Tekforums

Finally got bored of waiting for Tiscali to fix my broadband, so am going to ring them for a MAC code.

Who is a good ISP that wont cost anymore than Im on now? (£15pm)

Plusnet?

If available O2.  £15 gets you an up to 16Mb connection.  If you have an O2 PAYG or contract you get it for £10 instead.  They even throw a router in, even if it isnt brilliant you are instantly compatible.  

Doh! got talked into giving Tiscali another week.

Mr Indian on the phone said that if I wait another 2-3days my connection will be perfect.

I doubt Ill get any sort of that speed with o2, apparently my whole problem with Tiscali is that Im on the upto 8Mb ADSL MAXX and my line is too crap so I need down-grading to 1Mbit.

Cant get the 3G internet up here either as Ive looked into that too. Thats the problem with living in the middle of nowhere.

Quote from: DEViANCEI doubt Ill get any sort of that speed with o2, apparently my whole problem with Tiscali is that Im on the upto 8Mb ADSL MAXX and my line is too crap so I need down-grading to 1Mbit.

Cant get the 3G internet up here either as Ive looked into that too. Thats the problem with living in the middle of nowhere.

This appears to be Tiscalis standard argument, i think they train them to parrot the same old balls to people.  check out samknows, they have a tool that gives estimated speeds from your exchange.  Neighbours here get 5.8Mb on their standard ADSL MAX, im knocking 13Mb on my O2 ADSL2+ connection.

plus.net are pretty cool, if you phoned up and bitched right at them youd get money to stay.

If you have sky its worth having a word with them. Now we are back on BT equipment the line is stable as anything.

Skys good, but only if they do it in your area. You can get 8meg broadband off em for a fiver if you have a) got sky and b) got sky internet in your area

so O2 is good ? Im sick of virgin tbh, cant get cable here so stuff with ADSL down the bt line.

Just finding one that isnt too fussy on downloading, o2 say:

"There is no limit on the monthly network usage. However if we feel that your activities are so excessive that other customers are detrimentally affected, we may give you a written warning (by email or otherwise). In extreme circumstances, if the levels of activity do not immediately decrease after the warning, we may terminate or suspend your Services."

Anyone had such letter from them, or know what they would class as excessive use?

Just ordered a O2 contract for my mate, all he uses it for is XBOX live.

Will tell you how it goes when it gets activate.

These USB dongle thingies.  How are they so fast when a bog-standard BB connection cant get anywhere near those speeds.  Would I be better off buying one of them?

Quote from: EagleThese USB dongle thingies.  How are they so fast when a bog-standard BB connection cant get anywhere near those speeds.  Would I be better off buying one of them?

they are only fast if you can actually get a 3g signal of some form.  Also the latency is terrible.  OK for browsing, but little else.  The final thing with them is the bandwidth cap.  Everyone but T-Mobile hammers you for bandwidth costs if you go over the limit.

Quote from: smallsso O2 is good ? Im sick of virgin tbh, cant get cable here so stuff with ADSL down the bt line.

Just finding one that isnt too fussy on downloading, o2 say:

"There is no limit on the monthly network usage. However if we feel that your activities are so excessive that other customers are detrimentally affected, we may give you a written warning (by email or otherwise). In extreme circumstances, if the levels of activity do not immediately decrease after the warning, we may terminate or suspend your Services."

Anyone had such letter from them, or know what they would class as excessive use?

Same infrastructure as BeThere, but lower costs and longer contracts.  If you know you wont be moving then they are a good option.  Also, they provide a cease and reprovide alongside BT.  So if you do move you can actually have the entire thing moved with no downtime.  

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3cBVAu927mw&feature=related

Quote from: Beaker

Quote from: DEViANCEI doubt Ill get any sort of that speed with o2, apparently my whole problem with Tiscali is that Im on the upto 8Mb ADSL MAXX and my line is too crap so I need down-grading to 1Mbit.

Cant get the 3G internet up here either as Ive looked into that too. Thats the problem with living in the middle of nowhere.

This appears to be Tiscalis standard argument, i think they train them to parrot the same old balls to people.  check out samknows, they have a tool that gives estimated speeds from your exchange.  Neighbours here get 5.8Mb on their standard ADSL MAX, im knocking 13Mb on my O2 ADSL2+ connection.

Beakers spot on here. Tiscali use this excuse for everything. My friend had the same problem with them - moved to BT and got 8 mb straight away.

your probably right, Im definatly back on 1mbit (crap) but Im still having intermittent disconnections.

Ill get the MAC code tomorrow and go with o2 they do seem good.

The router that O2 supply should be used for about 10 days, then swap it to whatever you like.  Im on a WAG54GS, the Speedtouch 585v7 isnt really very good.

I might have to invest in a better router.

Ive got a really poo belkin one and a Billion one that I got of Nildram, which doesnt seem to bad really.

WOW! somethings been done!

look at this :

Today
Downstream     Upstream    
      
SNR Margin:21.5    28.0    db
      
Line Attenuation:63.5    29.5    db
      
Data Rate :1152    288    kbps



Yesterday
Downstream Upstream

SNR Margin:5.5 6.0 db

Line Attenuation:54.5 27.0 db

Data Rate:5856 832 kbps


My line speed is right down, but my Attenuation and SNR has gone WAY up and Ive had a solid connection for nearly 24hours.

Youve been put down to a 1mbit fixed line, not up to 8mbit.

Hence the increase in SNR margin. If its stable now then its likely that you have spiking noise on your line, caused by some sort of electrical interference. With a margin that high, you might want to ask for a change to 2mbit, or alternatively to go back to Max (or the LLU equivalent) but with a higher target SNR (e.g. 12dB) to get the best speed.

Or alternatively, go to an ISP who know what theyre doing ;)

Ive had a stable connection for 2days now, so being on a fixed 1mbit line has obviously worked.

I should still be getting my MAC code from tiscali as I requested it before my line was fixed.

You think my line with take 2mbit with those stats? that would be good as 1mbit is dire.

This is what BT Wholesale sent me.

QuoteYour exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a line rate up to 1Mbps. However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 1Mbps or greater.
The actual ADSL line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use, after which time the highest stable rate possible will be set.

You think its worth me changing still?

Most annoying thing is that when my upto 8mbit line was stable (not alot) I used to get 4Mbps speeds easily.

You might be able to get 2mbit, if the noise on your line is steady. This would just be a long line, and you might get away with it.

However, if theres spiking noise then 2mbit might not work. All I can suggest is try it out and see if the line is stable.

And you should change ISP anyway, Tiscali are poop. Go with a decent ISP that has a good reputation for resolving faults.

Quote from: DEViANCEIve had a stable connection for 2days now, so being on a fixed 1mbit line has obviously worked.

I should still be getting my MAC code from tiscali as I requested it before my line was fixed.

You think my line with take 2mbit with those stats? that would be good as 1mbit is dire.

This is what BT Wholesale sent me.

QuoteYour exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a line rate up to 1Mbps. However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 1Mbps or greater.
The actual ADSL line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use, after which time the highest stable rate possible will be set.

You think its worth me changing still?

Most annoying thing is that when my upto 8mbit line was stable (not alot) I used to get 4Mbps speeds easily.

You may get a higher speed with an ADSL2 provider, plus the line will set itself to whatever is the best speed.  It just seems more flexible than BTs offering.  

Quote from: Beaker

Quote from: DEViANCEIve had a stable connection for 2days now, so being on a fixed 1mbit line has obviously worked.

I should still be getting my MAC code from tiscali as I requested it before my line was fixed.

You think my line with take 2mbit with those stats? that would be good as 1mbit is dire.

This is what BT Wholesale sent me.

QuoteYour exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a line rate up to 1Mbps. However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 1Mbps or greater.
The actual ADSL line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use, after which time the highest stable rate possible will be set.

You think its worth me changing still?

Most annoying thing is that when my upto 8mbit line was stable (not alot) I used to get 4Mbps speeds easily.

You may get a higher speed with an ADSL2 provider, plus the line will set itself to whatever is the best speed.  It just seems more flexible than BTs offering.  

You will not automatically get faster speeds with ADSL2+, if you are on a long line...



If you get <= 4mbit on ADSL Max, stick with it.

Quote from: MaldonadoYou will not automatically get faster speeds with ADSL2+, if you are on a long line...

(Image removed from quote.)

If you get <= 4mbit on ADSL Max, stick with it.

not automatically, but with O2 you get 50 days to cancel and just pay for the usage you have.  If you dont get better speeds you can then move to another supplier without any problems.  

Quote from: Beaker

Quote from: MaldonadoYou will not automatically get faster speeds with ADSL2+, if you are on a long line...

[pic removed]

If you get <= 4mbit on ADSL Max, stick with it.

not automatically, but with O2 you get 50 days to cancel and just pay for the usage you have.  If you dont get better speeds you can then move to another supplier without any problems.  

And with PlusNet, you can take a 90 day risk free trial if you migrate. I.E. migrate out within 90 days and we will refund your subscription payments.


N.B. We do not refund deferred hardware or extra usage charges.

N.B. 2 This is a standard offer that you are given when you sign up with a MAC code.

Quote from: MaldonadoAnd with PlusNet, you can take a 90 day risk free trial if you migrate. I.E. migrate out within 90 days and we will refund your subscription payments.


N.B. We do not refund deferred hardware or extra usage charges.

N.B. 2 This is a standard offer that you are given when you sign up with a MAC code.

not bad, however BT + O2 still works out cheaper if you are a slightly above average user.  30Gb isnt too bad, but im paying less than the £35 per month for the same products and features.  Plus, having worked with 3rd party telephony suppliers they are less than keen on calling Openreach engineers in to fix faults because it costs them money.  At least if you ring BT they will be there within 48 hours.  PlusNet dont offer bad products at all, but they arent the best out there.  

I think ADSL24 have the best ADSL2+ deal I have seen http://adsl24.co.uk/broadband_24mb.php plus its monthly contract :)

Quote from: ShaunI think ADSL24 have the best ADSL2+ deal I have seen http://adsl24.co.uk/broadband_24mb.php plus its monthly contract :)

not even close man.  £10 a month is getting me 13.8Mb, which considering my distance from the exchange is pretty good.  For that much I wouldnt even get a 3Gb allowance!

I take it you're a mobile customer of there's then? So if not that's 15 quid a month for your service?

Plus ADSL 24 is 8 meg's faster, your tied to a 12 month contract and subject to a "Fair usage policy"  ok they might not enforce it at the mo but it doesn't mean they couldn't before the 12 months is up.

As I said I think ADSL24 have the best ADSL2+ deal I have seen.

Quote from: ShaunI take it you're a mobile customer of there's then? So if not that's 15 quid a month for your service?

Plus ADSL 24 is 8 meg's faster, your tied to a 12 month contract and subject to a "Fair usage policy"  ok they might not enforce it at the mo but it doesn't mean they couldn't before the 12 months is up.

As I said I think ADSL24 have the best ADSL2+ deal I have seen.

still wont get 24 Meg where I live.  Not a hope, if I would have then I would still be with BeThere and have upload plus enabled.  Last place I lived I had 19.5/2.5 as a solid connection.