Cheapest Broadband Provider Discussion

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  • I have just "upgraded" from dial-up to ADSL and chose Metronet- Martins article doesn't mention their PAYG1000- which I have just moved on to. It's a very fast service and unless you go mad downloading- at 1G usage it's £13.75p/m (only about 50p more a month at 1G usage p/m than their 512 package}

    Also of note with Metronet is unlike other providers their service is capped, so you know the maximum you will pay out each month. Only the cost is capped, not the data transfer (in effect it is a pay as you use service to a point, then becomes an unlimited download service). Even at the price cap, the cost is competetive, so if you have irregular use patterns, or are not sure how much you will use, Metronet may be worth a look. I have just switched our small office to Metronet (from a dial up <yawn> connection). Can't yet comment on QOS.
    ..
    Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
  • FL
    FL Posts: 748
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    I think that people who have been on Broadband a long time sometimes miss the point that it is very confusing for new users and can be expensive.

    All the companies that Martin suggest for existing users would leave new users clueless about all the extra costs when you first sign up such as modems and filters.

    For new users what about talk talk which is offering 1MB unlimited for £14.99 per month including the set up costs.
  • FL wrote:
    I think that people who have been on Broadband a long time sometimes miss the point that it is very confusing for new users and can be expensive.

    That's one of the reasons why I posted the information about Datastream and IPstream. When I was a new broadband user, I bought into a cheap package, which has now left me with a choice of stay put, or change to a provider that locks me into a contract or charges a setup fee.
    FL wrote:
    All the companies that Martin suggest for existing users would leave new users clueless about all the extra costs when you first sign up such as modems and filters.

    Cerainly new users may benefit from a packaged solution, but as with any new purchase, it is worth trying to find out a bit about what you're buying, or trying to find a knowledgable friend (who doesn't only talk geek ;-) ) and make sure you know what the hidden costs, contract lock ins etc. are. Much like getting a credit card, you need to dig a little to find out if it really is a good deal, and do a little homework to find out what some of the terms mean (I for one don't speak finance, but I am not prepared to buy blind for want of a little investigative work).
    FL wrote:
    For new users what about talk talk which is offering 1MB unlimited for £14.99 per month including the set up costs.

    I was looking at switching to this (before I discovered I would lose my line for 2 weeks becasue I am with Tiscali). I think you have to take out their phone package too (cashback from greasy palm available on this one) though of course you can still use Martin's fav. call18866.com I have heard generally favourable things about Talk Talk's service - check them out on one of the ADSL forums to get views from others.
    ..
    Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
  • niff_noff
    niff_noff Posts: 39 Forumite
    Like leki, I am also with freedom 2 surf. They have been excellent from the word go.
    I did a lot of research using www.adslguide.org.uk , particularly the user ratings, price comparison and message boards (look at the ISP specific boards and also the ISP Unhappiness board to see who are the bad ones - Tiscali particularly).

    I signed up about a year ago to their 1M/1Gb capped service for £14.99pm (extra Gb can be bought @ £2.99). They also offered a 1M/5Gb cap for £19.99.
    Since then, they have upgraded the service to 2M/2GB cap for no extra charge and on the couple of occasions when i have very slightly exceeded my capped limit, they have not charged me for an extra Gb (I assume they would if this was a regular occurance).
    Couple this with unmetered usage between 1.00am and 6.00am (ideal for scheduled updates etc) and you have to my mind an excellent product from an excellent ISP - I certainly would not change :cool:
  • bombardier
    bombardier Posts: 70 Forumite
    JetSam26 wrote:
    Tiscali is a great option for all you PC users, but they don't support Macs. :mad:
    I'm in an NTL area, and their deal at £17.99 works out best for me and my Mac.

    Any other Mac users out there with better options?
    You don't need a company to explicitly support Macs - any service will work with a Mac, the support issue only comes into it if you have specific Mac hardware or software problems (this is different to a problem with the connection and modem, right up to the physical connector). USB modems will be more troublesome than an ethernet connection, especially with Macs, so go for an ethernet connection if you get the choice. Obviously, if you do not have a NIC card already you'll have to buy one.

    I'm willing to oversee a Mac-specific technical area on these forums if there seems to be enough call for one.
    Mac OS X
  • bombardier
    bombardier Posts: 70 Forumite
    It's also worth pointing out that this article assumes the use of an ADSL broadband connection, which is different to the cable broadband connections offered by NTL and blueyonder (Telewest).

    With the vast majority of the ADSL services you need to either have a BT phoneline already, have one installed (or reactivated) at the time of BB ordering, or take the suppliers' line option which is just a hijacked BT line anyway.

    Therefore, if you are with NTL or blueyonder already (and have your phoneline with them) and want to switch to one of the companies in the article you'll pretty much be starting from scratch. The same obviously applies to NTL / blueyonder customers who have the phoneline with them already but no BB.
    Mac OS X
  • alared
    alared Posts: 4,029 Forumite
    I`m still on dial-up and not really in a hurry to go on BB.
    Having looked around various sites and listened to opinions I have come to the conclusion that for a first time BB provider it would be hard to beat AOL.
    It`s free modem,free connection,free helpline numbers and advice,512 Kbps connection(10 times faster), unlimited downloads and all for £17-99 a month,one year contract.
    Can`t see how it can be beaten for a first-timer.
  • infox
    infox Posts: 8 Forumite
    I strongly agree with the suggestions to visit https://www.adslguide.org.uk first.

    Also remember that anecdotal evidence is not of much value. Some providers will have thousands of satisfied customers, some saying "my provider is excellent", but will have a higher percentage of problems than other providers. For example if you go with BT they appear to be more likely than others to foul up your order or account in some way; and once they fouled you up it can take a month of Sundays to sort it out. So, statistically, I'd say steer clear of BT. Equally, even good providers will have some upset ex-customers. Hence, look at the mass feedback on https://www.adslguide.org.uk.

    I know of many satisfied users of Eclipse's ADSL services, both business and residential.

    As for cable, I am extremely happy with Blueyonder; less so with ntl.

    Other suggestions: get your own domain name so your e-mail addresses are not linked to your connectivity provider, so you can jump ship more easily ()and get at your e-mail from work or on holiday); and get a modem/router with hardware firewall built in, regardless of what anyone says about XP SP2 and ZoneAlarm and other software firewalls; and get one or more anti-virus and anti-spyware programs and set them to run automatic scans daily (it's a war zone out there, it really is).
  • mike_paterson
    mike_paterson Posts: 1,473
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    I am suprised that e7even didn't get a mention as their uncapped 512kbps service currently works out cheaper than all but efh. Plus they include free .co.uk registration and hosting plus a static ip address. They also have very good support and if you wait they tend to have very good special offers regularly too !
    I have been a happy user for 7 months !
    To infinity and beyond!
  • leosayer39
    leosayer39 Posts: 478 Forumite
    Hi,

    Has anyone seen the latest offer from e7even?

    They are currently offering free conection, a free broadband router and unlimited downloads (on the 512k service only) all for the equivalent of £15.00 per month, provided you stay with them for 12 months

    As a dial up user I am giving this offer serious consideration.

    What do my fellow moneysavers think of the offer?

    Do e7even use the streaming method which makes it really difficult to change provider or do they use a standard streaming method. The reason that I ask this question is because I have read on another post on this site, that it is difficult to change from virgin or another of the broadband providers because they use a different delivery system.

    I look forward to your comments

    Leo
    Dont you just love freshly congealed pigs blood, with a bit of fat in :D
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