We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

O2 broadband

Hello

Apologies if the answer to this thread is already posted somewhere, I had a quick look last night and couldn't see anything. I'm currently with Be broadband, but I'm thinking of switching to O2. I must admit Be have been very reliable, which is just aswell as I have come to rely on the internet a lot. Are O2 reliable? Do they have good technical support? I'm not very technical, but I need my internet access!

Also, can anybody advise me on how I go about switching providers? Do I need a MAC code? I want to go through Quidco to get cashback. Will I be without internet while they are changed over?

Any help much appreciated.

Thankyou very much

Gwen
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending
«13456

Comments

  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Be is owned by o2 so the service will be similar, over the same LLU network, if that's what you are on. If you have an O2 mobile that you can register, you can get an additional fiver a month discount (£7.34 for the Standard package).
    Yes just get your MAC code and go through Quidco, curently paying £60 cashback.
    Downtime will only be an hour or so on the day of switchover.
    If your exchange is not LLU, then you will be offered the O2 Access service which is definitely not recomended.
    If you want the current 2 first 2 months free offer, it expires at midnight tonight, so you need to register your interest on the O2 site in order to reserve this until you have your MAC.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    macman wrote: »
    Be is owned by o2 so the service will be similar, over the same LLU network, if that's what you are on. If you have an O2 mobile that you can register, you can get an additional fiver a month discount (£7.34 for the Standard package).
    Yes just get your MAC code and go through Quidco, curently paying £60 cashback.
    Downtime will only be an hour or so on the day of switchover.
    If your exchange is not LLU, then you will be offered the O2 Access service which is definitely not recomended.
    If you want the current 2 first 2 months free offer, it expires at midnight tonight, so you need to register your interest on the O2 site in order to reserve this until you have your MAC.

    I see they've now extended it until 31/8.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • gwen80
    gwen80 Posts: 2,255 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Thanks for your replies macman. How do I know if I am on an LLU network? I don't have an O2 mobile unfortunately.

    What is the O2 access service? Do they have technical support if I have difficulties with my setting things up?

    I currently have a Be broadband wireless router, which I got a couple of years ago. I think I have to send this back, although it fell off the shelf and the little aerial thing broke, but a bit of glue might fix that. Are they really fussy about the condition of returned routers?

    Thanks again

    Gwen
    Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 6 August 2009 at 10:54PM
    gwen80 wrote: »
    Thanks for your replies macman. How do I know if I am on an LLU network? I don't have an O2 mobile unfortunately.

    What is the O2 access service? Do they have technical support if I have difficulties with my setting things up?

    I currently have a Be broadband wireless router, which I got a couple of years ago. I think I have to send this back, although it fell off the shelf and the little aerial thing broke, but a bit of glue might fix that. Are they really fussy about the condition of returned routers?

    Thanks again
    Gwen

    Post your exchange name or postcode and I can tell you if you're on an LLU exchange or not. Or look at samknows.com.
    O2 Access is the non-LLU product, it's just a resold BT Wholesale product. The tech support is the same as the rest of O2, but there are major capacity problems on some exchanges, it's an overpriced product and not recommended at present. You would be better off with another LLU provider if available.
    I wouldn't worry too much about a damaged router, no doubt they just sell them on 'as seen' as job-lots.
    You will have no problem with the set up, the CD works very well.
    PS: it's worth buying a £10 PAYG O2 mobile just to get the discount-you will spend £40 to save £60.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • moonrakerz
    moonrakerz Posts: 8,650 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    macman wrote: »
    PS: it's worth buying a £10 PAYG O2 mobile just to get the discount-you will spend £40 to save £60.

    Been there, seen it, done it.

    Very impressed with O2 (LLU). 13mbs down, 1mbs up - for under a tenner a month - brilliant !
  • safesound
    safesound Posts: 1,164 Forumite
    Same here. Changed ISPs last Wednesday and went from 2Mbs with Tiscali to a whopping great 14Mbs with O2 for the same price (ie. £9.99). I'm very very pleased.

    534464277.png
    :A:A:A:A:A:A
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    safesound wrote: »
    Same here. Changed ISPs last Wednesday and went from 2Mbs with Tiscali to a whopping great 14Mbs with O2 for the same price (ie. £9.99). I'm very very pleased.

    534464277.png

    I wish you hadn't posted that. I was really happy with 3.7 MBps increasing to to 6.4MBps following migration to o2 this week. Now suffering severe case of megabit envy...
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • I am a silver surfer technophobe who requires a little advice please.

    I currently have freedom2surf broadband up to 8 megs(not wireless)

    Looking at migrating to 02 where it appears that i can get up to 20megs on a wireless router at less than £10.00 per month.I will need to change mobile provider(payg) but 02 will supply a free sim card AND i have been told i can keep same phone number.

    So,i know a little about this topic but thats it really. Is this a 'no brainer'? and secondly will i be able to KEEP my current email address withf2s as this is the one i am careful not to use willy nilly and get very little spam on it?

    Oh and lastly i have been told that i gat a wireless thingy but i still will have a cable travelling to the pc to fit into a dongle thing.So what is the benefit of wireless? Bit confused:confused:
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 7 August 2009 at 1:16PM
    Whether you can keep your old email address would be down to f2s.
    You can only get that price and speed (I presume you are talking about the O2 Premium Service? @ £9.79pm) if you are on an O2 LLU exchange.
    A wireless router will not require a cable between the router and the PC, just a telephone connection between the phone socket and the router.
    If your router is near to the PC, just connect with the supplied ethernet cable rather than using wireless mode. Wireless has no advantage unless your phone point is not near your PC, or if you want mobility (i.e. to connect a laptop and then use it around the house).
    If you connect your PC wirelessly then you will need to buy a USB wireless adapter for your PC, which is not included with the router (about £20 usually).
    Well worth switching just to rid yourself of the Tiscali/TT customer 'service'.
    NB: The current 'first two months free' offer has now been extended until 31/8. Get your MAC and make sure you sign up via Quidco to get your £60 cashback.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • Woby_Tide
    Woby_Tide Posts: 5,344 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    macman wrote: »
    Post your exchange name or postcode and I can tell you if you're on an LLU exchange or not.


    They said they are on Be, they can't be anywhere but an LLU exchange(nor one that isn't O2 enabled)

    As it stands though the can switch to O2, but won't get cashback as per the othere recent thread. The O2 system knows the number is on the Be/O2 network so you have to ring with your MAC to sort out the transfer(which isn't really a transfer) so no Quidco possible.

    It dpeends on your reasons for going to O2 as you don't have an O2 mobile you aren't getting massively cheaper prices, if you just want the cheaper price then ring Be and say why you are moving and they will reduce the price but you retain your Be contract conditions rather than a new O2 contract term. My Be Pro is now £12 a month
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 258.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.