ratio for families and individuals who have a limited budget and do not need a lot of bandwidth.
- On the other hand, the Unlimited 40 plan ($199/month) provides a balance between speed and data for families seeking a service that allows them to enjoy streaming services, online games, and other applications that demand more bandwidth.
Choosing the Right Gravity Plan - Rural Starter Pack v Everyday Satellite v Unlimited Satellite v Chatham Islands
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:
1. Connection Speed: In general terms:
- The Rural Starter Pack offers adequate bandwidth for families with basic needs including checking email, browsing the internet, and using internet banking.
- 10Mbps Plans: These plans offer enough speed and bandwidth to enjoy video streaming services, as well as browsing the web and other moderate online tasks.
- 20-30Mbps Plans: These plans definitely provide the best performance/value ratio. Ideal for households looking for a service capable of handling bandwidth-hungry applications such as 4k video streaming, high-quality audio streaming, VoIP services, online gaming and more.
- 40Mbps Plans: Although expensive, these plans are ideal for professionals who need the maximum connection speed available for their work.
2. Flexibility:
- As mentioned at the beginning of the guide, Gravity gives you 14 different premium speed/data combinations to choose from. Additionally, Gravity also allows you to choose between a 24-month plan, a 12-month plan or an open-term contract. All this flexibility allows you to create a "custom plan" that fits both your budget and your bandwidth needs.
3. Set-Up Charges:
- The setup charges used by Gravity clearly favour the 24-month fixed term contract.
- If you decide to opt for an open term contract, you will have to pay for everything from the satellite dish installation to the modem/router. For mainland New Zealand customers, this could total up to $1,999.
- On the other hand, if you decide to sign up for the 24-month contract you only have to pay $495 for installation plus a fee of $19 per month for equipment leasing.
- If you sign up for a fixed term and terminate the contract before the agreed 24 month period, you will have to pay an early termination fee ranging from $1,000 to $250 depending on the number of months remaining in your fixed term contract
- Our view is simple - opting for the open term contract only makes sense if you are willing to use your own modem and don’t plan to be a customer within 24 months.
4. Monthly Costs:
- Gravity has many plans available, ranging from $80 to $499 per month. The final cost of the service will be determined by the amount of premium data and the premium speed you choose. Our opinion is that you should carefully evaluate your requirements for both bandwidth (speed) and data usage. For your reference, a service like Netflix can consume an average of 180GB/month (high-definition) or 420GB/month (ultra-high definition 4K).
Gravity Broadband Frequently Asked Questions
To help you decide if Gravity is right for your home, we've included several frequently asked questions to help you know more about the service.
Is Gravity available at my address?
Since Gravity offers a satellite broadband service, it has coverage throughout New Zealand without any problem.
Does Gravity offer a free modem?
No, Gravity does not offer a free modem. You can either lease it (along with the satellite dish) for $19 per month or buy the entire broadband satellite kit for $1,899.
Does Gravity offer additional perks?
The only option available with Gravity broadband plans is adding a home phone line ($59 installation fee plus $29 per month).
Does Gravity offer an open term contract?
Yes, Gravity offers an open term contract. However, you will have to pay a hefty setup fee of $1,899 for mainland New Zealand customers and up to $3,499 for Chatham Islands customers.
Who owns Gravity?
Gravity is owned by Gravity Internet Limited, a New Zealand limited company.
Does Gravity offer a home phone add-on with its broadband plans?
Yes – Gravity provides the option to include phone voice services in all its plans.
