Hi

Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
home/office?

Requirements:
- I need at least 10GB/month download.
- It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
- I live in a slightly remote rural location.
- I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
(for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)

Background:
I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
£15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
£21.27).

I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
if it is on as a premium quality service(!)

- Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

P.S. I understand that many ISPs operate a covert "fair usage policy",
whereby if you do download over a certain threshold, then they start
to slow down you web access without telling you!
I suspect that from some ISPs this probably is an aggregated thing
whereby if there is the spare capacity in your area you just get the
extra bandwidth. i.e. in effect it depends on how much both you and
your neighbours are up to! But I need a 100% reliability at all times
of the day for using with web conferencing (i.e. Skype / InterVIOP/
Teamviewer4 etc).

PPS. I spend about £95/quarter on my land line with BT which includes
has unlimtied evenings & weekends, call minder, plus also includes
about £35 on actual calls during the day... Maybe I should trash BT
too! :^)

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:53:13 -0700, ship ate alphabet spaghetti and shat
out:



> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and although
>  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the reliability of that
> speed... I am now regularly going over their threshold of  "up to 5GB"
> of download per month (which costs me £15.31).

OK;

> The next step up is up to 25GB of download per month (for £21.27).

You've answered your own question

> 
> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)

You don't seem to be able to afford what you need? Then the brutal truth 
is to cut down on your bandwidth, or pay up for what you need. Any change 
from Zen will be a downgrade all round. It's probably not what you want 
to hear.

-- 
political correctness: The safety net protecting deaf blind disabled 
ethnic minority gays & lesbians with odd religious beliefs from reality

In article <38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676
@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>, shiphen@gmail.com says...
> 
> Hi
> 
> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> home/office?
> 
> Requirements:
> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
> 
> Background:
> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> £21.27).
> 
> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
> 
> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
> 
> 
> Ship
> Shiperton Henethe

Although I am not in the UK, it seems like you are very happy with the 
service, but not the price.

I would ALWAYS choose service over price.  I could switch to DSL and 
save 40%, but it would be slower and less reliable.

ship wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> home/office?
> 
> Requirements:
> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
> 
> Background:
> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> £21.27).
> 
> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
> 
> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
> 

If you want the bandwidth pay the bloody price!

> 
> Ship
> Shiperton Henethe
> 
> P.S. I understand that many ISPs operate a covert "fair usage policy",
> whereby if you do download over a certain threshold, then they start
> to slow down you web access without telling you!
> I suspect that from some ISPs this probably is an aggregated thing
> whereby if there is the spare capacity in your area you just get the
> extra bandwidth. i.e. in effect it depends on how much both you and
> your neighbours are up to! But I need a 100% reliability at all times
> of the day for using with web conferencing (i.e. Skype / InterVIOP/
> Teamviewer4 etc).
> 
> PPS. I spend about £95/quarter on my land line with BT which includes
> has unlimtied evenings & weekends, call minder, plus also includes
> about £35 on actual calls during the day... Maybe I should trash BT
> too! :^)
> 

(If you expect  video conferencing at cheapskate prices, think again. 
You are bloody lucky to have it at all..)

Well what I have done is twofold.

I moved my ISP and phone line to IDnet, who charge a flat rate for both, 
and have PAYG phones via IDNET for POTS, and a VOIP service with 
sipgate.co.uk using a Billion 7404 router with twin phone ports in the back.

The pure POTS line is worse than the VOIP line - the broadband puts a 
slight hiss on it.

The biggest saving is ditching BT. Altogether. I think my total bills 
are around £35 per month for 30GB..and phones and calls..

I ended up with two decent lines and 30GB download for essentially about 
£3 per month plus about £5 a month actual call charges.

Actually, I am only using about 12GB/month.


But the cost of the 5GB plus 7GB topup is the same as the 30GB..


>

"ship"  wrote in message 
news:38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
Hi

Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
home/office?

Requirements:
- I need at least 10GB/month download.
- It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
- I live in a slightly remote rural location.
- I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
(for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)

Background:
I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
£15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
£21.27).

I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
if it is on as a premium quality service(!)

- Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply:

You could try Andrews & Anrnold.  Similar good quality and service to Zen, 
but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.

-- 
Graham J

ship wrote:
> Hi
>
> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> home/office?
>
> Requirements:
> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
> Background:
> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> £21.27).
>
> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)

What's the big deal? £21.27 is only about $35. I'm paying $50 a month 
for broadband and there are no cheaper accounts with limited access 
available.

-- 
Red

On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
> "ship"  wrote in message
>
> news:38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
> Hi
>
> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> home/office?
>
> Requirements:
> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
> Background:
> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> £21.27).
>
> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>
> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------> Reply:
>
> You could try Andrews & Anrnold.  Similar good quality and service to Zen,
> but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
>
> --
> Graham J


Interesting...
Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself?
If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
reviews or what?


Ship

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:53:13 -0700 (PDT), ship put finger to keyboard
and typed:

>Hi
>
>Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>home/office?
>
>Requirements:
>- I need at least 10GB/month download.
>- It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
>- I live in a slightly remote rural location.
>- I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
>(for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
>Background:
>I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>£15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>£21.27).
>
>I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>
>- Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?

Given those requirements, I'd recommend Newnet.

Mark
-- 
Blog: http://mark.goodge.co.uk
Stuff: http://www.good-stuff.co.uk

On Oct 26, 6:19 pm, ship  wrote:
> On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "ship"  wrote in message
>
> >news:38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com..> > Hi
>
> > Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> > home/office?
>
> > Requirements:
> > - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> > - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> > - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> > - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> > (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
> > Background:
> > I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> > although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> > reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> > threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> > £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> > £21.27).
>
> > I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> > if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>
> > - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------> > Reply:
>
> > You could try Andrews & Anrnold.  Similar good quality and service to Zen,
> > but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
>
> > --
> > Graham J
>
> Interesting...
> Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself?
> If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
> reviews or what?
>
> Ship- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Wait-a-minute! I just checked the deal:
For £17.57 per calendar month, Andrews and Arnold only let you have
1GB download per month during working hours.
(interestingly it's 50GB at evenings and weekends), but about half my
usage is probably during the working day
and so I need about 3 to 5 GB during the working day. To get 6GB
download from them costs £32.23 pcm !

http://www.aaisp.net.uk/broadband-prices.html

Yikes - Zen is starting to look good afterall !   [ deep sigh ]


Ship

On Oct 26, 6:20 pm, Mark Goodge 
wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:53:13 -0700 (PDT), ship put finger to keyboard
> and typed:
>
>
>
>
>
> >Hi
>
> >Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> >home/office?
>
> >Requirements:
> >- I need at least 10GB/month download.
> >- It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> >- I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> >- I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> >(for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
> >Background:
> >I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> >although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> >reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> >threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> >£15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> >£21.27).
>
> >I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> >if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>
> >- Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>
> Given those requirements, I'd recommend Newnet.
>
> Mark
>
> - Show quoted text -

OK, yes Newnet sounds *slightly* better:
£17.56 pcm gets me their: "Home M 8Mbps Broadband"
- 12GB during peak hours
- Unlimited off peak (2AM to 7AM!)
- It *looks* like they throw in 1 fixed IP number, I'm not sure...
(i.e. "1 Static IP included /32" - what the heck does "/32" mean?)

But again quality/reliability of service is the big unknown.

Have you tried NewNet yourself?
If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
reviews or what?

cheers


Ship

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:50:02 -0700, ship ate alphabet spaghetti and shat
out:

> On Oct 26, 6:20 pm, Mark Goodge 
> wrote:
>> On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:53:13 -0700 (PDT), ship put finger to keyboard
>> and typed:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> >Hi
>>
>> >Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>> >home/office?
>>
>> >Requirements:
>> >- I need at least 10GB/month download. - It must have a fixed IP
>> >number (so I can access our secure server). - I live in a slightly
>> >remote rural location. - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service
>> >at all times of the day (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>>
>> >Background:
>> >I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>> >although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>> >reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>> >threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>> >£15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>> >£21.27).
>>
>> >I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>> >if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>>
>> >- Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>>
>> Given those requirements, I'd recommend Newnet.
>>
>> Mark
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
> 
> OK, yes Newnet sounds *slightly* better: £17.56 pcm gets me their: "Home
> M 8Mbps Broadband" - 12GB during peak hours
> - Unlimited off peak (2AM to 7AM!)
> - It *looks* like they throw in 1 fixed IP number, I'm not sure... (i.e.
> "1 Static IP included /32" - what the heck does "/32" mean?)
> 
> But again quality/reliability of service is the big unknown.
> 
> Have you tried NewNet yourself?
> If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
> reviews or what?
> 
> cheers
> 
> 
> Ship

Newnet are *very good* at making all the right noises. I have first hand 
experience of them and I can't compliment them enough. However, I wanted 
8 IP's and ZEN did a better deal than Newnet for that.

A /32 is a single IP mask in CIDR.


-- 
political correctness: The safety net protecting deaf blind disabled 
ethnic minority gays & lesbians with odd religious beliefs from reality





-- 
political correctness: The safety net protecting deaf blind disabled 
ethnic minority gays & lesbians with odd religious beliefs from reality

ship wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> home/office?
> 
> Requirements:
> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)


BeThere!

https://www.bethere.co.uk/web/beportal/homepage

Unfortunately they do have a Fair Usage Policy. Quite what usage is 
classed as fair Im not sure. I know many people have downloaded very 
many Gig a month without anyone batting an eyelid. I don't think £10 Gig 
  would have them rushing to pull the plug. Im very happy with Be.

I just don't have to worry anymore.

Cya
Simon

In article , 
sjdean@home.cubeone.co.uk says...
> 
> ship wrote:
> > Hi
> > 
> > Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> > home/office?
> > 
> > Requirements:
> > - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> > - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> > - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> > - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> > (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
> 
> 
> BeThere!
> 
> https://www.bethere.co.uk/web/beportal/homepage
> 
> Unfortunately they do have a Fair Usage Policy. Quite what usage is 
> classed as fair Im not sure. I know many people have downloaded very 
> many Gig a month without anyone batting an eyelid. I don't think £10 Gig 
>   would have them rushing to pull the plug. Im very happy with Be.
> 
> I just don't have to worry anymore.
> 
> Cya
> Simon

I'm glad I'm in the US - $42.99 for 250GB/month.

"ship"  wrote in message 
news:24e2b377-6cbf-4b6a-90b9-b70234a42f6a@b3g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
On Oct 26, 6:19 pm, ship  wrote:
> On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "ship"  wrote in message
>
> >news:38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
> > Hi
>
> > Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> > home/office?
>
> > Requirements:
> > - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> > - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> > - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> > - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> > (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
> > Background:
> > I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> > although I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> > reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> > threshold of "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> > £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> > £21.27).
>
> > I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> > if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>
> > - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> > Reply:
>
> > You could try Andrews & Anrnold. Similar good quality and service to 
> > Zen,
> > but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
>
> > --
> > Graham J
>
> Interesting...
> Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself?
> If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
> reviews or what?
>
> Ship- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Wait-a-minute! I just checked the deal:
For £17.57 per calendar month, Andrews and Arnold only let you have
1GB download per month during working hours.
(interestingly it's 50GB at evenings and weekends), but about half my
usage is probably during the working day
and so I need about 3 to 5 GB during the working day. To get 6GB
download from them costs £32.23 pcm !

http://www.aaisp.net.uk/broadband-prices.html

Yikes - Zen is starting to look good afterall !   [ deep sigh ]

------------------------------------------------

Reply:

Fair comment.  But your original post didn't make it clear that your 3GB to 
5GB was required during office hours!  Many people would use bandwidth in 
the evenings for leisure (music, films, TV, etc) and others might choose to 
download overnight large files that might be required for business purposes.

If you really do require such large volumes during business hours then is 
surely is for a business task - in which case you should be prepared to pay 
the going rate for it.

-- 
Graham J

"ship"  wrote in message 
news:7f0409e4-5d44-49e5-87d9-98d65cf71138@m7g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
> "ship"  wrote in message
>
> news:38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
> Hi
>
> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
> home/office?
>
> Requirements:
> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>
> Background:
> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
> although I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
> threshold of "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
> £21.27).
>
> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>
> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Reply:
>
> You could try Andrews & Anrnold. Similar good quality and service to Zen,
> but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
>
> --
> Graham J


Interesting...
Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself?
If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
reviews or what?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply:

My opinion is primarily based on experience reported here ...

-- 
Graham J

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:50:02 -0700 (PDT), ship put finger to keyboard
and typed:

>On Oct 26, 6:20 pm, Mark Goodge 
>wrote:
>>
>> Given those requirements, I'd recommend Newnet.
>>
>
>OK, yes Newnet sounds *slightly* better:

You're not going to get any better than that for a competent service.

>£17.56 pcm gets me their: "Home M 8Mbps Broadband"
>- 12GB during peak hours
>- Unlimited off peak (2AM to 7AM!)

Unless you're a heavy user of downloaded video, that kind of split
between peak and off-peak hours can be very cost-effective. I do all
my offsite backups (which is by far my biggest use of bandwidth)
overnight, for example.

>- It *looks* like they throw in 1 fixed IP number, I'm not sure...
>(i.e. "1 Static IP included /32" - what the heck does "/32" mean?)

In practical terms, it means a single IP address. 

If you were going to be doing any advanced configuration, then it
makes a difference whether the single IP is routed as a /32 or as part
of a larger subnet (a /32 is better, in such cases). To 99% of home
users, though, the difference is irrelevent.

>But again quality/reliability of service is the big unknown.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/newnet.html

(Note that four stars is, in this context, very good. There's nothing
in your price range that gets the full five).

>Have you tried NewNet yourself?

I've been a customer of them ever since ditching NTL several years
ago.

Mark
-- 
Blog: http://mark.goodge.co.uk
Stuff: http://www.good-stuff.co.uk

[Follow-up set to uk.telecom.broadband]

Simon Dean wrote:
> 
> https://www.bethere.co.uk/web/beportal/homepage
> 
> Unfortunately they do have a Fair Usage Policy. Quite what usage is 
> classed as fair Im not sure. I know many people have downloaded very 
> many Gig a month without anyone batting an eyelid. I don't think £10 Gig 
>  would have them rushing to pull the plug. Im very happy with Be.

Same here,

But for him depends if it's available at the (rural) exchange, and the
cost of their Pro package is in the same ballpark as Zen's. It just
maybe faster?

Reliability wise, I'd arrange a 3G modem or internet phone for the odd
hiccup. And have the email handled elsewhere.

-- 
Adrian C

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:19:32 -0700, ship wrote:

> On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
>> "ship"  wrote in message
>> You could try Andrews & Anrnold.  Similar good quality and service to
>> Zen, but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
> 
> Interesting...
> Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself? If not, is your opinion based
> on friends experiences or on formal reviews or what?

I have...but it's not what the OP wants. He wants cheap....he can't have 
good as well.



-- 
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

In article <24e2b377-6cbf-4b6a-90b9-
b70234a42f6a@b3g2000pre.googlegroups.com>, Ship wrote:
> Wait-a-minute! I just checked the deal:
> For £17.57 per calendar month, Andrews and Arnold only let you have
> 1GB download per month during working hours.

That's right ... but don't look at the basic 1GB package it doesn't 
include webspace or mail or even (I think) a domain. Those are all 
included in the 2GB and higher packages.

I use A&A. They offer a good, quality, service and understand their 
business well. As most of their customers are businesses their busiest 
times are during the day, which is why their bandwidth charges are 
lower in the evenings and at weekends. It's a pleasure doing business 
with a really clued-up organization, but that does come at a price. If 
you want to save money go for a provider with no clue how to set up or 
run or support the business they're doing -- I'm sure their costs will 
be low!

.. and you have to love an ISP with the web address "sod.ms"!

If you don't want to pay for A&A ... well, I hear Zen are pretty good, 
too!

Cheers,
 Daniel.

"Bob Eager"  wrote in message 
news:7kmo24F3af5v3U1@mid.individual.net...
> On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:19:32 -0700, ship wrote:
>
>> On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
>>> "ship"  wrote in message
>>> You could try Andrews & Anrnold. Similar good quality and service to
>>> Zen, but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
>>
>> Interesting...
>> Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself? If not, is your opinion based
>> on friends experiences or on formal reviews or what?
>
> I have...but it's not what the OP wants. He wants cheap....he can't have
> good as well.

Absolutely.
Take any of the following statements
1. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
2. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is
3. You don't get owt for nowt
4. Cheap and nasty exists; cheap and cheerful is probably a figment of your 
imagination
5. "There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little 
worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are 
this man's lawful prey". John Ruskin.

George

On 26 Oct, 12:53, ship  wrote:

> - I need at least 10GB/month download.

Be more specific - do you need 10GB at any time of day, or could you
live with a small bandwidth until 6pm, then a huge bandwidth after
that?  My own ISP (Andrews & Arnold) is business-focussed and if you
can work on this basis for home use, i.e. not eating their core
business-hours bandwidth, then they're good & cheap.

Otherwise Zen is one of the better choices around.   "Twenty a month"
is only twice what most of us started paying, nearly twenty years
ago!  8-)  Let alone the £400/quarter phonebills back then.

ship wrote:
> On Oct 26, 6:19 pm, ship  wrote:
>> On Oct 26, 2:55 pm, "Graham J"  wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> "ship"  wrote in message
>>> news:38e5390e-548d-45da-98dd-07548b1fc676@o21g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
>>> Hi
>>> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>>> home/office?
>>> Requirements:
>>> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
>>> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
>>> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
>>> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
>>> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>>> Background:
>>> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>>> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>>> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>>> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>>> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>>> £21.27).
>>> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>>> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>>> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Reply:
>>> You could try Andrews & Anrnold.  Similar good quality and service to Zen,
>>> but you may find their download limitations are more flexible.
>>> --
>>> Graham J
>> Interesting...
>> Have you tried Andrews & Anrnold yourself?
>> If not, is your opinion based on friends experiences or on formal
>> reviews or what?
>>
>> Ship- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
> 
> Wait-a-minute! I just checked the deal:
> For £17.57 per calendar month, Andrews and Arnold only let you have
> 1GB download per month during working hours.
> (interestingly it's 50GB at evenings and weekends), but about half my
> usage is probably during the working day
> and so I need about 3 to 5 GB during the working day. To get 6GB
> download from them costs £32.23 pcm !
> 
> http://www.aaisp.net.uk/broadband-prices.html
> 
> Yikes - Zen is starting to look good afterall !   [ deep sigh ]
> 

Look, everyone buys their internet bandwidth at the same price, and buys 
their backhaul bandwidth at the same price, apart from a very few very 
large people who have their own international circuits and/or their own 
backhaul (like Virgin cable).

SO, the price difference reflect either very slender margin, overloaded 
backhaul or international links, or very poor support. In fact usually 
all three.

You cannot have your cake and eat it.
> 
> Ship

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:17:13 -0700 (PDT), ship wrote:
[...]
> 2. IDNet
>
> Where are you guys getting your information from - IDNet's deals are
> quite different!

There are different packages for ADSL Max and ADSL 2+, see
http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/broadband/default-adsl.jsp and
http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/broadband/


Christof

-- 
http://cmeerw.org                              sip:cmeerw at cmeerw.org
mailto:cmeerw at cmeerw.org                   xmpp:cmeerw at cmeerw.org

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:03:51 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and shat
out:

> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:34:12 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>> shat out:
>> 
>>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:25:30 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>>>> shat out:
>>>>
>>>>>> ZEN are still cheaper, offer unrivalled support and a better
>>>>>> product for the money. Man - only a sucker gets drawn in by graphs
>>>>>> of unknown metrics without checking the facts first! It's a case of
>>>>>> 'bloke down pub says...'
>>>>> NO ! It's YOU who needs to check the facts. One of my other replies
>>>>> shows you're making it up.
>>>> Let me apologise.
>>> Thank you.
>>>
>>>> I took the prices from the comparison website that you posted:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/idnet/package/908.html
>>>>
>>>> Which don't seem to reflect the package you mention with the
>>>> specifications shown on IDNET's own website. It was silly to take a
>>>> third party link at face value, but as you had cited it some kind of
>>>> oracle to consult, it was reasonable to expect it to have accurate
>>>> data.
>>> No, I only quoted it as a comparison site for user feedback, not an
>>> up-to-date source of tariffs. Clearly the ISPs' own sites are better
>>> for this.
>>>
>>> Graham
>> 
>> So it's fair to say that the general accuracy of the data on that site
>> could be questioned. Clearly it contains out of date or superseded
>> data, so which part of it should anyone trust - if any?
> 
> The user feedback and forums obviously.
> 
> Why do you want to split hairs ?
> 
> 
> Graham

Because you appear to be citing it as some form of authority in the ZEN-v-
IDNET Furor -and- claim to work to great accuracy. I don't see that as 
'splitting hairs'. Either a comparison system is accurate or not at all. 
It can't be 'sort of' accurate and remain credible.

As far as the OP is concerned, changing would just be 'change for change 
sake'. To get the 10gb plus he needs from IDENT will cost him more or 
less the same as it would with Zen. Sure, IDNET will give him 30gb over 
the ZEN 25gb for £25, but there would be no reconfiguration or hassle for 
him to stay put. It's not like changing to IDNET will save him money or 
give him any real benefit over ZEN. Pretty pointless colour graphs or no 
pretty colour pointless graphs.


-- 
political correctness: The safety net protecting deaf blind disabled 
ethnic minority gays & lesbians with odd religious beliefs from reality

Following on from another thread I wanted to check myself and see what 
kind of response I could get from ZEN-v-IDNET and check the customer 
experience.

So I sent them both the same basic sales enquiry regarding their 
retrospective packages:

IDNET > 10GB MONTHLY PEAK PACKAGE COST: £24.46
Home Max 30gb no limit on hours

ZEN > 10GB MONTHLY PEAK PACKAGE COST: £24.46
Zen Active 25gb no limit on hours

The message asked if they provided dynamic or static IP's and free 
usenet. Whilst this information is useful, it was really used to test for 
a 'pulse'.

At 9am this morning I submitted the question to IDNET via their online 
'contact us' form with a valid email address and phone number to call me 
on. A few moments later I emailed the Zen sales address found on their 
website.

RESULT:
ZEN
Date: 	Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:32:52 +0000
Mailer: VisNetic MailFlow 3.8.1.0
Dear xxxxx,

Thanks for your enquiry,

Our broadband services can provide you with either 1 or 8 static ip 
addresses's at sign up. We do offer USENET newsgroup access but text only 
not for binaries. If you would like to go ahead then please feel free to 
contact me on 0845 058 9154 9am - 5pm weekdays.

Kind Regards, 
Lee Myott 
{response in 32 minutes}

IDNET
As of 12:46 no response of any kind.

Next I want to test the 'abuse@' mechanism any good ISP should have in 
place. I had a dig through my spam logs. It's not uncommon for me to get 
spam from the IDNET ranges {I study spam for a living, with access to 
millions of spam attempts at delivery}, but it is exceptionally rare for 
me to see any shit at all from ZEN ranges. 

First I test abuse@zen with a generic complaint. I don't have a current 
spammer in the ZEN ranges, so I send an email to abuse@zen that will 
require a human response. I get an auto response back in minutes {not 
such a good thing} and an answer from a human in under an hour.

Next, I test IDNET:
cust112-dsl93-89-128.idnet.net[93.89.128.112] has been seem to serious 
spam for the last 2 weeks. It is CBL listed as currently active and 
spamming: 

IP Address 93.89.128.112 is currently listed in the CBL. It was detected 
at 2009-10-28 06:00 GMT (+/- 30 minutes), approximately 4 hours, 30 
minutes ago. 

A report was raised and sent to abuse@idnet.net (as per the DNS whois 
records) and was initially greylisted:

Oct 28 10:44:43  to=, relay=mx2.idnet.net
[212.69.40.49]:25, delay=11, delays=0.18/0.01/10/0.11, dsn=4.0.0, 
status=deferred (host mx2.idnet.net[212.69.40.49] said: 450 : Sender 
address rejected: Greylisted for 5 minutes (in reply to RCPT TO command))

And then handed over at:
Oct 28 10:52:14 to=, relay=mx1.idnet.net
[212.69.36.17]:25, delay=461, delays=461/0.01/0.12/0.14, dsn=2.0.0, 
status=sent (250 Ok: queued as 7D17C53B37)

Despite this being a reasonably serious ongoing spam issue, I've seen no 
response so far.

Finally, a test of 'support'. I call both ZEN and IDNET as a non customer 
requesting to know what IP address space they have for DYNAMIC customers, 
so I can put a policy in place to block connections from DYNAMIC 
customers.

I picked lunchtime as it should be busy and a short staffed period. The 
call to IDNET was free (0800) and answered in under two minutes and 
required only one call steer button press to get where I wanted. The 
member of staff did not give his name on answering the call and was 
unable to answer the question. I pushed him and simplified it, but he was 
unable to answer it. I left no better off for the call. 

I called ZEN (which was an 0845, free on my package, but a local call to 
anyone else). This took a few call platform button presses and a short 
wait in a queue (2 minutes). The call was answered by Martin who was able 
to understand the issue, get the problem, knew what he was talking about 
and, ultimately, answer the question. This I would consider to have 
solved my issue.

Thus far, my impression of IDNET is not great when I compare them to ZEN. 
However, I'll see if the sales & abuse issues ever get a response from 
IDNET and follow up.

My reason for doing this is simple. I've been a ZEN customer for years 
and I've never found anyone to touch them. IDNET looked like they were 
close, but when the crunch came, they have failed to measure up for me so 
far today. I'm sure they have happy customers, just as ZEN do - but my 
simple tests today have shown ZEN to just have the edge.

On balance I have had one experience with ZEN where a perceived a member 
of support staff as rude in relation to a r-dns request. This was 
resolved but it took escalation to a manager. The member of staff is no 
longer with ZEN.
 

-- 
political correctness: The safety net protecting deaf blind disabled 
ethnic minority gays & lesbians with odd religious beliefs from reality

ship wrote:
> On Oct 27, 12:42 am, Eeyore
>  wrote:
>> ship wrote:
>>> Hi
>>> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>>> home/office?
>>> Requirements:
>>> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
>>> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
>>> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
>>> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
>>> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>>> Background:
>>> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>>> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>>> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>>> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>>> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>>> £21.27).
>>> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>>> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>>> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>>> Ship
>>> ShipertonHenethe
>>> P.S. I understand that many ISPs operate a covert "fair usage policy",
>>> whereby if you do download over a certain threshold, then they start
>>> to slow down you web access without telling you!
>>> I suspect that from some ISPs this probably is an aggregated thing
>>> whereby if there is the spare capacity in your area you just get the
>>> extra bandwidth. i.e. in effect it depends on how much both you and
>>> your neighbours are up to! But I need a 100% reliability at all times
>>> of the day for using with web conferencing (i.e. Skype / InterVIOP/
>>> Teamviewer4 etc).
>> IDNet. No question about it. No throttling or whatever. If you opt for
>> an ADSL2+ service ( if available in your area ) about £18 p.c.m. gets
>> you 10G downloads included. Their service and support is impeccable.
>> Just see their rating at thinkbroadband.com.
>>
>> Graham- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
> 
> 
> Hi
> 
> To answer one point: I do quite a lot of webconferencing/transferring
> large files during working hours.
> So I probably need at least 5GB-10GB during working hours.
> Lately I have started getting into BBC iPlayer (which of course is
> HORRENDOUS on download weight!).
> I guess I could make sure I only do the downloads after 6PM... but some
> (/many?) ISPs think that off-peak
> is only between 2AM and 7AM - and I wont be using much bandwidth
> between those hours!
> 
> 
> 1. Bethere.co.uk doesn't do my area.
> 
> 
> 
> 2. IDNet
> 
> Where are you guys getting your information from - IDNet's deals are
> quite different!
> 
> a) 'Business'
> The cheapest "business" package is called "Business Lite" but it costs
> a full: £29.50
> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/business/broadband/
> 
> b)Home
> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/broadband/default-adsl.jsp
> - There is a thing called "Home Lite", it's £17.61 but it's capped at
> 5GB (i.e. the same as my Zen existing account - not enough!)
> and then "£1 per GB thereafter".
> - The next thing up is called "Home Max"- its allows 30GB but it costs
> £24.46.
> 
> My mates are all teasing me for being a mug and not being allowed to
> download as much as I want!
> Some of them use bethere but as above they are not available in my
> area (rural UK) .
> 
> What am I missing here?
> Is there nothing that is reliable that allows me to freely download.
> 
> So far, I think I may as well stay with Zen but pay £21.27 for the
> 25GB/month (which I am probably fairly
> unlikely to go over I suppose...)
> 
> 3.
> Wait a minute what about newnet?, I hear you cry.
> Well it's about the same money as Zen, and there quality may be lower.
> £21.48/month gets you only 20GB/month during peak hours - but wait
> unlimited in off peak hours...
> oh yes but the off peak hours are the useless ones between 2AM and
> 7AM.
> 
> Nope it still looks like Zen I'm afraid...  :(
> 
> Any other suggestions?
> 
> 

*through gritted teeth* have you checked out PlusNet?

They used to be OK but their traffic shaping killed everything. Now 
they're offering a Premium Account offering unlimited download during 
Offpeak and 80Gig during Peak "from £11.99" a month (rising to £15.99 or 
£19.99 depending on location after three months)

Obviously do you think you can handle their throttling!

http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/quality_broadband/speed.shtml

http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/products/premium/premium_faq.shtml

And that's the problem I have with PlusNet. They offer another account, 
PlusNet Pro which gives 20 Gig usage allowance to download whatever you 
want for £19.99 a month.

Quite why, after promising 80 Gig download to Premium customers for 
£19.99 they then have to throttle. Why can't they just say £20, 50 Gig, 
whatever you like, whenever you like.

PlusNet - Simple.

If things look too good to be true, they generally are. So Premium, you 
can download as much web based stuff as you like or web streaming upto 
80 Gig. But they throttle the hell out of everything else.

80 Gig should be 80 Gig whenever and whatever you download.

Cya
Simon

Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
> Following on from another thread I wanted to check myself and see what 
> kind of response I could get from ZEN-v-IDNET and check the customer 
> experience.
>

Odd how your experience of IDnet support completely contradicts my own.

Straight through, no messing around, only James and Miriam do it, so its 
pretty easy to know who you are talking to, and both know their onions 
in a way no big company support droid does.

For me, I have my own free usenet service via albasani, and I wanted to 
ditch BT on the phone line. IDNET do that. Zen do not.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:52:17 +0000, Simon Dean
 wrote:

>ship wrote:
>> On Oct 27, 12:42 am, Eeyore
>>  wrote:
>>> ship wrote:
>>>> Hi
>>>> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>>>> home/office?
>>>> Requirements:
>>>> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
>>>> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
>>>> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
>>>> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
>>>> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>>>> Background:
>>>> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>>>> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>>>> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>>>> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>>>> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>>>> £21.27).
>>>> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>>>> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>>>> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>>>> Ship
>>>> ShipertonHenethe
>>>> P.S. I understand that many ISPs operate a covert "fair usage policy",
>>>> whereby if you do download over a certain threshold, then they start
>>>> to slow down you web access without telling you!
>>>> I suspect that from some ISPs this probably is an aggregated thing
>>>> whereby if there is the spare capacity in your area you just get the
>>>> extra bandwidth. i.e. in effect it depends on how much both you and
>>>> your neighbours are up to! But I need a 100% reliability at all times
>>>> of the day for using with web conferencing (i.e. Skype / InterVIOP/
>>>> Teamviewer4 etc).
>>> IDNet. No question about it. No throttling or whatever. If you opt for
>>> an ADSL2+ service ( if available in your area ) about £18 p.c.m. gets
>>> you 10G downloads included. Their service and support is impeccable.
>>> Just see their rating at thinkbroadband.com.
>>>
>>> Graham- Hide quoted text -
>>>
>>> - Show quoted text -
>> 
>> 
>> Hi
>> 
>> To answer one point: I do quite a lot of webconferencing/transferring
>> large files during working hours.
>> So I probably need at least 5GB-10GB during working hours.
>> Lately I have started getting into BBC iPlayer (which of course is
>> HORRENDOUS on download weight!).
>> I guess I could make sure I only do the downloads after 6PM... but some
>> (/many?) ISPs think that off-peak
>> is only between 2AM and 7AM - and I wont be using much bandwidth
>> between those hours!
>> 
>> 
>> 1. Bethere.co.uk doesn't do my area.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 2. IDNet
>> 
>> Where are you guys getting your information from - IDNet's deals are
>> quite different!
>> 
>> a) 'Business'
>> The cheapest "business" package is called "Business Lite" but it costs
>> a full: £29.50
>> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/business/broadband/
>> 
>> b)Home
>> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/broadband/default-adsl.jsp
>> - There is a thing called "Home Lite", it's £17.61 but it's capped at
>> 5GB (i.e. the same as my Zen existing account - not enough!)
>> and then "£1 per GB thereafter".
>> - The next thing up is called "Home Max"- its allows 30GB but it costs
>> £24.46.
>> 
>> My mates are all teasing me for being a mug and not being allowed to
>> download as much as I want!
>> Some of them use bethere but as above they are not available in my
>> area (rural UK) .
>> 
>> What am I missing here?
>> Is there nothing that is reliable that allows me to freely download.
>> 
>> So far, I think I may as well stay with Zen but pay £21.27 for the
>> 25GB/month (which I am probably fairly
>> unlikely to go over I suppose...)
>> 
>> 3.
>> Wait a minute what about newnet?, I hear you cry.
>> Well it's about the same money as Zen, and there quality may be lower.
>> £21.48/month gets you only 20GB/month during peak hours - but wait
>> unlimited in off peak hours...
>> oh yes but the off peak hours are the useless ones between 2AM and
>> 7AM.
>> 
>> Nope it still looks like Zen I'm afraid...  :(
>> 
>> Any other suggestions?
>> 
>> 
>
>*through gritted teeth* have you checked out PlusNet?
>
>They used to be OK but their traffic shaping killed everything. Now 
>they're offering a Premium Account offering unlimited download during 
>Offpeak and 80Gig during Peak "from £11.99" a month (rising to £15.99 or 
>£19.99 depending on location after three months)

I hadn't noticed they had changed their products again.  I was going
to swap to Unlimited, which does not seem to be available now :-(

>Obviously do you think you can handle their throttling!
>
>http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/quality_broadband/speed.shtml
>
>http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/products/premium/premium_faq.shtml
>
>And that's the problem I have with PlusNet. They offer another account, 
>PlusNet Pro which gives 20 Gig usage allowance to download whatever you 
>want for £19.99 a month.

It's good they have increased the allowance of this product to 20GB.
I'd go for Pro if I had a decent phone line.

>Quite why, after promising 80 Gig download to Premium customers for 
>£19.99 they then have to throttle. Why can't they just say £20, 50 Gig, 
>whatever you like, whenever you like.
>
>PlusNet - Simple.
>
>If things look too good to be true, they generally are. So Premium, you 
>can download as much web based stuff as you like or web streaming upto 
>80 Gig. But they throttle the hell out of everything else.
>
>80 Gig should be 80 Gig whenever and whatever you download.

PN support has been a bit iffy of late IMHO.

-- 
(\__/)  M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there.  If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
[Reply-to address valid until it is spammed.]

ship wrote:
> On Oct 27, 12:42 am, Eeyore
>  wrote:
>> ship wrote:
>>> Hi
>>> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>>> home/office?
>>> Requirements:
>>> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
>>> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
>>> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
>>> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
>>> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>>> Background:
>>> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>>> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>>> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>>> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>>> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>>> £21.27).
>>> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>>> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>>> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>>> Ship
>>> ShipertonHenethe
>>> P.S. I understand that many ISPs operate a covert "fair usage policy",
>>> whereby if you do download over a certain threshold, then they start
>>> to slow down you web access without telling you!
>>> I suspect that from some ISPs this probably is an aggregated thing
>>> whereby if there is the spare capacity in your area you just get the
>>> extra bandwidth. i.e. in effect it depends on how much both you and
>>> your neighbours are up to! But I need a 100% reliability at all times
>>> of the day for using with web conferencing (i.e. Skype / InterVIOP/
>>> Teamviewer4 etc).
>> IDNet. No question about it. No throttling or whatever. If you opt for
>> an ADSL2+ service ( if available in your area ) about £18 p.c.m. gets
>> you 10G downloads included. Their service and support is impeccable.
>> Just see their rating at thinkbroadband.com.
>>
>> Graham- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
> 
> 
> Hi
> 
> To answer one point: I do quite a lot of webconferencing/transferring
> large files during working hours.
> So I probably need at least 5GB-10GB during working hours.
> Lately I have started getting into BBC iPlayer (which of course is
> HORRENDOUS on download weight!).
> I guess I could make sure I only do the downloads after 6PM... but some
> (/many?) ISPs think that off-peak
> is only between 2AM and 7AM - and I wont be using much bandwidth
> between those hours!
> 
> 1. Bethere.co.uk doesn't do my area.

So forget that.

> 2. IDNet
> 
> Where are you guys getting your information from - IDNet's deals are
> quite different!

Different to what ? I get my information from their website. AFAIK, just 
because you're a business, it doesn't restrict you to their 'business' 
packages. I'm sure they'll be happy to take your money on whichever 
tariff you choose.

> a) 'Business'
> The cheapest "business" package is called "Business Lite" but it costs
> a full: £29.50
> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/business/broadband/
> 
> b)Home
> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/broadband/default-adsl.jsp
> - There is a thing called "Home Lite", it's £17.61 but it's capped at
> 5GB (i.e. the same as my Zen existing account - not enough!)
> and then "£1 per GB thereafter".

It's not capped at 5GB if your exchange is capable of ADSL2+. Why don't 
you tell us where you are or phone IDNet on their 0800 number to ask ?

You may need a new modem / router to get the full benefit of ADSL2+ but 
some ADSL modems will work with it anyway, IDNet has a compatability 
list. In any case the extra speed you get from ADSL2+ will make it 
worthwhile. I'm likely to do this myself soon. Check the prices on Ebay !

> - The next thing up is called "Home Max"- its allows 30GB but it costs
> £24.46.
> 
> My mates are all teasing me for being a mug and not being allowed to
> download as much as I want!
> Some of them use bethere but as above they are not available in my
> area (rural UK) .
> 
> What am I missing here?

You're not using your noddle. That's why you're missing it.

And if you're a business, why does an extra £5 or so a month bother you ?

Graham

Eeyore wrote:
> ship wrote:
>> On Oct 27, 12:42 am, Eeyore
>>  wrote:
>>> ship wrote:
>>>> Hi
>>>> Can any of you guys recommend any UK based broadband ISP for a small
>>>> home/office?
>>>> Requirements:
>>>> - I need at least 10GB/month download.
>>>> - It must have a fixed IP number (so I can access our secure server).
>>>> - I live in a slightly remote rural location.
>>>> - I must have a fas-ish,100% reliable service at all times of the day
>>>> (for Skype/Teamviewer sessions etc.)
>>>> Background:
>>>> I have been using Zen Internet for the last couple of years and
>>>> although  I am *extremely* pleased with their speed and the
>>>> reliability of that speed... I am now regularly going over their
>>>> threshold of  "up to 5GB" of download per month (which costs me
>>>> £15.31). The next step up is up to25GB of download per month (for
>>>> £21.27).
>>>> I think £21.27 is just far too much money to spend on broadband - even
>>>> if it is on as a premium quality service(!)
>>>> - Any recommendations for any other UK broadband service providers?
>>>> Ship
>>>> ShipertonHenethe
>>>> P.S. I understand that many ISPs operate a covert "fair usage policy",
>>>> whereby if you do download over a certain threshold, then they start
>>>> to slow down you web access without telling you!
>>>> I suspect that from some ISPs this probably is an aggregated thing
>>>> whereby if there is the spare capacity in your area you just get the
>>>> extra bandwidth. i.e. in effect it depends on how much both you and
>>>> your neighbours are up to! But I need a 100% reliability at all times
>>>> of the day for using with web conferencing (i.e. Skype / InterVIOP/
>>>> Teamviewer4 etc).
>>> IDNet. No question about it. No throttling or whatever. If you opt for
>>> an ADSL2+ service ( if available in your area ) about £18 p.c.m. gets
>>> you 10G downloads included. Their service and support is impeccable.
>>> Just see their rating at thinkbroadband.com.
>>>
>>> Graham- Hide quoted text -
>>>
>>> - Show quoted text -
>>
>>
>> Hi
>>
>> To answer one point: I do quite a lot of webconferencing/transferring
>> large files during working hours.
>> So I probably need at least 5GB-10GB during working hours.
>> Lately I have started getting into BBC iPlayer (which of course is
>> HORRENDOUS on download weight!).
>> I guess I could make sure I only do the downloads after 6PM... but some
>> (/many?) ISPs think that off-peak
>> is only between 2AM and 7AM - and I wont be using much bandwidth
>> between those hours!
>>
>> 1. Bethere.co.uk doesn't do my area.
> 
> So forget that.
> 
>> 2. IDNet
>>
>> Where are you guys getting your information from - IDNet's deals are
>> quite different!
> 
> Different to what ? I get my information from their website. AFAIK, just 
> because you're a business, it doesn't restrict you to their 'business' 
> packages. I'm sure they'll be happy to take your money on whichever 
> tariff you choose.
> 
>> a) 'Business'
>> The cheapest "business" package is called "Business Lite" but it costs
>> a full: £29.50
>> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/business/broadband/
>>
>> b)Home
>> http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/broadband/default-adsl.jsp
>> - There is a thing called "Home Lite", it's £17.61 but it's capped at
>> 5GB (i.e. the same as my Zen existing account - not enough!)
>> and then "£1 per GB thereafter".
> 
> It's not capped at 5GB if your exchange is capable of ADSL2+. Why don't 
> you tell us where you are or phone IDNet on their 0800 number to ask ?
> 
> You may need a new modem / router to get the full benefit of ADSL2+ but 
> some ADSL modems will work with it anyway, IDNet has a compatability 
> list. In any case the extra speed you get from ADSL2+ will make it 
> worthwhile. I'm likely to do this myself soon. Check the prices on Ebay !
> 
>> - The next thing up is called "Home Max"- its allows 30GB but it costs
>> £24.46.
>>
>> My mates are all teasing me for being a mug and not being allowed to
>> download as much as I want!
>> Some of them use bethere but as above they are not available in my
>> area (rural UK) .
>>
>> What am I missing here?
> 
> You're not using your noddle. That's why you're missing it.
> 
> And if you're a business, why does an extra £5 or so a month bother you ?
> 
> Graham

IIRC the ADSL and ADSL 2 services now cost the same and offer the same 
limits.



The 17.61 service with extra gigabytes to take it to 10Gbytes is £22. 
That's a seamless upgrade because IDNET wont cut you off -- just demand 
payment eventually.

At 15Gbytes you might as well be on the 30Gbyte service.

For video conferencing, remember that uplink speed is just as important 
- you might prefer the fancier 800K upload package, but again, it costs.

For me as I said, the advantage of IDNET apart from support, was the one 
stop billing on a non LLU line. No BT calls ever again with luck.

And my PAYG VOIP phone is hugely better quality than the actual 
telephone line, which is hissy from the broadband despite two filters in 
series, and low in volume. The IP phone has the gain in the router 
turned up to 11, and is loud and totally clear.

Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:03:51 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and shat
> out:
>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:34:12 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>>> shat out:
>>>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:25:30 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>>>>> shat out:
>>>>>
>>>>>>> ZEN are still cheaper, offer unrivalled support and a better
>>>>>>> product for the money. Man - only a sucker gets drawn in by graphs
>>>>>>> of unknown metrics without checking the facts first! It's a case of
>>>>>>> 'bloke down pub says...'
>>>>>> NO ! It's YOU who needs to check the facts. One of my other replies
>>>>>> shows you're making it up.
>>>>> Let me apologise.
>>>> Thank you.
>>>>
>>>>> I took the prices from the comparison website that you posted:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/idnet/package/908.html
>>>>>
>>>>> Which don't seem to reflect the package you mention with the
>>>>> specifications shown on IDNET's own website. It was silly to take a
>>>>> third party link at face value, but as you had cited it some kind of
>>>>> oracle to consult, it was reasonable to expect it to have accurate
>>>>> data.
>>>> No, I only quoted it as a comparison site for user feedback, not an
>>>> up-to-date source of tariffs. Clearly the ISPs' own sites are better
>>>> for this.
>>>>
>>>> Graham
>>> So it's fair to say that the general accuracy of the data on that site
>>> could be questioned. Clearly it contains out of date or superseded
>>> data, so which part of it should anyone trust - if any?
>> The user feedback and forums obviously.
>>
>> Why do you want to split hairs ?
>>
>>
>> Graham
> 
> Because you appear to be citing it as some form of authority in the ZEN-v-
> IDNET Furor -and- claim to work to great accuracy. I don't see that as 
> 'splitting hairs'. Either a comparison system is accurate or not at all. 
> It can't be 'sort of' accurate and remain credible.

You're becoming boring now.

Have you used either or both of them or are you just full of shit ?

Graham

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:26:37 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and shat
out:

> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:03:51 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>> shat out:
>>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:34:12 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>>>> shat out:
>>>>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>>>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:25:30 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti
>>>>>> and shat out:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> ZEN are still cheaper, offer unrivalled support and a better
>>>>>>>> product for the money. Man - only a sucker gets drawn in by
>>>>>>>> graphs of unknown metrics without checking the facts first! It's
>>>>>>>> a case of 'bloke down pub says...'
>>>>>>> NO ! It's YOU who needs to check the facts. One of my other
>>>>>>> replies shows you're making it up.
>>>>>> Let me apologise.
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>
>>>>>> I took the prices from the comparison website that you posted:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/idnet/package/908.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Which don't seem to reflect the package you mention with the
>>>>>> specifications shown on IDNET's own website. It was silly to take a
>>>>>> third party link at face value, but as you had cited it some kind
>>>>>> of oracle to consult, it was reasonable to expect it to have
>>>>>> accurate data.
>>>>> No, I only quoted it as a comparison site for user feedback, not an
>>>>> up-to-date source of tariffs. Clearly the ISPs' own sites are better
>>>>> for this.
>>>>>
>>>>> Graham
>>>> So it's fair to say that the general accuracy of the data on that
>>>> site could be questioned. Clearly it contains out of date or
>>>> superseded data, so which part of it should anyone trust - if any?
>>> The user feedback and forums obviously.
>>>
>>> Why do you want to split hairs ?
>>>
>>>
>>> Graham
>> 
>> Because you appear to be citing it as some form of authority in the
>> ZEN-v- IDNET Furor -and- claim to work to great accuracy. I don't see
>> that as 'splitting hairs'. Either a comparison system is accurate or
>> not at all. It can't be 'sort of' accurate and remain credible.
> 
> You're becoming boring now.
> 
> Have you used either or both of them or are you just full of shit ?
> 
> Graham

That would be a cap that fits you Graham. You are the very definition of 
boring judging by all that self promotional bullshit you posted.

I note you are bitching on about 'an extra fiver' in another post, 
completely missing the point of the original question - like only a twonk 
with his head up his own arse could do. You post a shit link to some site 
full of out of date information like it's some kind of oracle. That tends 
to be the domain of the someone with a few of their pages stuck together.

The link you posted had shit loads of out of date, garbage information 
regarding IDNET. Grow up you silly little shit filled windroid.





-- 
political correctness: The safety net protecting deaf blind disabled 
ethnic minority gays & lesbians with odd religious beliefs from reality

Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:26:37 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and shat
> out:
> 
>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:03:51 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>>> shat out:
>>>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:34:12 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti and
>>>>> shat out:
>>>>>> Spamtastic Spastic wrote:
>>>>>>> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:25:30 +0000, Eeyore ate alphabet spaghetti
>>>>>>> and shat out:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> ZEN are still cheaper, offer unrivalled support and a better
>>>>>>>>> product for the money. Man - only a sucker gets drawn in by
>>>>>>>>> graphs of unknown metrics without checking the facts first! It's
>>>>>>>>> a case of 'bloke down pub says...'
>>>>>>>> NO ! It's YOU who needs to check the facts. One of my other
>>>>>>>> replies shows you're making it up.
>>>>>>> Let me apologise.
>>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I took the prices from the comparison website that you posted:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/idnet/package/908.html
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Which don't seem to reflect the package you mention with the
>>>>>>> specifications shown on IDNET's own website. It was silly to take a
>>>>>>> third party link at face value, but as you had cited it some kind
>>>>>>> of oracle to consult, it was reasonable to expect it to have
>>>>>>> accurate data.
>>>>>> No, I only quoted it as a comparison site for user feedback, not an
>>>>>> up-to-date source of tariffs. Clearly the ISPs' own sites are better
>>>>>> for this.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Graham
>>>>> So it's fair to say that the general accuracy of the data on that
>>>>> site could be questioned. Clearly it contains out of date or
>>>>> superseded data, so which part of it should anyone trust - if any?
>>>> The user feedback and forums obviously.
>>>>
>>>> Why do you want to split hairs ?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Graham
>>> Because you appear to be citing it as some form of authority in the
>>> ZEN-v- IDNET Furor -and- claim to work to great accuracy. I don't see
>>> that as 'splitting hairs'. Either a comparison system is accurate or
>>> not at all. It can't be 'sort of' accurate and remain credible.
>> You're becoming boring now.
>>
>> Have you used either or both of them or are you just full of shit ?
>>
>> Graham
> 
> That would be a cap that fits you Graham. You are the very definition of 
> boring judging by all that self promotional bullshit you posted.
> 
> I note you are bitching on about 'an extra fiver' in another post, 
> completely missing the point of the original question - like only a twonk 
> with his head up his own arse could do. You post a shit link to some site 
> full of out of date information like it's some kind of oracle. That tends 
> to be the domain of the someone with a few of their pages stuck together.
> 
> The link you posted had shit loads of out of date, garbage information 
> regarding IDNET. Grow up you silly little shit filled windroid.
> 

Is it time for the plonk button?

I cant recall anything that you have contributed of any value forweeks, 
and a lot that is simply abuse, ..

> 
> 
> 
>

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> 
> Is it time for the plonk button?
> 
> I cant recall anything that you have contributed of any value forweeks, 
> and a lot that is simply abuse, ..

Probably been eating Spam for too long, it's affected him ...

-- 
Adrian C