Which Broadband provider
Discussion
Well, after trawling through various websites, leaflets, i am still non the wiser as to who to go with for internet. I am not really interested in NTL cable as we would have to gwt it all installed and holes drilled and waiting time etc. And i already have a BT line in the "office" so just need some advice as to what to get. My Requirements are:
Look at various web sites.
Download music (i'm not talking 10 CDS a week, probably one or 2 at most)
The odd game, again, it won't be the most up to date 3d game, more like an 80,s platform game.
The odd DVD
And that's about it. I can't figure out the difference between BT and BT Yahoo, and all the MB, GB monthly allowance stuff and speed. Can someone just explain in pure female english, what to get.
Many Thanks
Look at various web sites.
Download music (i'm not talking 10 CDS a week, probably one or 2 at most)
The odd game, again, it won't be the most up to date 3d game, more like an 80,s platform game.
The odd DVD
And that's about it. I can't figure out the difference between BT and BT Yahoo, and all the MB, GB monthly allowance stuff and speed. Can someone just explain in pure female english, what to get.
Many Thanks
Hi RG,
There's not much in it, really. If you're using a phone line, you'll be getting ADSL. Pretty much everyone provides this at 512kbps, which is (roughly) 10x the speed of dial-up modems. It's always on (assuming you want it to be), and the phone can be used at the same time.
I'm with Pipex, and have nothing but good things to say about them. Link here. I use the "Xtreme Solo 500", as this is 'proper' broadband. £24 a month, no set up fee and they send you all the stuff you'll need. Also, the amount you can download isn't capped.
Stuff to look for when comparing vendors:
o minimum contract lengths
o speed in kbps or kb/s (same thing). Higher number = better. Regular ISDN internet is 120-odd kbps, IIRC.
o set-up fee
o capping the amount you can download (you may not be downloading much now, but when it's quick you'll find habits will change!)
o equipment cost (you'll need a different modem)
Basically, pick the one with the best conbination of the above!
Edited to add: ADSL guide
Oh - I'm nothing to do with Pipex, there are other vendors out there, etc, etc. I'd avoid AOL though - generally regarded as for internet numpties.
Dan
>> Edited by DanL on Wednesday 28th July 14:51
There's not much in it, really. If you're using a phone line, you'll be getting ADSL. Pretty much everyone provides this at 512kbps, which is (roughly) 10x the speed of dial-up modems. It's always on (assuming you want it to be), and the phone can be used at the same time.
I'm with Pipex, and have nothing but good things to say about them. Link here. I use the "Xtreme Solo 500", as this is 'proper' broadband. £24 a month, no set up fee and they send you all the stuff you'll need. Also, the amount you can download isn't capped.
Stuff to look for when comparing vendors:
o minimum contract lengths
o speed in kbps or kb/s (same thing). Higher number = better. Regular ISDN internet is 120-odd kbps, IIRC.
o set-up fee
o capping the amount you can download (you may not be downloading much now, but when it's quick you'll find habits will change!)
o equipment cost (you'll need a different modem)
Basically, pick the one with the best conbination of the above!
Edited to add: ADSL guide Oh - I'm nothing to do with Pipex, there are other vendors out there, etc, etc. I'd avoid AOL though - generally regarded as for internet numpties.
Dan
>> Edited by DanL on Wednesday 28th July 14:51
racegirl said:
do you get a modem with the package?
Yep
and 2 phone filters racegirl said:
it mentions local rate calls, is this on top for the £24.00 a month, or am i just being blonde, i thought you didn't pay for calls on broadband, only on dial up?
Thats for the technical support line
Good job you know me raceboy said:
do you get a modem with the package?
Yep
racegirl said:
it mentions local rate calls, is this on top for the £24.00 a month, or am i just being blonde, i thought you didn't pay for calls on broadband, only on dial up?
Thats for the technical support line
So Raceboy, any of these 2 take your fancy. pipex seems easy to understand, even i get it.
Hi there
First post here, hopefully there will be more. I'm with Fast24, www.fast24.co.uk If you ask around they aren't the most popular but for me they've been 100%. They have some really good deals, I have 2Mb ADSL for £37.50 a month. 4 times faster than usual, no download cap, ideal for music and games but they are not so good at support. I think they are doing half price activation at the moment so it might be worth a look
First post here, hopefully there will be more. I'm with Fast24, www.fast24.co.uk If you ask around they aren't the most popular but for me they've been 100%. They have some really good deals, I have 2Mb ADSL for £37.50 a month. 4 times faster than usual, no download cap, ideal for music and games but they are not so good at support. I think they are doing half price activation at the moment so it might be worth a look
racegirl said:Well, both really.
I have 2Mb ADSL
What does this actually mean? Is it the speed it downloads stuff, or speed of connection?
The connection can deliver 2048 kbps (lots), although only if the site it's connecting to can also bung stuff out that fast.
Someone else (can't see the thread in my reply!) mentioned that they got 576kbps - that's what my Pipex connection shows up as too...
I chose Pipex because they made everything easy.
Also, as they provide the kit for you, and support questions are easier for them to answer, as they already know what modem you're using. They've got a really handy on-line support section too (not that this helps if you can't get on-line!), but at least you can print stuff out at work, and try it at home. I'd recommend looking at the ADSL guide I mentioned earlier. It allows comparison between the various ISPs. As someone else mentioned, Joust is in the business (IIRC), and would doubtless be able to sort you out something.
Dan
One more thing: I was with Demon on dial up, and they were good. I switched away from them when it came to broadband as (when I got it) they charged a connection fee, and had a minimum 1 year contract. If not, I'd probably have stuck with them. Pipex have also been fine for me tho'. I'm about to move flats, and I'll be cancelling my Pipex contract at the current place, and starting another at my new one. The broadband is related to the phone line as I understand it, so I can't just transfer (must check this though - would be easier if I could just swap it across!).
Anyhow - they're getting repeat business from me, if that's any recommendation!
Regarding pricing - last time I looked Pipex were very reasonable. I've not made a thorough check this time, but I suspect prices are all much of a muchness these days...
Dan
Anyhow - they're getting repeat business from me, if that's any recommendation!
Regarding pricing - last time I looked Pipex were very reasonable. I've not made a thorough check this time, but I suspect prices are all much of a muchness these days... Dan
DanL said:
The broadband is related to the phone line as I understand it, so I can't just transfer (must check this though - would be easier if I could just swap it across!).
Nildram managed to swap my ADSL to my new number when I moved, which mean I didn't have to stop it and then pay to have it activated again. Nildram are good, but not the cheapest... If I had to pay for my broadband I'd probably choose Pipex too, brother and my dad use them are neither have had any problems.
for Nildram - used them at my old flat, and my parents use them too, and have never had a problem with them. I think one of the directors is a member of PH too. I was with Pipex prior to that, and while the actual hardware service was good, and they were cheap, customer service was appalling.
My girlfriend is also looking for a budget ADSL provider, and has been looking at ADSLguide today. It looks like the really cheap ones (often with free modem and connection fee) don't offer particularly good customer service, however Pipex, Plusnet, FreedomToSurf and Nildram crop up in the recommendations quite a lot, so these would all be worth a look.
Hi There
Sorry the reply is a bit late but I'm at home now. 2MB, well if you look at modern dial-up it's 56K, "Normal" broadband (ADSL) is 9 times faster at 512K, this could be called half a Mb. 2Mb is 4 times faster than this, 37 times faster than dial-up. Say you download a movie file and on dial-up it takes 37 mins, well with 2Mb it should take 1 min, give or take a few bytes.
If it's set up correctly it's always on, start your PC and it connects automatically. This is not really a dial-up thing it's a network thing but you can retain control if you want to.
If it is on all the time you need a good Anti-Virus program, I use AVG, it's free but remember to update the virus signature files regularly. You should also use a firewall, most people use ZoneAlarm but I hate it, if I attend a broken PC first thing I do is take off ZoneAlarm, use BlackIce Defender or the Microsoft one if you are using WindowsXP. If your're serious about music and movies invest in a modem/router you'll save on the initial cost of a modem and with a router you have a harware firewall to fend of the hackers.
I can help with your setup whichever way you go, but avoid anything with BT, Yahoo, AOL or Wannadoo in the title. All the famous names give good service but remember that all of the UK's wired ADSL is dependent on BT Wholesale in the end, it's just the end provider that you see.
KS
Sorry the reply is a bit late but I'm at home now. 2MB, well if you look at modern dial-up it's 56K, "Normal" broadband (ADSL) is 9 times faster at 512K, this could be called half a Mb. 2Mb is 4 times faster than this, 37 times faster than dial-up. Say you download a movie file and on dial-up it takes 37 mins, well with 2Mb it should take 1 min, give or take a few bytes.
If it's set up correctly it's always on, start your PC and it connects automatically. This is not really a dial-up thing it's a network thing but you can retain control if you want to.
If it is on all the time you need a good Anti-Virus program, I use AVG, it's free but remember to update the virus signature files regularly. You should also use a firewall, most people use ZoneAlarm but I hate it, if I attend a broken PC first thing I do is take off ZoneAlarm, use BlackIce Defender or the Microsoft one if you are using WindowsXP. If your're serious about music and movies invest in a modem/router you'll save on the initial cost of a modem and with a router you have a harware firewall to fend of the hackers.
I can help with your setup whichever way you go, but avoid anything with BT, Yahoo, AOL or Wannadoo in the title. All the famous names give good service but remember that all of the UK's wired ADSL is dependent on BT Wholesale in the end, it's just the end provider that you see.
KS
Whole heartedly agree with Hamster about the BT/Yahoo/Wanadoo thing.
I've carried out set ups for friends and customers (against my best advice) and they are just appaling in every way.
I spent months trawling www.adslguide.org.uk/isps/compare.asp
prior to Broadband going live in my area and finally settled with Eclipse.
They have been nothing short of excellent on all counts (speed/uptime/customer service/etc) and use a one month rolling contract so if were to be unhappy you can just switch (unlike most of BT/Yahoo/ Wanadoo who seem to insist on 1 years contract!).
Cheers.
I've carried out set ups for friends and customers (against my best advice) and they are just appaling in every way.
I spent months trawling www.adslguide.org.uk/isps/compare.asp
prior to Broadband going live in my area and finally settled with Eclipse.
They have been nothing short of excellent on all counts (speed/uptime/customer service/etc) and use a one month rolling contract so if were to be unhappy you can just switch (unlike most of BT/Yahoo/ Wanadoo who seem to insist on 1 years contract!).
Cheers.
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