Which Broadband?

  • pistol 1 May 2003 13:24:33 13,018 posts
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    OK, I've finally got round to looking at the different types of broadband available. Can anyone give me any recommendations?

    I'm currently an AOL user, but have heard some bad reports about their broadband service, i.e. at certain times of the day it can be significantly slower.

    A rough idea of prices would be good too.

    Cheers
  • ssuellid 1 May 2003 13:29:11 19,142 posts
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    NTL 600k service is quite good and cheap at £24.99 a month. It was free fitting, modem etc when I got it - no idea if they have the same deal going tho.
  • pistol 1 May 2003 13:31:46 13,018 posts
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    ssuellid wrote:
    NTL 600k service is quite good and cheap at £24.99 a month. It was free fitting, modem etc when I got it - no idea if they have the same deal going tho.

    A mate of mine's also on NTL & says they're OK too. I'll look into that, cheers.
  • pistol 1 May 2003 13:32:42 13,018 posts
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    Errol wrote:
    I use BT broadband, and despite what everyone else seems to say, I have never had any problems with it.

    It has always worked perfectly from day one, and installation was a breeze.

    Can I ask what you pay monthly/paid for installation etc?
  • rare_uk 1 May 2003 13:36:36 3,634 posts
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    I have NTL (cable) 600K service, which is pretty good. It costs me £24.99/month and had no installation fee (in Oct 2002).

    This forum is good for Cable queries.They helped me a lot when I was ummin and aahing over what type of connection to get.

    This site is good for ADSL reports
  • shirubagan 1 May 2003 13:40:09 954 posts
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    As posted by Rare UK, ADSL Guide is good for this. Avoid the major players as you'll be tied to a 12-month contract. Zen and Griffin seem to constantly outperform all other networks, are cheaper and offer 1-month contracts.

    Steer clear of AOL. Shite.

    Edited by shirubagan at 12:40:46 01-05-2003
  • pistol 1 May 2003 13:47:41 13,018 posts
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    shirubagan wrote:
    As posted by Rare UK, ADSL Guide is good for this. Avoid the major players as you'll be tied to a 12-month contract. Zen and Griffin seem to constantly outperform all other networks, are cheaper and offer 1-month contracts.

    Steer clear of AOL. Shite.

    Edited by shirubagan at 12:40:46 01-05-2003

    Thanks very much, that's great.
  • Dirtbox 1 May 2003 13:58:00 92,599 posts
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    Post deleted
  • pistol 1 May 2003 14:01:42 13,018 posts
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    rare uk wrote:
    I have NTL (cable) 600K service, which is pretty good. It costs me £24.99/month and had no installation fee (in Oct 2002).

    This forum is good for Cable queries.They helped me a lot when I was ummin and aahing over what type of connection to get.

    This site is good for ADSL reports

    Who installed it for you?
  • pistol 1 May 2003 16:37:32 13,018 posts
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    Dirtbox wrote:
    PIPEX or Nildram. There are NO OTHERS worth thinking about for ADSL.

    Telewest or NTL are okay too from recent things I've read, but frankly NTL screwed me about for the best part of 18 months.

    Oh, price wise you're looking at £20 a month for ADSL, not sure about cable.

    Edited by Dirtbox at 13:00:26 01-05-2003

    I've heard a few good things about Pipex. I think I'll end up going for them.
  • Geoff 4 May 2003 02:50:14 31 posts
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    I use Tiscali and there service is good. As for a connection getting slower during certain times will happen with any ISP. Actually the more people who use Broadband @ your exchange the slower the service becomes.

    Thats why NTL are now restricting there costumers. U get punished for using over 1GB in a day 3 times in a 2 week period. The goal is too stop heavy usage and allow the system to run quicker for everyone.

    At the moment I would prefer to use Freeola BT Broadband because they now have a 2MB service. And they have tested X-Box Live on their service and claim low Ping!
  • pistol 7 May 2003 12:07:16 13,018 posts
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    Been away for a few days guys.

    Decided to go for Pipex in the end. Should be up & running by the end of the week.
  • Geoff 7 May 2003 12:46:28 31 posts
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    Does Pipex and Nildram allow access to BBC Broadband content?
  • Han_Solo 7 May 2003 12:58:34 418 posts
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    I saw an advert the other day for Blue Yonders 1Mbit service any info on that?

    Sounds kinda sexual....
  • brutal 7 May 2003 12:59:29 883 posts
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    telewest rocks. nuff said
  • Dirtbox 7 May 2003 13:07:26 92,599 posts
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  • Ginger 7 May 2003 13:18:29 7,256 posts
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    I've got eclipse, and had a pretty nasty time to start with as we were constantly losing connectivity at the carrier level.

    FInally (after 3 months) got it sorted - it was due to a knackered multiplex at the exchange and they have just offered to refund me the cost of the service for the entire time.

    Not bad you might say, but considering this was BT's fault and not eclipses I think it's pretty decent. I also found out that with domestic BB BT provide no SLA at all which i found a little disturbing.

    Eclipse has friendly and (mostly) knowledgeable tech support, and I've never waited more than 3 or 4 rings to get through, even on a saturday.

    Highly recommended
  • silentbob 7 May 2003 13:52:27 29,527 posts
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    pistol wrote:
    Been away for a few days guys.

    Decided to go for Pipex in the end. Should be up & running by the end of the week.
    You shall not regret it. And if you do, forget I posted this.
  • pistol 7 May 2003 14:20:11 13,018 posts
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    Dirtbox wrote:
    Good choice pistol, I got Pipex a couple of months ago and they've been solid gold thoughout. The support pages are suprisingly helpful too. Almost as if they've actually put some thought into it! You'll have some problems installing the moden though, make sure you check out their site beforehand - even get their .PDF before thinking about installing it. Theres a tricky bit that got me every time where you don't actually plug the modem into the pc until it asks - stupid me didn't read the instructions.

    Cheers for the tip Dirtbox. Hopefully we won't have any problems though. Thw wife's a hardcore techie!!
  • pistol 7 May 2003 16:16:10 13,018 posts
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    Slurpy J wrote:
    Nildram are the best.

    They have come top for the last 18 months on reliability and speed in the whichadsl guide.

    They're customer service has been fantastic for me, and I have never once lost a connection or seen a drop in speed.


    I host servers for gamin all the time, and everyone who connects has an excellent ping...

    Its costs me £22.99 per month with £35 installation.

    They really are the bees knees.


    NTL are wank.

    Well I'll be paying £19.95+VAT and it's all been ordered now so..

    I've not heard anything about Nildram, but have heard at least one horror story about most of the rest. The only oje that I've only heard good things about is Pipex. We shall see.

  • smccafferty 7 May 2003 17:36:20 367 posts
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    Hello Chaps,

    I currently work for AOL. The broadband service is really good actually but not for gamers. The ping rates playing games are naff and the modem you get doesn't have an ethernet port. :0(
  • ssuellid 7 May 2003 17:41:24 19,142 posts
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    Pistol if you intend to do some broadband gaming then make sure you connect to your modem via Ethernet - USB modems and other USB devices hammer the interrupts too much and cause performance problems.
  • Dirtbox 7 May 2003 17:48:07 92,599 posts
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  • pistol 7 May 2003 17:58:54 13,018 posts
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    ssuellid wrote:
    Pistol if you intend to do some broadband gaming then make sure you connect to your modem via Ethernet - USB modems and other USB devices hammer the interrupts too much and cause performance problems.

    Thanks for the tip but I'm not really into PC gaming.
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