Unstable Internet from Get / Ustabilt Nett fra Get

English version will follow.

Jeg flyttet til Oslo 2 for år siden, også Desember 2012. I min ny leilighet var det bredbånd fra Get og som det var inkludert i felles kostnad, tenkte jeg at jeg skulle jo også bruke Get.

Jeg fikk Internett og TV fra Get. Kjøpte en liten NetGear WIFI ruter hos Class Ohlson og alt gikk greit. Til begynnelsen av 2014. TV var helt OK men Internett begynte å være ustabilt. Problemet var ikke wifi ruter fordi hver gang problemet skjedde kunne jeg se at film leie tjenesten også var ned (fikk ikke listen av filmer med en gang). Det så ut som TV boksen ikke fikk Internett heller.

Ringte Get support flere gang (vel, ikke ringe, men "chatte" med dem). Vi ble først enige å bytte kabel. De sendte en ny til meg og jeg måtte betale for det.

Andre forsøk var å sende en montør. Den første kom i Mai. Han sjekket signal, så det var noe feil og sa til meg at "de" skulle fikse noe (litt usikker hvem var "de"). Sa at jeg ville høre fra Get, ingen problem.

Jeg la litt tid gå og tok kontakt igjen i Juli. Nett var fremdeles ustabilt og hadde ikke hørt noe igjen. De sendte ny montør. Han installerte en liten "plug" mellom TV-boksen og kabel (som går til veggen) og han sa at det skulle fikse problemet.

Problem var fremdeles der og jeg tok kontakt igjen. Get sendte meg en tredje montør! Han sjekket og sa at "plug-en" den andre montør installerte ikke virket lenger og installerte meg en ny. Jeg spurte om det ville virke bedre og han sa ja. Men det gjorde det ikke.

På denne tidspunkt var jeg veldig lei med Get. Prøvde å finne alternativer. MEN det er ikke så mange som er tilgjengelige i området mitt og Telenor tilbyr ikke Nickelodeon Jr i TV-pakken sin. Det er den kanalen vi ser mest på (sønnen min liker "Paw Patrol", "Dora", "Diego", "Umi Zoomi", osv...) så jeg ga GET en siste sjanse for å fikse dette. Hvis ikke, tenkte jeg at vi ville bytte til Telenor uansett TV-kanaler.

De sendte meg en separat modem bok (ikke den som er integrert i TV-boksen). Så jeg har en TV-boks (koblet mot veggen og mot TV), og en "internett" boks koblet mot min WIFI ruter.

Internett har vært helt stabilt siden det. Så hvis du har problemet med Internett/Get, jeg anbefaler å få en separat Internett modem.

In English:

I moved to Oslo 2 years ago (December 2012) and my new place had GET (the whole building is using it). As the subscription to GET is included in the common monthly fees, I just went the easy way and got bredband from GET.

Until the beginning of 2014, everything worked fine but then, the internet started being unstable. TV was working fine, all the time but not the internet. I have a WIFI router but this cannot be the issue because everytime I had the problem, I could see that the movie-rental service was down too (as if the TV-box was completely disconnected from the internet).

I contacted GET (via their Internet chat) in May. We agreed to try with a new cable. They sent it, I paid for it. The problem was still there.

Next step: they sent a "montør" (technical guy in charge of checking installations on customer premises). He checked the signal and said that something was wrong and that "they" needed to fix it. Not sure who he meant with "they" but well, he promised I would hear from Get soon.

Which I didn't. I contacted them again in July. They sent yet another "montør". He said the signal was too strong and installed some kind of a plug back the TV box (between the cable and the box). He said that would fix it. It didn't and again, I didn't hear from Get.

Complained again in August, 3rd montør came. He checked things too and said that the plug installed by the second montør was deficient. He replaced it and said things would work well from now. Except they didn't.

I was very frustrated and wanted to change provider. Badly, I live in an area where the only alternative was Telenor which doesn't have the TV channel we watch most: Nickelodeon Jr (with Dora, Diego, Umi Zoomi, and so on). So I decided to give GET a last chance to fix the issue.

They sent me a separate "internet box". So now, I have a TV-box connected to wall and TV and an internet-box connected to wall and WIFI router. I never had any issue since and it has been several months now. Everything is stable and everyone is happy in my family :)

So if you have problems with internet stability with GET, ask them to get a separate internett modem. At least, this is what solved my problem (yours may still be different).

Miscellaneous Photos of Oslo

Here is just a quick post with miscellaneous photos I have taken.

No , this picture is not upside-down, this is really how the sculpture is. You can find it in the Frogner park, but not in the main sculpture alley. You have to go down (on the left when facing the"column" and having the main entrance in your back).

Sculpture again but a completely different one. You can find this one next to the Astrup Fearnley museum at the end of the Aker Brygge are.

The parliament or something (Stortinget, litterally "Big Things" as in where we discuss important matters).

Another sculpture from Aker Brygge.

Not sure how many readers of this blog like cars, but this photo is for them. The car was probably there for an exhibition but unfortunately, we only got to see it when they were taking it away. Nice car.

The view from my office (sort of). I know, I am a lucky person.

An interesting room in the Nobel Peace Center. Not a big museum but they do have nice exhibitions.

That's it for now. If you like this kind of mostly-photos kind of posts, let me know, I will make more of them.

Happy New Year!

Hi guys, how are you?  I haven't been active on this blog lately and the consequences have been terrible in terms of number of visitors. I hope to be more active in 2014.

With this blog I mainly intend to describe some of my life-experiences in Oslo, hopping someone who would have the same problem or the same desire would find it interesting. I have had a few posts in mind for some time but never took the time to write them down.

Well time to work. Wish you all the best, whether you are just visiting Oslo or having been living here for ages!

Dessert Time at Pascal

Every now and then, I enjoy having some desserts at Pascal, not far from Oslo castle, the Ibsen Museum, etc... It may be a bit posh and expensive but I enjoy their cakes and service.

The advantage of having the cakes at the restaurant (over taking them away) is that you get some raspberries in a coulis and it tastes pretty nice.

Here is the photo of the dessert I took (lemon pie):

And here is the dessert my wife chose (something to do with chocolate).

My son had a macaron as this is what he likes best.

So if you are visiting Oslo, and if you are a bit tired after visiting the castle, or after paying a visit to the Ibsen museum, consider having a break there!

Always Something Happening in Karl Johans Gate

One thing I like about Karl Johans Gate is that there is always something happening. Here someone drawing your portrait, there a musician and over there a living statue. Some are good, others aren't and you may like or dislike these people. I used to dislike it (as I felt I was begged for money all the time when walking this street) but my mindset has changed a bit and now, I am always curious to know who will be there and what he will do.

Last photo I took was of an original living statue

The person was not particularly skilled for the "job" (was moving too much I believe) but the costume was original and nicely made. Looked real at distance. I wrote more about it here.

Today, there was a "spray painter", you know the kind who use aerosol and so on to create stunning images. I am always curious to see what the result will be.

Anyway, if you intend to spend some time in Oslo, I think that Karl Joahns gate is worth a visit. I cannot promise you there will be something interesting but you never know what will happen there!

Ice Cream at Aker Brygge

Aker Brygge is a nice place to go to when the weather is sunny and warm. I really like walking next to the sea (today, some people were even bathing in it) and when I go there, I like to stop at Parad'is.

The name is of course playing with the words: "paradis" means "paradise" and "is" means "ice cream". Some kind of Parad'ice.

The ice creams there are Italian, the staff speaks Italian, and the shop is perfectly situated in Aker Brygge, next to Wendy's coffee, towards the end of the dock (towards the Astrup Fearnley museum). I can hear people around me say "let's go for an ice cream". They know this place too.

I didn't dare take pictures inside the shop but here is the ice cream I went for today:

The taste was called Konsert ("concert") and had white chocolate, black cherry, nuts and chocolate bits. A real taste of paradise.

For info, their green apple and lemon flavors are less sweet than generally and a bit more acid. I like it this way (tastes more "authentic") but you may dislike it if you are used to very sweet ice creams.

Joe and the Juice

Joe and the Juice is a nice place to have a drink. Originated from Denmark, you can find Joe and the Juice cafes in many countries including US, UK, ... In Oslo, there are now several of them: one near the Stortinget station, one next to the"Steen & Strøm" shopping mall in Nedre Slottsgate.

What is the concept of this place? Mainly juices from freshly squeezed fruits and original sandwiches. A particular effort has been given to the name of the drinks (Prince of Green, Hangover Heaven, ...) and the sandwiches, though simple, are pretty good.

2 Drinks from Joe and the Juice

Sandwiches are thin so it is hard to do them justice in a photo

About the price: I am not sure whether the prices are the same everywhere but at Steen & Strøm, the juice costs 55 or 65 (small or big) and the sandwich is at 75. Not too bad for the area.

To conclude, if you don't know Joe and the Juice and are visiting Oslo, consider having a drink there!