Broadband in Norwich: what are my options?

albrow

Hi everyone. Long time reader, first time poster, so please be gentle!

My other half and I are about to move into a new place in Norwich and (being the geek that I am) my first priority is to look for a half-decent broadband provider.

The new place is covered by the Norwich City exchange, which, according to SamKnows, limits the LLU providers I could have down to:

• AOL (not a chance!)
• Easynet/Sky
• Tiscali
• Orange
• C&W/Bulldog (I don't think these lines are still being sold)
• Pipex (same as above?)
• TalkTalk

Not the best selection. However, I then used SamKnows' newer postcode search, which tells me I'm actually too far away from the exchange to be able to use LLU anyway! Also, because it's a newer estate, I'm in one of those cable black-holes, so no chance of a half-decent Virgin Media connection. (Besides, they still owe me money from the last time I used them.) :mad:

Now, about me. I'm an IT Engineer and all-round geek, to be honest. I'm also a musician. I watch streaming TV (iPlayer mostly, 4oD and some foreign free channels) listen to Internet radio, use peer-to-peer (although not heavily), VPN in to work, transfer my own recorded music files to band mates, plus general web and e-mail traffic. The OH will use it for streaming TV and general traffic.

I don't care about extras like e-mail addresses and web hosting as I already have my own. I already have my own ADSL and routing hardware, so I don't mind if the deal doesn't come with anything. I don't want to have to worry about bandwidth throttling or download caps and I don't mind paying a little more for the privilege, but I'll find it difficult to justify anything much more than £30/month to the OH. Options including phone deals would be interesting and would allow me to increase the budget, but not essential.

If worst came to worst, I could go with a provider that has download caps at peak times and just do my own internal throttling to keep below limits. But I'd rather avoid that.

In the shared house I'm about to move out of we've had Sky, who haven't been too bad. I'm going to be installing my own custom free-to-air satellite system in the new place that will pick up a couple of satellites, and as you can only get Sky broadband with the TV, I don't think this is the right option for me.

Here are the options that I've picked out myself:

• O2: Although Be/O2's LLU isn't in my exchange (and, even if it was, I probably wouldn't be able to use it) it doesn't have a bandwidth cap and doesn't throttle traffic. I've also read a lot of good reviews of them, although they might all be LLU customers. Finally, it gives me an upgrade path if Be/O2 install LLU and BT improve the line quality.
• Eclipse: Seemingly very good packages, including land line minutes, although I've heard a lot of bad press about them recently. Using Tiscali's LLU, if I can get it.
• The Post Office: This was a surprise one for me. They seem to offer a good top-end bundle including a phone package, although I don't know anything about their throttling policies.
• TalkTalk: The infamous TalkTalk have had terrible press in the past, but I've heard people say that they're not so bad nowadays. Downside is that they do cap and throttle, but they are cheap.
• UKonline: A company that has only just come onto my radar. I know nothing about them, other than they have an unlimited package. Anyone care to enlighten me?

Please feel free to comment on these, as well as suggest any other options I could use.

Sorry if this post is a little blunt (and long). I thought it best to just explain everything precisely. I'll try and be friendlier with my replies!

Thanks in advance
Alex

cheghead

I switched from Sky to Tiscali 2 weeks ago and despite the rumours of them going bust etc etc I have found it very reliable so far. Change over went smoothly. I didn't even have to give them my mac code. Contacted Tiscali cs and got thru within several minutes and were helpful. Got to be the best value at £14.99/mth. You get up to 8mb speed, Un-limited download (capped at 100gb/mth thou which is loads) and free line rental with weekend calls. Get £35 back on quidco to cover the £30 connection charge.:money:

albrow

cheghead wrote: »

I switched from Sky to Tiscali 2 weeks ago and despite the rumours of them going bust etc etc I have found it very reliable so far. Change over went smoothly. I didn't even have to give them my mac code. Contacted Tiscali cs and got thru within several minutes and were helpful. Got to be the best value at £14.99/mth. You get up to 8mb speed, Un-limited download (capped at 100gb/mth thou which is loads) and free line rental with weekend calls. Get £35 back on quidco to cover the £30 connection charge.:money:

Interesting, I hadn't really considered Tiscali direct. And that is a very cheap option - it would allow me more money for the satellite kit!

Since my original post I've read quite a few unfavourable reviews of UKonline, so I might remove them from my list. And Tiscali have beaten TalkTalk's offering in my eyes, so they might go too. Although there are a scary number of bad reviews about Tiscali. Oh dear.

I've also been looking at the PlusNet site. They're very transparent with their throttling, which I do respect. I'd like to know what people's experiences are with streaming TV on PlusNet, especially with their Unlimited package.

So, the new list is:

• O2
• Eclipse (maybe)
• The Post Office (maybe)
• Tiscali
• PlusNet

To be continued...

cheghead

I was unsure at first about tiscali but now they have joined (or taken over) by Talk Talk at least they should continue. So far so good. Would imagine tiscali current deal wont last forever? The tiscali contract is only for 12 months. If you have o2 mobile then they are worth considering, don't forget to go thru quidco for £70.:beer: