How essential to you is a static IP? I'm with Sky broadband and I get a new IP every time my modem reboots (which is only usually in the event of a powercut)

I sometimes use RDP so needed a static ip, the way I get round this is my sky router supports Dynamic DNS from free providers such as dyndns.org - so anytime my router gets a new IP it forwards it to dyndns.org who then map it to the domain name katash.dyndns.org

As a second note try putting your postcode into http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search

This will tell you what providers in your area offer LLU services (Local Loop Unbundled) ..... An LLU provider will likely give you a preferable service to a non-LLU provider as speed is generally faster and limits are more relaxed.

I was until last year with Plusnet Business paying £41 for a connection that I had to frigg just to get 2.0Mb, now I'm with Sky and for £7.50 a month I get 2.6Mbps with no frigging of the modems SNR target, unlimited usage and no silly fair usage policy

We download about 10Gb per day through this connection and it has never been slowed / restricted / charged extra.

If your area is so crap for broadband what's it like for 3G signal? Could you use that instead? I know 3mobile have some cracking deals on for interweb stuff.

Rob2529 wrote:

If your area is so crap for broadband what's it like for 3G signal? Could you use that instead? I know 3mobile have some cracking deals on for interweb stuff.

Yeah right. Barely get 2G (GPRS) on Skodafone or O-Poo. Orange or 3 has zero signal. Skodafone suggested a Sure-Signal box which would work over the broadband. You couldn't make it up.

Where do you live? in a lead lined house?

Meant to add i have 02 for one half of the house and Sky for the other as the wi-fi coverage is ..

Rob2529 wrote:

If your area is so crap for broadband what's it like for 3G signal? Could you use that instead? I know 3mobile have some cracking deals on for interweb stuff.

Totally agree with that. A quick speed check last night gave me 12mb download over wifi but i did get just over 3mb on 3G. So obviously not as quick but if you live in a crap braodband area where you only get 1-2mb then 3G would be quicker. Just an idea.

Rob2529 wrote:

Totally agree with that. A quick speed check last night gave me 12mb download over wifi but i did get just over 3mb on 3G. So obviously not as quick but if you live in a crap braodband area where you only get 1-2mb then 3G would be quicker. Just an idea.

Back on topic:

Noddy, sounds like either:
a) your wifi is either insecure and someone else is using it, so make sure you set security on your router (WPA2 Personal as a minimum, not WEP, and if you can set your MAC addresses of your devices too (this will discourage the casual hacker))
b) BT haven't got a clue and have made a right arse of things
c) You are being ripped off (paying to upload?).

I pay through the nose for broadband with ZEN. Fixed IP, 50GB limit per month, unlimited upload, @ £1 per extra GB banked over if not used, up to 20Mbps download speed (although best I can get being rural and at the extremities of the exchange is 1.5Mbps ). £25 per month.

Why? Because it works, great support and service, good customer portal, and it works.

We use ZEN as our ISP at work too, on three lines, and guess what, it just works.

If 50GB sounds a lot, try having two teenagers who spend their lives on youtube or XBox Live

No, I don't work for ZEN  .
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Well, I've had the first admission of guilt!

BT called me this evening and admitted that on Friday 10th June, when I was supposed to have downloaded 3Gb of data in ONE day (even though I wasn't at home and the PC was switched off), they have declared that this is an error on their part and that no charges will be levied. Not that I'd have paid it anyway.

I've just had to call them again, as my line speed is now 0.36Mb/s A bit of jiggery pokery their end and its back up to 3.8 Mb/s.

I really regret going with BT. I've logged a complaint with OFCOM, who've told me to get a Deadlock letter from them to send to the Ombudsman. I've asked for this, and it seems they (BT) can't do enough to help now. 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

Well, another update

Speed last night dropped to 0.36mb and remains there. BT called me last night to see how it was, and I told them in no uncertain terms what I though of their broadband.
They now say there's a fault on the line!

They are sending an engineer out on Monday to sort it. Fecking Monday. Couldn't get anyone out any earlier.

Since last night, on a 0.36Mb connection, I've still managed to use 1Gb of data!!! 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

I had Sky World ( HD tv, Phone and internet). Chap called at the door and sold me it as it was so much better than Virgin package. All fitted and tv is fab, phone is - well a phone, and internet was absolutely rubbish. I was getting no more than 3MB download speed going down to 0.2 at night and impossible to connect. Phone call after phone call to Sky and they said my line was only capable of 4MB anyway. They stuck to " we only say UP TO 20MB" the old get out clause.
As Im only 1/4 mile from exchange the seller promised me between 10 and 20 MB. He wrote this on the contract I signed and when I logged into my account on line it was there in black and white. Back on the phone to SKY and argued breach of contract etc. They gave me whole package for half price and now I get Virgin 50MB at £30 a month and whole Sky tv package. Download is constant at between 40-51MB and no limits. Ive downloaded over 530GB since March according to the meter. Thats one computer never mind kids laptops PS3,Wii, XBox etc. Wireless is great too.
Im lucky that I found this otherwise I would be stuck with a load of rubbish. I think its about time this "Up To" sales pitch was abandoned and true figures quoted at sale.

At one point Sky had me put router in master socket and they "boosted" it to 9MB - so if they can do that why cant it be there always? ( and this on a line that could only take 4MB...?)

And static IP by the way is important for port forwarding if you do a lot of downloading. 2006 MY Autobiography. With 'toys'
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UPDATE

Well, I'm finally free of BT! After numerous phone calls, and one email to the Chairman, I get a phone call saying I can terminate the contract without penalty. They never offered me anything else, even though I dropped loads of hints that the speed was fine, just the alleged amount of data I was supposedly using. I had read of other customers getting upgraded to the unlimited package for the same monthly cost, but I wasn't offered that.

The only positive to come out of it, was that I got a BT Openreach ADSL socket installed free of charge, so I don't need those damn filters anymore.

Anyway, Ive gone back to Sky. £7.50 a month for unlimited broadband with no fair usage policy either! 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

Noddy, you have solved the problem but I was going to ask if in the BT package you signed up for BTFon? That opens your wifi up as a public hotspot if I read things correctly which would have been another reason for unaccounted for usage.

I've been with Plusnet since I started with Broadband and have never had any problems with them. I'm on the same account I started some 6 years ago and get unlimited access, at speeds as fast as my line/ exchange can handle it for £12 a month. They no longer do that package unfortunately and they keep sending me emails suggesting I might like to change my account! Only account I would change for woud be one that doesn't have a fixed monthly billing ie when you don't use you don't pay. As it is I pay for access monthly whether or not I use it. 2018 Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4 PHEV in Melting Silver - it’s whisper quiet in EV and polluter modes