Changing from Virgin to Sky??

jamesg1234

Hey Guys

I've been with Virgin for years and use their internet for watching sport 1x to 2x a week, so fairly heavy use. Its speed is regularly high albeit occasionally there is traffic management. I have Virgin's 20MB package, phone and Top Up TV with Freeview. Trouble is it's getting expensive.

If I switch to Sky I would get more choice in terms of TV and would save aprox £30 a month... They offer unlimited 20MB Broadband plus line rental plus TV for about £38-39 all in. They tell me my download line speed being about 500 metres from the exchange would be between 10MB and 20MB. BT have said it would be between 8M-18MB probably 14MB. I pull 15-19MB now.

So it would be slower but not greatly so. I've never had ADSL Broadband and am concerned that I get it and then speeds are poor i.e. 2-4MB.

Anyone here use the Sky unlimited Broadband package? Is it reliable? Traffic Managed? Most importantly does it give the types of speed advertised? How does it compare to BT for example?

Look forward to hearing from you.

jamesg1234

pcombo

Can you just sign up with sky if you dont like it then cancel it.

I dont think your cable connection will be effected as its on a different cable/box from bt equipment.

Mark_In_Hampshire

First thing - check www.samknows.com > availability checker > put in your postcode (a cable phone number won't work) and see what results you get back.

Under xDSL LLU check that Sky/Easynet is available. If it is, proceed. If not, don't go there

With regard to speeds, the best estimate of speed will be using a phone number, but you don't have a BT phone number, so you might ask your nearest neighbours - if they don't have cable - if they mind you using theirs to check again and see what the estimate is.

The speed depends on the quality and the length of the line and measuring how long that is, is not normally practical unless you can actually see it all the way back to the exchange and even if you could, you can't tell what gauge copper it is or if it is entirely copper. Sky are required to give you an estimate on sign up but it can be vague and they don't have to keep to it. The number of people who get more than 15Mbps on ADSL2+ is very small indeed, so I'd work with that as a maximum, more would be possible on e.g. a 1km long line (double the distance to exchange) - however as per your concern there's no minimum. Nobody will know until it's up and running.

Finally, Sky users seem to be among the happiest groups of ADSL2+ users (BT usually fare about average) and no, I don't believe it is traffic managed. But that could indeed change.

jamesg1234

Thank you both.

I have checked Sky has xDSL LLU in my area and it does. Also asked a neighbour their telephone number and tried and the Sky line speed checker says the same thing max 10-20MB.

The feedback re. Sky users generally being pretty happy with their service is useful to know also.

My only concern is that there is as you say no minimum speed so whilst the Sky guy I spoke with said 10MB would be the minimum my worry is that it could turn out to be 1-2Mb or something.. will think on.

Pikeyp

Personally I think you will soon regret it! .. but I'm a long time Virgin customer so I would say that?!?

If you have the 20mb and the phone , then you also qualify for the free TV package .. this should then get you a *bundle* discount , which could save you about £15 by my reckoning!

I reckon it's worth you ringing up Virgin and go for the '*thinking of leaving?* option and see what deal you can get out them .. gotta be worth trying anyway!

Mark_In_Hampshire

Put it like this: the Virgin Media network can theoretically deliver the headline speed to everyone (in theory it could deliver 445Mbps down to everyone)

In practice it doesn't always deliver the headline speeds because of contention. This impacts e.g. people living next to a university campus.

The BT network e.g. ADSL2+ by definition cannot deliver the headline speed of 24Mbps to anyone except the people in the exchange though a very small number of people can get 20Mbps. (That being why it's usually quoted as an up to 20Mbps speed)

The chart on this page illustrates it nicely
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/06/30/who-are-the-real-broadband-conmen-the-isps-or-the-asa/

The maximum theoretical speed of the line that serves your house is the unknown. It can be estimated using this
http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/max_speed_calc.php

Put 15 in the first box and the number you want to pay attention to is the one in the bottom right hand box. Fiddle around with the first number to get an idea of how length affects speed, the only factor missing is condition e.g. line quality.

Mark_In_Hampshire

By the way, believe quoting a range like "10 to 20Mbps" is directly contrary to the Ofcom code of practice which states that providers should supply an estimate, not a wide range.

ihateyes

Mark_In_Hampshire wrote: »

By the way, believe quoting a range like "10 to 20Mbps" is directly contrary to the Ofcom code of practice which states that providers should supply an estimate, not a wide range.

Just remember Virgin (fibre optic) use their own network and control the speed.
Sky use the BT network, Bt control the speed Sky users get... is if BT in your area is 5mbps, you can be sure sky will be slightly less,

espresso

ihateyes wrote: »

Just remember Virgin (fibre optic) use their own network and control the speed.
Sky use the BT network, Bt control the speed Sky users get... is if BT in your area is 5mbps, you can be sure sky will be slightly less,

Absolute rubbish!

Try limiting yourself to only responding to threads where you have enough knowledge to make a useful contribution.

ihateyes

espresso wrote: »

Absolute rubbish!

Try limiting yourself to only responding to threads where you have enough knowledge to make a useful contribution.

instead of slating me, why dont you correct my post???

penrhyn

Sky use the Easynet fibre optic network for their LLU broadband, independent of BT's network.
It was originally built by Marconi when it was known as Isparis.