minghis Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 I'm going to upgrade (replace) my old PC, get a digital camera and generally get up to speed with all computer type stuff. It'll be used purely as a home PC with work stuff such as spreadsheets, letters and e-mails mainly. I'm thinking that when I do this I'd be keen to get Broadband, I like the idea of faster downloads and really would like to be able to use the fax/phone simultaneously that share the same line. Has anyone got Broadband that could advise as to it's ability to do what the ads say? Is it difficult to set up, and should I bear anything in mind when choosing the new PC based on me getting it? Any advice/tips would be helpfull!! Thanks, Minghis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skid Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 Ntl is good bt is good it's all good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 Bit of a simplistic answer there With NTL, make sure you get a network card in your PC (they're only about a tenner). The modem can connect via USB, but when you do it that way it tends to run slower, and apparently is a little less reliable. Not sure about BT and ADSL, but the ADSL stuff tends to be USB. If you can, get one of the 'wires only' options, and buy your ADSL modem that connects to a network card. That's my advice anyway. I'm with NTL, technically they're generally Ok, but their customer services is diabolical. Just pray nothing ever goes wrong Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasamdy Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 I'm about to go broadband with NTL Whats a network card?? I agree with you about their customer services though, I live about 1.5 miles away from their head office in Nottingham and it's quicker to get in the car and drive down than it is to ring them up because their service really is shocking But they are cheap so you pays ya money................. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phssthpok Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 I'm with NTL, technically they're generally Ok, but their customer services is diabolical. Just pray nothing ever goes wrong .......that's an understatement if I even heard one. I'm with NTL and get Newsgroup slow-downs and occasional problems with password recognition. When it works it's great but you're b*******ed if you have a problem and aren't particularly computer literate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westfields Rock On Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 mt BT is fabtabulous. i got the internal modem for £45 with a filter. Tis sweet. i get up 90kb/sec downloads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 aol is also cool so plenty to choose from mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minghis Posted February 7, 2003 Author Share Posted February 7, 2003 So, generally it sounds good so far. I read in the BT literature that you buy the 'modem' and you're connected within about a week or so - but I have seen Freeserve packs in shops that appear as if you take 'em home, plug in and go. I think I'll have a closer look at the Freeserve one, I use their ordinary access and have never had a problem. Anyone know if you can still 'keep' the ordinary one if the broadband has a problem, so you can just switch over - it's so frustrating not being able to get on the net! One last thing - someone else has said that broadband is not good as far as security goes, as it's permanently connected, allowing open door access to your system, passwords etc. Add this to the fact that I always unplug the bt lead to the modem if it looks like a risk of lightning (frazzled two modems in the past) this must be a consideration? Anyone see this as a real problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick A Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 Check to see if its available in your area first BT say I can't have it yet because I am more than 5.5km's from the exchange ? You can check if it's available in your area here Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 re: your security issues...the fact that you are 'always on' with Broadband means that you are an easier target than someone who has a dial up and just gets on the Net every couple of hours for a few minutes best advice (and not just 'cos my wife works for them) is get a very good anti-virus package and preferably a desktop firewall as well - er, may I suggest McAfee Viruscan and Desktop Firewall as very good products, easy to setup and use for a cheaper alternative a lot of people use Zonealarm instead of the firewall and if you do a search someone put a link up to a source of FREE anti-virus software ....you pays yer money etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted February 7, 2003 Share Posted February 7, 2003 Great free anti-virus software here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 8, 2003 Share Posted February 8, 2003 i wouldnt bother with anything less than 250kb connection if getting broadband, may aswell pay the extra few quid! mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted February 8, 2003 Share Posted February 8, 2003 Best deal currently is Pipex. Free conection, free modem, 2 free micro filters and no connection fees. So £23.44 (your monthly subscription), and a 2-10 day wait, sees you broadbanding. I use Pipex, and have done for nearly a year. No real problems, and customer service if you do have any issues, is actually OK....... For ALL the info you could ever want, go have a look at ADSL Guide, especially the forums. There is a forum for each UK broadband provider, so you can see what's really going on........ Oh, and IMO, don't go anywhere near BT Openworld....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Westy Posted February 8, 2003 Share Posted February 8, 2003 Re: NTL, I just found this article that has just appeared on the bbc news site In the light of various comments, plus those funny Mr angry letters to NTL, I thought this bit of the article was particularly amusing No-one from NTL's broadband section has yet been available for comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Albert Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use BT directly. BT's 'shorttermism' with ISDN seriously damaged the UK's competiveness in the 90's, they are one of the worst examples of 'beancounter' driven organisations in recent times. BT is anti-competitve and seriously damages the nations health. Rant Over Broadband comes in three flavours (at the moment), Cable (variable performance due to commercial pressures on number of users sharing a loop), Satellite (very expensive, slow upload) and ADSL via BT telephone line. All home ADSL connections use telephone lines which go through BT exchanges and are carried on BT infrastructure. You get exactly the same connectivity whoever you connect through and BT charge up to 50% more for EXACTLY the same service. I chose a local ISP and pay a year in advance, this gives me a 512kb connection for 19.99 a month. I bought an ADSL modem router (with inbuilt hardware firewall) for £150 which provides more than adequate security and allows the 2 servers, 3 desktops and 4 laptops (1 each for the kids and me) in the house to all share the connection if necessary. The actual connection speed you achieve will vary at different times of the day depending on how many users are active on the ADSL connection you share with up to 50 others. If the're all downloading MP3 files at the same time performance can drop BELOW dial up modem speeds. Alternatively, at home during the day I often get much more than 512kbs performance. As for BT, think about this, the ADSL infrastructure is delivered at 2mbs. BT have to install expensive equipment to 'throttle' the performance down to 1mbs or 512mbs for a loop. Clearly they charge less for slow connections and more for faster ones although it costs them more to deliver slower ones. Is this in the interests of the consumer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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