FabSwingers.com forum: Best broadband provider how do we choose

By *ex-a-frolics OP Couple
over a year ago

Brizzle

We are soon to move into a new flat, & need to choose a broadband provider, we don’t need a tv package or a phone line but know it can be cheaper with a phone line.

At present in our old property we have Virgin for tv internet & phone but want to change, nor do we need a tv package.

Having done the price comparison sites it’s much of a muchness, I guess it’s down to service & reliability & speed at the end of the day, but with so many companies including John Lewis & Shell to choose from, where do we start.

Anybody care to give us any personal recommendations or ones we should stay away from?

Thanks in advance??

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By *icola2202Couple
over a year ago

Chatham

Had EE for years run 310mb with 9 devices no problems and we get money off as our contract phones are on same account

Sky, talk talk always had problems with and would never go back

BT is good

Virgin media is expensive

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By *icola2202Couple
over a year ago

Chatham

"Had EE for years run 310mb with 9 devices no problems and we get money off as our contract phones are on same account

Sky, talk talk always had problems with and would never go back

BT is good

Virgin media is expensive "
hope that helps

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By * and M lookingCouple
over a year ago

Worcester

We recently moved to John Lewis which is provided through Plusnet.

We got a better deal, faster speeds and cheaper price than from our previous provider (Plusnet).

Madness, but happy to say all good.

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By *awk90Man
over a year ago

Amsterdam

I'm on Virgin media, but only because they had a year for reasonable price! Once it jumps up I'm changing. I had BT before, which worked well as well. I think it's just down to... If you have fibre installed, get the cheapest one that utilises it. The performance should be much the same

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By *tephTV67TV/TS
over a year ago

Cheshire

I’ve never had any problems with Sky and I work from home, so really need my broadband. My mobile is with EE same really, no issues indoors or outside.

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By *ex-a-frolics OP Couple
over a year ago

Brizzle

"Had EE for years run 310mb with 9 devices no problems and we get money off as our contract phones are on same account

Sky, talk talk always had problems with and would never go back

BT is good

Virgin media is expensive hope that helps "

Yes it does, we’re with EE for our mobiles so it probably makes sense to switch one bill etc, I’m assuming it’s not Superfast fibre like we have with Virgin at the moment? Like we’d notice the difference.

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By *ntrepid ExplorersCouple
over a year ago

Birmingham

I'd not consider anyone else but virgin due to their vastly higher speed. I don't always use it, but when I do, it's cracking.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Virgin Media hands down. My industry of work so I’m in the know

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By *ntrepid ExplorersCouple
over a year ago

Birmingham

As for mobiles, they're just dirt cheap now with giffgaff or such. £6 a month o pay, no contract... Not worth bundling at that price.

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By *ex-a-frolics OP Couple
over a year ago

Brizzle

"Virgin Media hands down. My industry of work so I’m in the know"

Like I said we’ve got a bundled package atm with them, & been with them 20 years. Everything’s fine till you make changes or move house & they balls it up, customer service is atrocious, complaints process is a joke.

Sorry to say can’t wait to see the back of them, although will miss the TiVo box but think a Humax will replace that adequately.

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By *lenderfoxMan
over a year ago

Leeds

Having the choice of broadband provider is a distant dream...

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By *AABMan
over a year ago

Not far

I’m on Sky broadband. It’s shit. 6mbs if I’m lucky when it’s not dropping.

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By *emini ManMan
over a year ago

There and to the left a bit

Personally I've never had an issue with Sky and speed has been fine - likewise their customer service.

It ultimately comes down to where your priorities lie OP - price, speed, quality of service are the key factors to consider.

Remember that any service offered by a company not usually associated with Broadband services (e.g. John Lewis or Shell to use your example) will just be one of the main Internet providers re-badged so probably pays to find out who that provider is in those instances.

As you say beyond that they're much of a muchness - while Virgin do offer higher speeds and do so through direct fibre to your property they're expensive and personally have found their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

Talk Talk I'd personally avoid too, again their customer service is where I have issues and have never heard many good things about their quality of service either.

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By *rAitchMan
over a year ago

Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe

"Having the choice of broadband provider is a distant dream..."

Try Quickline Communications, based in Hessle. No phone line required. They put a small receiver on your roof, a bit like a miniature satellite dish. I use them as I live too far from a phone exchange for broadband to be effective, but saying that, they have just put fibre into my village.

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By *lenderfoxMan
over a year ago

Leeds

"Having the choice of broadband provider is a distant dream...

I've actually had exerience with them years ago at work, was alright when it worked

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By *adyx4Woman
over a year ago

Durham

It depends what you your needs/wants/usage/speed are.

I’ve just gone with a company called Cuckoo it’s a 30 day rolling contract (I don’t like being locked into 18-24 month contracts) it cost £60 for the router and so farpplp OAx c I’m happy. I would suggest looking on comparison sites - that’s what I did

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By *ex-a-frolics OP Couple
over a year ago

Brizzle

"It depends what you your needs/wants/usage/speed are.

Never heard of them, so after your £60 router fee what do you pay?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We are soon to move into a new flat, & need to choose a broadband provider, we don’t need a tv package or a phone line but know it can be cheaper with a phone line.

At present in our old property we have Virgin for tv internet & phone but want to change, nor do we need a tv package.

Anybody care to give us any personal recommendations or ones we should stay away from?

Thanks in advance??"

I work for a major telecoms provider.

First tip actually properly check whats available.

Price comparison websites are notorioulsy bad for getting this info right.

If its a new build find out if its FTTP technology or FTTC if on openreach network as big disparity in connection times. Also double check your mot locked into 1 provider only like a see the light bb area or BT exlcusive or hyperoptic etc. Or in some cases with bew builds like persimmon they have there own supplier called fibre nest meaning you HAVE no choice bu to get Bb with them. Dont even ring anyone else if thats the case accept it and move on with life or buy a different house.

Look at ofcoms ratings for reliabilitly and customer service.

Public perceptipn vs regulator facts is normally different.

Cheaper doesnt equal better, its cheaper for a reason.

And when you ring a company try to beleive the adviser if they cant get you an earlier connection tough crap. There isnt one available and probably because you left it too late when ordering.

I would recomend a minimum of 2 weeks before you calling in if you want bb in tue first couple of weeks once youved moved.

If the website says online excluaive too ut means it 99% of these deals are not available over the phone with the supplier.

The new phone line technology voip confuses people it works in different ways with different suppliers based on the exchamge and line technology. In essence voip is calls through your bb but in some scenarios like fttc sogea you still have a copper wire phone line. Dont over think just ask the suppliet and again trust their advice.

And no you dont need 500mbs to rum netflix.

I have 60mbs with 2 smart tvs 2 xboxes 3 phones 2 ipads an alexa and 3 laptops. Never have any problems.

Only 2 things are impacted by download speed how many devices connectef to network at once and how long a file takes to download.

Oh and ps on average you loose 30% of your line speed on wifi with everyone. Thats just what happens with wifi.

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By *icola2202Couple
over a year ago

Chatham

"Had EE for years run 310mb with 9 devices no problems and we get money off as our contract phones are on same account

Sky, talk talk always had problems with and would never go back

BT is good

Virgin media is expensive hope that helps

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By *adyx4Woman
over a year ago

Durham

"It depends what you your needs/wants/usage/speed are.

Never heard of them, so after your £60 router fee what do you pay?"

£29.99 a month. I went on Trust Pilot and read the reviews too

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Depends on your needs

But will say if your not virgin then dosent matter who your provider is your bt

As the likes off talk talk plus net ee john lawis all sub let lines off bt

Chosen the right package comes down to what you need

Ie if a gamer then virgin all the way or if can’t get virgin then highest package from any bt sub letter

If not a gamer then you don’t need any more than 40mb as you only be pushing 4K streaming service witch is easy

8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things

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By *m A FuckerMan
over a year ago

kingswood,surrey/leysdown kent

Dont get talktalk.fucking shit.and their customer service is even worse!!

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By *teveanddebsCouple
over a year ago

Norwich

We've recently moved and are going with BT. We need to get a line put in and BT give a reasonable guarantee of minimum speed. We are currently using a 4G connection.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Depends on your needs

But will say if your not virgin then dosent matter who your provider is your bt

As the likes off talk talk plus net ee john lawis all sub let lines off bt

Chosen the right package comes down to what you need

Ie if a gamer then virgin all the way or if can’t get virgin then highest package from any bt sub letter

If not a gamer then you don’t need any more than 40mb as you only be pushing 4K streaming service witch is easy

8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things

Wrong. If it’s FTTP/FTTH Vodaphone and talk talk build their own now

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Depends on your needs

But will say if your not virgin then dosent matter who your provider is your bt

As the likes off talk talk plus net ee john lawis all sub let lines off bt

Chosen the right package comes down to what you need

Ie if a gamer then virgin all the way or if can’t get virgin then highest package from any bt sub letter

If not a gamer then you don’t need any more than 40mb as you only be pushing 4K streaming service witch is easy

8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things

Wrong. If it’s FTTP/FTTH Vodaphone and talk talk build their own now"

Impossible as to the cabinet it’s bt and always will be hence when installing it’s bt open reach

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Depends on your needs

But will say if your not virgin then dosent matter who your provider is your bt

As the likes off talk talk plus net ee john lawis all sub let lines off bt

Chosen the right package comes down to what you need

Ie if a gamer then virgin all the way or if can’t get virgin then highest package from any bt sub letter

If not a gamer then you don’t need any more than 40mb as you only be pushing 4K streaming service witch is easy

8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things

Wrong. If it’s FTTP/FTTH Vodaphone and talk talk build their own now

Impossible as to the cabinet it’s bt and always will be hence when installing it’s bt open reach "

Nah. FTTP not exactly right. Type type 2 and type three nodes are not owned by by. Even own head ends on FTTP.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Depends on your needs

But will say if your not virgin then dosent matter who your provider is your bt

As the likes off talk talk plus net ee john lawis all sub let lines off bt

Chosen the right package comes down to what you need

Ie if a gamer then virgin all the way or if can’t get virgin then highest package from any bt sub letter

If not a gamer then you don’t need any more than 40mb as you only be pushing 4K streaming service witch is easy

8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things

Wrong. If it’s FTTP/FTTH Vodaphone and talk talk build their own now

Impossible as to the cabinet it’s bt and always will be hence when installing it’s bt open reach "

Impossible is a strong word when you don’t know the actual facts.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things"

Don't talk rubbish.

Netflix bit rate is 15.6 mb/s with a recommended download speed of 25 mb/s for 4k. As long as all you are doing is watching 4k Netflix, a download speed of 15.6 mb/s is fine. Watching 8k a download speed 0f 32 mb/s is fine as well. What would be a problem is actually finding any 8k content to watch in the first place.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

""8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things"

Don't talk rubbish.

8k content is out there is just a monster

None compressed 8k raw video clocks in at 121.5 GB per minute

Compressed your looking at around 20–30 gig Bites per minute

So at 32mbs that’s 2 hours to just frame buffer one minute off video file

The reason I know how much off a monster it is am one off only a fave people in the world capable off viewing 8K content

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

""8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things"

Don't talk rubbish.

8k content is out there is just a monster

None compressed 8k raw video clocks in at 121.5 GB per minute

Compressed your looking at around 20–30 gig Bites per minute

So at 32mbs that’s 2 hours to just frame buffer one minute off video file

The reason I know how much off a monster it is am one off only a fave people in the world capable off viewing 8K content "

Both you and i know that all commercial streaming is done using compression, HD and 4k. When 8k is the norm, it will be compressed as well.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Depends on your needs

But will say if your not virgin then dosent matter who your provider is your bt

As the likes off talk talk plus net ee john lawis all sub let lines off bt

Chosen the right package comes down to what you need

Ie if a gamer then virgin all the way or if can’t get virgin then highest package from any bt sub letter

If not a gamer then you don’t need any more than 40mb as you only be pushing 4K streaming service witch is easy

8k is a whole orther story uk internet is long way off being able to push 8K

8k is a monster that will not be cracked for a good 10 years on streaming side off things

Wrong. If it’s FTTP/FTTH Vodaphone and talk talk build their own now

Impossible as to the cabinet it’s bt and always will be hence when installing it’s bt open reach

Impossible is a strong word when you don’t know the actual facts."

This is true, I think its city fibre now who connect some parts of the network that allows you to get vodafones 900mbs service

So Like I said to the OP do your research, you need to know who the choices are anf what they mean.

Choosing 1 now doesnt mean you will have similar options down the line.

The ukk BB genie is truly out of the bottle now and the market isnt going to get any clearer to understand anytime soon

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'm probably bucking the trend of this thread but from my own experience I switched from Virgin to TalkTalk.

Ended up with no end of problems with Virgin and a very unreliable service even after numerous engineer call outs.

Had a problem with the phone line initially at first with TalkTalk but an Openreach engineer came out and fixed it. Renewed with TalkTalk and paying less than when I first signed up as they had a better deal.

For me speed isn't so important but reliability and price.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Never had a problem with BT; fast speeds amd reliable connection

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By *emini ManMan
over a year ago

There and to the left a bit

The other thing to consider OP is your area for a few reasons - one being the local telecoms infrastructure in various areas may vary wildly in terms of both age and quality, and can be affected by the number of users connected - which explains why you will be getting a variety of responses about different providers here. I'd suggest if there's a local Facebook page or similar for the area you're moving to, to ask the same question there and draw on local experience.

The other factor which draws on the number of people connected is "contention" - with many service providers you'll effectively "share" the link to the Internet, meaning that when lots of people are connected you'll get a slower speed than when not many are e.g. middle of the night you'll get a faster speed than early evening - so if for example you're in a densely populated area this may be a factor to consider and ask any potential provider about.

It won't have a major impact but can certainly slow things down.

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