[byte]

Originally Posted by bettlebrox

The Wifi router would be nice, but looking at Eircom's description for it, it looks like it doesn't have any regular network jacks ... I think I'm going to go for BT, let's hope I don't have to deal with customer service ...

The one they sent me, and the only one they actually use AFAIK, has 4 network ports, as well as the wireless antenna.

But yea, if BT don't screw you around, they're probably the cheapest you'll get in Donegal Town.

[jimmeh]

I contacted smart today, 2 more weeks they said, then i rang IBB and they said 2 weeks aswell, the race is on, but i bet that in 2 weeks time, it'll be 2 more weeks and so on.

[byte]

Originally Posted by jimmeh

I contacted smart today, 2 more weeks they said, then i rang IBB and they said 2 weeks aswell, the race is on, but i bet that in 2 weeks time, it'll be 2 more weeks and so on.

Are you referring to Letterkenny?

If so, IBB had sent me an email over a month or 2 ago, saying their FWA service was available in LKY. As for Smart, Garfield Connolly said he'd post on the Broadband forum when LKY exchange was unbundled.

I'm stuck with Eircom for another few months, so it won't make a lot of difference to me just yet.

[jimmeh]

Yes i am referring to letterkenny, IBB's fwa may be installed in the town but they are waiting for enough people to be signed up before sending engineers up from dublin, 3-4 weeks according to them compaired fixed liner operators it's kind of bad. Smart keep leading people on about eta's and never meeting them, I know they have issues with eircom and llu, at least thats a decent excuse, I dont know how digiweb are on install times cant be worse than IBB's legendary customer support.

[byte]

Ah, I would have thought they would have had an engineer or two to cover the North West, or a sector of the country.

By that way of going, if somebody in LKY with IBB has a breakdown, you could wait weeks for others to have problems, which woudl warrant an engineer coming up.

Very half-hearted by that means. I'd rather go with Smarts' LLU if any.

[bettlebrox]

So I've been doing me sums on BT vs Eircom and I think Eircom works out cheaper on a 6 month plan. (Just a lower DL cap). Tell me what you think:

Eircom Home Plus:
6 x 43.35 inc Vat per month = 260.10
9.99e installation fee (if order before dec 9th)
Free wireless router (value about 50e or more?)

So Eircom work out to about: 270e for 6 months, minus the cost of the router, that's about 220e. And I presume you get to keep the router.

BT Plus:
25e first 4 months = 100
40e per month for 2 months = 80
50e installation fee.

For 6 months BT work out to be: 230e. But, I don't think their prices don't include VAT which may mean this will be more than 230e.

Alternatively, there is the Eircom broadband business starter. Which has the same specs as the Home Plus, but a higher DL cap (20GB vs 16GB) and the prices are quoted w/o VAT.

I'm starting to think that Eircom may be the way to go (for the first 6 months). Any thoughts on this?

Any idea can I sign up for the Business Broadband on a Residental line? Would it affect the line rental?

Maybe I should post this to a groups that just talks about broadband?

[byte]

I'm on a residential line and have Business Starter. They offered me Business Starter because I told them Home Starter was too slow, and Home Plus too deare for such a small cap.

They did however mention that current Bus. Starter prices are to go back up to their "normal" prices in April IIRC. Best checking this.

[muffler]

Originally Posted by bettlebrox

For 6 months BT work out to be: 230e. But, I don't think their prices don't include VAT which may mean this will be more than 230e.

I think the prices given by all the ISP'S are inclusive of VAT.

Dont forget about the cost to call technical support if you hit a spot of bother.
It is local call rate with BTireland but at one time it was something like 35 cents a minute with Eircom. Dont know what they charge now.

[bettlebrox]

Originally Posted by byte

I'm on a residential line and have Business Starter. They offered me Business Starter because I told them Home Starter was too slow, and Home Plus too deare for such a small cap.

Good, I was worried that if one got the Bus. starter they'd try and make the phone line a business line too.

Originally Posted by byte

They did however mention that current Bus. Starter prices are to go back up to their "normal" prices in April IIRC. Best checking this.

Thanks for pointing that out, on the bottom of the page describing Bus. Starter it says this:

Offer will apply to all orders placed by 9/12/05. The monthly rental of €35 (ex. VAT) business starter will apply until 31/03/06. Promotional price applies to 1st time broadband connections only. After 31/03/06, monthly rental of €45 (ex. VAT) apply. Once-off connection fee of €8.26 (ex. VAT) applies to self-instal orders only.

So that means the last 2 months of the 6 month contract (if I signed up now) would be about 50e per month. Which means it would still be marginally cheaper than BT (because of the free router).

So Eircom provides a free WiFi router which isn't a bad deal. Do they also include the DSL modem? I noticed that BT provide a modem with a free rental. Now if Eircom threw in the Modem and ye could keep it after the 6 months then that would be worth it. (2 pieces of free hardware worth 150e - 200e)

Anyone know how difficult it is to cancel service or change it after the end of the contract?

[bettlebrox]

I just ordered Eircom's Business Starter Broadband.

I did this because it includes the wifi router/modem and because it has a bigger bandwidth cap than their regular Home Plus service. (I'm worried that I'd use up all the bandwidth VPN'ing to work if I got their home BB).

Now the funny thing about ordering it was that they didn't send me a confirmation e-mail? Are they going to be phoning to confirm the order?

Now, the mammy is a OAP and get's free line rental. Ordering the Business BB shouldn't affect that?

I'll try and keep U all updated on how things go and my expierence with Eircom goes.

[Paddy20]

The fact that your mother is receiving 'Free line rental' should not have any negative effect on your receiving Eircom's 'Business starter' broadband package, remember they are a business and the more you spend with them, the happier they will be.

P.

[bettlebrox]

Originally Posted by Paddy20

The fact that your mother is receiving 'Free line rental' should not have any negative effect on your receiving Eircom's 'Business starter' broadband package, remember they are a business and the more you spend with them, the happier they will be.

P.

Cheers Paddy!

The only thing that bothers me about all this, is the friggin cost. At the moment I live in Boston and I get 3mb/768k with no cap for about $33 which is about 28e.

Here (Boston) they're complaining about that being slow compared to Japan & Korea. From what I've read about Eircom, is that they've done what they've can to hinder broadband rollout to protect their profits (or so some folk have claimed). But, with all the new competition in Ireland at the moment BB is getting cheaper, and will hopefully get much cheaper and faster in the not so distant future.

But, I can't complain too much as I'll be able to spend more time with me Mum than I've done in years (as getting BB will allow me to work from Donegal for a bit).

[byte]

Aye, broadband, and any phone service, is expensive in Ireland.

It'll be a fair drop from 3mbit/768k down to 2mbit/128k! The 128k upload is dreadful for a 2mbit DSL line. One hopes that will change soon.

EDIT: Just read this on IOffL:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2054853117

Speed increases across the board, with upspeed being a minimum of 256k from January.

[Paddy20]

beetlebrox,

Your assumption about Eircom is unfortunately 'spot on', they have done everything possible to stifle competition, and the main loser has been 'Joe Public'.

Personally I do not use €irCoN, I am with U.TV Clicksilver Broadband and telephony package. Click on :- www.utvclicksilver.com/
for details of their packages, plus the link that 'byte' posted above is worth studying. IOFFL i.e. IrelandOffline is a pressure group that has achieved an enormous amount in obtaining a better deal for Irish internet users.

Good luck.

P.

[bettlebrox]

So I placed the order on Monday night. The order page has me set up an online account.

Now I'm not sure is was the friggin' order, because I've received no confirmation e-mail nor a confirmation number and there seems to be no way to check on their site on the status of an order ... ... so yesterday I went to the customer services section of the site and entered a support request about this. If I don't hear anything by tomorrow I'll get someone at home to phone them, but I'm thinking that BT is winning me business.

Paddy: UTV is a good suggestion, but as this is me Mum's phone line I don't want to muck with it too much. Maybe if I can get her surfing she can suss out whom to change the phone line to herself.