Cheapest Broadband Provider Discussion Area

t_i_g_e_rr

Oh, and I've been with Talk Talk and Ontel in the time I've been with Metronet and I can say that it definitely works together. I also emailed OFTEL and they confirmed that CPS is always compatible with ADSL.

creme_brulee

this is prob a really silly question and poss not the right place to post this but I am with BT at the moment and want to upgrade to Broadband-dont' mind where-just the best deal-can I still keep my btinternet email address or would I have to get a new one?

Matt_F-Smith

we've been with Freeserve/AOL/Tiscali (the DEVIL's SPAWN!!!) and now with Gio for broadband 512k

we've been with Gio Internet for over a good year, and TOUCH WOOD never had any niggling problems with them. I think we're paying 18.99 a month, but cant remember costs exactly. still, they are highly recommended, and were cheapest by far a few months back

Matt

infox

My $0.02:

a) separate your e-mail address from your connectivity provider, so if/when you change connectivity provider, you don't have to change your e-mail address. And, when connectivity provider's service fails, you can still get at your e-mail using an 0845 modem dial-up. And you can get at your e-mail from anywhere in the world (at work, on holiday, etc etc). I use https://www.virtualnames.co.uk - reliable, straightforward, lots of features for the price.

And it's nice to have a personal, meaningful domain name. Some might call it a luxury, some might not.

b) I generally recommend Eclipse for ADSL, for business use and for home use. Their Flex service looks interesting. Again they're reliable, and straightforward.

In my line of work, cheapest is hardly *ever* good value; usually cheapest is poor from the get-go, otherwise it becomes poor quickly as financial reality kicks in. And expensive is rarely the best.

Sorry to express a contrary opinion, but I'd really argue strongly against a 12-month contract. Things change too quickly. There are plenty of good providers offering one-month contracts. I've seen too many people gritting their teeth through the remaining 3-9 months of a poorly-performing contract ...

Check out feedback on https://www.adslguide.org.uk from real users thoroughly before committing. Balance the good and the bad; allow for disgruntled users shouting loudest; look for systematic problems, and discount the wailers and ranters.

c) don't assume you can switch ADSL providers easily. Do you really expect not to have any downtime? Don't bank on it!

d) are you really going to trust Microsoft software to keep you and your family safe? *You* will be responsible for keeping it up to date, and checking that safety measures haven't been bypassed or compromised.

I have heard it said that the average time to update a fresh install of Windows XP, once you've got it connected to the internet, is greater than the average time between attacks. And I have first- and second-hand experience of exactly this.

So buy an ADSL modem/router which is a firewall. I like Draytek Vigor products (again for home and business use).

e) then install anti-virus with a paid-for subscription, and set a diary reminder to renew it (I find McAfee tolerable); and test it with eicar.

f) also install anti-spyware software such as SpyBot or Adaware, and again keep it up-to-date religiously

Of course if you run Linux or a Mac then you'll have lost interest at d)

As I said, just my $0.02. YMMV, as some say.

azim_2

Fellow savers,

Has anyone heard of E7even? http://www.e7even.com is probably the cheapest broadband supplier I have come across, check them out againt the competitors such as Nildram and PlusNet on http://www.adslguide.org. I have been tracking e7even over the past year and thought at the time that they were a little too new for me to part with my hard earned money, so I waited about a year and then checked them out and found that they are quite good in all aspects. For the past 2 years or so, Nildram and PlusNet seem to have dominated value for money etc.

E7even on the other hand do not take monthly instalments, but what they do ask for is either a 6 month, 12 month or 24 month committment across their 512kb and 1mb connection services. I suppose you are wondering what the costs actually are. Well, E7even now have an offer on at the moment where you can get one of the following, either;

ADSL Modem/Router or
Free Connection or
3 months free

They all work out to be roughly the same, around £50 ish.

So for £16.66 per month (£200 for 12 months paid upfront), thats got to be a bargain. Furthermore, they are using Interconnects (BT Backbone) so you dont have to worry about your searches travelling half way across the world before they get to their destination.

I have been with E7even now for the past few months and found that they have been good value for money so far. Furthermore, if you dont want to call their expensive 090 help number, just email them for free, and they will respond promptly. Needless to say, their ratio is 50:1.

Hope this helps those who are sitting on the fence....

Best regards,

Azim.

jamejos

I've been with Metronet for the last 6 months and have to say, the service is second to none. I'm an average user and my bills work out at just under £14 a month. There were problems late June/early July when a new pipe was being installed - occasional difficulty in connecting but they keep you up to date with any technical problems. For anyone contemplating BB for the first time , this is ideal.
8)

mikewall_2

Check out giointernet.co.uk. I've been using them for over a year now, paying £19.95 a month for unlimited 512k broadband. I've had no hassle, might be worth a look.

infofreak

Hi guy and girls ;D,

Just thought I'd scare a few of you.  I've seen lots of people getting huge phone bills (£150 + per month) while on broadband.  Due to Diallers and other Malware.  This problem was even mentioned on Watchdog.  Various Detectors and killers can be used.  You could even get your phone company to barr premium rate numbers.  All of this may not help.  New diallers are coming out all the time.  Also if your pc is connected to a pone line it does not need to dial a number to switch to a premium rate line.  Therefore the barr may not stop the problem.

Now I hate to sound like I'm advertising but the only sure way to stop these diallers calling out on your phone bill is to use a cable service such as Telewest offer.  With their broadband you are not connected to a phone line so these outbound calls can not happen.  So long as you do not reconnect your normal modem to the phone line.

That the end of my little preachey session for now.  Hope I'll have something more upbeat to contribute in the future.

8)

maureen3

What about Telecom Plus "go-plus fast"? That's £19.99 a month with free setup and  no minimum contract, so if you don't like it, you just give the standard 30 days notice and you're out!

stinky

I've just been looking at cheap providers for my parents and came to the conclusion (perhaps wrongly as a money saver) that I'd rather pay £19.99 a month with Bulldog (who have a good reputation) for a no limits ADSL service. Total extra per year would work out about £24 to my reckoning when compared with an £18/month service. But with a no limits service there is no worrying about exceeding any limits and paying any penalties.

Also, for those talking about MAC adresses not being released by their provider. Surely your MAC address is a preset, that is determined by your Ethernet card. It is not set by the provider, but by your computer. This is the case on an Apple mac and I cannot see why it would be different on a PC ?