ISP Recommendations

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  • #1
    Hi,

    I'm looking for a new ISP, I've had enough of web browsing problems with NTL/Telewest/Virgin Media or whatever they call themselves. ;)

    Currently on a 10Mb line connected via Coax Cable, so I assume I'd need to move to ADSL and get a phone line from BT..? Will VOIP be OK under ADSL?

    Apart from that can anyone recommend a decent ISP, with a high level of customer service!

    Thanks In Advance,

    Carl
     
    G

    Gavin Harris

  • #2
    Carl,

    I'm using VOIP on ADSL and it's fine.

    For great broadband, I'd highly recommend Zen - their support staff are quite technical and the whole service seems to be designed for those who "know what they're doing".

    They have a whole range of products, so depends what you want to spend!
     
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    A

    Astaroth

    Free Member
    Aug 24, 2005
    3,985
    278
    London
  • #5
    Absolutaly right on checking the connection speed however it is only ever estimated as you may have some terrible old wiring along the route that massively slows the speed.

    I have used Demon for a while now and have had no problems at all... in the 2 years I have only lost connection twice (router currently shows the connection having been active for over a year) once connection was re-established straight away the other was an outage of about an hour - cant remember the reason for the problem but they put their hands up to it being their problem straight away
     
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    A

    Astaroth

    Free Member
    Aug 24, 2005
    3,985
    278
    London
  • #8
    Didnt get on with plus.net after they threatened court action for me refusing to pay the notice period after they cancelled my account for over use of their "unlimited" dial up.

    Saying that, no matter which ISP you are talking about someone will undoubtedly have had a bad experience.
     
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    AlphOmega

  • #9
    As far as the technology goes NTL has the best system as the lines are all capable of speeds up to 54meg (though they wont offer this for years i bet). Even with ADSL2 the bt lines are inferior to ntl. However NTL des suck, I dont use their dns or smtp servers anymore as troublesome and unreliable. I can only remember one issue in 2 years when the service was down but many issues with their dns servers but the connection was still ok. Using non ntl dns has left me with a very reliable service. Though customer service from NTL has to be the worst going.
     
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    AlphOmega

  • #13
    well probably 90% of the staff are ex ntl staff in a guess. Also customer service seems as crap as NTL so I say they preety much the same.

    However the actuall connection is brilliant. Im on the 10Meg service and whatever time of day if i run a sppedtest I get pretty much 10 meg all the time.

    Also apparently Im going to be one of the first to go to 20Meg on the first of march my area will be upgraded to 20 meg :)
     
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    F

    falconinternetlimited

  • #22
    Carl,

    I have PM'ed you.

    As a provider of Entanet services there are many many customers who are delighted by the service offered. For impartial testimonials etc http://www.dslzoneuk.co.uk and our customer feedback is here http://www.dslzoneuk.co.uk/isp_details.php?isp=104#

    We don't have the volume of feedback yet because we only started to concentrate on the consumer market in January - and you are not allowed to tell people to rate - so these are ratings of users who have submitted a rating off their own accord.

    On top of that, with us providing account management and 1st line support for any issues, you can get the best of both worlds!! :)

    In terms of services available to you, if you want to PM me the number of your phoneline or your postcode, I can see what kind of connection you could expect and what options are available to you.

    Best wishes,

    Rupert
     
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    G

    Gavin Harris

  • #23
    AlphOmega said:
    As far as the technology goes NTL has the best system as the lines are all capable of speeds up to 54meg (though they wont offer this for years i bet).
    Click to expand...

    Let's not forget that cable systems are based on 70s/80s technology. The cable network was never really designed to handle interactive TV and super fast internet etc.

    Whilst it just about works and has theoretical high speeds, the system is at creaking point, and really needs completely starting again: which is never going to happen.

    I used to work for a cable company (not NTL or Telewest) who installed their digital network in the late 90s/early 2000s and even that still had problems, even though it was some of the newest kit around!

    Having seen how easily a brand new cable network can fall over, I personally will always stay away from cable - I'd rather go with Sky for my TV and BT for my telephone/broadband.

    However, in reality, with either provider if there's a problem you'll never get great customer support!
     
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    stugster

    stugster

    Free Member
    Feb 1, 2007
    9,060
    2,076
    Edinburgh, UK
    considerit.com
  • #24
    The UK is by far one of the worst for Internet suppliers... have a look at South Korea... we're bickering over a few MB/seconds here... over there:

    "
    Seoul -- Powercomm has ventured into Korea's broadband market by launching this month a blazingly fast Internet service with a speed of 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
    Under the banner of "Xpeed," Powercomm now offers a 100Mbps service in apartments with optical local area network (LAN) and a slower 10Mbps in houses.
    The optical LAN-based speed of 100Mbps is like lightning, enabling customers to download a two-hour high-definition video file in less than 5 minutes. With a current 10Mbps-class connection, the video download would take more than 30 minutes."
    http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=29401


    And.. that was back in 2005! I'm sure they're all connected to Gigabit switches now!
     
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    S

    superman

  • #25
    I use demon and have only had one outage where they messed up the DNS server before that used BT was not impressed by them, demon are okay though...

    Remember if you changing service provider there can be some down time, while it's all switched over and with some of the big companies this can take for ever. If like mine you are in an internet based business, any down time can be curcial as that's when everybody all of a sudden wants to contact you.
     
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    F

    falconinternetlimited

  • #26
    With regards to Supermans point, our policy is to maintain a vigorous vigil on the day of the migration of a line and to phone the customer as soon as the migration has occured to minimise the impact of any downtime. We also ensure customers have all their login details well before the migration date to allow them to be prepared for the switch over.

    Regards,

    Rupert
     
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    C

    confused

  • #27
    NTL were good, I've also seen problems since the takeover, WHY thay have to mess is beyond me - if it works then leave it!
    I moved house recently, and after having ntl b/band since the very first day it was available in my area (I was the 7th customer!) going from the 512k connection through the tv box, through to a 10 meg connection I had very little trouble after a few teething problems from them.
    I now have Zen, they are more expensive than others, but as the old saying goes - you get what you pay for. Best thing about zen apart from the uptime is, if you ring support then you get a guy in Rochdale who generally speaking is pretty clued up - not some fool that earns 10p a week, can speak bugger all English, and is about as technical as the average dead slug.
     
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