Desperately seeking advice on best broadband ISPs!!

tigger_and_george

Hi all!

New member here so please be gentle with me!

We're looking for some ideas for a really good, all-round, ISP.

Have searched uswitch, simplyswitch, broadbandcheckers, broadbandchoices and adslguide and am now totally overloaded with info!!

Basically we'll be surfing the Net for up to an hour or so each day, some on-line shopping, sending and receiving e-mails, odd occasions listening to radio stations on-line, and may want to download photos when we eventually get a digital camera!

We believe we can get up to 1Mb on our phone line, and cannot access cable.

There's so much to choose from, and some of the smaller providers seem to have some good offers, but we're worried about getting stuck with the wrong one for 12 mths.

Cheap techy / customer support would be an advantage!

Please help us urgently if you can!!

Thanks!!

peter_the_piper

Most of the smaller ones have a 'pay as you go' so you are only stuck with them for one month you don't like them. However you will probably have to pay up front for connection. If you are offered free connection they will most likely charge you to move out if you are with them under 12 months.
With the smaller ones you get a usage limit of @say@2gig download/upload per month, most then charge you next month for what you use above the 2 gig.
Some offer you a free modem, they are usually a usb one so make sure you have a spare port available on your pc. You would also have to pay for the modem if you leave early.
You will read that so and so is the best/worst-its not easy. Most are good for most of the time, you only hear of an ISP when something goes wrong.

theloft

tigger_and_george wrote:

Hi all!
New member here so please be gentle with me!
We're looking for some ideas for a really good, all-round, ISP.
Thanks!!

If you read through the thread "Cheapest Broadband Provider Discussion" you will get more info. Loads of recommendations and some good pointers of the ones to avoid. Basically you have to makeup your own mind, but if you go for a cheap deal it is usually a 12-month tie in. I have had good reports about https://www.newnet.co.uk and https://www.adsl4less.co.uk and naims (no url).
Also https://www.ispreview.co.uk will give you the Top10 . But they only show the ISPs who apply to be listed, but most of the names are there.

codetown

I would suggest not to look for 'the best', but the cheapest which can satisfy your requirements. From what you write yours are extremly low requirements, as it is mostly browsing the net for very little time a day.

Many people on ADSL will instead require a lot of general Internet services (http, ftp, news, mails), fast services (online gaming), broadband services (voip, ipTV), server-type services (putting up your own server for yours site etc, collaborative programs etc). So it is worth thinking back to what you really need first!

From what I see probaly any provider out there will make you happy!
But is worth reading some user comments and graphs here:
http://www.dslzoneuk.net/isp_ratings.php

Quinny_2

Freedom2surf offer monthly and 12 monthly packages.

I'm currently with them,on their Connect Home 2mbps package,which is £17.01 + vat,with a 10gb limit,which would be more than ample for your requirements.

They also do a Connect Lite 2mbps package,which has a 2gb limit,and costs £12.75 + vat.

Check them out,as I've just switched from Tiscali,and am pleased I did so.You only have to do your research on Tiscali,to realise how unhappy their customers are.

What is interesting,is that F2S are 2nd in the graph,on the link above given by Codetown,whereas Tiscali are bottom.

https://www.freedom2surf.com

Ken.