Choosing the best Broadband Provider

[Shrimper2thecore]

When I moved into my new build house 2 years ago, a handfull of companies told us that being a new area we wouldn't get "fast" broadband, so we got all (tv/phone/internet) with sky.

The broadband is so slow it's crazy, and we have had enough. It's so bad that if the Mrs is on her laptop trying to do work, and I attempt to access the net on my phone it can't cope.

So I have decided a change is required, can anyone recommend the best way of finding who I should be going with?

 

[chapperzUK]

You can use this from uSwitch, it shows what other broadband speeds are around where you live.

http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/speedtest/streetstats/

 

[blues_r_best]

Put your phone number and postcode in here George,

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker

And copy/paste the summary tab and how far away from the exchange you are on here.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Put your phone number and postcode in here George,

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker

And copy/paste the summary tab and how far away from the exchange you are on here.

Cheers Toddy, summary as follows:

However, there is another service on your phone line (e.g. ADSL, LLU, DACS, etc) that would prevent you from ordering a new ADSL connection.
The following services are available in your location:

BT Wholesale ADSL
BT Wholesale ADSL Max
BT Wholesale WBC (21CN)
TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
Sky Broadband / Easynet LLU
Please select the options on the left for more information about broadband availability at your location.

About 1225 metres from exchange.

Looks like I don't have a great deal of choice.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

You can use this from uSwitch, it shows what other broadband speeds are around where you live.

http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/speedtest/streetstats/

Thanks - shows a couple good with BT and TalkTalk, but also shows some good with Sky, which I know it isn't in my actual road, so might be the same with others.

 

[blues_r_best]

Cheers Toddy, summary as follows:

However, there is another service on your phone line (e.g. ADSL, LLU, DACS, etc) that would prevent you from ordering a new ADSL connection.
The following services are available in your location:

BT Wholesale ADSL
BT Wholesale ADSL Max
BT Wholesale WBC (21CN)
TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
Sky Broadband / Easynet LLU
Please select the options on the left for more information about broadband availability at your location.

About 1225 metres from exchange.

Looks like I don't have a great deal of choice.

Looks like you are right, not a lot of choice. I had hoped the companies were wrong or outdated and fibre had been installed.

Your speed is going to be limited whichever company you choose becasue of the distance from the exchange. I live about double your distance from Southend exchange and use to get about 3mbps download speed on a good day, what speed do you actually get? I normally use http://www.speedtest.net/ to find out.

 

[Mr Plow]

Might be worth checking on the BT website if you can get FTTC in case SAMKNOWs hasn't been updated yet.

http://www.fibremap.bt.com/

 

[Jam_Man]

Certainly check that map as Samknows says I can get 6mb max whereas I did check BT infinity and although Sam Knows doesnt list it the BT Infinity site says I can get it and get 54mb, which is decent but still just over half what I get with VM.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/broadband/infinity

Im 1.8km from the exchange. Apparently a tiny town like Southend only needs one exchange. (Well theres two Im aware of Southend Town, and Southend East, but Southend Town seems to service everything west of the High Street, a massive area.

I can still get a 2mb line, or 6mb on Adsl2.

How slow is your connection as you are closer than me ? I assume its downloading big files thats the problem?

Im lucky to be in a virgin media area so dont have to use ADSL thankfully but Id go with Infinity if I had to change.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Might be worth checking on the BT website if you can get FTTC in case SAMKNOWs hasn't been updated yet.

http://www.fibremap.bt.com/

Certainly check that map as Samknows says I can get 6mb max whereas I did check BT infinity and although Sam Knows doesnt list it the BT Infinity site says I can get it and get 54mb, which is decent but still just over half what I get with VM.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/broadband/infinity

Im 1.8km from the exchange. Apparently a tiny town like Southend only needs one exchange. (Well theres two Im aware of Southend Town, and Southend East, but Southend Town seems to service everything west of the High Street, a massive area.

I can still get a 2mb line, or 6mb on Adsl2.

How slow is your connection as you are closer than me ? I assume its downloading big files thats the problem?

Im lucky to be in a virgin media area so dont have to use ADSL thankfully but Id go with Infinity if I had to change.

Can't get infinity unfortunately.

Not so much downloading big files. As an example, trying to view a 2 minute video on youtube, will take at least 10-12 minutes to load up, it's ridiculous.

 

[Jam_Man]

Can't get infinity unfortunately.

Not so much downloading big files. As an example, trying to view a 2 minute video on youtube, will take at least 10-12 minutes to load up, it's ridiculous.

Thats a shame, where are you, in the sticks ?

Even a 2mb line should play youtube clips ok. What speed are you getting ?

www.speedtest.net

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Thats a shame, where are you, in the sticks ?

Even a 2mb line should play youtube clips ok. What speed are you getting ?

www.speedtest.net

Well yes, and no. It's a new village, but only 10 minutes outside of Bedord just off the A6, so out in the middle of nowhere.

Test says my download speed is 0.08Mbps

 

[Jam_Man]

Crikey that is bad.

One of my clients is a farm management company and I now and again pop to their farms to sort out IT issues. (makes a nice day out in the country! ) Bearing in mind their farms are in the middle of absolutely nowhere (ie miles from a main road), they still get 1mb lines.

Hopefully your village will get new connectivity at some point.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

I bloody hope so, think I'm going to switch provider in the hope of some improvement anyway!

 

[Jam_Man]

To be honest one provider wont anything the others arent if its using the same line and technology.

One thing I would do is check witha neighbour if you can to see if their connection is bad, if the whole village is awful then you dont have a lot of options.

Id also get BT to run a test on the line just to make sure there's no noise on it, or other faults.

 

[blues_r_best]

Has it always been this slow and are you connected wirelessly?

Have you tried switching the router off and back on? :winking:

 

[The General]

Moral of the story?! Dont buy a new build.

:thanks:

 

[Jam_Man]

Moral of the story?! Dont buy a new build.

:thanks:

Alternatively, dont live in the middle of nowhere.

If I cant get a decent adsl connection in Southend you have no hope in a village.

 

[h turner]

what ever you do dont go with talk talk because there is a reason they charge such small fees and their speed will be worse than skys, my mate had talk talk and it was ridiculously slow and then moved to sky and in comparison it was a lot faster so not worth using tha. I used bt for ages and after going on my mates, bt is faster than sky by a lot so although i live in an oldish area, bt should be more reasonible for you.

 

[Bielzibubz]

I'd suggest contacting BT as they are under an obligation to provide an adequate broadband and OFFCOM deems 'adequate' to be a minimum of 2meg for residential properties. As a group (your community) you can apply to BT to have your particular area designated as one of special needs as it falls below the minimum recommended residential line speed (that's assuming everyone in your immediate vicinity is getting the same speed)

Incidentally to the person that said there are only two exchanges in Southend. I don't know where you got that information from because BT themselves told me when they installed Infinity at my place I'm approximately 1.5 miles from my nearest exchange which is situated at the bottom of Bell House Road at the junction with the A127 opposite the MINI dealers. There are many exchanges scattered around the Southend/Leigh/Westcliff/Chalkwell/Eastwood etc etc, with many of them already upgraded to fibre optic to the cabinet.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Has it always been this slow and are you connected wirelessly?

Have you tried switching the router off and back on? :winking:

Yes, yes and haha yes!