Has anyone upgraded their broadband?

I am currently with BT paying £29.99 a month for my broadband connection, which I have noticed over the last few months is not a fast as it used to be when I first had it 2 years ago now.

I am considering upgrading my system to the 1 meg option which BT have advised will cost £40.99 a month.

Can anyone out there tell me if i will notice any difference in performance, or can recommend a better package for me.

My PC is now about 2 years old 2.2GHz 60GB P4, maybe I would be better spending some more money upgrading my system.

Thanks in advance

Maria

It all depends what you use it for to be honest - if you download a lot of large files then the upgrade will speed everything up, browsing will be snappier also which would be worth it.

If you don't tend to use the internet for much other than occasional browsing and email I wouldn't really say it's worth moving up from 512 as the benefits would be neglible unless you spend a lot of time browsing....

The slow down is probably other people now using the same connection to the exchange as you. I think BT has a 50 to 1 contention and unless they prioritise 1Mb users it may still be as slow.

It will really only improve download speed, not browsing, and that is dependant on the server you are downloading from.

I had BT adsl 512k then I moved to NTL 1meg and the difference is quite alot for everything from browsing to file downloads.
also getting rid of the USB frog modem made a huge difference to my PC's stabilty and resources. The NTL one use's its own modem that connects via ethernet to my PC. which also made it very easy to plug into a router and share the connection around the house.
I found that BT's ADSL spent more time down than up for me so im very glad i made the change. but thats just my personal experience

[quote name='Brettster' date='Feb 7 2004, 06:24 PM']I found that BT's ADSL spent more time down than up for me so im very glad i made the change. but thats just my personal experience[/quote]
Same Here.

I have 4 months left on my ADSL broadband contract. I can't wait for it to finish so I can move away from BT.

Also, I find their customer services and technical help appauling

I haven't noticed any difference in the connection speed since signing up 8 months ago. It's just the reliability I'm not happy with.

I'm quite happy with 512 and will be sticking with it.

I've just ordered the 1MB upgrade from BT.

Personally, I've been delighted with ADSL - I've had 100% uptime since having it and find the customer service excellent

get away from BT IMO. service sucks and dead expensive. Just moving to pipex as we speak and will be upgrading to the 1 meg account as soon as I've migrated. £32 for 1 meg on pipex (i think but defo not £40) just remember that your download may be double but the upload stays the same (288 ish)

Same story here. I've had BT "OpenWoe" DSL for a couple of years now. Initially the service was ok, but it's gone steadily downhill. Specifically - link speed has fallen thru the floor, reliability is now 50/50 at best and their helpdesk is a joke.

As I have to work from home more these days, I need something reliable & in my experience BT just don't measure up. I'm switching to [url="http://www.zen.co.uk"]Zen[/url] who charge just £23.82 for their half meg offering, and will then probably upgrade to their 1Mb service, which is £34 (well, the company's paying for it)

OK - each to their own of course, but surely Zen, Pipex, AOL, whatever etc etc etc uses a BT local connection and BT exchange equipment same as ADSL - so if you're swapping because of technical probs how will that make any difference?

not sure about that, but I do know that Bt are dead expensive and cos I'm with BT broadband and not openworld I don't even get an email adress and still paying over the odd's. Why can't a massive company like BT compete with the rest?
Think the only reason why they still got business is cos people started out with them and can't be bothered to change

All ADSL suppliers use BT infrastructure. Their local loop, equipment and also part of their core IP network until it is routed off to the ISPs connection.

BT charge more because they know many people will pay for their products and also they want to stay in business. If you lease ADSL lines from BT wholesale for £18 a month and then sell a line to a customer for £19 or £20 a month, how long is that ISP going to stay in business?

Ok, my reasoning is this - I pay £29.99 a month to BT for a 512K connection. Within any given 24hr period, the line will drop at least once, and very often 2 or 3 times (so much for an 'always on' connection). Browsing used to be quick, but now it's quite slow, comparable to what I used to get on ISDN or modem - the LOC forum home page takes a good 30-40 seconds to appear. I have given up ringing the helpdesk as the answer is always the same 1) There's nothing wrong, 2) I must have done something or 3) Power everything off then on again. They say they've tested my line and everything is normal.

I happen to have a neighbour 4 doors down the road who used to be with BT but changed to Zen because of similar problems. He pays just over £24 and hasn't had a problem since switching. On some occassions I take my laptop down to his place & he lets me use his line when I can't connect from home! Never had a problem with his connection (and he always has lots of beer in the fridge)!

Couple that with the fact that Zen seem to be well ahead of BT in the speed, reliability and service ratings, I'd be a fool not to give them a try. Yes I appreciate the local loop is on BT's wire, but there must be parts of the overall infrastructure that Zen do differently to get such good ratings. And if they go bust selling their 512K package at £24 rather than £29, and BT are the only ISP left, then (maybe) I'll consider changing back

I've nothing against BT personally, and I'm sure they have many happy customers out there - I used to be one! This is just my personal experience.

[quote name='UKPulse' date='Feb 8 2004, 02:21 PM']connection. Within any given 24hr period, the line will drop at least once, and very often 2 or 3 times (so much for an 'always on' connection).[/quote]
This could be a physical line fault - I had a similar issue a while back and the BT engineer had to rewire everything from the pole into the BT master socket - never had a problem since (touch wood!)

The kit you're using can also be an issue - I'm using an Efficient Networks router now and it's totally rock solid.

Does sound like a physical fault and if so then the same problem will occur whoever the ISP is.

Most faults people get seem to be caused by those rubbish USB models that are supplied.

[quote name='ColinBarber' date='Feb 8 2004, 03:31 PM']Most faults people get seem to be caused by those rubbish USB models that are supplied.[/quote]
I agree - I swapped mine out for an Ethernet router and things have been perfectly reliable since

[quote name='ColinBarber' date='Feb 7 2004, 06:13 PM']The slow down is probably other people now using the same connection to the exchange as you. I think BT has a 50 to 1 contention and unless they prioritise 1Mb users it may still be as slow.

It will really only improve download speed, not browsing, and that is dependant on the server you are downloading from.[/quote]
I had a feeling you were gonna say Telewest do a good line for £34.99 a month 1mb? Bison has that and its faaaaaaast.

I'm happy with my standard broadband at home, got 56k here at work and 9-5 got ISDN probably.

[quote name='RazRankin' date='Feb 8 2004, 06:29 PM']I had a feeling you were gonna say Telewest do a good line for £34.99 a month 1mb? Bison has that and its faaaaaaast.

I'm happy with my standard broadband at home, got 56k here at work and 9-5 got ISDN probably.[/quote]
Well if you can get Blueyonder broadband where you live then I would recommend getting that. The UBRs and core are not running near capacity and therefore you will achieve the full speeds if you can find a site that will give you that bandwidth, and at £35 per month is £5 cheaper than BT and you get a modem that works (none of this USB rubbish).

However I cannot get it so make to with BT ADSL

BT is well known for tampering with its connection speed (noise ratio etc), NTL is one of the best.
Your PC sounds fast enough, If your thinking of changing your broadband do that and see how you feel from there.

So are these USB ADSL modems that you get off Bt etc rubbish?
Whats the alternatives and how much can I be looking to pay.
I was thinking of getting a PCI ADSL modem just to get rid of all the cables anyway, is this right direction to go?

The problem with the USB modems are: they are cheap, USB requires processing power from the PC and therefore the throughput is normally slower, your machine has to have a USB connection (not so good for your PS2 or XBOX etc) and you have to 'dial' to get a connection.

I guess a PCI card would be better although you are limiting the connection to only that machine.

Best option is to use a ADSL router which you connect to using an Ethernet connection.

I only have one machine, but would it be worth getting a router anyway incase I fancied getting another machine?
Also what sort of prices and which models, as I know people who have had a lot of problems with certain models of routers

I have the old SpeedTouch USB modem (the 'frog') on one PC (and also for the laptop) and a PCI ADSL card on another PC, but symptoms are the same on both cards. Certainly could be a physical problem with the wire to the house, but BT swear blind there's nothing wrong.

If/when I switch to Zen, I'll be looking to get the Netgear DG824M or D-Link DSL-604+ Wireless DSL router as Zen offer 8 static IPs (5 useable) with their package.

My 12 months with BT are up in April and I'll be switching to Zen faster than a fast broadband link

You are only tied into them for a month at a time and you get the added facility of having static IPs - which is great if you work from home and need permanent VPN tunnels etc.

BT have been fine but they don't offer a particularly good value for money service.

Net gear is a good choice of Router, quite a few ISP's are offering differnet packages, such as Static IP's Router/Firewall all-in-ones.

Have a ring around, and play them off against each other, I have a static IP address from NTL, for the same price as their standard package, all because I changed my phone to them and said it was cheaper else where.

[quote name='whitie' date='Feb 9 2004, 11:55 AM']Net gear is a good choice of Router, quite a few ISP's are offering differnet packages, such as Static IP's Router/Firewall all-in-ones.[/quote]
I concur with that, recently bought a Netgear all-in-one DSL Router/firewall etc..

Great product, im well impressed..

Thanks for all your comments, I am going to have a look at Zen to be honest I have never heard of them before, but it's good to read other people's thoughts.
I work from home and spend all day on the net so it is important that I have a good reliable supplier.

My main concern is changing supplier and new 12 month contract again which at present I don't have as I have had broad band for 2 years now.

I am not that technically minded and I know how quickly things go out of date, do you think my computer is fast enougt to work on the 1meg system? before I sign up to a new contract.

2.2 ghz
60gb
P 4


Many thanks for all you helpful comments.


Maria

[quote name='maria' date='Feb 9 2004, 03:01 PM']Thanks for all your comments, I am going to have a look at Zen to be honest I have never heard of them before, but it's good to read other people's thoughts.
I work from home and spend all day on the net so it is important that I have a good reliable supplier.

My main concern is changing supplier and new 12 month contract again which at present I don't have as I have had broad band for 2 years now.

I am not that technically minded and I know how quickly things go out of date, do you think my computer is fast enougt to work on the 1meg system? before I sign up to a new contract.

2.2 ghz
60gb
P 4


Many thanks for all you helpful comments.


Maria[/quote]
Your PC spec is absolutely fine. The spec of your PC isn't that important when it comes to this sort of connectivity.

The beauty of Zen is that you aren't tied into a 12 month contract - it's only a month at a time. They have the confidence in their service to not have to tie customers into long contracts - if you like it you stay.....

Never heard of Zen, so I can't say if they're good or bad... But I have seen ISP's come and go.

See what people have in your area, if its possible.

I use NTL with a Netgear router/firewall no problems. But a mate has the same set up as me in Dorset, and keeps dropping of and has now changed to BT (which I don't rate) and loves it.


P.S. don't worry about your PC!!

your pc seems to be fine, you don't say what memory you've got in, but upgrading this can be realtively cheap and easy.
I run 2.66 P4 with 1 gigDDR and it runs very nice.
The best upgrade I can recomend is a re-format and re-install
Its amazing how quick your computer runs after you do this.
I try and do it 2 or 3 times a year

I have just called up Zen to ask about switching the sevice over, all seems fine my line will accept the 1 meg, but here is the downfall I have to wait 3-5 working days to be reconnected!!! Plus £50.00 migration charge.

I don't think I can be with a system for that long

I'm with BT Openworld paying £29.99 a month for a 512k link. My brother has suggested I get a 2meg link from [url="http://www.cpbb.co.uk"]http://www.cpbb.co.uk[/url] for £35.49. Can anyone recommend them?

I think a mate has just signed up with them, he managed to change the deal a bit as he wasn't to keen on a USB router. Good price though!! and being able to opt out after 3 months gives you some easy nights.

A good reference site is: [url="http://www.adslguide.org/"]ADSL Guide[/url] The have comparisons and forums dedicated to different ISP's.

Discussions can get quite interesting

If I am reading this right BT are near the bottom, I don't understand why their system is so bad, am I right in saying they sell to other providers?, I am very confused now!


Had a look at [url="http://www.cpbb.co.uk"]http://www.cpbb.co.uk[/url] quite interested in them but would like to know has anyone used them?

I have a mate who is with them, he says they're ok but it's the first time he has had broadband, so doesn't have anything to compare it to.... But he's had no real problems.
I'd look into them a bit, I wish I had gone with them.. But is it to good to be true?

[quote name='maria' date='Feb 10 2004, 06:47 PM']If I am reading this right BT are near the bottom, I don't understand why their system is so bad, am I right in saying they sell to other providers?, I am very confused now!


Had a look at [url="http://www.cpbb.co.uk"]http://www.cpbb.co.uk[/url] quite interested in them but would like to know has anyone used them?[/quote]
maria,

i had a look, but it seems you have to use another ISP for your email, which presumably costs more to hire, but i'm not sure i've read it right.

bob

[quote name='maria' date='Feb 10 2004, 06:47 PM']If I am reading this right BT are near the bottom, I don't understand why their system is so bad, am I right in saying they sell to other providers?, I am very confused now!


Had a look at [url="http://www.cpbb.co.uk"]http://www.cpbb.co.uk[/url] quite interested in them but would like to know has anyone used them?[/quote]
BT are at the bottom of the top ten list - and the gap between the top and the bottom is pretty small.

[quote]i had a look, but it seems you have to use another ISP for your email[/quote]

There where you need your Exchange server! ...GGEEEKK!!

[quote]i had a look, but it seems you have to use another ISP for your email[/quote]

Just called them you get a new e-mail address which will be your name @cpp.co.uk I think I will still be able to pick up my e-mail from BT via another server?

They only charge £29.99 to activate the line not £50.00 but 12 to 20 days to change over.

Seems like a good deal!

Is your BT email a free account, if its part of your broadband package they may disconnect it!

I think it is part of the broadband, but am not sure it's a btopenworld address and not btbroadband so does that mean it's a fee one?

you get a btopenworld address with their broadband or dial up. You may want to convert your account to a standard dial up account so you can still receive mail.

However I think you need to connect to their mail servers via a BT ip address to send any mail, so you will only be able to receive from your new ISP.

I'm assuming that I'll lose my btopenworld.com email address when I migrate, but for the last 2 months I've been swapping all my mail to Orange so that I'm ISP independant. With Orange you can access your mail either via the web or a POP3/IMAP client such as Outlook. (Other mobile phone companies probably offer the same service).

The comparisons on [url="http://www.adslguide.org.uk/"]adslguide[/url] are a good pointer for relative performance, but are probably somewhat subjective as all you do is rate your ISP out of ten on three items. Like how do you rate 'speed' out of ten if you've nothing to compare it with?

Just got a mail today saying that my line failed the line test so I can't upgrade to 1MB - bummer

Never mine Rod, you can pay for me to upgrade if you want

[quote name='ColinBarber' date='Feb 12 2004, 09:29 PM']Never mine Rod, you can pay for me to upgrade if you want [/quote]
errrrm - thanks for the offer Colin - think I'll pass though mate

Easy to confuse two BT packages, BTbroadband and BTopenworld. Btopenworld are a different company and you have to pay by with credit card but you get email and webspace(i think) but will lose your email if you go to someone else.
BTbroadband is BT proper and you only get broadband, no email, no nothing but you pay on your phone bill. I'm on this but should be moving to pipex very shortly (can't wait)

BTopenworld, which is now joined with Yahoo, give full ISP services. BTbroadband is just the connection.

I don't have any kind of PC at home (I knowe I know) but I'd be interested to know just what kind of speed people actually get on downloads?

ie what's the highest number you've ever seen when doing a download in k per second? (Forget issues about that not being a true measure etc, this is just a broad brush thing).

I'm incredibly spoiled by the speed at work - way WAY faster than anything mentioned above - but interested to know what the real world is like in case I ever DID want to use the "internet", whatever that is, at home.

So, your highest ever speed was....?

I normally get 60KBps downloading using my 512Kbps ADSL connection.