General
04 Jul 04
04 Jul 04
Hello all
As the majority of you know, I am currently in Germany with a superfast 56k modem :-(
As I will be moving back to England on the 7th of July I need a new Internet connection ...
I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop (2.5 years old) which I used to connect at my University. The laptop has USB ports and also via an PCMCIA card, firewire connection points.
I now want something like unlimited Broadband (as I like downloading as well), but have no idea what to do once I am back in England. I have messaged BT but have not received an answer yet...
Does anyone know what the fastest way is to get Internet (and telephone, etc.) installed ?? (It has to be unlimited Broadband, and I am not too fussed about the monthly charge)
thanks heaps people for your help
Boris
04 Jul 04
1 edit
Originally posted by The Slow PawnYou can get this from BT for about £20 a month.
Hello all
As the majority of you know, I am currently in Germany with a superfast 56k modem :-(
As I will be moving back to England on the 7th of July I need a new Internet connection ...
I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop ...[text shortened]... he monthly charge)
thanks heaps people for your help
Boris
Check out:
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/btyahoo/splash.html
04 Jul 04
2 edits
Originally posted by ExyThat offering appears to be at £26.99 per month with direct debit, or £27.99 without. Also, from 2005 BT will be applying a usage limit of 15GB per month.
You can get this from BT for about £20 a month.
Check out:
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/btyahoo/splash.html
One thing to bear in my mind is the likelihood of you moving within 12 months. Some offerings are pure month-to-month, some are full on 12 month contracts. Others are half-way type affairs, such as the ones from Pipex: http://www.solo.pipex.net/xtreme-solutions/ whereby it's a month to month contract but if you cancel at any point inside the 12 months you pay £58.75. Frustratingly, it's not possible to move one's broadband connection around with one, so you may be faced with set up costs when you move to your new place (that is, only *if* you move within 12 months of gettng back to the UK).
The second thing (these aren't in any order) to look out for is set up costs. Some will charge you for a USB modem, others don't offer you a modem, others give a modem for free but still apply some kind of set up charge. The optional modem and the set up charge are free with Pipex.
The third thing to look out for is customer service. This can vary wildly from provider to provider. A very useful and informative web site is www.adslguide.org.uk. The "Compare" link on the right hand side will allow, erm, comparisons between providers according to user feedback. The message boards can contain useful info too. The site also goes into the techy side of things if you're interested in how ADSL works.
One other thing is the speed of the service. If you're going to be downloading hefty amounts of data then my advice would be to not go below a 512Kbps offering. Also, if you're so inclined, you may be interested in checking things like contention rates (sort of the number of people at any one time 'competing' with your connection - high contention rates may mean that at peak times of the day your connection will be a little slower - don't worry though, most residential offerings are 50:1) and web space offered if you're interested in starting yer own web site.
I'm on the Solo 500 offering from Pipex (third column from the right in the chart in the link above) at £23.99 and have found it most excellent. There are cheaper offerings for the same speed. I shall look to upgrade to the Solo 1000 as soon as the price dips below £30.
For these kinds of offerings, you'll need a 'phone line installed if you haven't got one already. *edit!* 'Phone lines from BT can cost as much as ~£70 to set up and then £11.50 per month line rental. When you set up a 'phone line, almost certainly BT will try and get you to use them as an ISP also. My advice would be not to, and to shop around instead. Just because your telephone line is from BT doesn't mean that you have to use them as your ISP.
Hope some of that helps! 🙂
04 Jul 04
1 edit
I think BT and some others have a data limit on their service, so strictly speaking it is not unlimited.
Currently I use Telewest Blueyonder Cable 0.75M service (£27.99). I have had it for over a year now and so far there have only been a couple of outages. Overall a good service and no limits. No problems on services like x-box live etc. They also have a 3Mb service now if you really need the bandwidth!
Problem with all cable services is it is dependant on where you live - I hear NTL cable is ok too.
I used to use a site called www.net4nowt.com to look at reviews a year ago - don't know if site is still any good but maybe you should check it out.
Cheers
Laz
04 Jul 04
Originally posted by The Slow PawnIt can't be done. You should resign from all your games now and disband the Metallica clan. 😛
Hello all
As the majority of you know, I am currently in Germany with a superfast 56k modem :-(
As I will be moving back to England on the 7th of July I need a new Internet connection ...
I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop (2.5 years old) which I used to connect at my University. The laptop has USB ports and also via an PCMCIA card, firewire ...[text shortened]... nd I am not too fussed about the monthly charge)
thanks heaps people for your help
Boris
04 Jul 04
Originally posted by rwingettand for that you get a recommendation ??
It can't be done. You should resign from all your games now and disband the Metallica clan. 😛
Common, you can do better then that ...
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Thanks to all of you guys, problem is that I don't know if the studio I am moving in has a telephone line or not, and that modem thing you are all talking about ... is that a standard thing ??
As I said, I am not too worried about the price, I am happy to pay 40 pounds a months as long as I have unlimited bandwith (am just used to it from Uni)... 512k is okay (although am really really spoilt from Uni, we had a lan connection with sometimes more then 10mb a sec)... I will be travelling a lot (work-wise) and don't know how long I will be staying in that studio...
Has anyone some more technical information ... how does the modem works, has every house a connection point ?? what do I do if my studio hasn't such a connection point ??
again, thanks heaps, I will print this thread and study in detail, please keep posting if anyone has more help
Boris
PS: Rob, I will have Internet at work, and my Uni is only an hours drive, so will make sure that at least the mighty clan will keep chasing those little Freefinkers :-)
04 Jul 04
1 edit
Originally posted by The Slow PawnIt all depends on the type of connection and type of set up you go for, but a fairly standard approach would be to have a USB modem. That modem will use one of the laptop's USB ports. There will also be a cable that runs from your modem to your 'phone line. Typically, you will need a DSL filter too. This is just a small box with two phone sockets. One for your telephone, the other for your modem. This small box then in turn, typically, plugs into your actual 'phone socket somewhere in the wall.
and for that you get a recommendation ??
Common, you can do better then that ...
______________________________________________________
Thanks to all of you guys, problem is that I don't know if the studio I am moving in ...[text shortened]... ast the mighty clan will keep chasing those little Freefinkers :-)
Quick recap:
Single hole in the wall = 'phone socket.
Just a telephone: the cable from the handset plugs straight into this wall socket
With a telephone and broadband: Get a DSL filter box, this plugs into the wall socket and basically then allows two things to be plugged into it itself, namely the cable from telephone but also the cable from the modem. A second cable will come out of the modem, this will be to go into the USB port of your laptop.
Of course, if you want a wireless set up or a router or...etc everything changes somewhat, but the above is a basic, simple configuration that most people will have.
Much depends on whether your studio already has a 'phone socket.
Situation 1: If it hasn't then almost certainly it doesn't have a phone line already installed. You'll need to ask BT if they'll connect the studio up with a phone line. An engineer will also have to come into your studio and create the little phone socket in the wall somewhere. This will cost approx. £70-£80 I think.
Situation 2: Studio already has a phone socket in the wall somewhere. If this is true then chances are (although not guaranteed) the studio has been hooked up with a 'phone line at some point in the past. If the line is already there and it can take broadband (BT will be able to tell you if you give them your address) then perfect - you'll just need to sort the ISP out.
Situation 3: It is possible that there will be a 'phone socket already there but that the line needs working on/upgrading (BT will tell you). If that is the case, a BT engineer will have to come out and do some upgrading/tweaking to the line. This will cost somewhere between zero and £80 depending upon the amount of work required.
Whatever the situation, at the end of it you'll need to be in possession of a 'phone number, a 'phone socket in the wall and a working 'phone line. If somebody used to live in the studio before you then chances are it has got the necessary ingredients. After that you need to get the modem and a DSL filter (chances are the ISP will provide these when you sign up - Pipex did. You can of course buy the modem and the filter separately, from somewhere like www.ebuyer.co.uk). Once you've got the bits it'll be very easy to configure the connection. The ISP will prolly provide a CD with software on that will do everything for you once you've signed up.
Depending on whether you need BT to do anything with the line the process can take a bit of time to get set up. Allow for 10-14 days for BT to do anything.
Is the connection going to be for one computer?
04 Jul 04
Originally posted by T1000Oh man,
It all depends on the type of connection and type of set up you go for, but a fairly standard approach would be to have a USB modem. That modem will use one of the laptop's USB ports. There will also be a cable that runs from your modem to your 'phone line. Typically, you will need a DSL filter too. This is just a small box with two phone sockets. One for yo ...[text shortened]... 10-14 days for BT to do anything.
Is the connection going to be for one computer?
your words are like gold, thanks ever so much...
I would imagine that the studio has already a phone line (as it is a new build area and the studio itself is a kind off upper class studio for one person)...
Taking this into consideration, either szenario 2 or 3 will apply. I will know more once I have moved in of course... Either way, I will wait until the 7th (or the week after) before making any decisions...
the connection is for one laptop only (although I will probably get a work-laptop within the first six months, hence might throw mine away and use that laptop instead (would that be a problem) ...
thanks heaps heaps for you help T1000
regards
boris
24 Jul 04
This site is really useful.
[gid]www.buy.co.uk[/gid]
Click Broadband on the 'cut your bills' section on the top left-hand side of the page and then click on
'Click here for the best value broadband deals.' and then the site will give you details of all the major internet options and their costs. This also gives details of installation and modem costs. Good luck.