How true is M1’s true speed 2.5Gbps fibre broadband?
M1 offers 4 types of broadband services. Screenshot from M1’s website.
I have been a long-time user of Singtel’s fibre broadband service. It was natural for me to choose it as my fibre broadband provider when I moved to my own home 2 years ago, when I signed up for the 1 Gbps plan that cost $53.70 per month.
My 2-year contract was up and I decided to look at their recontract options. I was hoping the 1 Gbps plans would have become cheaper since nowadays, telcos are promoting new and faster speeds of up to 10 Gbps. To my disappointment, they have decided to remove the 1 Gbps plans and the next lowest speed plans are 2 Gbps, which starts from $43.90 per month. Unfortunately, I did not qualify for this price because it is only for new sign-ups. Instead, I would have to pay $55.70 per month to recontract. More importantly, it is not a true 2 Gbps speed as each LAN port on the Optical Network Terminal or Router (ONT or ONR) is capable of delivering 1 Gbps speed. Thereby, you will get a combined 2 Gbps speeds. This was when I decided to look elsewhere for a better offer.
Singtel basic fibre plans start from 2 Gbps Enhanced plan, which costs $43.90 per month during the 24-month promotional period for new sign-ups but $55.70 per month to recontract. (Screenshot from Singtel’s website).
After researching online and in forums, I decided to switch to M1 fibre broadband, which is offering a true 2.5 Gbps plan, and only costs $39.90 per month. It includes an ONT (HUAWEI HG8240N) and a free WIFI-7 ready router (TP-Link BE230). Unlike Singtel and Starhub, M1 offers a plan without the freebies, which are nice to have but can become a hassle to cancel when the offer expires.
M1 broadband plans start from HomePac 1 Gbps and up to 10 Gbps. The above screenshot taken from M1’s website is for the HomePac 2.5 Gbps plan at $39.90 per month during the 24-month promotion period.
M1 promises a true 2.5 Gbps speed for the HomePac 2.5 Gbps plan.
How true is M1’s 2.5 Gbps fibre service? According to their website, it shows it is possible to achieve speeds of between 2084 Mbps and 2267.4 Mbps, and the test was carried out between July and September 2024. Of course, they also state that it uses a direct wired connection from their computer to the 2.5Gbps WAN port on the ONT. You can read more about it via this link.
M1 publishes its testing results for each broadband plan. (Screenshot from M1).
The plan comes with a 2.5 Gbps capable ONT from Huawei (left) and a TP-Link BE230 wifi-7 router (right). In addition, the above setup was used in two of the five tests.
Unfortunately, I am unable to completely replicate this. I am not able to directly connect my LAN cable from my Macbook to the ONT. Instead, I would have to conduct the test via my router, which is the usual setup for the majority of users. I would be using the Speedtest app, which is available for download as an app on the MacBook, for all the tests that I would carry out in this blog. I would also be using the same server on the Speedtest app for all the tests. For the wired connection from my laptop to the router, I used a Wavelink USB-C to RJ45 adaptor that is capable of delivering 2.5 Gbps speed. Here a link to purchase one if you are interested in getting it (Click here for Shopee and Lazada).
I used this 2.5 Gbps capable adaptor from Wavlink to test the LAN connection speed from the router to my Macbook.
Here is the list of tests:
Wifi 2.4 GHz with the router connected to my ONT via a RJ45 data outlet on the wall in the living room.
Wifi 5 GHz with the router connected in the same way above.
LAN (wired) connection from the 2.5 Gbps data outlet on the router to my Macbook, which is connected via a 2.5 Gbps capable USB-C to RJ45 adapter.
Wifi 5 GHz with the router connected directly to the ONT using a LAN cable, which is connected to the 2.5 Gbps data outlet of the ONT.
LAN connection from the 2.5Gbps data outlet on the router to my Macbook, connected via a 2.5Gbps capable USB-C to RJ45 adapter. The router is connected directly in the same way as point 4.
The result of the first test using 2.4 GHz wifi bandwidth.
For the first test, I got 123 Mbps download speed, when I use the 2.4GHz wifi signal. It is definitely much lower than 2.5Gbps but then to watch a 4K resolution drama or movie on Netflix or other streaming providers only require 25Mbps. This assumes only one user is watching at home. If there are more than one and each of them watches a 4K drama or movie, the 2.4Ghz bandwidth could become overloaded and the wifi experience would become less than satisfactory.
For the second test, I got better download speed using the 5 GHz wifi bandwidth.
For the second test, I got 787 Mbps download speed using a 5 GHz wifi signal. Usually, this is the bandwidth we would use for our smart tv and laptops. But unlike 2.4 GHz, it has a short frequency, which could affect its ability to reach places faraway from the router. The workaround is to install a wifi mesh or another router in your house. On the other hand, it is faster and better at avoiding interfering signals such as other routers and wireless devices.
I got the highest speed of 1.95 Gbps using a wired connection from the router 2.5 Gbps LAN port to my MacBook via the 2.5 Gbps adaptor.
For the third test, I got 1948 Mbps (1.95 Gbps) download speed using a wired connection. This is the best speed test so far and it should be expected, as a wired connection is not affected by the interferences in the open environment or the need to penetrate through walls. Unless you still use a LAN connection to access the internet for home or work, most of us use wifi to do that now. As a result, we will not be able to experience the fastest speed that a 2.5 Gbps fibre broadband offers.
In case some ask would the download speed become faster if I connect my router directly to the ONT via a LAN connection. I have repeated the same tests above in the tests below.
Using the same 5 GHz wifi bandwidth but this time, the router was connected to the ONT using a LAN cable. For previous tests, the connection was from the wall RJ45 data outlet.
In the fourth test, I have connected the router to the ONT using the LAN cable and I make sure both ends of the cable are connected to the 2.5 Gbps port. I got 832 Mbps download speed, which is slightly better than the third test.
I could again achieved the fastest broadband using the same wired connection.
Finally for the fifth test, I got 1951 Mbps (1.95 Gbps) download speed using the wired connection. This is about the same speed that I would get if my router was not connected directly to the ONT.
From the five tests above, I can deduce three things. First, it does not matter whether the router is close to the ONT. This is because the third and the last tests have shown the speed is not affected. Instead, we should prioritise the location to place the router inside the house.
Typically, it should be placed in the centre of the house, which is likely to be in the living room near the tv console. If you are worried that the wifi will be interfered by all the electronics at the tv console, it would not be a major problem, as the second and the fourth tests have shown the speed difference is only about 6%, which is a small difference for a normal user, who relies on it for browsing and watching shows on streaming platforms.
Second, I am able to get close to the lower range of the typical broadband speed that M1 has stated on their website. The catch is I will only get to enjoy most of the 2.5 Gbps service on a wired connection, which would bring me to my third and last deduction.
Third, majority of us will never be able to enjoy the full aspect of the 2.5 Gbps service, as we use wifi to access the internet anywhere inside the house. It would only make sense if we are still using desktop computers, which I still think uses a LAN connection to access the internet.
In conclusion, M1’s 2.5 Gbps true speed fibre service is more like a 2 Gbps speed. At $39.90 per month, I think it is still cheaper than Singtel’s not so true 2 Gbps plans. I would like to highlight that M1 seems to be also the only Telco that offers 2.5 Gbps in the market. If you are considering to switch to this, I would say it is a good plan in terms of real upgrade in speed compared to 1Gbps and at an affordable price bracket too. Although we will not be able to get close to 2 Gbps while using a wifi connection, you sort of really get what you paid for. On the other hand, for users who are still comfortable with their existing 1 Gbps or slower speed plans, please bear in mind at this moment, you could be paying more than the newer and faster plans. In my case, I was able to enjoy a savings of $13.80 per month compared to my previous plan with Singtel by switching to M1 and upgraded to a faster speed plan.
If you ask me whether to upgrade to a 3 Gbps and above speeds, and using WiFi most of the time? Maybe not.