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Broadband - Does It Work? (1 Viewer)

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peter hayes

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I'm thinking of getting broadband to speed up my time on the internet. I keep seeing advertisements saying 'up to ten times faster' - but is it true? How much faster is it?

I have AOL as my ISP and they are offering a reasonable deal so I am inclined to stick with them. Also, I hate BT.

I would really appreciate hearing from any BF memebrs who already have broadband as to what their experiences are.

Thanks very much.

Peter
 
I've had broadband for about 3 months and find it brilliant. It does seem to be 10 times faster. BF works extremely well, with virtually no delay in downloading the pictures. If you come across a busy site then it can still be slow but once downloading starts it is quick. I cannot imagine being without it now.
 
I tried ADSL Broadband at my brother's and while it is fast for downloads it did not seem any different to 56k connections for general surfing.
 
Peter, don't know how things are set up over there, but if they are the same as here, then it all depends how far away you are from the hub. The farther you are, the more you will have speeds just like a 56k modem. Though if you only have 28.8 connection now, that may still be worth it. Generally, it is only ten time faster if you have a 28.8 connection (going to the typically sold 256k download/upload). If you already have a 57k connection, then obviously the difference gets smaller. Of course, you can always pay for a faster 512k connection, if it is offered.
 
I can tell you that in the time it took just to initialize my modem with aol on dial-up I am on with broadband. It is that fast. Uploading and downloading are almost instantaneous but there are lags between pages on a site just as there were with dial-up. I held out for so long not wanting to pay another monthly fee for something but in this case, it is well worth it.
 
I have had ADSL for a little more than a year now. I could not even imagine going back!! While absolute speed is often dependent on sites you are visiting I think 10 times or better faster on average is probably a fair comparision. I have seen actual throughput speeds up to about 200K/sec, which seems even faster than 10 times actual speeds on any modem. Files that used to take me hours to download on dial-up can now be downloaded in minutes. Not to mention 24hr instant on connection with no need to share a phone line or get a second phone line.

Go for it! You will not be disappointed!

Vogelman
 
I've been with Telewest Broadband since October and not encountered any major problems. It's also cheaper than the others. Would recommend it if they provide for your area, Peter.
 
I'm also on Telewest Cable Broadband - have been for about 18 months. There are times, such as when there's really busy Internet traffic or when accessing busy sites, that it slows down a bit. I do shopping online and the Sainsbury's site causes a real slowdown, but I think that's the site, not the connection.

I would never go back to dial-up.
 
Peter

I am on Telewest also and did encounter problems at first but they have ironed out ok now. I wouldn't be without it and as Al has said they are cheaper than most. I would thoroughly recommend it. You have to check to see if Telewest are in your area as they are not represented everywhere but if they are give them a call. BTW if you have a combined broadband and phone package from them your line rental goes down to £5 per month, well it did for me anyway.
 
Thank you so much everyone for all that valuable advice. I will definitely go for it, although I still have to decide which provider. I'll let you know how I get on!
 
Don't think about it - do it - it makes the net what it should be - an extension of your PC. I am on with Blueyonder on their 1MB service and it is awesome.
 
Like most of the other replies I would agree, ang go with it. If your home line is NTL or Telewest, then you would need a BT line to use any other provider, so you may as well go with them .

If you have a BT Line, then you have a wider selection of providers to look at. Also you need to check if the BT exchange you are on is enabled and that your house is not to far from the exchange that it wont work. To check this out visit
http://www.btopenworld.com/broadbandoffer
and click the order button. The first part of the ordering process is to check availability on your line. If it is available then you know you can order from BT or one of the other suppliers such as AOL or Freeserve as they purchase the network connection wholesale from BT.

One word of warning. Once on broadband make sure you have a Firewall installed on the PC. I have and I see attempted Hacks on my PC just about every day!

For the record I am on BT's 500 plug and go service, and have been for the last year. I have no problems and performance is fine even with 2 PC's connected at the same time.
 
Doug + Paul:

Thanks very much for that great advice and encouragement. How easy it is to install a firewall, and what have you got Paul?
 
Peter I use Norton Personal FireWall from Symantics at the moment as this worsk well with my set-up (2 networked PC's). In the past I used Zone Alarm (Free version) which was simple to set-up and worked well on a single PC. Another Free one that you might want to check out is Kerio Personal Firewall.

You will find the 2 free versions available to download from the following site

http://www.pricelessware.org/2002/pricelesswaresecurity.htm

There are lots of other freebies here including AVG anti-virus software which I also use. All thee Freeware I have tried from this site has been reliable and totally free of Ad-ware.
 
I forgot to mention in my last message, that it is well worth installing a Firewall even if you are using dial-up modems you can still get attacked.
 
I'm in a right strop now. I live 5 minutes from basigtokes 'silicon valley' and can't even get broadband here yet! the only way is via an expensive business account or satelite modem (£800 per month!). Added to this my speed never exeeds 28800.

Having said that I guess the day I finally get Broadband it's going to be amazing.

Good luck Peter you lucky bloke.
 
Thanks very much Paul: I'll definitely install a firewall.

Booga: really sorry! I can't believe that in 'wired' Britain, especially where you are, that you can't get broadband.


I hope it comes soon to your area.

Peter
 
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