Broadband

[colind]

Thinking of moving from my Orange broadband due to a price increase.

Anyone able to recommend any particular supplier to use / avoid.

My current setup is one PC wired into Orange Livebox with additional wireless PC & wireless printer.

Cheers

[Ithryn]

virgin are actually pretty good,

havent had any problems with them since I got it installed.

had no problem playing xbox online, whilst pc downloaded gigabytes of stuff and the girlfriend was watching iplayer in another room.

[mikerob]

You can find out what ISPs are available at your local exchange by putting your postcode or phone number into the availability checker at the website http://www.samknows.com

If you look for the "LLU Operator Presence" this tells you what ISPs actually have equipment installed in your local exchange. If they don't have equipment installed, then the ISP will just be reselling BT's wholesale service.

Ofcom recently published a report where they measured the actual speeds of a large number of ISPs using measurement equipment installed in people's homes. The web based speed tests are sometimes not reliable.

The results are summarised here, and there is a link to the actual Ofcom report.

Basically Virgin Media did best and were closest to the "up to" advertised maximum speed. While cable is only available in certain areas, it doesn't suffer from as many of the issues that can affect ADSL broadband using copper phone lines.

[Rooster]

Thanks for that http://www.samknows.com link BT told us a few weeks ago that we would get a high speed connection in 2011 when this 21CN WBC network was running, I foolishly believed it till I read about what that means on that site, possible increase in range up to 6.5km from exchange, we are 19km phone call in the morning

[mikerob]

Thanks for that http://www.samknows.com link BT told us a few weeks ago that we would get a high speed connection in 2011 when this 21CN WBC network was running, I foolishly believed it till I read about what that means on that site, possible increase in range up to 6.5km from exchange, we are 19km phone call in the morning

The BT 21CN program is intended to replace the original digital exchanges that are now over 20 years old however if you are still using the same copper loop, broadband certainly won't work if you are 19km away!

However there is another BT program to roll out fibre from the exchange to roadside cabinets and this can be a way of delivering faster broadband (or any sort of broadband) as the copper loop lengths are reduced (see info here)

It could be that this was what BT were talking about.

[Rooster]

Thanks for that http://www.samknows.com link BT told us a few weeks ago that we would get a high speed connection in 2011 when this 21CN WBC network was running, I foolishly believed it till I read about what that means on that site, possible increase in range up to 6.5km from exchange, we are 19km phone call in the morning

The BT 21CN program is intended to replace the original digital exchanges that are now over 20 years old however if you are still using the same copper loop, broadband certainly won't work if you are 19km away!

However there is another BT program to roll out fibre from the exchange to roadside cabinets and this can be a way of delivering faster broadband (or any sort of broadband) as the copper loop lengths are reduced (see info here)

It could be that this was what BT were talking about.

No ruled that out on a cost basis, the copper loops also require replacing.
Satellite is also giving problems as the existing infrastructure cannot cope and one of the replacements died before it got into action this spring resulting the the next in line that was supposed to go up this month put back till mid to late 2010, costs a feckin fortune as well anyway at £40 plus VAT/month for a 2Mb down 512 up connection.

[BR]

Is there such a thing as 'non-broadband' tarrifs (I believe the term is 'mid-band'). I still want my ADSL connection, but it psses me off to be paying for 'broadband' when I can't achieve those speeds.

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

Is there such a thing as 'non-broadband' tarrifs (I believe the term is 'mid-band')

in the same way that there's diet coke and 'fat' coke?

[BR]

Is there such a thing as 'non-broadband' tarrifs (I believe the term is 'mid-band')

in the same way that there's diet coke and 'fat' coke?

More like the way there's Becks and Blue Becks (and they're near enough the same price, despite the latter having no duty paid)

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

that would be like having broadband and no-band

[Rooster]

that would be like having broadband and no-band

Thats a bit what like I have

[Jackie Brown]

In my experience, avoid Sky like the plague

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

i have the free sky broadband package
find it grand

reasonably quick to download the odd bit of music and load webpages
i dont play games online or download movie/tv shows

certainly worth the money i'm paying for it...

[ColinM]

Well i get it free with talktalk phone package and is pretty fast. Line rental, all calls and BB for just under £16.

Re Orange, you get that free if you have an orange mobile on a £30/month contract

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

sky i had to get sky talk which is their phone package to get the free broadband
(sky talk is cheaper than BT anyway)

probably had to have sky TV also, but cos i have this didnt investigate...

phone and broadband is about £9 a month

there are bigger (broader?) broadband packages available from sky for more money but all i really use t'internet for at home is winding folk up on uafc buying the odd bit of stuff reading sky sports website downloading some songs and updating my fantasy football team so dont need faster broader net...