Decent Broadband on the cheap

Pete · Wed 26 Jul, 2006 10.56

So I live in Kelso, which is in the middle of nowhere and kindly lacks any joys such as local loop unbundling and the like. I'm also about 3 miles from the exchange.

I'm currently on "Pipex Solo 500" which actually runs at 1mbit since that big ADSL doubling thing a while back.

Now, tempted as I am by David Hassellhoff to stay with Pipex, I'm supposedly buggering off to university in a few months and therefore shall not be needing such a connection for most of the year. However I don't want to sign up for something like "Orange freebie" and find when I return I can only use 2 gig a month.

So who should I use who are
1 - cheap (we're suddenly a bit less rich than we used to be)
2 - decent - no shit like tiscali
3 - will let me return at christmas, whore my connection to the max, and then let it die back down to basic levels for the kids playing on their stupid miniclip games and the like for the rest of the year.

I have to say I'm highly tempted by AOL, however as moo said, will their unlimited continue once they're flogged off?

BT Total was also tempting, until I found the "free eve/weekend calls" were VOIP and needed an 05 number and their stupid phone to work.

Sput · Wed 26 Jul, 2006 12.45

http://www.newnet.co.uk/broadband/home.php

Newnet are probably who I'm going to go with come september - £10 off activation this month and lots of packages for decent prices. They just fell out of the top 10 on ispreview because someone figured their line not being good at keeping sync was NN's fault, but they seem a decent deal at this point.

Tell me if I'm wrong, moo

Also, let's face it, you won't be able to get uncapped like you could this time last year, those days seem to be over.

shaun · Wed 26 Jul, 2006 19.55

Hello.

Newnet are apparently a reputable ISP. More reputable than the likes of E7even (who no longer have any customers) and Euro1net (allegedly linked with E7, offers the same type of packages).

It is at this point that I suggest Zen. Expensive but reliable. Want a 8 IP block? Zen has it. Want a 16 IP block? Zen has it. etc. You could try nildram, but who knows where they are going as they are owned by the evil Pipex dictatorship. Get nildram on a monthly contract perhaps.

But of course the clear winner is Tiscali. They are simply the best ISP in the world ever times infinity times 2.

</sarcasm>

nidave · Wed 26 Jul, 2006 21.59

I have heard good things about Zen. The whole ADSL thing scares me (and im not usualy afraid of the whole technoloigy thingie)

I need to have brodband enables as soon as I mive in for my BF's job - (he works from home) how quickly do you think we can have it all sorted?

We need 2 phone lines and a good reliable bb connection - speed is sort of an issue as its for home use as well.

My new exchange will be here:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/excha ... code=MRBRO

Says the Carphone Warehouse will be in my area soon - Yepppie!

shaun · Wed 26 Jul, 2006 22.26

nidave wrote:I have heard good things about Zen. The whole ADSL thing scares me (and im not usualy afraid of the whole technoloigy thingie)

I need to have brodband enables as soon as I mive in for my BF's job - (he works from home) how quickly do you think we can have it all sorted?

We need 2 phone lines and a good reliable bb connection - speed is sort of an issue as its for home use as well.

My new exchange will be here:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/excha ... code=MRBRO

Says the Carphone Warehouse will be in my area soon - Yepppie!

Carphone warehouse and good reliable bb do not exist in the same sentence.

If you can wait until end of September, give Be a go. They're 24Mbit/ADSL2+ and are apparently quite good. IIRC it's a 3 month rolling contract. I would be weary of what O2 may do to them though.

nidave · Wed 26 Jul, 2006 23.11

moo wrote:
nidave wrote:I have heard good things about Zen. The whole ADSL thing scares me (and im not usualy afraid of the whole technoloigy thingie)

I need to have brodband enables as soon as I mive in for my BF's job - (he works from home) how quickly do you think we can have it all sorted?

We need 2 phone lines and a good reliable bb connection - speed is sort of an issue as its for home use as well.

My new exchange will be here:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/excha ... code=MRBRO

Says the Carphone Warehouse will be in my area soon - Yepppie!
Carphone warehouse and good reliable bb do not exist in the same sentence.

If you can wait until end of September, give Be a go. They're 24Mbit/ADSL2+ and are apparently quite good. IIRC it's a 3 month rolling contract. I would be weary of what O2 may do to them though.

Might give them a go once am sorted - but hope to be in by the end of september... so will have to stay with BT for a while.

shaun · Thu 27 Jul, 2006 12.10

If you want to signup to a BT based ISP like Zen before Be enable the exchange, remember to go for an ISP with a monthly contract so you can migrate when Be do enable the exchange. You WILL have to pay activation costs (£47?) with any ISP who offers a monthly contract.

Zen do monthly contracts. That's all they do. Nildram may also do the same. If you're not bothered about moving to Be (so you don't want unlimited ADSL2+) then go for an isp with a 12 month contract if you cannot afford the activation costs up front.

Pete · Fri 28 Jul, 2006 11.59

well, and I shall get abuse from moo as soon as he comes on MSN, I've decided to stay with Pipex.

Having rang them about a billing enquiry, I asked about maxdsl, and they said as I'm a canny distance from the exchange it probably wouldn't be much use, therefore they've dipped me down from paying 23.44 to 17.99 a month.

I do, admittedly, now have a 30gig cap

but they said they highest I've ever used was 23.4gig and my average is about 9. So it'll do

Lorns · Fri 28 Jul, 2006 17.56

I'm becoming tempted to switch to this new SKY broadband thingy they keep advertising. It sounds really good but then i'm also temptd by this AOL phone deal too. Pay a subscription and you get unlimited phone calls free. Sounds too good to be true.
What are your thoughts about the Sky package, any of you tempted?

Nick Harvey · Fri 28 Jul, 2006 18.05

My bargepole will be kept well away from Mr Murdoch's latest little enterprise until many others have joined up and reported back on things like contention rates; customer service in general; and how much per minute they are going to rip you off to ring their help line and be kept on hold for how long.

onemoremention · Fri 28 Jul, 2006 18.25

miss hellfire wrote:I'm becoming tempted to switch to this new SKY broadband thingy they keep advertising. It sounds really good but then i'm also temptd by this AOL phone deal too. Pay a subscription and you get unlimited phone calls free. Sounds too good to be true.
What are your thoughts about the Sky package, any of you tempted?

It's too good to be true if you don't want to be paying for Sky's £40+
World package to get this 'free' broadband. If you don't mind that, then it should be good!