NTL vs Smart in Dolphin Barn

MrPunch

Title says it all really. I've been on Eircom Homeplus for the last 18 months, and now as I'm renewing my lease I want to switch. So which is the better option?

NTL 2MB @ €35 per month or
SMART telecom @ €35 per month

The current landline is never used to make calls (and thus the eircom line rental is the killer ), and the only possible use is the appartment complex gate intercom which rings the landline.

Changing to smart means a new number and the management company charges €90 to switch the number the intercom dials! With NTL there's the convenience of a single package (but the penalty of running CAT5 about the flat). With smart on the other hand I could use my existing router / wiring setup quite easily.

decisions, decisions.
Any advice?

john

juliuspret

NTL...its as simple as that....from reading you paragraph above I get the feeling it is the better option gor you.

CAT5e is dirt cheap if you know where to look for it and can be easily hidden.

chorus techy

Defo NTL - their broadband is excellent, and they are usually pretty quick about setting it up. Pity they don't do my road, because I would get it if I could (they do ALL the roads around me, EXCEPT my one :rolleyes:)

beller b

chorus techy wrote:

Defo NTL - their broadband is excellent, and they are usually pretty quick about setting it up. Pity they don't do my road, because I would get it if I could (they do ALL the roads around me, EXCEPT my one :rolleyes:)

Deffo NTL ...With Smart you could be waiting till Christmas they way they are going....

chorus techy

beller b wrote:

Deffo NTL ...With Smart you could be waiting till Christmas they way they are going....

Tell me about it! I'm wondering will there evercome a day when I will actually be connected.

beller b

chorus techy wrote:

Tell me about it! I'm wondering will there evercome a day when I will actually be connected.

I got sick of them...Rang BT & had a modem & connected within 9 days....Smart can't even do that after they manage to ship the modem.!!!

bk

NTL will have you up and running within 2 weeks. Smart could take months.

Also a few other things to take into account:

1) They will give you the 3m/300k service free for 3 months. They are a bit like a drug dealer in this way, they want to get you hooked on the good stuff

2) NTL will give you your Analogue TV service free for 12 months (worth €20 per month).

3) The NTL 2m service is 200k down compared to 128k down with Smart.

4) At any time, if you find 2m/3m is too much for you, you can downgrade to 1m @ €25 or upgrade to 3m @ €45, that is more flexibility.

5) Unless you live in D15, then the NTL service is very stable (I haven't noticed any downtime yet) and the ping times are now excellent.

6) I'm shocked to say, but now NTL's customer support is NOW excellent.

7) NTL engineers read this forum and actually respond and fix problems reported on this board (for instance they have recently fixed the peering in INEX problem

paulm17781

How does the intercom work? Could you get NTL & Blueface and get your number ported to Blueface and cancel the landline?

MrPunch

When you buzz the flat from the intercom at the main gate of the apartment complex it dials the telephone line of the apartment - you pick up and press 5 and the main gate opens. There's then a separate buzzer/intercom system at the door of each particular block.

When we moved into this place the previous tennants took the old phone number with them. Cue hilarity as people try to buzz the apartment late at night and end up making a call to the otherside of the city Trapsing up and down the stairs to let people in eventually got boring and we got the number changed it dialled changed to the current one (for €90), though we survived five months without...

It looks like NTL might be the way to go - I'd forgotten the 3 months free which is probably the swing vote. With the products so close in spec, (and with Smart ringing me once a week to switch over) it was hard to choose between them. The only problem now is that I could have had NTL 8 months ago, when the previous (short) lease began (didn't think I would be there for twelve months to cover the contract)

Thanks for the advice all.
john

paulm17781

You could get an account with Blueface and port your number over and then cancel the landline. That way you could get rid of line rental too.

Raoul Duke

MrPunch wrote:

Title says it all really. I've been on Eircom Homeplus for the last 18 months, and now as I'm renewing my lease I want to switch. So which is the better option?

Are you sure NTL is available there? If so, where is this as I must be very close to you and NTL isn't available here.

MrPunch

paulm17781: NTL broadband is a cable service not ADSL. It all comes in over the television socket so I'll be cancelling the landline (and its rental) completely.

Raoul Duke: It's definitely available here (just beside christchurch). NTL were ringing us about it eight months ago, and we've confirmed wiht them a few days ago.

john

Raoul Duke

MrPunch wrote:

Raoul Duke: It's definitely available here (just beside christchurch). NTL were ringing us about it eight months ago, and we've confirmed wiht them a few days ago.

john

Oh! You just meant getting Smart fom the Dolphins Barn Exchange as opposed to getting NTL in Dolphins Barn, which is where I live. I thought it was available nearby, goddamn you!

paulm17781

I know. Blueface is VOIP so you can keep your number and have all calls routed via internet.

http://www.blueface.ie