FAO: UK Users

Hi,

I'm trying to decide which UK ISP to move to. I'm currently with Tiscali, but for the past month or so they've been applying traffic shaping to their access with the effect that you are limited to under half a meg access speed at peak times (16.00 to 23.00 UK time). In addition, and I think this is the key, ports used by SL are effectively blocked during these times. Results - no SL during peak times. It's really getting on my wick and although they have promised to resolve it within the next couple of weeks, I have a nasty suspicion that this will turn out to be "jam tomorrow", as other people I've spoken to have been experiencing similar problems for months.

So if any UK SL users see this post, what ISP do you use and do you have any restrictions when it comes to connecting to SL? Is anyone really rapturously happy with the service their ISP provides, 'cos that's the one for me (I just have a sneaky feeling that such a nirvana doesn't exist, so I'm probably looking for the best of a bad job).

If anyone is considering signing up with Tiscali, my advice would be go down to Tescos, buy a couple of tins of baked beans, a ball of string and a bottle of still Evian....I think you can probably see where I'm going with this!

All the best, Jambo

I use Pipex, have been with them for years. No restrictions, no complaints

Zog

Is there not a 2GB cap with pipex??

http://www.pipex.co.uk

2/15/unlimited

Also check
http://www.pipex.co.uk/compareus/

I'm with BT, no problems with it, no cap I've found, and I spend 100+ hours on SL a month. I've got an old 2Mb installation though, with a USB router. I think a lot of the newer set-ups, especially the fast ones, are wireless - which might be a problem with SL?

Demon

AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) @ 50GB per 30 day rolling period.

Not Uber-Cheap but an unsullied connection.

Pipex, you won't regret it.

I've been with NTL Broadband (now Virgin Media?) for nigh on 5 years and in all honesty I can't understand why anyone uses ADSL. Sure when it works there's no difference, but it's far easier to set up and it just works. You know when you get a new PC and hook it up to your router and it just goes online? Same deal. Hook it all up by ethernet and it just works. No messing around setting up your ADSL router or fitting filters on each appliance on the line. Plus, ADSL as you know is subject to slow down depending on how far you are from the exchange, the quality of cabling and how busy the network is. NTL runs fibre-optics to the end of your street and then a dedicated line straight into your house.

Five years, maybe three times it's gone down that I've noticed, and I use the connection a lot! I'm only on the 4MB package but I know a lot of people on the 10MB deal and they feel exactly the same. Curiously I work for a very large company that supports and repairs desktop and laptop systems so you'd expect people to be in the know, and very few appear to be on ADSL. Still, if it's not available in your area!

Oh, the customer service at NTL leaves a little to be desired. Their attitude of reducing the number of hours they're available to better suit you (huh?) is bizarre and my sister recently had a bitching match with them and told them she was going back to BT, after which point they instantly cut off her phone. When she managed to get back in touch and told them to cancel the internet as well the phone came back on and is still on to this day, the internet is not. However she does attract trouble so I'll leave it up to you. I've never had a problem with them, but others certainly have!

I'm just going to briefly second what Landing said - I have a great deal of love for my NTL connection, I'm on the 4mbit which means I can download at 350kBytes/s and up at 35kB/s solidly without apparently choking it out (and that still leaves me a little slack for web browsing).

It gets on pretty well with SL, not had any port-stupidity problems, and I've not noticed any throttling or shaping. It's also very reliable - maybe once every few months I'll have to power-cycle the cable modem to get the connection back. It probably benefits from only being NTL's equipment end-to-end - whereas with DSL, you're going to have arguments between BT and your ISP.