O2 broadband

Kerry12345

espresso wrote: »

Are you sure that you are only getting 1Mb download speed? If you are, you most likely have a problem that needs looking into. Try posting your results from here. I'm not saying that you shouldn't switch but if you have internal wiring problems your speed will be limited with any provider.

I used speedtest.net yesterday when I saw safesound's post and yes, sadly I am only getting 1Mb. I just tried it again and got this
download 1.03Mb/s
upload 0.21Mb/s

When we moved here and went on to broadband (BT) I phoned BT about the poor download speed. They said they did a test on the line and that we could only get 1Mb as we are so far away from the exchange, but, as samknows shows, we are near the exchange. I'll ask a neighbout to test the speed of their download.

Edited to say that I just spoke to my neighbour and he will test the speed when they go on later tonight. However, his ISP is AOL and samknows states that AOL LLU. Will testing his download speed help me find out if I have a wiring problem as I currently use BT ADSL. I am going to swap to O2 anyway, so I guess I will find out then if have a wiring problem?

Kerry12345

safesound wrote: »

It just means you already have broadband so you couldnt just ring up someone and ask for it to be installed on your line, you would need to ask your current ISP for a MAC to transfer.

Ahh....right, thanks.

safesound wrote: »

As its cheaper than you're currently paying with BT I really do think its a no-brainer. Go with O2 get £50 cashback, get 2 months free and enjoy a faster connection, wheres the down side?

None as far as I can see:D I just need to look for a cheap O2 phone, get my MAC and then I will sign up.

Did I read on the O2 terms and conditions, that I need to put £10 on the phone every 3 months to get the promotional rate every month, or was I dreaming that?

Sorry to hog your thread Gwen80.

espresso

Kerry12345 wrote: »

I used speedtest.net yesterday when I saw safesound's post and yes, sadly I am only getting 1Mb. I just tried it again and got this
download 1.03Mb/s
upload 0.21Mb/s

When we moved here and went on to broadband (BT) I phoned BT about the poor download speed. They said they did a test on the line and that we could only get 1Mb as we are so far away from the exchange, but, as samknows shows, we are near the exchange. I'll ask a neighbout to test the speed of their download.

Unfortunately samknows is not always correct. You could be close to the exchange but your line to the exchange may be via a much longer route, borne out by your slow speed and what BT have told you.

safesound

Alternatively BT could be talking waffle. Both Tiscali and BT tried to tell me that 2Mbps was the fastest connection my line would take. Factually it would take considerably more even with standard ADSL. Uhm... yeah, really glad I listened to them then.

Feanixxx

Not sure why you wish to move away from Be, I've been with them for several years now and find them very reliable with downtime being very very rare.

My router currently reports:
DownStream Connection Speed 15454 kbps
UpStream Connection Speed 1698 kbps

I value the superb service I get from Be (I work from home so it's essential) and wouldn't even consider swapping .

Edit: I should add that Be have no bandwidth restrictions or traffic shaping, I'm fairly sure that O2 do.

Woby_Tide

Feanixxx wrote: »

Edit: I should add that Be have no bandwidth restrictions or traffic shaping

......yet:cool:

Kerry12345

espresso wrote: »

Unfortunately samknows is not always correct. You could be close to the exchange but your line to the exchange may be via a much longer route, borne out by your slow speed and what BT have told you.

To be fair to samknows, they said

"You are approximately 625 metres from the exchange. Note that this is the straight line distance - the actual cable length will be longer!"

macman

Kerry12345 wrote: »

I used speedtest.net yesterday when I saw safesound's post and yes, sadly I am only getting 1Mb. I just tried it again and got this
download 1.03Mb/s
upload 0.21Mb/s

When we moved here and went on to broadband (BT) I phoned BT about the poor download speed. They said they did a test on the line and that we could only get 1Mb as we are so far away from the exchange, but, as samknows shows, we are near the exchange. I'll ask a neighbout to test the speed of their download.

Edited to say that I just spoke to my neighbour and he will test the speed when they go on later tonight. However, his ISP is AOL and samknows states that AOL LLU. Will testing his download speed help me find out if I have a wiring problem as I currently use BT ADSL. I am going to swap to O2 anyway, so I guess I will find out then if have a wiring problem?

All you need to do is plug your router/modem into the BT test socket. This is under the master socket faceplate (just remove the 2 screws to access it). Then retest your line speed, if it improves then you need to get your internal/extension wiring checked out, as something there is degrading the signal. If it does not improve, then BT are correct and the main problem is your line length from the exchange. However, if you go to O2 there is still a price and service advantage, and I'd be very surprised if you did not see some increase in speed under LLU.

macman

gwen80 wrote: »

Hello

Thanks for all the replies. I have to confess I'm a little confused though. I am currently on the Be value package at 13.50 a month. My reasons for moving were to get cashback, hopefully reduce my monthly DD and possibly get mobile broadband (although this may not reduce the DD). I know absolutely nothing about mobile broadband (or in fact broadband if I'm honest), but it would be useful to have.

I'm thinking now though that I can't get cashback by moving from Be to O2? What does this samknows website do? What do I look for on there? Sorry I am such a technophobe

Gwen

It appears that Quidco cannot be used on a migration from Be to o2, because such a migration is done by phone rather than online, as they are both owned by the same company.
www.samknows.com gives lot of info about your exchange and in particular tells you what LLU operators are available on it.
I don't understand your comment about mobile broadband, you can join whatever mobile broadband you like, as this is not anything to do with landline broadband, you can get it whether you are with BT or O2. Mobile broadband works over the mobile phone network, nothing to do with landline broadband.
Are you perhaps referring to wireless broadband? This just means that you have a wireless link between your router and your PC/laptop. This option is available with all the O2 broadband services, as the O2 box can be used in wireless or wired mode.

Kerry12345

macman wrote: »

All you need to do is plug your router/modem into the BT test socket. This is under the master socket faceplate (just remove the 2 screws to access it). Then retest your line speed, if it improves then you need to get your internal/extension wiring checked out, as something there is degrading the signal. If it does not improve, then BT are correct and the main problem is your line length from the exchange.

Thanks for these instructions.

macman wrote: »

However, if you go to O2 there is still a price and service advantage, and I'd be very surprised if you did not see some increase in speed under LLU.

Even if I do still end up with a 1Mb/s download, at least I will only be paying £3.16pm for it with O2, instead of the £20pm I have been paying BT.

Thanks for all the help.