Living without Broadband

TheCoolWay

I don't have broadband in my house due to my parents insistence that it is a luxury service to have.

We had it a few years ago but they cut it off...

I am currently posting this via setting up a Wifi hotspot (flaky coverage where I live) which sometimes can take up to half an hour to find any sort of coverage for browsing (downloading = no no).

Just wondering if there are many people out there who do not have broadband access in their homes and how you deal with the awkward moment when a visitor asks for your Wifi passsword...

P.S. I cannot afford to move out of home but working towards it :pac:

Sheldons Brain

Offer to pay for a proper broadband service?

TheCoolWay

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

Offer to pay for a proper broadband service?

I did pay when we had :mad:

Johnboy1951

Persuade your parents to get it back with you paying the difference?
Get a second line for broadband only?

degsie

Your parents are not very forward thinking imo. More and more commerce/government/service providers (gas,electricity etc) are moving to an online presence as a primary way to interact. Think of the decrease in hassle not having to travel to pay bills or book tickets. This is the 21st century and some ppl have to be pulled (kicking and screaming) into it! My 2c's.

TheCoolWay

degsie wrote: »

Your parents are not very forward thinking imo. More and more commerce/government/service providers (gas,electricity etc) are moving to an online presence as a primary way to interact. Think of the decrease in hassle not having to travel to pay bills or book tickets. This is the 21st century and some ppl have to be pulled (kicking and screaming) into it! My 2c's.

Ya but some people are stupid

MarkAnthony

Can you not be a big boy and get yourself a pay and go dongle?

beyondbelief67

I've only had phone data for the past few months, it took some getting used to no broadband or WiFi at first but now, yes there are times it comes in useful but it is possible to do without, even my teenage son has got used to not having it lol

mass_debater

We save ourselves lots of money by having broadband, pays for itself

TheCoolWay

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Can you not be a big boy and get yourself a pay and go dongle?

Refer to my OP

MarkAnthony

TheCoolWay wrote: »

Refer to my OP

Apologies, however a wifi hotspot is not a 3G/4G connection. Do you mean there is no 3G/4G connection in your area?

jimmycrackcorm

TheCoolWay wrote:

I don't have broadband in my house due to my parents insistence that it is a luxury service to have.

Do they have TV because a TV is a luxury service.

TheCoolWay

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Apologies, however a wifi hotspot is not a 3G/4G connection. Do you mean there is no 3G/4G connection in your area?

3G but fluctuates loads on a daily basis. Comes and goes as it pleases

TheCoolWay

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Do they have TV because a TV is a luxury service.

LOL. Yes just about

MarkAnthony

TheCoolWay wrote: »

3G but fluctuates loads on a daily basis. Comes and goes as it pleases

There are other options, I take it you're quite rural? Is there a local scheme, have you tried other providers?

ElChe32

Surely this equates to a breach of human rights. The poor lad can't even get a daaaycent connection to watch nudey flicks online.

TheCoolWay

ElChe32 wrote: »

Surely this equates to a breach of human rights. The poor lad can't even get a daaaycent connection to watch nudey flicks online.

That's why I call your mother

TheCoolWay

MarkAnthony wrote: »

There are other options, I take it you're quite rural? Is there a local scheme, have you tried other providers?

Coverage is meh for all providers. Quite rural I guess! Hence why my pickle

bugfreebob

TheCoolWay wrote: »

LOL. Yes just about

I bet you could make the same or more savings in one of the following ways!

(1) If they have basic Pay-TV (Sky or UPC), then they are likely paying a minimum of €30 per month for channels that are available free-to-air if you put up your own dish and antenna. Offer to buy them a free-to-air set-top-box and the antennas - once off cost and never pay another penny for basic IRL & UK channels. Suggest that the savings can be used to pay for Broadband.

(2) Change all the mobiles in the house to e-Mobile, and go for an eircom Broadband bundle with e-Mobile. Can't be sure without knowing which networks you are on - but most likely you will all make savings vs your current mobile providers. If they already have a landline, the additional cost of Broadband is likely to be only around €15 per month. If you save €5 per month by switching 3 mobiles to eMobile, then you have paid for the Broadband! You'll probably save more.

(3) Add other savings that you can make with Broadband. Stop buying printed Newspapers, TV Guide, avoid postage stamps by using email, Buy e-Books instead of paper books, Make Skype calls instead of international calls, Change all utility bills to e-Billing - most providers offer a discount for this.

If you don't get anywhere with your parents on the above savings options, I would recommend you try putting an external antenna outside the house to maximise your 3G/4G signal and install a router to take the dongle. This makes a huge difference if your mobile signal is weak, and it will give you Wi-Fi through the house.

TheDriver

I have visions of salted meat hanging up in the pantry to avoid buying a fridge............

TheCoolWay

TheDriver wrote: »

I have visions of salted meat hanging up in the pantry to avoid buying a fridge............

Or wearing a hoodie to bed to avoid turning the heating on

mass_debater

I'm picturing Charlie and his grandparents in Willie Wonka

ED E

So I guess its safe to assume you're from Cavan OP?

degsie

This be them...

TheCoolWay

I live about 11 miles from the main street of a city so not in Cavan!

syklops

TheCoolWay wrote: »

I live about 11 miles from the main street of a city so not in Cavan!

How old are you?

Assuming you are old enough to have a broadband account in your name you have one of two courses of action:

#1 Ma/Da, Ive ordered broadband. It costs 30 euros a month. Im paying for it. End of.
Ma/Da: But broadband is a luxury!
You: So is me being nice to you.

#2 Get it, go paperless billing, hide the router and get on with your life.

BeerWolf

OP part of the Amish community?

bugfreebob

TheCoolWay wrote: »

I don't have broadband in my house due to my parents insistence that it is a luxury service to have.

We had it a few years ago but they cut it off...

In fairness, I am sure you are not alone, and lots of families were probably forced to cut back on bills through the last few years of recession.

In particular, the price of the bundled Satellite & Cable TV offerings have sky-rocketed in recent years, which is particularly unjustifiable given that most TV channels are now available free-to-air. Cable TV in Dublin used to cost £9 per month in 2001, and it is now circa €30 for the basic channels from UPC or Sky. During the same period, Phone & Broadband charges fell drastically - so it is TV that is causing the bill problem for most people - not Broadband. The best bundles are Broadband & Mobile, not Broadband & TV.

Your parents probably just need convincing that Broadband will actually result in savings for them. This news article last week pointed out some of the savings that can be made by selecting offers that are only available on-line and going for e-billing from utilities and bank statements.

http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/latest-news/customers-fleeced-by-utility-firms-for-not-paying-bills-online-31078907.html

Stavro Mueller

For some people, yes broadband is a luxury. Especially if they're the type who can barely use a computer and reluctantly check their email once a week. €40-€50 a month is a lot of money if you're not getting the value out of it. Maybe it makes more sense for them not to have broadband but to approach someone who does on the rare occasions that they'd need to buy something on-line.

There has to be a reason why they got rid of the broadband in the first place. The most obvious question is money. Are finances tight? Another thought that has come into my head is that they felt you were spending too much time on the computer. Realistically you're on a hiding to nothing unless you can swing something like that e-mobile suggestion. The downside of broadband is that you're usually tied into a contract and you're planning on moving out anyway.

syklops

Stavro Mueller wrote: »

For some people, yes broadband is a luxury. Especially if they're the type who can barely use a computer and reluctantly check their email once a week. €40-€50 a month is a lot of money if you're not getting the value out of it. Maybe it makes more sense for them not to have broadband but to approach someone who does on the rare occasions that they'd need to buy something on-line.

This is all well and good but the OP had broadband before, and he was paying for it himself. If he can still afford to do so, then its not costing the parents one red cent.

Broadband is a luxury to some. To me, its more important than heating. Its maybe not quite as important to the OP, but its still important to him.

Stavro Mueller

I'm not disagreeing with you. I wrote the post through the eyes of his parents. I know people who've gotten rid of their landlines and their broadband and used a dongle instead. To them, paying for a landline they never use just because of broadband they hardly use doesn't make sense to some people.
If it happened to me I'd go mad but then again my parents were never the sort who steamrolled over me when it came to decisions like this. I consider access to broadband a dealbreaker when it comes to renting or buying a house and I feel for people who can't get it. In the case of the OP though, he's living under his parent's roof and it's their rules. If he was paying for it and it wasn't affecting their lives one way or the other, why they went to the trouble of cancelling it is beyond me. I can only think they were making some sort of statement.

rainemac

Maybe they are trying to make him move out by
A) not allowing broadband in the house
not allowing op to pay for broadband so as op might save money to move out

hfallada

Stavro Mueller wrote: »

For some people, yes broadband is a luxury. Especially if they're the type who can barely use a computer and reluctantly check their email once a week. €40-€50 a month is a lot of money if you're not getting the value out of it. Maybe it makes more sense for them not to have broadband but to approach someone who does on the rare occasions that they'd need to buy something on-line.

There has to be a reason why they got rid of the broadband in the first place. The most obvious question is money. Are finances tight? Another thought that has come into my head is that they felt you were spending too much time on the computer. Realistically you're on a hiding to nothing unless you can swing something like that e-mobile suggestion. The downside of broadband is that you're usually tied into a contract and you're planning on moving out anyway.

I have 120mb Broadband & phone with UPC for €30 per month for 12 months. I dont know much I save being able to google prices for things, buying online, researching products for quality. I save hundreds of Euro each year by having internet.

Stavro Mueller

hfallada wrote: »

I have 120mb Broadband & phone with UPC for €30 per month for 12 months. I dont know much I save being able to google prices for things, buying online, researching products for quality. I save hundreds of Euro each year by having internet.

I'm not arguing with you on that. I'd go insane if I didn't have broadband myself. I wrote the post looking at the issue through the eyes of someone who doesn't use the internet in the way we do .

Stavro Mueller

I've a good friend who had a landline and broadband in her house. She has a laptop she checks her email on intermittently and that's about as far as she ever engages with the internet. Well, apart from booking the odd flight. Mostly the laptop stays in the bag. I called around to visit about two years ago and she announced delightedly that she'd gotten rid of the landline and was just going to use her mobile. She goes on every now and then about how much money she has saved since the phone went out of the house and how she has no regrets. If I had known she was planning to pull the plug I'd have helped her find a better deal because I hate those dongles. It's not something I would do in a million years but then I view the internet and broadband in a different way to how she does. What I am trying to say in this thread is that I can see the issue from the other side. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. Just that there is a logic to the OP's parent's thinking.

Anyway OP, I don't know what else you can do. The rules are the rules. Move out asap.

hfallada

Stavro Mueller wrote: »

I'm not arguing with you on that. I'd go insane if I didn't have broadband myself. I wrote the post looking at the issue through the eyes of someone who doesn't use the internet in the way we do .

I know but OP is paying for it. I dont know why his parents care whether or not he has it. Like €30 per month is the price of 3 packets of cigarettes. I cant understand how some Irish see no issue spending a few hundred a month on cigarettes. But yet buying broadband or good quality clothes is a waste.

OP I would order the broadband and not tell them. Hid the modern and they wont notice its there. Even my 85 year old grandparents understand that internet is necessary and not a luxury

Stavro Mueller

Yes but what when the OP moves out? Will he continue to pay for the broadband for the duration of the contract? If he's trying to save up to move out, I'm assuming money's tight and his job's not too well paid. Having said that, the paperless billing/sneaking in the modem part might work What I can't understand is (a) why his parents went ahead and cut it off even though he was paying for it and (b) why they won't allow it back in even if it's not going to cost them a cent. Something doesn't add up. Even with the Amish angle/