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Any advice, tips or hints please.

Due to continued frustration with the AOL and IPOKER "cannot connect to server" probs and little response/help from AOL I am searching for a new provider.

I've narrowed down to Virgin or Sky as there has been decent remarks regards the Virgin broadband or I would be looking to add broadband to my Sky multi room package.

Any advice on offers etc would be appreciated.

Geo

*Cue Boshi plugging Virgin, then Claw plugging Sky*   :D


5....4.....3....2........

I think you can get a good deal price-wise with Sky if you want their phone/broadband/tv package.  So if that's a consideration it's a plus for Sky.

In terms of broadband, I've been with ntl/Virgin for 6 years, with very few problems, a very stable connection at a decent speed.  It is more expensive though.  Oh, and their customer service is utter tripe - but I don't know if Sky is any better.

The best broadband people I've been with have been https://www.bethere.co.uk/

Don't know if they are in Scotland.

BeThere...  It is owned by O2...  I have O2 Broadband at home...  £7.50 per month because I have an O2 Mobile...  My bill comes from O2 but I exist on the BeThere network..   Excellent, no worries..  No throttling on P2P like most netowrks.. (P2P = things like torrents etc)

For future proofing, it's got to be virgin geo.

Sky broadband uses the same (copper) BT phone line as any other ADSL provider and the speed is technically limited by this.

Virgin is fiber optic cable straight to your house. I currently have 20mb per sec download speeds (max is 50 at the moment). Commercial trials of broadband at 200Mb per second began in Ashford, Kent, last week

BT wont achieve anywhere near this within the next 10-15 years (if ever).

Dougie.

Virgin, definetely cuz.  Solid speed, you should get no problems if you sign up with them.

George, try this...

Website called "Sam Knows"..  http://www.samknows.com/broadband/ (http://www.samknows.com/broadband/)

On left menu choose "Exchange Search"

When you find your exchange, look at the results on the right hand side at LLU Operator...

If you are going to use an ISP other than Virgin (Says it in there too) then it is better to choose someone that has LLU capability in your exchange, as it is definately cheaper ..!!!  if Sky / Easynet aint doing LLU in your exchange, look at the ones who do..!!

Cheers

Carl..

Oh, and I would advise to avoid Talk Talk.  They are cheap, but, they operate differently from the other LLU's.  Talk Talk take your line and lock it to them and make it hard for you to move away from Talk Talk..

Not entirely true.  BT have a new network coming up called 21CN.. (21st Century Network).  It says on Sam Knows when each exchange will get 21CN..  This network will be able to carry huge bandwidth compared to ADSL..

Cable is good for speed right now but not everybody can get cable.  I cant and the operators have no plans to ever start digging the roads again..

When will that 21CM actually be available for anyone?  Then, when will it be available to most?  Then, when will it be available in Scotland?

+1 for Virgin here.

I've had both and Virgin is quicker and more stable.

That said, if you are having a package then Sky is much better for TV imo. Obvioucsy the phone is the same for both.

Just to be clear, if Virgin/NTL haven't cabled your street already you can't get the fibre-to-the-house 20Mb+ services described above. Virgin do flog a standard ADSL service as well, just like every other ISP.

I live in the sticks so get 1.4Mb ADSL :-(

Checkout your exchange on Sam Knows and it says on that page a date available.

21CN enables ISPs to offer ADSL2+. This offers speeds of up to 24Mb/s download and 2.5Mb/s uploads. It is unlikely that speeds will progress much beyone this without a rollout of FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) or FTTH.

Roughly 40% of exchanges have been upgraded. The first one was in Scotland. Samknows has the date when your local exchange is due to be upgraded.

Virgin, or as they were known in the original days around here, NTL..  They cabled the next estate to mine more than 10 years ago..  They never did this estate..  They send me mailshots every so often to tell me that I can have cheap high speed broadband.  So I called them up and ordered it..  They took all my details and at the end of the call told me that it was not possible in my house as they had never cabled my area.  I asked them why did they send me a mailshot then, surely their computers know not to send me a mailshot based on my postcode..!!  I also asked them when will they cable my street.  The answer was that there are no area being added to the cable network right now while they all work on broadband demand..

So, you probably will not see cable some time soon if you do not already have it in your street..

Move house.

It's too heavy.

Little off subject but I want sky+ upstairs, I have normal box currently do upstairs and skyhd downstair.i just buy one and plug it in? whats cheapest option.

They cabled the cheap houses around here, cant do it, LOL

It is almost correct, yes buy one and plug it in, but your upstairs sky card will not work, so, call sky and tell them to make it work.  They will ask you your card number etc and match it to the new sky plus box..

But...  

Upstairs you will need 2 feeds from the sky dish as Sky plus needs 2..  ie..  your LNB on the dish will need ability to have 4 wires (Quad LNB)...  2 for downstairs and 2 for upstairs...  It needs to so it can record one channel and watch another at the same time..

SkyHD comes with a QuadLNB so that bit should be sorted. Just needs to run the two new cables and subscribe to multiroom at an extra £10/month.

I suspect multiroom is already active as he has one upstairs already, and yes must have a Quad LNB, but, maybe there is only 1 cable upstairs as it is using a standard box.?

Great responses guys, much appreciated.

Our street is linked up to the Virgin fibre optic thingy (and everything else by the amount of digging up that's went on the last few years.) and as I said, i've heard encouraging things even tho not the cheapest. I also don't have to go through the rig-marrol of cnacelling current provider and waiting on some stupid number thingy

Will see what Sky offer as an existing multi room customer also.

Regards the advice re Talk Talk, I believe that there is a connection with them and AOL with the same problems I am experiencing.

Bad news for you all is that I might be able to make the league games again  :)up

Thanks

Geo

Bugger.

Go for Talk Talk.

;)

Bout time LOL would love to see you at the League games xx

yes, and thanks for advice.

FYP

sky, obv.

Geo, if you already have Sky sports, landline and broadband will cost you around £14 extra per month.

Well that is what it costs me as opposed to the £45 per month BT were relieving me of.