ISP recommendations and recent bargains

[Goggy]

It's hard to say m8, there are a lot of factors to take into account.

Until it's switched on, you won't know.

Line quality is another factor, haven't got a clue how it works though


You can get a rough speed test from the BT site, just put your post code in.

[phillai]

Errr, what's the BT site where I can find out dude?

I tried BT.com and I couldnt find it anywhere!

[Goggy]

hmm, can't seem to find the tester on thier site.

I remember doing a test by putting my telephone number in, and it told me i could only get 3.5 meg?! and i live less than 1 mile away from the exchange!

Thats why i stuck with NTL, cause you know what you're getting. A bit pricey(24.99 4meg), but never had a problem with it.

They're rolling out 20 meg this summer aswell, but thats 34.99.

[tom-nook]

Right, I've decided that I'm definitely leaving BT at the end of my contract and going with Be. However, I have to give BT 30 days notice so not quite sure about a couple of things and would appreciate a wee bit of advice?

i) do Be let you specify a connection date as I'd ideally like service to begin on the day BT 'pull the plug'?

ii) I believe BT have to provide me with a MAC code for my new ISP within 5 days of receiving my request. Do I need to be careful about when I ask for this as I believe it's time limited?

iii) Be have 2 packages I'm considering:
Be Unlimited (up to 24 meg down, 1.3 meg up & uncapped) @ £24 per month
Be Lite (same down speeds, 0.4 meg up & 4 gig cap with the option to buy additional 5 gig 'blocks' for a fiver each) @ £14 per month

Be Lite sounds good as it's £12 less than I'm paying BT but would 4 gig per month be enough for my needs*? Also is the upload speed important for gaming?

*I'm mainly likely to use it for general surfing, downloading the odd game/demo from Live Marketplace & possibly 2-3 hours online gaming per week. I won't be downloading any large movies, tv shows or music files etc.



Thanks in advance!

[in5ane]

4GB is pushing it and equates to 133mb a day. Download a demo from Xbox Live, and that'd use a weeks worth of bandwidth! Seeing as sites are so heavy these days, you could use 50mb a day easily just surfing. (Not including sites like YouTube!)

Not that I agree with limits, but a realistic figure with headroom for one-off big downloads is 8-10GB a month.

[tom-nook]

Thanks in5ane!

I've always had a pretty high cap on my BB so never really had to think about if before. 4 gig does sound pretty tight and if 8-10 gig is more realistic it'd probably cost me as much as the uncapped service in reality.

Reckon I'll probably go for Be Unlimited then. Means I won't need to worry about my usage & I'm not tied a 12 month contract if there are any probs with them.

[Oh_Mutants]

Good choice nook, tis what i'm on and after trying several companies who have all largely been piss poor one way or another, Be Unlimited has been fantastic

[KIT786]

A MAC code lasts for 30 days (i think, but don't think its less then that), so once you've got your code you've got 30 dyas to find a new isp.

I wouldn't worry about not having access to the net for a few days, because the purpose of the MAC code is to make sure once your disconnected from your old isp within minutes (shouldn't take longer then an hour), you'll be connected to your new isp. What should happen is when you give your MAC code to Be (or any isp), they will then pass it onto an engineering who will switch your connection from your old isp to your new isp.

[tom-nook]

Thanks buddy!

Cheers also for the pm re. the sign-up offer

[Number45]

How are you all working out your distance from the exchange? I'm with Nildram at the moment, who have generally been excellent, but I'm increasingly getting the impression that I'm either extremely far away from the exchange or my connection is very poor.

I'm actually considering going to Virgin at the moment (I'm not particularly happy with Sky and cable is already in the house anyway) as I don't think switching DSL ISP is going to provide any benefit.

[thebuddahman]

Broadband package without a contract?

Howdo chaps. I'm about to move into a flat and at the moment it appears I'm only going to be there for 6 months. Since this is a rental property and I'm going to need broadband for this time, are there any ISPs who dont tie you down to a 12 month contract? Any help would be greatly appreciated, ta!

[in5ane]

I'm with Bulldog, and despite the bad press they have great speeds. I seem to recall there are options where you renew it on a month-by-month basis.

Other options might be going with Sky or Orange, i.e. a provider that is tied to you, and will be happy to keep you on when you move without it affecting your 12 month contract.

[bash]

Bulldog is now Pipex and they stopped doing those 1 month contracts a while a go.

[in5ane]

Ah, pity as they seemed liked a good idea. I'm still with 'bulldog' despite being owned by Pipex. I think they are still operating it separately.

[rickt]

zen do a monthly contract