moving house ,need a new provider

martyh · 29-06-2011, 19:32

As the title says i have to move shortly .I am currently with VM on all services 50mb BB ,XL TV and phone .My new house does not have VM cabled in the area but the house does have a BT open reach box and a sky dish ,not being familiar with BT or sky i don't know what services would be best to get regarding quality of BB mainly so any advice from users of BT BB or sky BB would be helpfull

thanks

danielf · 29-06-2011, 19:45

You can check what BB providers are available (over a BT line) by sticking your postcode (or preferably the current BT number at the new address) in the exchange checker at samknows

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange

If you post the results, someone will recommend.

martyh · 29-06-2011, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

You can check what BB providers are available (over a BT line) by sticking your postcode (or preferably the current BT number at the new address) in the exchange checker at samknows

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange

If you post the results, someone will recommend.

Thanks Danielf ,here are the results

BT Wholesale ADSL
BT Wholesale ADSL Max
O2 / Be LLU
TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
Sky Broadband / Easynet LLU
Orange LLU (Formerly Wanadoo)

SMG · 29-06-2011, 19:52

Give Sky a ring & ask them. I did, they were honest & up front with me.

martyh · 29-06-2011, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMG

Give Sky a ring & ask them. I did, they were honest & up front with me.

yes i noticed you have moved to sky ,mainly it's the BB i am worried about .Being so used to 50mg it will be a step down to go with max 20mg ,i will be getting the sky + although i don't want any HD service

danielf · 29-06-2011, 20:51

I've been very happy with Be/O2. The speed you will get will depend on line quality and distance to the exchange. I live close to the exchange, so I easily get 20 Mb.

You may also want to check if BT infinity is available in your area. Check BT FTTC at samknows.

Edit: You may also want to check out freesat for TV if you're not bothered with sky sports or movies. Personally, I went with freeview after moving out of a cabled area. I found it more than sufficient. I wouldn't dream of paying for TV these days.

martyh · 29-06-2011, 21:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

I've been very happy with Be/O2. The speed you will get will depend on line quality and distance to the exchange. I live close to the exchange, so I easily get 20 Mb.

You may also want to check if BT infinity is available in your area. Check BT FTTC at samknows.

Edit: You may also want to check out freesat for TV if you're not bothered with sky sports or movies. Personally, I went with freeview after moving out of a cabled area. I found it more than sufficient. I wouldn't dream of paying for TV these days.

unfortunately there is no infinity yet so what is the max i could get in theory through a BT line (is that how sky BB is delivered ?)

danielf · 29-06-2011, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

unfortunately there is no infinity yet so what is the max i could get in theory through a BT line (is that how sky BB is delivered ?)

The theoretical maximum for ADSL is 24 Mb. It is possible to bond two lines presumably giving double the speed. But, once again, it all depends on line quality and distance. It also means paying line rental for two lines, and installation for a second line if not present. All in all, a bit of a non-starter imo.

Sky BB is ADSL btw.

martyh · 29-06-2011, 21:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

The theoretical maximum for ADSL is 24 Mb. I believe it is possible to bond two lines presumably giving double the speed. But, once again, it all depends on line quality and distance.

Sky BB is ADSL btw.

Thanks ,i will give sky a ring in the morning and see what they can offer ,i may play the leaving VM card through choice not necessity and see what i can get

seems a bit unfair on VM as i have been very happy over the years but they haven't cabled the area i have to move to so i don't have a choice .There is a big new developement going up next to my new house so it is possible that VM may cable the area ..fingers crossed

martyh · 03-07-2011, 18:25

Ok ,i have just signed up for sky tv V+ plus 2 standard boxes all channels except sports £50.50p

I went to BT broadband in the end as i know that Infinity will be comming soon and would have to pay BT some money just to have the sky so i have avoided the connection charge to BT which sky neglected to tell me i would be paying extra .Still upset that i will be losing VM but untill they start expanding in the NE i don't have much choice

So thanks for the 8yrs of good service from Virgin Media and i'll see you from the dark side

any of the VM staff know or heard any rumors of VM expansion in Newcastle area ?

danielf · 03-07-2011, 18:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

Ok ,i have just signed up for sky tv V+ plus 2 standard boxes all channels except sports £50.50p

I went to BT broadband in the end as i know that Infinity will be comming soon and would have to pay BT some money just to have the sky so i have avoided the connection charge to BT which sky neglected to tell me i would be paying extra .Still upset that i will be losing VM but untill they start expanding in the NE i don't have much choice

So thanks for the 8yrs of good service from Virgin Media and i'll see you from the dark side

any of the VM staff know or heard any rumors of VM expansion in Newcastle area ?

Check out your contract length with BT. They have a knack for tying people into 18 months contracts. Oh, and they will want you to pay a year in advance for the phoneline or you'll have to pay £2.50 or so a month extra. Thieving gits

martyh · 03-07-2011, 18:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

Check out your contract length with BT. They have a knack for tying people into 18 months contracts. Oh, and they will want you to pay a year in advance for the phoneline or you'll have to pay £2.50 or so a month extra. Thieving gits

yes it is a 18 month contract ,so is the sky but i don't see that as much as a issue ,all we had to pay up front was £25 refundable deposit after 6 months .As i said the only reason i went with BT was to avoid the £130 connection fee i would have to pay if i had BB through sky and Infinity will be in Newcastle central by the end of the year .I am under no illusion that somewhere along the line i will pay more than i am paying now with VM but what choice do i have .

danielf · 03-07-2011, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

yes it is a 18 month contract ,so is the sky but i don't see that as much as a issue ,all we had to pay up front was £25 refundable deposit after 6 months .As i said the only reason i went with BT was to avoid the £130 connection fee i would have to pay if i had BB through sky and Infinity will be in Newcastle central by the end of the year .I am under no illusion that somewhere along the line i will pay more than i am paying now with VM but what choice do i have .

Yes, fair enough. As long as you are aware of it.

martyh · 03-07-2011, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

Yes, fair enough. As long as you are aware of it.

Yeah no probs ,i suppose it can be a bit of a catch

One more query is ,

the best speed i am realistically going to get is around 4-5 meg (max theoretical is 10meg) so i am proposing to run ethernet cable from the router to the 2 upstairs pc's to get the best possible speed with the available bandwidth ,i will need some cable in about 20-30mtr lengths with the connectors on the end, where is the best place to get them and will running the cable in the central heating plastic boxing that the council installed when the heating was put in be alright or will the hot water pipes affect the cable

danielf · 03-07-2011, 21:08

At those speeds, I'd just stick to wifi rather than having cables all over the house. It's not as if wifi will degrade any signal, it just struggles with high speeds (which you won't be getting anyway)

Alternatively, homeplugs are pretty solid.