Options for uncapped residential DSL?

greys

Guys,

can anyone provide some info whether it's possible to get an uncapped DSL for home use?

I've heard some rumours that Esat BT had its business option available for EUR110 for everyone, but now I'm reading that it's still for business only.

I'm in D1, and live at the innner side of the apartment block - so there's no way for IBB and such, it must be something phone-line attached.

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

machalla

Netsource are the only option which do an uncapped residential RADSL. I believe they have stopped taking customers but you could try ringing them and see. They aren't completely uncapped in that if you go over a certain unspecified limit you will be throttled it seems (in other words your download speeds will be cut down to 23k a second). I think the unknown limit is somewhere between 10Gb-20Gb a month. Not really sure. €66 a month inc vat.

Dependent on what you want it for they may suit your needs. NS is fine for downloading, not good for gaming (terrible pings) and I wouldn't advise using them if you're planning on using P2P stuff all the time.. Their next package (DSL) is €79 a month excluding VAT (€95 inc VAT) and is pretty good it seems.
Don't think you have to be a business to get it. Other than the cheapest option is UTV's which is €47.50 a month and has an 8Gb cap (reasonable pings for the moment too for gaming it seems).

I think IBB were talking about having a transmitter located in mountjoy square but I don't know if thats happened yet. I think the Ripwave product (no line of sight required) is only available near three rock it seems.

Not sure after that.

greys

Yep, it does look like I'll have to go with EsatBT residential. They seem to have 8Gb as well now, and they proved to have the best pings so far...

8Gb comes to 200mb a day after all, which might be enough, but I'm not sure.

machalla, can you please give me a link to all them netsource products? I've just had a look and didn't find this EUR95 service of theirs anywhere.

Thanks!

machalla

UTV are slightly cheaper and provide an 8GB download cap only. Uploads aren't counted as part of the cap. Not sure on pings but I believe they are reasonable. I intend to migrate over to them from Netsource at this point.

http://www.netsource.ie/html/access_solutions.html
SME Business package

I see the price there is €89 (not inc vat). I was told on the phone the other day that this was being dropped to €79 (not inc vat).

Hope thats some help.

muffen

I'm on Eircom 1MBit uncapped for 204 a month ... no problems at all.. DLed 20gigs last month according to the stats on the eircom page..

Its not the cheapest connection, but differently from crappy NetSource, it actually works in full speed always, and pingtimes are acceptable (under 70 to Jolt in UT2003).

I think this is the best connection you can get uncapped, although not the cheapest.. however, I do believe that with broadband right now, you get what you pay for. I tried the cheap way out for an uncapped line... it's called NetSource, and it blew up in my face bigtime (and I didn't DL as much when I had NetSource).

It would have been nice if they could turn off the interleaving... even though I don't have any bigger problems playing on this line. With interleaving off, I'd have pings of 30 or so.. and then I'd be unfraggable in UT2003 :)

bk

Originally posted by greys

I've heard some rumours that Esat BT had its business option available for EUR110 for everyone, but now I'm reading that it's still for business only.

Yes Esat have a business package for EUR110, but you canstill get it even if you are not a business, then can't prove it either way. Just tell them you are running a home office.

It is the best DSL product available with no cap, high speeds and the lowest pings. The only problem is that it is only available from 40 exchanges.

Ripwave

Originally posted by machalla
http://www.netsource.ie/html/access_solutions.html
SME Business package

I see the price there is €89 (not inc vat). I was told on the phone the other day that this was being dropped to €79 (not inc vat).

Eircom are currently running a limited time promotion of "free connection" for the Self install package, or €10/month off for the first year for the Engineer install. Netsource are just reselling this package, which is where the pricedrop occurs.

bk

Originally posted by Ripwave
Eircom are currently running a limited time promotion of "free connection" for the Self install package, or €10/month off for the first year for the Engineer install. Netsource are just reselling this package, which is where the pricedrop occurs.

That doesn't make sense, The Eircom promotion is on their RADSL service only, not the ADSL services.

Netsource e89 product is based on Eircom ADSL, so the reduction in the installatin in the RADSL product won't have any impact on it. THey must be getting the saving from somewhere else, or perhaps they are expecting a drop in Eircom's wholesale charges for ADSL soon (well overdue).

greys

Thanks for the advice, bk! I'll be running my home office then with EsatBT

As for the UTV - the download limit being limit for actual downloads only, not for outgoing traffic, makes perfect sense and sounds very attractive - I was worried that even simple operations like uploading tons of photos to my website would waste my precious traffic limit. Good news then, if it's not Esat, I'll go with UTV, cause I'm generally fed up with their dial-up service (line busy, slow connection at evenings, etc) - and I think that just being constantly online with ICQ and other IMs would make me happier, and 8gb would do for a start.

Does UTV have a 12-month contract like Esats do?

po0k

Is the Netsource SME connection subject to any form of throttling/capping?
30-35Gig a month is an acceptable soft-limit i think, not the ~12Gig they're looking for. UTV is 8gig and costs 33% less.

We were put on the heavy usage "line" around september, and managed to get back on our original "line" after one of the lads rang up netsource and asked them what the story was. He pressed them for a usgae figure and they said if we didn't go over 1gig a day we would be fine.
Last weekend we saw our speeds drop to ~3K/sec, about 5% of what we are paying for and what was advertised. After another phone call we were told that the traffic limit included upload aswell (which they neglected to mention in the first phone call) and that the next person down from us was using 12Gigs transfer.
I believe I have a case were I to bring it to the small claims court, and I intend to write letters of complaint to both the Ombudsman and ComReg. The service is not what was advertised, we were mislead in a phone conversation by a Netsource employee and the product/service is not fit for it's intended purpose.
For the last month we have been watching the download metres like hawks to ensure we didn't go over the gig a day average download. That is hardly using an "unlimited" service. One of the guys in the house (we're all students) uses it for work (webdev), transfers quite a bit between managing sites and browsing, and is no longer able to work properly from home. We all use the connection for various college-related things, downloading apps, software, lecture notes, presentations etc. (1 IT, 1 Science and 3 Elec. Eng. students). On top of that there are the usual patches, upgrades and browsing, SSH and mail access.
This has been made practically impossible by the imposition of a throttling system.
In the last month were able to get a good solid 54Kbyte/sec aggregate when needed and latency was quite small (~30ms) which was adequate for shell access, adminning of servers and a bit of light entertainment (gaming).
Now we are lucky to get sub-500ms pings and transfer rates are a pittiful and unsable 3K/sec, often timing out and regualrly plumentoing into the region of Bytes/sec.
This in unacceptable in a product which we are using in the context of which it was offered (Small Office/Home Office).
The account is in my name and therefore I am being billed.
I am one argument away from stopping the Direct Debit transfer and taking them to the small claims court.
Also, I wish to enquire as to why I was charged an installation fee (instead of the cost of basic administration and filters) when Eircom is obligded to upgrade or downgrade my line on request free of charge (the monthly line rental is supposed to cover this).
I, and any rational person, would see the addition of DSL capabilities to their line as an upgrade. €100 inc VAT was excessive for a self-install, and €200 is a joke.


One of the options (aside from UTV) that we are considering is EsatBT's Business package (512/256, €108 inc VAT pm, €158 inc VAT installation, 24:1 contention, interleaving turned off, no cap on transfers). It is not a resale of an eircom wholesale product, but uses Esat's own equipment in the exchange.
What I would like to know is why is the installation fee so high?
Must they plug my copper pair into a seperate DSLAM port? Are they going to run a seperate length of copper to my door for the DSL? if so, can I get rid of the Eircom line, or is the cost of line rental from eircom absorbed by Esat into the €108?
If not, why must I pay for eircom to upgrade/alter my line when I'm still paying rent and equipment charges on it?

machalla

UTV contract is a 3 months rolling contract by the way.

spongebob

Originally posted by SyxPak

I believe I have a case were I to bring it to the small claims court, and I intend to write letters of complaint to both the Ombudsman and ComReg.

Make sure you use the small claims court in Galway, as they won't show up you will win anyway

Don't forget compo for Arbitrary changes to T&C's with no warning, apart from the misuse of the word unlimited.

Name names in Court !

M

BKtje

I've heard some rumours that Esat BT had its business option available for EUR110 for everyone, but now I'm reading that it's still for business only.

As bk said they don't care wether your a business or not as long as you pay (will have to pay a deposit tho) and you will be classed as a sole trader. Only available from 40 exchanges (as bk also said).

think this is the best connection you can get uncapped, although not the cheapest..

Esat Business 1mb is cheaper, uncapped and better ping times.
(fairly sure eircom ADSL are still using full interleaving)

elexes

Originally posted by B-K-DzR
As bk said they don't care wether your a business or not as long as you pay (will have to pay a deposit tho) and you will be classed as a sole trader. Only available from 40 exchanges (as bk also said).

i rang them yesterday about this service only to be told it is not available . any ids ? ( i was transfered 6 times also but all the staff seemed to know what they were on about . was weird . the guy on the phone even went so far to give out about his team leader and the current advertising they have )

MrPinK

Ring EsatBT (1800 924 924) and not IOL

elexes

do they only offer the €110 service to dublin tho ?

BKtje

Yes but only some parts of Dublin. Ring the ESAT BT Business number and ask wether your exchange is one of the 40. If it is and your close enough to it then you'll be able to get it.

Haven't heard of anyone failing the Esat BT Business line test that was within the required range for ADSL. (which is less than that for radsl).

elexes

that would be the problom. im not in dublin

Ripwave

Originally posted by elexes
that would be the problom. im not in dublin

The 40 exchanges aren't all in Dublin. Look up the list on the ESAT website (I've posted the link at least twice this week - I couldn't be arsed looking it up again).

spongebob

http://www.esatbt.com/ie/products/access/dsl/index_Availability.html

Nice Colour Map of ESAT's own ADSL enabled exchanges, I wonder if Gombín is feeling Creative ?:)!

M

BKtje

Doh yer not all Dublin, mis reaad your post.
Apologies.

elexes

looks like they went round my county . anyways rang them up yesterday . they said somthn about having a intrest list for tullamore . looks like ill have to get a load of my friends to rind up and ask for it . wonder how many is needed for them up put up a exchange .


i think i may have to get a cap'd solution

ozmo

Originally posted by machalla
UTV contract is a 3 months rolling contract by the way.

Are you sure? Maybe the other services they provide - but I signed up with utv clicksilver in June - when they still couldnt get it working by end of August - I told them I was cancelling and accounts girl tried to bill me for 12 months @ 45 per month to get out of the contract!!

Got on to head CTO guy - really nice - refunded all money including installation charges. And I went with Netsource. Netsource got it all working in 8 days.
Probably should have stuck it out with Clicksilver though.

Downloads and Pings were a really really bad with NS until last week. Rang up NS with intention to cancel in protest of 200ms pings and 100K download speeds and (coinsidence? or NS fed up with complianing customers?) suddenly past few days have been absolutely super with fast downloads and pings never over 90.

(I'm a light downloader - maybe 3 or 4 gigs per month)

ozmo