Sun Easy Broadband Plan P699: Unlimited Internet and Pocket Wifi Review, Speedtests, Comparisons

Sun Cellular's Easy Broadband Plan 699 has been here for months now offering Filipinos the cheapest unlimited internet service yet in the Philippines. It's been a month now since I joined the bandwagon and in this article are my initial review and experience.
(Updated Dec 30, 2014 in green font)

We must admit that our internet dependence have been growing day by day and it's hard not to be online to check our social media accounts, news, updates and info's we crave to know. I had been using my Sony smartphone at our apartment for WiFi/USB Tethering so I can share my connection to my laptop. It works okay but this feature has its drawbacks.

 If you use WiFi tethering, you may notice that the device gets very hot when being used for long sessions of surfing, and it's a fact that your phone's battery life will be shortened abruptly when exposed to high temperatures. In lieu with this, I opted for an alternative and it boiled down on having a Pocket WiFi.

Pocket WiFi Plan Choices

These were my chosen options only, you may check their site for more choices.

Globe Telecom. Personalized Plan 999, Unlimited Monthly Mobile Internet Access and Free Pocket Wifi that connects up to 10 devices.
Globe Tattoo Website

Smart Bro. Pocket Wifi Plan 599. Add P800 for the Pocket Wifi (one-time fee) or P495+P150 device ammortization /month (SMS or other services aside from data will be charged on top of MSF), 50 hours w/ Anti Bill Shock (Excess hours will be charged P5/15 mins until you reach a cap of P999 where you can enjoy unlimited surfing). 24 months lock-in.
Smart Bro Website

Sun Easy Broadband Plan 699. No lock-in or holding period, Unlimited Internet, P1500 one-time fee for Pocket-Wifi.
Sun Website

The Pocket WiFi is now at P1199 under this plan, and P1395 if you opt on prepaid subscription instead. The unlimited internet was crossed because of data capping. See next pic below:

*image from Sun webpage

That's a total of 3GB for month. For surfing, the speed will be throttled to 2G speeds which are almost unusable if you're tethering to a laptop and very slow loading speed on mobile browsing, while for streaming videos (YouTube, Vine, etc) and music (Spotify, Deezer...), downloading and VoIP (Skype, Viber, FB Messenger, etc), there are additional charges if you exceed the 1.5GB allowance.

Sun Cellular's Easy Broadband Plan 699

I have picked Sun's Easy Broadband Plan that comes with unlimited internet and no holding period. Why? I have researched the signal receptions in our place and it turned out that Sun and Smart were better options via my co-workers. Since it has no holding period, I can also terminate the plan immediately if my satisfaction won't be met. Globe has a good H signal in the area but drops sometimes. I already use Globe Tattoo Broadband At Home so I want to try the other two.

 A valid ID with address is required to apply for this plan. I fill-out the form, the staff photocopied my ID, I paid P1500 for the Pocket WiFi ZTE MF65 plus P699 advance (P2,199 total), and that's it. The process was fast. He told me that the sim will be activated in the afternoon or on the next day; it already had a signal in the evening.

Speed Tests

On my first day of using the pocket WiFi, I changed the password and hidden my SSID. While browsing the webGUI configuration page (192.168.0.1), I noticed that the device was at Roaming Status and connected to Smart's HSPA+ signal.

On the next weekend, I went to a Sun Shop and asked if the status above is normal and if there won't be any charges on top of P699. The staff affirmed and I just used it as is. I researched also and found out that sometimes Sun is riding the Smart network in some locations to expand their coverage since both companies are on the same umbrella now. It is also called Domestic Roaming.

The speed tests during daytime are fluctuating. See pic below:

*the 2.58 is not from the Pocket WiFi
*app used: Speedchecker

Those speeds are enough for browsing and downloading small games and apps. In the morning, the speeds are lot faster that goes up top 2-3mbps. In my recent speeedtests, I saw improved results during daytime:

Data From Speedtest

I'm grateful that Domestic Roaming is available on my workplace and at home, but I noticed problems when I brought the Pocket WiFi in the Metro. The signal is intermittent and when I try to connect manually to smart, it connects but disconnects seconds later. I felt like my device was being "kicked" out of the network. Maybe, smart towers prioritize the smart users in the areas with plenty of subscribers. Note that I only tried on the main roads of Sucat, Recto, Buendia and Alabang.

Final Thoughts

I am a satisfied subscriber since it delivers an acceptable performance for my browsing needs. It is the most affordable unlimited internet plan out there and the domestic roaming with Smart works well when Sun's signal isn't around. The ZTE MF65 works great! The device operates very fast and your gadgets can connect in less that 5 seconds with a press of a button. I utilize it's portability well and found it very useful specially when travelling. It can last up top four hours of continuous usage. If further questions may arise, I may review the pocket WiFi and post some tutorials on it.

Due to changes in data usage policy, I'll be observing the additional charges that may be incurred and the speed after I used the 1.5GB allowance. I'll update this post or add another soon and study other plans and options on utilizing the use of mobile data using our smartphones or pocketwifis.

Also: Change Your Pocket Wifi password and SSID