National broadband (www.nbb.ie)

annieobrien8

Hi guys

I'm contemplating joining nbb but I'm slightly conecerned by having to take a phone service from them. I can't get any form of broadband other than satellite and my dial up is woeful! I've tried both Three and o2 modems, the three one refused to get reception (despite me having 2.5G reception on a Three phone and the o2 one is as slow as dial up and very unreliable. So, does anybody have broadband with nbb? If yes, are they good?

On a more general note, I tried ringing nbb but couldn't get answers to some of my questions. Could anyone answer these questions for me:

If my phoneline is through satellite broadband can I connect ordinary phones to it? And more importantly, can a Sky box be connected to it? (Sky insist on having a phone line connected to their boxes to ensure that they're being used in your own house!)

At €70 a month for nbb it would be too expensive to keep an eircom line too:(

Any help, advice, suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated!

bigpaddy2004

nbb use a standard ata unit which in turn has your ordinary telephone connected to it. I doubt very much it will allow a callback from your Sky box. I have experimented a lot of times and could never get it to work with an ordinary ata unit although some say they have.

annieobrien8

Thanks for that bigpaddy!

Do you know what causes the problem with the Sky callbacks? Did you ever find any solution, some way of adapting the signal or something??? I don't think I could switch to a phone service that wouldn't allow the callbacks:( We have Sky Multiroom and apparently Sky are extra insistent on having the callbacks when you're availing of multiroom. I've heard that if they do too many failed callbacks they start sending threatening letters!

bigpaddy2004

annieobrien8 wrote: »

Thanks for that bigpaddy!

Do you know what causes the problem with the Sky callbacks? Did you ever find any solution, some way of adapting the signal or something??? I don't think I could switch to a phone service that wouldn't allow the callbacks:( We have Sky Multiroom and apparently Sky are extra insistent on having the callbacks when you're availing of multiroom. I've heard that if they do too many failed callbacks they start sending threatening letters!

Im not 100% sure on the reason, but im sure Watty will be along any time now to fill you in on what the cause of it is.

There is one guy on these forums whom is using a Linksys wrt54g wireless router with built-in voip ata unit and swears he can do call backs with no problems.

watty

You need an ATA that switches from high compression voice Codec to using uncompressed G.711. You also need ISP implemented QOS as more than a small packet loss or jitter makes Fax or analogue modem connections fail.

It won't work over a satellite link and rarely on DSL. It can work on UPC Cable, Digiweb Metro or Smart/Magnet fibre if everything is 100% correct.

Voice uses about 12kbps and if you get drop outs / distortion occasionally, you can still talk. A Digibox or data modem or Fax needs 100kbps and doesn't work if any digital distortion / drop out, more severe problem than analogue noise on a phone line.

While VOIP technically works on Satellite, the latency is nearly 1 second, and thus it is a strange experience, almost like two way radio. This is why other satellite operators don't promote VOIP, though they can provide it.

You'd not use 3rd party VOIP like Blueface easily or well, it needs to be the VOIP supplied by SES-Astrs'a Astra2Connect service to achieve the best performance.

annieobrien8

Thanks guys. Oh dear, it looks like I'll have to keep my dial up (which I think might be even slower than most dial up connections)!:mad: Presume nobody knows of anyone supplying satellite broadband without a phone service that isn't a total rip off??

watty

Satellite bandwidth is expensive, so good Satellite two services tend to start around the €99 a month. Compared with eircom's cost and their charges, it's not actually a rip off. Just expensive.

The much cheaper €26 line rental by any European standard is a rip off. It should be 1/2th to 1/3rd

biologikal

Did you dump the O2 modem? I have it myself, and thought it was rubbish too at first, but found that it was connecting using EDGE by default, not the faster HSDPA. I changed the settings to use "HSDPA preferred", and the speeds are more than good enough for what I need (e-mail, general browsing, the odd YouTube).

annieobrien8

Just packaged it up today! As far as i can recall though it was always set on HSDPA preferred. I just don't have the reception that the modem needs:(

vibe666

i don't suppose there's a socket for an external aerial on it is there? i know that you can get external aerials for 3G modems, but it would depend on if there's anywhere to plug it in. I'm sure if it made the difference for you it would be worth sticking something on your chimney and running the cable?

robbie checker

I am currently bringing a small claims court against Cross Country Broadband Limited as they owe me nearly €500 and to date have not repaid me. I paid for an installation and one month in advance by credit card in January 2007. They also took another 7 months from my credit card last August. I had still received no installation as on two occassions, they were unable to receive a signal. I have been trying since last September to obtain a refund. Cross Country Broadband Limited is now strike off listed per the Companies Office and they are directing their business to National Broadband Limited per the Cross Country Broadband website. One of the directors of Cross Country Broadband Limited is also a director of National Broadband Limited and another director of Cross Country Broadband Limited is "involved" with National Broadband Limited as I have spoken to him there, although he is not a director per company office records. I would strongly advise anyone to have nothing to do with either company due to my experience with Cross Country Broadband Limited.

biologikal

vibe666 wrote: »

i don't suppose there's a socket for an external aerial on it is there? i know that you can get external aerials for 3G modems, but it would depend on if there's anywhere to plug it in. I'm sure if it made the difference for you it would be worth sticking something on your chimney and running the cable?

There's nothing to plug into my modem (except USB cable and SIM), but I found that if I use two standard length USB cables, in addition to the supplied short cable, and leave it sitting on the window, I can get a signal from O2. If I use just the short cable, I get no O2 signal at all. It's probably just a bad place where I have the PC situated, I don't expect that the long cabling from PC to modem is acting as an antenna (or is it?).

vibe666

no, probably just moving it helped.

I find that moving my phone a few inches or turning it in a different direction when using it to browse the web using 3G/HSDPA can make the difference in poorer signal areas. do a bit more experimenting, maybe get another longer cable and see what helps and what doesn't.

maybe even see about taping it to the window higher up or something, see if that works any better.

biologikal

Yes, I thought so. I'm looking to get a 3 meter USB cable, and in the meantime, get a few more regular length cables and see if I can max out the signal in the room I have the PC in. Is there any limit in the length of cable that can be used with a USB device?

TouchingVirus

I believe the limit is 5 meters. I tape the one I use at home up on the window

annieobrien8

wow, thats awful about cross country broadband! i had actually noticed the link between them and nbb because when I clicked to email Cross Country Broadband the address came up as sales@nbb.ie How have they been justifying not giving you a refund? It's quite worrying that the only person I've heard of that joined ccb/nbb has to take them to court!

robbie checker

They just keep telling me that they are going to refund me. Last September, they told me that it would take 10 days to process the transaction by credit card refund, this they told me again a few weeks later. I then sent a letter to the address on the website in Citywest which came back as "gone away". I then got in touch with the Consumer Association and Comreg but they are not able to do anything as Cross Country Broadband does not return their calls. When I noticed the link between Cross Country Broadband and National Broadband, I phone National Broadband and asked for the directors by name. I first asked for the one which is director of both companies (not the one I had been dealing with). He told me that Cross Country Broadband was the other directors company and nothing to do with him. He told me he would get the other director to contact me. HE DID NOT. I then phoned National Broadband again a few weeks later and asked to speak to the director of Cross Country Broadband who I had been dealing with. Hey presto he was there and spun me some story about processing a refund for someone else in Offaly and someone else must have received my refund. He then asked for my credit card number again but I refused to give it to him as he might try charging me again. I asked for a cheque refund and he promised me I would have it by 17th MArch - I'm still waiting for it.

richie.c

biologikal wrote: »

Yes, I thought so. I'm looking to get a 3 meter USB cable, and in the meantime, get a few more regular length cables and see if I can max out the signal in the room I have the PC in. Is there any limit in the length of cable that can be used with a USB device?

5 meteres is the maximum length but there is a way around it. I use 2 5 meter repeater cables and a 1meter cable with a powered usb hub at either end and it works fine. I have this connected to my desktop and then share the internet connection with my laptop using ccproxy. That way I can use the internet anywhere in the house. A bit messy but it works.

vibe666

nice one richie, very macgyvery of you!