broadband help please

20 Aug 2005

hello there at long last the powers that be have managed to get their fingers out and supply broadband to our area,, think it was a case of sheep kept biting through the phone lines in the past, anyway what we would like to know are your best suggestions for a server, bt? tiscali?, etc etc, are there any good deals you know of? ,, we run three pcs from here and would like to have net access on all three and use the phone at the same time, greedy arent we?, is this feesable ????
now just to keep it on topic for a swingers site , broadband would give us greater access to this wonderful site , creep creep , dont lock us pleeeeease
reply by pm or this thread to suit your selves, thanks
wrats
xx

20 Aug 2005

Still on the old wind up dial up myself and also thinking of broadband at the moment with dial up I am with Tiscali and have been very happy with it so probably for an ease situation will probably stay with them but will be interested in any replies that are posted.

20 Aug 2005

hi
not a problem with BB just get yourself a router and set your computers up ..
there are definately more capable people than me for this but ive ran 14 computers at a LAN party through a 1gig connection.
as for the service provider they all do deals best to see who runs best at that time...if your using your internet for this mainly you wont need a fast connection 700k-1meg
but if your downloading films etc try for fastest you can get ...bulldog do 8meg but limited areas
welcome to broadband hehee
dargento

20 Aug 2005

We use NTL broadband and there is no way I would recommend using them if you can avoid it. Their customer service sucks big time rolleyes

As for using multiple pc's on one connection, yes that is perfectly possible. We have two pc's and two laptops all with connection to the broadband.
Broadband won't interfere with your use of the phone. When it is fitted, I think filters are put into place to enable the phone to be used seperately.
However, it does slow things down considerably is they are all being used at the same time, but you won't notice any reduction in the speed if using only two of them at same time as Jon and I do.
Sorry can't help with the technicalities of it all lol

Tracy-Jayne

20 Aug 2005

Yep, you can use the phone and have your broadband at the same time. You can use a wireless network to run all three computers at the same time.
Dunno about the best to have though. I use BT when I'm at home. I don't know how they compare . I guess there will always be people who've had problems with any provider.
Hope this helps but there are people on here who'll know a lot more about it than I do.
:thumbup:

20 Aug 2005

I've never had any problems with BT... except the browser is rubbish and keeps freezing, but sorted that out by changing the browser to Mozilla....
And BT is unionised...always a bonus.. unlike manyof the lesser companies.

20 Aug 2005

If you'd been at home / out of bed this morning when I called I'd probably have sorted it out for you.
Don't worry I got a coffee elsewhere, I only called as I was passing!
Give me a ring and we'll have to sort something out. biggrin

20 Aug 2005

We use NTL broadband and there is no way I would recommend using them if you can avoid it. Their customer service sucks big time rolleyes

We too use ntl and would strongly urge you at all costs not to go with them.
every month they overcharge and as redhot says the customer service is the worst ive ever came across mad

20 Aug 2005

I've been with BT for over 3 years and have never had so much as a blip and they do upgrade your connection to the fastest the line will take, mine being currently 2.2 Mbps. I tend to think that as the majority of providers do so through BT lines, I prefer to be with the Organ Grinder. I've known at least a dozen people switch to BT because of poor service from other so-called cheaper providers, so with a reliable service, and a hub you can run your PC's easily unless you opt for wireless.
Best wishes
Croppy

20 Aug 2005

oh snerty , next time ring the phone and wake us, we were having a lie in , :cry:
you know you are welcome anytime at all mate
wrats
xx

20 Aug 2005

A few things to think about...Check the small print for bandwith limits, some ISP can be a bit "Jobs worth" if you go over their limitsCheck contention - if you have 50 to 1 contention on a busy exchange with the other 49 "contended users" downloading films all day and night, your actual connection will be slower than dialup :shock: Check Customer Service - most seriously suck. A good indictation is how they deal with your initial enquiries about Broadband (do they actually phone you back when they say they will?)There's no such thing as a "free lunch". Its cheap for a reason - find out speed can you actually get at your house? It may be that the distance from the exchange is such that you can only get 512/256 or you may be lucky and can get 2mb/256For more information on what their customers think about their ISPs visit the - extremely informative.
The three who are consistantly rated the best by their customers are: Zen ( ), Nildram ( ) and Eclipse ( ).

20 Aug 2005

Thats weird!
I was going to say most of that!
wink

20 Aug 2005

Oh, nearly forgot...
If you are going to be playing online games then check the latency as well. Most of the "big boys" have extremely poor latency. I believe Eclipse is one of the best.
Zen offers no contention or bandwith limits on any of its packages and its latency is up there with Eclipse.

20 Aug 2005

:eeek:
Techno shit (TM Jags)
:scared:
Broadband scares me bolt

20 Aug 2005

Quote by bluexxx
:eeek:
Techno shit (TM Jags)
:scared:
Broadband scares me

Bluexxx you can rely on me for that lol

I would have thought very little scares you :twisted:

20 Aug 2005

Quote by Captain-dogger
We use NTL broadband and there is no way I would recommend using them if you can avoid it. Their customer service sucks big time
We too use ntl and would strongly urge you at all costs not to go with them.
every month they overcharge and as redhot says the customer service is the worst ive ever came across

I am also on NTL, I'm on a blistering 3 meg connection, have never had any problem with customer services, mainly because apart from upping my speed, I've never had to contact them in the 4 years I've been with them.. They also seem to me, to be extremely reliable compared to friends on other service providers. I've only ever suffered from 2 service outages (for maintenance to servers etc) and these have been between midnight and 6am anyway.. Their TV package and phones might be bollox, but at least the broadband is good. There again.. It could just be this area that is good?

20 Aug 2005

as JQL suggested eclipse are great. definatly worth talking to bt about provisioning in your area, because as i discovered, bulldog could promise 4mb, but when it came to actually installing they could only get to 2mb because the copper to the house was too old/too far from the exchange.

21 Aug 2005

aol is very good never had a problem in 5 yrs with them and customer service is excellent

21 Aug 2005

Quote by Nallers
I've heard reports that AOL cant easily be used with a router (and therefore more than 1 PC) due to its quirky software (this might have changed)
N

For AOL you need to buy an "approved" router/dialer as they dont use standard TCP/IP SLIP to make the local connection. After that you just need to set up multiple accounts for each PC and away you go.
One good thing with using a fully programable router is that you can limit bandwidth speeds on individual PC's.
As most suppliers seem to be upping bandwidth and cutting or introducing data limits being able to slow the conections down to a point where you cannot go over the limit seems like a good idea... there is something rather stupid about NTL increasing the speeds to the point where you can now go over the data limit.
One big thing to concider with cable (NTL, blueyondar?) is that while the download speed might be 2megs, the up load speed is only 512 (or 256) I believe with ASDL the speeds for upload and download are closer so if you intend to send lots of large files then cable is a no-no.
Depending on who the provider is, and how the software/drivers for the modem work then using ICS (Internet conection sharing) in windows2000 or XP can range from impossible to dead easy... its worth googling ICS and the provider for details as to how to do it and if it can be done.

21 Aug 2005

Quote by piercedJon
I've heard reports that AOL cant easily be used with a router (and therefore more than 1 PC) due to its quirky software (this might have changed)
N

For AOL you need to buy an "approved" router/dialer as they dont use standard TCP/IP SLIP to make the local connection. After that you just need to set up multiple accounts for each PC and away you go.
One good thing with using a fully programable router is that you can limit bandwidth speeds on individual PC's.
As most suppliers seem to be upping bandwidth and cutting or introducing data limits being able to slow the conections down to a point where you cannot go over the limit seems like a good idea... there is something rather stupid about NTL increasing the speeds to the point where you can now go over the data limit.
One big thing to concider with cable (NTL, blueyondar?) is that while the download speed might be 2megs, the up load speed is only 512 (or 256) I believe with ASDL the speeds for upload and download are closer so if you intend to send lots of large files then cable is a no-no.
Depending on who the provider is, and how the software/drivers for the modem work then using ICS (Internet conection sharing) in windows2000 or XP can range from impossible to dead easy... its worth googling ICS and the provider for details as to how to do it and if it can be done.
I was just going to say that, we use ICS in XP, found it easy to set up and have had no problems so far.
As for a decent ISP, these guys are quite good No limits and reasonably priced, dont know about customer service as we have not had to use them yet.
HTH Pete

21 Aug 2005

sorry, Petes fast asleep so dont know what to say to that ................ apart from I like the sound of less lecky, does that mean i dont have to listen to the jet turbines all night? or see those silly coloured neon ropes he has swizzeling around inside his puter box? they do make me feel a bit seasick when i am trying to get to sleep.
oh i am so going to get it tomorow lol

22 Aug 2005

All I did was by a wireless router. The NTL cable comes into the house, into the modem and then straight into the router. Now, any PC in the house can have internet without having to leave any PC on (I only have the 1 PC at the moment though)

22 Aug 2005

I've had BTinternet broadband at home for 5 years now and use Zen at work. Wireless network at home and cabled at work. Never had any major hiccups with either provider at all and service seems fine. Techy stuff I leave to techies!
Mal
wink

22 Aug 2005

thanks for the help and advice everyone , now we plough through it all and decide
wrats
xx

22 Aug 2005

oh dear I am in the minority again. I have ntl broadband a month at the moment, but you have to have the phone and tv on ntl. never had any problems yet biggrin

23 Aug 2005

Hi,
I'm a big fan of f2s (freedom2surf). They have an excelent helpline if you need it but they're BB service is outstanding and I'd recommend them to anyone.
Prices are good and they have a good range of packages. Worth a looksee.
Cheers,
Paul.

23 Aug 2005

Saw this,

Which? pronounce on best broadband ISP
05/08/2005 10:13:00
Consumer watchdog, Which? has stuck out its neck and crowned Metronet as the UKâ€™s best broadband service provider.
A survey of Which? readers gave Metronet a rating of 91 per cent, some 11 per cent above second placed Freedom 2 Surf. A total of eight broadband service providers were identified with satisfaction ratings of 70 per cent or more including Zen Internet, 79 per cent; Nildram, 77 per cent; Waitrose, 73 per cent; Eclipse, 73 per cent; PlusNet, 71 per cent; and Force 9, 70 per cent.
The major household names (those with the largest marketing budgets) fared relatively badly: Wanadoo, 37 per cent; Tiscali, 35 per cent; AOL Europe, 35 per cent; and BT, 34 per cent.
Trailing in last place with the dubious title of Worst Broadband provider was NTL on a lowly 19 per cent.
Of course, magazine surveys like these can only ever be a snapshot in time and are usually at least eight weeks out of date. The best way to track performance is over a number of months using sites like ADSL Guide, ISP Review and Net4nowt.
The other complication is that best is a pretty subjective word. Best for one person may not be sliced bread for another. Doing the research first before placing an order or migrating can save a lot of frustration and expense.

With ntl so dont look at me for any isp help, they were cheap and handy, what can i say. Other than give me un-metered downloads with 10Mb speed, o and a modem that can handle it, NOW not in 2006.
wink

As for set up, cables a little faster to set up. Both really easy, no it is, would i lie. Other thing is to go with a ethernet router/cable modem and not a usb one.
PS dont forget the firewall/anti virus/spyware removers. Get so many call outs just after ppl go onto BB. Its like sex, better safe than dead(as in no OS and all that lost porn).