gelf Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 ive finaly got fed up with my Tesco dial-up internet and go BB........unfortunatly tesco use a different type of BB than some of the others[well thats what they said on the phone] and our exchange isnt set up for it. so possible choices are Tiscali Yahoo....... any others?..... who would you recommend?......... i dont do alot of downloading..... but nice to watch videos on here without having to wait an hour. graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Sounds like bull to me, the only "different" types of broadband are SDSL (same speed both ways) which require an upgrade in the exchange, or if another company (usually Bulldog) actually put their equipment into BT's exchange. Seems unlikely Tesco Value Broadband would be using either of those - does the small print mention a supplier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gelf Posted February 4, 2006 Author Share Posted February 4, 2006 im sure the "kid" on the phone said something about they use "datastream...somthing or other"...... and they likes of Tiscali dont...... and thats why my neighbour has BB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MJG Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 ive finaly got fed up with my Tesco dial-up internet and go BB........unfortunatly tesco use a different type of BB than some of the others[well thats what they said on the phone] and our exchange isnt set up for it.so possible choices are Tiscali Yahoo....... any others?..... who would you recommend?......... i dont do alot of downloading..... but nice to watch videos on here without having to wait an hour. graham Hi Graham I'm not sure what you mean by a different type of BB - but I suspect if your local exchange is not set up for Tesco Broadband it will not be set up for the likes of Tiscali, Yahoo and even BT. I think (but am not sure) that Tesco BB rides on the back of NTL but I couldn't swear to this) To verify what is being said to you you can go on the web sites of any of the big BB players and enter your phone number to check exactly if thye can provide you with their service, I've just entered my number into the Tesco BB web site and got back a message that their service is not available to me due to high demand Are you in a cabled area??? I use NTL cable Broadband (not ASDL which is what I think they were trying to say on the phone) and have done for a couple of years now, and I am very happy NTL BB customer. Yes sometimes it falls over (very, very occasionally) but it's a damn sight more reliable than our work network/internet. Try entering your postcode on NTL Worlds site here:- http://www.ntl.com/ And they will bring up exactly what is (or is not) available to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Tiscali has been ok for me so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gelf Posted February 4, 2006 Author Share Posted February 4, 2006 CABLE!!!! where i live weve only just got running water our local exchange was upgraded last July and my next door neighbour is on Tsicali BB....... so wether Tesco are talking cobblers i dont know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gelf Posted February 4, 2006 Author Share Posted February 4, 2006 just been on Tiscali website........... cant have 1MB BB only 512k BB.........is it really worth the hassel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Well that seems VERY bull - you have several different flavours of Broadband: IPStream, DataStream and VideoStream. IPStream is what most people have, BT's equipment provides the physical connection between you and your ISP, and the PPP layer too. DataStream BT provide the bare minimum connection to your modem and back to your ISP. VideoStream is a delivery protocol for - guess what It's all served by the same piece of equipment, a DSLAM, in the exchange. I'm not aware of any types that won't do DataStream as it's just a "crippled" IPStream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Hi Graham I'm not sure what you mean by a different type of BB - but I suspect if your local exchange is not set up for Tesco Broadband it will not be set up for the likes of Tiscali, Yahoo and even BT. As I said in my last reply, there are IPStream and DataStream as the most common types, there's also SDSL which is the same speed both ways and does require some older DLSAMs to be upgraded. Most normal residential customers would not be buying SDSL though, and certainly not from Tesco. The exchange isn't "set up" for anyone - the DSLAM sits there providing the connection to the customers over their phone lines, all the data is then whisked away over a fibre into the big fluffy cloud known as ATM and then pops out at the ISP's kit for routing. If your next door neighbour has BB over a BT wire then there should be no reason you can't. Ignoring London there are only about 3 actual broadband providers: BT, NTL and Bulldog (via BT's cables usually). Everyone else buys broadband from BT and re-sells it to you. The speed limitations are usually down to distance from the exchange, most DSLAMs can hit 8Mb quite happily if you live next-door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MJG Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 just been on Tiscali website........... cant have 1MB BB only 512k BB.........is it really worth the hassel? FWIW I would say yes simply because of the 'always on' nature of BB and the ability to use the phone whilst on the Internet. I know I used to drive friends and rels. mad as they never could get hold of me when I had Dial up. NTL have recently upgraded us free to 1MB and it is more than fast enough for me (I don't do any dodgy music downloads or other types of 'heavy' usage). I'm sure that somebody will jump in and rubbish my crude analogy but I would think a connection half as fast as mine would have been adeqate - at least until the providers can give you something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MJG Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 The exchange isn't "set up" for anyone - Just to confirm - what I was getting at here was that I was refiring to was the fact that BT had to upgrade the equipment in all (certainly older) exchanges in order for them to be be able to cope with BB- did they not?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 I use Wanadoo 1mb BB [ADSL] since Sept 04, it's been very reliable & fast my main reason for changing was so I could have the phoneline free while surfing the intaweb I'm very happy with the service. Wanadoo BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Is it worth upgrading? Certainly. Once you have had broadband you will not want to look back. Try http://www.adslguide.org/ for some information - they offer reviews from customers regarding the different levels of customer service/reliablilty/speed from different suppliers. FWIW I use a cable service from Blueyonder. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Just to confirm - what I was getting at here was that I was refiring to was the fact that BT had to upgrade the equipment in all (certainly older) exchanges in order for them to be be able to cope with BB-did they not?????? Well they had to install ADSL in every exchange before anyone can have it. But, since Gelf stated his neighbour already has BB there would be no upgrading of the ADSL kit requried for him to get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MJG Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Well they had to install ADSL in every exchange before anyone can have it. But, since Gelf stated his neighbour already has BB there would be no upgrading of the ADSL kit requried for him to get it. Sorry to be pedantic but I didn't know his neighbour has BB when I posted my reply as Gelf's post (posted at 10.28 am) was posted whilst I was composing my reply (posted 10.33 am). What I was saying was that if his exchgange wasn't equipped to handle Tesco BB, then I don't (didn't) think it was equipped to handle any of the others. Of course now we know his neighbour has BB then yes of course there is no real reason why he shouldn't be able to have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjojjas Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 I use force 9. recommend them, not the cheapest but I have never had any problems and they were recommended by two IT mates who had been with them for 4/5 years. support is good but only via a web forum (such as this one) Jas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istruggle2gate11 Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 If you have a BT line, I would recomend Nildram , these guys are seriously good, we have used them at work for a good few years now, they have never been down! (to our knowledge). Best of all, their 2mb service is cheaper than ntl's 1mb service and they only request a 1 month contract - thats confidence for you! Also, it is true access, no restrictions are applied, without going into gory detail, many big names either monitor and/or restrict useage. Nildrams service has no cotton wool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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