Broadband - Help Required

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

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Aug 2, 2005
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My daughter has settled in her flat with her pal. They both need broadband access for course materials and notes.

I've done a bit of research re the cheapest packages but don't know enough about 'routers' etc.

Both girls have laptops.

What's the view of those in the know? Advantages/pitfalls of the various options?

Thanks in advance.
 
Don't suppose they have Sky TV in the flat?

If so Sky Broadband offer a super package for a fiver a month (8.1Meg 40GB limit) and included in the £20 set up fee you get a wireless router/modem (Netgear). Alternatively they do an unlimited one for a tenner a month.

Only had mine a few days, but so far so good.
 
No the router/modem plugs into the phone line and is permanently connected (and emitting a wireless signal).

The laptops can connect to this signal everytime they are turned on.
 
First things first, tell them to plug the laptops in upstairs (so as to get a better signal) and see if they pick up a neighbours wireless signal. Cost them nothing then. B)
 
But if they did that then the neighbour would be able to access their PCs if he was knowledgeable, wouldn't he, Dave?

But I suppose if he were that knowledgeable he'd have protected his Wifi access. I notice that when I log on from home as well as my own (protected) network connection there are three others available to me - all unprotected.
 
Apparently they've chanced their luck re free access to no avail.

I've been checking out prices etc.

Am I better going for Tiscali (£12.99pm/12 months for 2mb speed / unlimited download) or BT £13.95/18 months for 8mb speed / 2Gb download but with free modem & router + evening & weekend calls?

Can you buy modems and routers separately? How much are they?
 
My Netgear modem/router cost in the region of £70.

Bit of a personal thing with me but I wouldn't touch any BT product with a bargepole, they just don't deserve your custom.

Sky are bringing out a nice package, if you are a Sky subscriber you get free broadband, at the moment I am with BISCIT and I get all that I need for £15 month.
 
Brian, the neighbour would theoretically be able to access the pc if 1). They knew it was accessing his network. 2). The laptop didn't have it's own firewall preventing this. Chances are, if someone hasn't encrypted their wireless network, they aren't going to have the necessary know how to check who is on the network.

DO, I personally would go the Tiscali route. Although BT says 8mb, I reckon chances are slim you would get the full 8mb. Unless you live right next door to the exchange, the speed will be lower. Router/modems can be picked up from about £40 and upwards.
 
Biscit came up among the cheaper options. I'll have a closer look at them.

I'm not a fan of BT but I'm not sure anyone else is better. Which? did a report but their recommendations were working out over the £20pm mark.

I've been told Metronet is good but I don't know much about them.
 
The more I look into this, the more confused I'm getting...

Some sites are telling BT are offering free evening & weekend calls but when I pressed BT about it they said it was only internet calls, which, if I understand it correctly, means using some kind of apparatus connected to the PC/laptop?

If so, that's no use. I want the girls to have access to the phone while they're using the internet, as I do at home.

Some services are offering free routers, others wireless hubs, or charging various amounts.

:confused:
 
With any broadband service they will be able to use the phone at the same time as well. Whether or not they are paying for the calls depends on the package that you go for.

Internet calls are seperate and do require an additional device. With the BT home hub you get one of those devices (free on certain options) and I believe it looks just like a handheld phone.

The BT homehub is essentially just a wireless router, but it does have some additonal features - such as (I believe) a TV-out socket ready for IPTV and of course the interface for the phone mentioned above.

I was all ready to sign up for the BT Home Hub until I saw the Sky offer. However the value of the latter very much depends on whether you already (or wish to) take their TV services.

Previous to my house move I was a BT Broadband customer for 3 years and their service was faultless.
 
Thanks for the replies. After much humming and hawing I decided to go for a BT bundle, mainly because of the Home Hub element of the offer. I'd have needed to source a wireless router myself and I wasn't sure of the quality/reliability of those available.
 
Spoke to my PC guy the other day abou these and asked which were best & he told me it depended on how thick the walls of your house are. If you live in a wooden shack like me, then you can get away with a cheap and cheerful router. However a thick walled Victorian terrace would be better served by a more expensive type. Its all to do with the ability of the radio waves to penetrate the walls apparently.
 
The BT home hub hasn't been a success. Three weeks into the contract the girls still can't access the internet. They've phoned the helpline a few times and keep getting told everything is fine but when they try to access the intenet they get a message saying the SDL line is down.

I'll be phoning BT to tell them to sort it or we'll be taking matters further. In the meantime, I'd gladly discourage anyone from joining them.
 
DO, sorry to hear about the lack of success. If your daughter connects her laptop directly via a cable to the modem ( which in turn is connected to a phone socket ), can she access the internet then? Just trying to discover if the problem lies in the modem connections, or the modem to the internet.
 
I think I'm expected to go to the flat this weekend and try to sort things from there. I'll certainly try that. Thanks.
 
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