View Full Version : I know this has been asked before but .....
Flying Lawyer
24th Oct 2002, 18:07
....... things change quickly.
Any recommendations for the best broadband supplier for home use - and any to avoid?
I'm looking for a monthly flat-rate inclusive of phone charges.
I realise cheapest may not be the best, but if anyone has found where the two meet I'd be grateful for your advice.
Thanks.
PPRuNe Pop
24th Oct 2002, 19:07
Here sir is a link that just about covers everyone who is offering B/band.
Your item 2 will be hard to come by I have found - if you don't have cable. A family member has and all calls and broadband come at £15 a month. I wish I could get it laid on it is so good.
However, the link: http://www.adslguide.org.uk/isps.asp?action=summarylist
I'm a happy customer of Pipex - not the cheapest, but reasonable (£20+VAT per month) and the service is generally good. Just worth pointing out that, as far as I know, they are all flat-rate - the connection is always on.
Once you get it you'll never go back... :)
Flying Lawyer
24th Oct 2002, 21:49
Thanks to you both.
I think I may have expressed myself badly PP - very embarrassing for a lawyer. :o
What I meant was no phone charges for time logged onto the internet.
Unwell_Raptor
25th Oct 2002, 08:09
Yes, I am happy with Pipex. £23-odd per month, fast, and always on.
RadarContact
25th Oct 2002, 10:32
Flying Lawyer:
There is no such thing as a phone charge on broadband access, since broadband connections are not considered to be phone calls (although they use the same line).
expedite_climb
25th Oct 2002, 10:38
Also with pipex - no probs. Has been down once in 6 months...
One other thing - be a bit careful about going for the very cheapest supplier.
It is possible to get ADSL for less than £20 quid a month including VAT, but BT charges the ISP around £15 per month per user. This means the ISP is trying to provide a service and make a profit off no more than a couple of quid per customer per month - assuming they can survive on that the support you get is minimal. Better to pay a couple of quid more and get a bit of service IMHO.
More expensive is not always better, of course, and most people would agree that you can save a fiver a month off BT Openworld's price without any loss in service or quality. Pipex is one example, but there are several others - have a look at the ratings on http://www.adslguide.org.uk/ and decide. :)
CrashDive
26th Oct 2002, 20:35
I've been using BT's Home 500 ADSL for nearly two years.
Initially it was nearly £40 per month but now only £29.99 per month - and the self install is a no-brainer !
I must say that it's been very good and very reliable - and when I did have a problem ( only just the one, about 18 months ago ) the helpdesk and support couldn't have been better.
Putting it into perspective, my wife and kids use it a lot ( as do I for VPN access into our office ), it's on 24/7, it's fast, it always works, there's no dialing-up ( mostly because of the way that I've configured my router) and all this only 99p per day !
Nb. You can spend a bit more ( as I did ) and install your own Router which will then allow always-on connections, plus alllowing multiple PC's in your house to use the same ADSL connection ( albeit that this is often against the terms in their contract for the service ) and better still if you get a wireless enabled Router and you'll then be able to use your laptop from pretty much anywhere around the house / garden.
Yes, BT's not the cheapest but it DOES work ( at least it has for me )
Completely agree about the router - and they don't cost that much more than an ADSL modem. Combining that and wireless access is bl**dy great, and many routers add a hardware firewall too. Only reservation would be that they can be a bit of a challenge to set up - ADSL appears to have a number of implementations and my router has options to fit them all. Also, if you do need VPN access then check with someone running the network first before you buy anything. There are a few hurdles, most commonly IPSec Passthru (their spelling). Most routers now support it correctly but some still ignore or break it.
A simpler solution may be to use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) - both Windows and MacOS support it. This makes the machine with the ADSL connection act as a router and share the connection around a local network. Works well and is simple to set up, although it means that one machine must be left on for the others to have access and it lacks IPSec support (so most VPNs dont work).
Just agreeing with Crashdive, have had BT for a while now and no probs. Might be a bit more than others but were only talking a few quid. Try it and see, the installation is simple, run the installation disk, plug the modem into your USB port and then away you go. Easy. :)
activewaypoint
27th Oct 2002, 11:49
errr, it all seems mind boggling to me........I've got a computer connected to a cable modem (broad band) how do I connect another computer to this one to share the internet connection?:eek:
Have a look at the Home Networking FAQ part of the ADSLguide website here:
http://www.adslguide.org.uk/qanda.asp
It covers the basics and links some good step-by-step guides. Connection sharing is one of those things that is trivial on a Mac, and slightly less trivial on Windows. It's not hard ... just not simple either :)