Broadband provider recommendation?

[Peter]

OK, I'm a dinosaur. I'm still on dial-up which is a pain in the a**e. Broadband at work which I use all the time. Seriously considering broadband at home, mainly for speed and the fact that you can still use the phone. I've got a broadband checker which tells me which companies provide a service in this area (not many), but my main question is do I need a separate modem. My computer is fairly modern, and has an on-board modem which is fine for dial-up. If I do need a separate one, is it difficult to connect etc. I do hope there are some geeks out there.

As a fulltime geek, if you go with BT they provide everything you need.
Provided your PC has either: a USB port, an ethernet port, a PCI card slot or a PCMCIA card slot free then you can connect to the BT wireless hub, it has (surprisingly) wireless, 1 USB and 1 ethernet connections. Current DELL prices would get you a wireless equipped laptop for �349.

Remember buying my first home PC, a 386 with a 40Mb hard drive, nearly a grand. First modem 2400bps.

[nick the grief]

........Remember buying my first home PC, a 386 with a 40Mb hard drive, nearly a grand. First modem 2400bps.

My first PC came in a carboard box and I had to assemble it - tv modulator & all Nascom it was based on a Z80 processor just under 1K of memory and I used to write progs in it !!!

I still have my 486sx33 somewhere and I've two Acorn Electrons in the loft - Don't know why but there you go.

[mad_djg]

I'm with PIPEX and have never had any problems.

I was foolishly paying around �30 for unlimited... a couple of years ago I told them I was leaving due to the cost, refused to tell them to whom....

5 minutes on hold and I'd been offered a new deal.... �14.99 with something like a 12 Gb monthly limit - a far better deal then anything available to *new* customers and better than anything I could find elsewhere at the time.

So if price is the only issue and you have gone past the initial contract period always speak to your existing provider first...

Also a useful site for anyone looking for providers:

www.thinkbroadband.com

Derek

[Nicos]

Just a word of warning about wireless...
You really have to know what you are doing when you install it as it is very easy for neighbours to gain access to your computer and also to use any limited download time you have agreed to.

[Alison]

Just a word of warning about wireless...
You really have to know what you are doing when you install it as it is very easy for neighbours to gain access to your computer and also to use any limited download time you have agreed to.

Can work the other way though, one of my work colleagues gets his for free off one of his neighbours!!!!!

[Brookfield Growers]

we are with orange. Free broadband with a �30 mobile contract! Was paying �25 before for the mobile anyway. Now got all the texts, moblie minutes and free landline calls during evenings and weekends via the livebox - its great. if you use a mobile alot this may be worth looking into.

[Wolfie]

I've been with Sky for a couple of months now after changing from NTL and so far so good. I'm on their Broadband Max wireless package which gives unlimited downloads and 16Mb speed for �10 per month. It's protected too so that neighbours don't get it free!! It does disconnect itself occasionally, but Sky reckon it's to do with the phone line which crackles. BT say its to do with the Sky TV box although they admit our line does have a fault and 3 repairmen have failed to improve it so far It's just a mouse click to reconnect though. The downside is that I understand you have to be a Sky TV subscriber to get it

[madderbat]

I really am getting too old for all this. Why do they have to make everything so bloody complicated? I'll just leave ours up to No 1 techie son, even if we do pay �38 per month for it on NTL. We get phone, tv and broadband for that, but from what some of you said, it's a pretty naff deal. I'm losing the will to try and understand! Beam me up Scotty!

[mrskp]

i'm like that with leccy/gas accounts, mobile phones, pensions and multimedia things on the pc.

cba with any of them tbh. so i don't.

[Wolfie]

I really am getting too old for all this. Why do they have to make everything so bloody complicated? I'll just leave ours up to No 1 techie son, even if we do pay �38 per month for it on NTL. We get phone, tv and broadband for that, but from what some of you said, it's a pretty naff deal. I'm losing the will to try and understand! Beam me up Scotty!

Don't feel too bad about NTL at that price With Sky, we're paying �52 a month and then we still have to let BT get their grubbys on our hard-earned �38 doesn't sound too bad a deal really considering your phone is included