BB Supplier that does not increase by inflation + Own Router

kroggy

Does anyone know of a Broadband Supplier who does not automatically increase their prices each year by inflation etc?

Ideally one that will allow me to use my own router.

Neil_Jones

Pretty much all providers will let you use your own router if you know what you're doing.

Also most providers at the budget end of the market will increase prices automatically.

There are providers that don't, but they cost more in the first place.

kroggy

So it is just another con, do special offer on MSE but hidden price increase of "God know what" inflation + 3% 

I have had experience of suppliers who made it hard to use your own Router, there are sometimes some pages that show how to get around it but if it is too complicated I will struggle.  It used to be a simple login credentials for Router to ISP, but some declined to provide that Login.  Maybe Sky if memory serves and for some you need their UI to turn off various things they put on to "protect you".

400ixl

Keeping the ISP router as a modem is actually a decent extra layer of security. Just switch off the WIFI and then connect your router to from the WAN port to the ISP modems network port. Other than the firewall I have not had any ISP put anything on the router itself to "protect me". Lots of optional services you can sign up to on their websites or download, but nothing on the router itself that is on by default.

As for the con, seeing as pretty much every ISP who has the inflation cause make sure it is very clearly brought to the attention of the customer during the sign up process I fail to see where it is hidden or a con. As others have said, pay more and you can have a fixed price across the contract term, the choice is yours.

kb1979

You can avoid the price rises which all major isps now seem to do mid contract. There is Pulse8 broadband. They are a small provider and only do 1 month contracts so you are not tied in. I have been with them for over 2 years now and only seen a £2 a month increase in this time. You can also use your own router and they will email you the settings to use.

Neil_Jones

kroggy said:

So it is just another con, do special offer on MSE but hidden price increase of "God know what" inflation + 3% 

I have had experience of suppliers who made it hard to use your own Router, there are sometimes some pages that show how to get around it but if it is too complicated I will struggle.  It used to be a simple login credentials for Router to ISP, but some declined to provide that Login.  Maybe Sky if memory serves and for some you need their UI to turn off various things they put on to "protect you".

It is not a "con" if it is advertised upfront and it is not "hidden" either.  The unknown will be the January CPI figure.  If you use your haggling charm you can effectively reduce and maybe eliminate the automatic rise with each new renewal.  Yes it'll go back up again in due course but you can minimise it - after all 10% of £25 is less than 10% of out of contract £50...

The details for Sky log-ins for your own router are here and further down this page:

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Broadband/PPPOE-codes-for-connection-to-third-party-router/td-p/3837525

To access the Sky routers details are here:

https://www.192-168-1-1-ip.co/sky/routers/1555/

JohnReese

kroggy said:

Does anyone know of a Broadband Supplier who does not automatically increase their prices each year by inflation etc?

Ideally one that will allow me to use my own router.

Cuckoo Broadband. Fixed prices. And you can use your own router.

[Deleted User]

400ixl said:

Keeping the ISP router as a modem is actually a decent extra layer of security. 

If the ISP's 'router' is in modem mode then there is no firewall so it doesn't provide any "decent extra layer of security" as you put it - a modem allows all traffic through regardless.

Regardless I wouldn't say any ISP router has a decent level of security. They all claim to have a firewall but that is simply the default function of NAT routing which is in all routers. Firewalls need configuration to tell them what traffic to allow and block, if you don't have that option in the settings, it isn't a firewall. Also true firewalls need a lot of CPU to inspect the contents of data packets, well beyond the capabilities of a free ISP router.

400ixl said:

Just switch off the WIFI and then connect your router to from the WAN port to the ISP modems network port. 

If you just switch off wifi and then connect your own routers WAN port to the LAN of the ISP router then you end up with a "double NAT" situation that leads to all sorts of problems with port triggering which affects gaming, VOIP, VPN's and sometimes SSL certs. 

You will also end up with two DHCP servers running which can cause conflicts of IP addresses and can completely disable some devices on your network. 

If the DHCP scope of the "WAN" side connected to your ISP router is the same as the LAN side of your own router you won't even get any internet traffic in or out.

If you use your own router, you must put the ISP one in modem mode.

You can use your 'router' in Wifi bridge mode which means it is no longer a router and just a wifi access point, but you aren't getting the performance gains to be had by using a proper router instead of the free ISP one.

kroggy

400ixl said:

Keeping the ISP router as a modem is actually a decent extra layer of security. Just switch off the WIFI and then connect your router to from the WAN port to the ISP modems network port. Other than the firewall I have not had any ISP put anything on the router itself to "protect me". Lots of optional services you can sign up to on their websites or download, but nothing on the router itself that is on by default.

As for the con, seeing as pretty much every ISP who has the inflation cause make sure it is very clearly brought to the attention of the customer during the sign up process I fail to see where it is hidden or a con. As others have said, pay more and you can have a fixed price across the contract term, the choice is yours.

I do not need a decent extra level of security that uses more energy, I use openwrt which allows me more security than any OEM router.

Just because pretty much every ISP employs the con and brings it to the attention of the customer does not stop it being a con.

Crazy how people seem to enjoy being ripped off and come to the defense of broadband providers in a totally dysfunctional market.

Neil_Jones

kroggy said:

400ixl said:

Keeping the ISP router as a modem is actually a decent extra layer of security. Just switch off the WIFI and then connect your router to from the WAN port to the ISP modems network port. Other than the firewall I have not had any ISP put anything on the router itself to "protect me". Lots of optional services you can sign up to on their websites or download, but nothing on the router itself that is on by default.

As for the con, seeing as pretty much every ISP who has the inflation cause make sure it is very clearly brought to the attention of the customer during the sign up process I fail to see where it is hidden or a con. As others have said, pay more and you can have a fixed price across the contract term, the choice is yours.

I do not need a decent extra level of security that uses more energy, I use openwrt which allows me more security than any OEM router.

Just because pretty much every ISP employs the con and brings it to the attention of the customer does not stop it being a con.

Crazy how people seem to enjoy being ripped off and come to the defense of broadband providers in a totally dysfunctional market.

Then go and find a provider that doesn't have a built-in increase, few examples posted already.

You can't have your cake and eat it.  If price is your main concern then either you pay less for a few months and take an increase, or you pay more from the outset at the risk of paying more than the increase would have dragged it to.  Or you don't use it at all and lob yourself at the mercy of mobile phone companies and get online via data - they also do the CPI+x% thing.  Failing that don't go on the internet at all at home and go and use it at the library instead, or Wi-Fi at Tesco or McDonalds or something and forgo any notions of privacy you get at home.

kroggy

Neil_Jones said:

kroggy said:

400ixl said:

Keeping the ISP router as a modem is actually a decent extra layer of security. Just switch off the WIFI and then connect your router to from the WAN port to the ISP modems network port. Other than the firewall I have not had any ISP put anything on the router itself to "protect me". Lots of optional services you can sign up to on their websites or download, but nothing on the router itself that is on by default.

As for the con, seeing as pretty much every ISP who has the inflation cause make sure it is very clearly brought to the attention of the customer during the sign up process I fail to see where it is hidden or a con. As others have said, pay more and you can have a fixed price across the contract term, the choice is yours.

I do not need a decent extra level of security that uses more energy, I use openwrt which allows me more security than any OEM router.

Just because pretty much every ISP employs the con and brings it to the attention of the customer does not stop it being a con.

Crazy how people seem to enjoy being ripped off and come to the defense of broadband providers in a totally dysfunctional market.

Then go and find a provider that doesn't have a built-in increase, few examples posted already.

You can't have your cake and eat it.  If price is your main concern then either you pay less for a few months and take an increase, or you pay more from the outset at the risk of paying more than the increase would have dragged it to.  Or you don't use it at all and lob yourself at the mercy of mobile phone companies and get online via data - they also do the CPI+x% thing.  Failing that don't go on the internet at all at home and go and use it at the library instead, or Wi-Fi at Tesco or McDonalds or something and forgo any notions of privacy you get at home.

Thanks Neil

I am wondering there might be another way, which is to HAGGLE, for example I could go to the provider of the latest broadband offer and try to get them to match it but not do the CPI scam.

Some years ago I was with Sky on their £50 for the year deal on MSE, which included a free router and just £5 for delivery which also served as an ID check, so no credit check.  

When the offer expired they would not hold the price so I ended the contract.

I then got a call from their retention team but it was too late, I had jumped to another supplier at £24 for the year.

About a year later I took up another MSE offer for £100 then another MSE offer of £50, then Sky would not make me a reasonable offer so I dumped them.

AGAIN I got the call from R team, but this time they told me they no longer had the means to offer me a deal, it was more like they were doing market research.  This seems to be when the market became dysfunctional. People on Broadband forums noticed it too, it was around or soon after BT bought EE.  It was as if they had all decided to take turns offering introductory offers, a bit like the petrol station cartel scams we had many years ago.

I could try to haggle with Shell who are the current offer, I get my energy from them and I am getting used to how they work, different call centres at different times of day, some of which have more capabilities.  I find it takes several calls to find someone competent at Shell, most can't be bothered.

You would think that as they pay broadband Genie and MSE probably around 20% to 30% they could afford to offer existing customers a deal that is around £5 a month less than the deals on price comparison sites and by keeping the price low (so none of the fake CPI+3% increases), they would retain most of their customers.

Currently all the "retail" prices on BB provider sites are fake, they all offer deals and so we play this game of musical chairs when the contract stops and if there is no deal I do manage with wifi hotspots or a temporary neighbourhood hookup.  I know that there are mugs that pay those full prices but a lot of them will wise up when the energy bills come in this winter.