Internet recommendations

Brow

What service would anyone recommend? I think we have imagine at the minute but im told the bill is massive which I cant understand. I thought with broadband you could have it on all the time and just pay a block sum despite how little or long you use it. Also if you exceed your download cap you pay more. Am I right with this?

Anyway, which companies provide a a service where you just pay and use as much as you like? Any mentions or prices would be appreciated.

aidan_walsh

Brow wrote:

which companies provide a a service where you just pay and use as much as you like?

Little to none. Pretty much no matter who you go with you will be subject to cap restrictions or fair use policy.

dub45

Brow wrote:

What service would anyone recommend? I think we have imagine at the minute but im told the bill is massive which I cant understand. I thought with broadband you could have it on all the time and just pay a block sum despite how little or long you use it. Also if you exceed your download cap you pay more. Am I right with this?

Anyway, which companies provide a a service where you just pay and use as much as you like? Any mentions or prices would be appreciated.

It would help if you gave more details - what sort of speeds do you want - do you want a phone line (or as you have one already do you want to get rid of it) etc etc. Smart have a pretty good deal if you happen to on one of their exchanges. While Eircom seem pretty liberal as regards downloads afaik.

Gadgetman496

Brow wrote:

What service would anyone recommend? I think we have imagine at the minute but im told the bill is massive which I cant understand. I thought with broadband you could have it on all the time and just pay a block sum despite how little or long you use it. Also if you exceed your download cap you pay more. Am I right with this?

Anyway, which companies provide a a service where you just pay and use as much as you like? Any mentions or prices would be appreciated.

Smart will give you 4 down & 256 up with no CAP & your line will not be contended, for 39.99 per month.

Basic Package includes 4Mbs
Faster upload speed of 256Kbps
€15.81 (incl. VAT) per month
Free equipment, including a 4-port router, two splitters, cables and a power supply
Free equipment delivery
No connection fee
No monthly download and upload limits
Self-installation
No contention or sharing of the line
Optional wireless modem for €140 (incl. VAT)
No extra phone line is required
You can talk on the telephone and surf the net without any interruption
Lo Call number for all technical queries.
Price excludes line rental of €24.18

spurious

In terms of what you get for your money, Smart is the best option - if you can get it.

JNive

the smart package above is incorrect, the price INCLUDES line rental, and for an extra fiver your speed is upped to 6mbps if your line handles it

Gadgetman496

JNive wrote:

the smart package above is incorrect, the price INCLUDES line rental

Read the post again JNive.
This time try to read all of it!

I take it you are capable of simple addition?

€15.81 + 24.18 = ?

-

watty

I think it is contentious to say Smart is the best option. It is mid price range, limited availability, prices need to go up if Smart Telecom are to make any money, the line rental cost is at mercy of eircom and comreg and is going up.

For most people the best option is actually being able to get BB at all. Cable may be better if you want the Digital TV line up of Chorus/NTL rather than Sky's.

Some wireless may be best if you don't want telephone line and are not worried about speed.

Metro is best if you want a phone line and no line rental. Very competitve with DSL and cheaper than Smart for Mid & basic pack. Option to change to one of three speeds up to 8Mbps. Few people on DSL are close enough to get DSL. I admit the top metro package is expensive. But this is because there is a real customer base and prices are based on costs, not artifically low to build a customer base.

watty

<Cue National anthem in background>
We need Universal Broadband* at about 20 to 30 Euro including phone service. Not limited availability close to a few exchanges for nearly 40 Euro. It's important for the commercial future of Ireland.
</fade out National anthem>

* Not satellite or HSDPA: Ping better than 50ms and speed up better than 150K and speed down 250K minimum

Gadgetman496

watty wrote:

I think it is contentious to say Smart is the best option. It is mid price range, limited availability, prices need to go up if Smart Telecom are to make any money, the line rental cost is at mercy of eircom and comreg and is going up.

For most people the best option is actually being able to get BB at all. Cable may be better if you want the Digital TV line up of Chorus/NTL rather than Sky's.

Some wireless may be best if you don't want telephone line and are not worried about speed.

Metro is best if you want a phone line and no line rental. Very competitve with DSL and cheaper than Smart for Mid & basic pack. Option to change to one of three speeds up to 8Mbps. Few people on DSL are close enough to get DSL. I admit the top metro package is expensive. But this is because there is a real customer base and prices are based on costs, not artifically low to build a customer base.

You mention many options there watty, but give concrete details on none.

Can you name one other provider who will give you 4 down, 256 up with no CAP & no contention for the same or less money then Smart?

dub45

watty wrote:

I think it is contentious to say Smart is the best option. It is mid price range, limited availability, prices need to go up if Smart Telecom are to make any money, the line rental cost is at mercy of eircom and comreg and is going up.

For most people the best option is actually being able to get BB at all. Cable may be better if you want the Digital TV line up of Chorus/NTL rather than Sky's.

Some wireless may be best if you don't want telephone line and are not worried about speed.

Metro is best if you want a phone line and no line rental. Very competitve with DSL and cheaper than Smart for Mid & basic pack. Option to change to one of three speeds up to 8Mbps. Few people on DSL are close enough to get DSL. I admit the top metro package is expensive. But this is because there is a real customer base and prices are based on costs, not artifically low to build a customer base.

Everyone's price is at the mercy of someone else! Not only Smart - every provider has inputs that can increase in price and if it is a weakness of Smart that their prices need to go up then surely Magnet have the same problem if their prices are even lower than Smarts? And Magnet are even more limited than Smart in their supply now.

fl4pj4ck

gadgetman496 wrote:

You mention many options there watty, but give concrete details on none.

Can you name one other provider who will give you 4 down, 256 up with no CAP & no contention for the same or less money then Smart?

magnet?

Gadgetman496

fl4pj4ck wrote:

magnet?

Not according to their Website?
http://www.magnet.ie/packages/index.shtml

Liam Byrne

watty wrote:

I think it is contentious to say Smart is the best option. It is mid price range, limited availability ..... the line rental cost is at mercy of eircom and comreg and is going up.

As is the case with Magnet, BT, UTV, etc, etc, is it not ?

Metro is best if you want a phone line and no line rental. Very competitve with DSL and cheaper than Smart for Mid & basic pack. Option to change to one of three speeds up to 8Mbps.

Hmmm....? Is that your turn to be a little contentious, Watty ? I just checked the DigiWeb website, and Metro's 3Mb is a mere €5 cheaper but has a quota and has a 36:1 contention ratio. So saying that it's "cheaper" isn't telling the whole story, since it's not as good as the available 4Mb from Smart.

True, if you can live with download quotas, slower speeds and contention, and just want to go with the cheapest option, fair enough - €19 isn't bad at all, and does put Smart into the "mid price range" if cost is your only criteria, but it's slower and has a 40:1 contention and has a cap.

You're right about people being so glad to get anything at all in our ****e infrastructure, and I would gladly have gone with 1Mb contended for €19 that here if Smart hadn't arrived in the area - hell, I was even with IBB's Ripwave - ahem "Broadband" for a few months :eek: - but given the original post which specifically mentioned quotas and limits, the Smart recommendation was very much accurate, being a very good balance between cost and speed.

If your criteria is cost - go with Metro Lite
If your criteria is a cost vs features - go with Smart 4Mb
If your criteria is speed - go with Smart Platinum for €75
If you need serious speed and cost isn't an option - go with Metro Xpress

stepbar

Not Clearwire or IBB anyhow...... Digiweb, for the first time in a 2 years Boards loads quicker than I can say "Clearwire and IBB are sh1te".
Been with both and they've been nothing but a crock of sh1te. Digiweb came this morning and in a hour had a box on the wall and broadband in the house. Very nice