Best non-LLU provider + other ???s

Shrimply

Hi all, wondering if you can help me out.

About two years ago we took up oranges broadband offer to get £300 off a laptop. And although people say these deals are never worth it I have to disagree in this case. We needed a new internet provider, Orange prices are very competitive in our area and we got a laptop for practically nothing.

However, I chose a cheap laptop, well a £450 one, but it was a Advent one and it has recently died. I've built myself a new computer so trying to get that set-up is only adding to my frustrations at this point.

Basically after 2 hassle free years our internet connection has dropped suddenly from 3mb/s to 0.10mb/s and has been around this for the past week. After asking on a another forum and showing the readings on the livebox, which suggest to me that 5mb/s is arriving at the livebox but not getting to the computer attached. The only advice was to phone Orange as it was a problem at their end.

I have currently emailed Orange, mainly because I couldn't find a number which wouldn't cost us any extra, we are on BT anytime package and any company that doesn't have a number covered by that isn't IMO providing good customer service. It also gave me the chance to tell them that I didn't want to go through all the troubleshooting as it had already been done and it wasn't a problem at my end, something not easily achievable over the phone.

Anyway the real question is that unless this get fixed very quickly then we'd probably like just to switch away from Orange, I mean they haven't given us any real issues but they're nothing special.

Currently the only LLU operator is Tiscali, so that's a no go. At the minute we're getting up to 8mb/s and unlimited downloads both of which I'd like in a new package and we're paying £19.99 again it'd have to be close to this price. And it needs to be a stand alone package.

Any suggestions?

Final question, surely all the companies should be able to offer us the same speed. BT say we can get 3mb/s down the line. Orange are supposedly providing 5mb/s. I thought Demon looked very promising but they say the fastest they can give us is 1.5mb/s.

Surely if BT say we can get 3mb/s all the companies offering up to 8mb/s should be providing 3mb/s no more, no less.

Thanks

macman

Unless you are 100% sure that the problem is not at your end (have you tested and eliminated all filters, internal extension wiring, router, ethernet cable, wireless connection etc?) then you may swap providers and find that you have exactly the same problem, as your connection to the new LLU provider will go over exactly the same route.
I am not clear how you have diagnosed that the drop in speed is between the router and the PC, but if so that is really down to you, not Orange.
Going through the phone troubleshooting route is always tedious, but after you have checked all the above you need to give it a go, as they will not be able to assist you based on an email, you will just get a standard reply.
PS: I'd be the last to recommend Orange, but leaving may not improve your speed, as unless you go to Tiscali your connection will still be over the BT network.

Shrimply

As I say, I've been on a computer help forum, one that'd I'd highly reccommend. Every computer in the house gets around 0.10mbs that's wireless and wired.

But the LiveBox pages show this.



I've turned off the wireless and tested the speed on the computer attached directly to the livebox, no change. I've tried a different computer in case the one plugged in had a virus eating up the bandwidth but no.

As I say it happened suddenly and there is no reason. I've factory reset the livebox.

My conclusion was that the router was broken but I've been advised that it is something at oranges end.

My question was not about who would provide a faster service as such but who provided the best service and customer service. For instance I find it ridicules that I will be charged 5p a minute to get help with my problem, especially if its Orange's fault.

macman

Have you changed the filter, swapped the ethernet cable, retested from the BT master socket, all possible sources of the problem? If you think it is the router, can you borrow another one to retest with?
These are all things you can check yourself without resort to Orange 'tech support'
I totallly agree with you about Orange, but you chose to sign up with a ISP who charges for tech support-if it's any consolation, until earlier this year they were charging 50p a minute, so 5p sounds like a relative bargain now!
Choice of an alternative non-LLU provider would depend on what service you require in terms of data usage, as most are capped services.

slipthru

I can highly recommend IDnet one of the last decent providers out there, i think they have three different packages dependent on usage and no throttling at all.

Shrimply

Thanks, I've tested everything I can. The only thing I am unable to replace is the Livebox, I dug out an old modem but couldn't for the life of me get it to work.

So its either the Livebox or the connection, both of which are down to Orange.

If I do switch ideally I'd want to go with an uncapped service for piece of mind, as I said I'm considering Demon, but can't find too many reviews on them. It's up to 16mb/s and unlimited for £17.61 a month but would have to find out why they can only give me 1.5mb/s when I'm getting about 3 with orange when its working.

Also looked at O2s home access, I've not heard good things about them, but I struggle to understand this as I've used their LLU service at my flat and they're customer service etc is fantastic so I don't know how they can be any worse than anyone else.

But any suggestions for good uncapped suppliers are appreciated.

macman

If you are otherwise happy with Orange, why not just get yourself a cheap router on eBay (say a Netgear DG834G for about £15) and dump the Livebox?
O2 Access avoid like the plague. Yes, O2 CS is great, but if you sign up to their non-LLU service you will get lousy speeds and major problems with contention ratios. Helpful and knowledgeable CS won't solve that. It's also a very overpriced service for non-LLU. All the non-LLU providers will give you about the same speed, as they're all just supplying a resold BT Wholesale service over the same network.

Shrimply

Well this morning I got a mostly automated reply to my email, which I wasn't happy about, and told them so.

They asked a long list of questions all of which I answered and then it told me if I wanted any real assistance I'd have to phone them. I told them that the problem was either with their equipment or connection and if they needed to speak to me about it they could call me. If I had to call them it would be to get my MAC.

And about an hour ago our speeds went back to normal. I'd absolutely love to believe it was Orange, and that we'll get a phone call in a short while saying that they'd sorted our line and were just checking everything was OK but I doubt it, so the cause and resolution are for now a mystery.

Shrimply

Speeds still up, possibly faster than ever. And never heard back from Orange.

Would love an explanation now, but speeds are fine so don't have to worry about moving:j