BT Broadband

MoscowFlyer

I've just left Virgin after months of the service going unbelievably downhill. However, I know I'm not going to get any more than 5mb where I am through an ADSL line, but this is still better than I got with Virgin during peak times on my so called 10mb connection anyway.

I've managed to get a free connection for a new line with BT and am considering the broadband too. I'll be paying a good £10 extra than my Virgin package but refuse to ever give them any of my money again so this doesn't concern me too much. What does concern me however is download caps/limits. I usually download around 80gb-100gb a month and never get any aggro from Virgin about this, how are BT regarding high downloaders? Do they send letters or cap the speeds, or is unlimited broadband with them literally unlimited?

Do they also give free wifi at Openzone hotspots?

gjchester

MoscowFlyer wrote: »

I usually download around 80gb-100gb a month and never get any aggro from Virgin about this, how are BT regarding high downloaders? Do they send letters or cap the speeds, or is unlimited broadband with them literally unlimited?

Do they also give free wifi at Openzone hotspots?

I assume you are on the option 3 packaged as you mention unlimited. Option 1 has a cap of 10GB per month, option 2 is 20GB, Option 3 is unlimited but like almost every ISP they are capped under a fair use policy. P2P traffic is slowed down at peak times. BT's blurb says

We manage these restrictions daily depending on the demands on the network, but typically they will be in place 4pm - midnight on weekdays and 9am - midnight on the weekend.

You get free wifi at Non Premium spots (ie not in places like airports) as long as you opt into BT Fon and let others use your Wifi if they are near your home.

MoscowFlyer

gjchester wrote: »

Option 3 is unlimited but like almost every ISP they are capped under a fair use policy. P2P traffic is slowed down at peak times. BT's blurb says

We manage these restrictions daily depending on the demands on the network, but typically they will be in place 4pm - midnight on weekdays and 9am - midnight on the weekend.

Ah, I called them (which I should have done to begin with to be honest) and they told me there's no fair usage policy on unlimited? I only get 5MB speeds anyway according to the BTwebsite, so this will be fairly slow at night I guess.

Oh well, I simply refuse to stay with Virgin so will proceed anyway.

Thanks

kwikbreaks

Before signing with BT broadband check what LLU options are avaialable on your exchange...

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

You might also consider the implications of ...

http://www.dslzoneuk.net/isp_ratings.php

.. even if there is no LLU.

MoscowFlyer

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Before signing with BT broadband check what LLU options are avaialable on your exchange...

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

You might also consider the implications of ...

http://www.dslzoneuk.net/isp_ratings.php

.. even if there is no LLU.

Thanks, have a couple of options there so will see if they do unlimited.

kwikbreaks

Be very wary of that term "unlimited" as it means different things to different ISPs and some are a long long way from unlimited on any definition the sane would use.

The best truly unlimited (although there is a theoretical fair usage policy) are O2/Be and Sky LLU. The other LLU offerings need checking very carefully as do any non LLU (reselling the BTw IPstream product) who have to pay BTw so much for bandwidth can only offer high downloads at abysmal speeds or high speeds with restricted downloads.

MoscowFlyer

Seems o2 are the only ones but when I put my postcode into their site is says I'm not in the right area.

kwikbreaks

Postcode? Do they also ask for the phone number or not? It may just be that they don't have the details of your new line.

I'm with O2 but it's a year since I joined so I don't recall the signup. Do they offer the option to just phone them? Whatever the outcome DO NOT sign up for their non-llu Access product (costs ~ £17 for 8Mbps maximum) It is having serious problems right now and imo the only way they'll fix it is by imposing download caps.

C_Mababejive

If you have a BT phone line and pay BT for your calls but want BB also via ADSL...who is the better provider both financially and technically? BT or O2BE..?