Any good ISP's out there? (No eircom, please!)

newmark401 · 05-02-2009 2:29pm #1

Right, I've just returned to Ireland after living abroad for three years. Before I left, I had bt broadband, but had to use a landline (provided by eircom, of course). What I would like now is not to have to use a landline or eircom (same thing?). I would also like a connection speed of at least 100Mps and an unlimited downloading capacity. Am I asking too much?

Mark

jor el · 05-02-2009 3:15pm

newmark401 wrote: »

I would also like a connection speed of at least 100Mps and an unlimited downloading capacity. Am I asking too much?

Please tell me that's a typo. The best you'll get is about 20Mbps on NTL/UPC. BT have some (about a dozen) exchanges with up to 24Mbps available, but in practice you'd probably only get about 10M. Smart have quite a few exchanges done, and there's is unlimited. Speeds are up to about 20M too, but again, it's DSL so line quality and distance will limit you.

Cabaal · 05-02-2009 3:28pm

I'd imagine you meant 10MB with unlimited..because 100MB just ain't going to happen for you unless you get leased and as for 10MB adsl you won't get it unless your in a LLU or cable area otherwise forget about it.

Unless your getting fully unbundled LLU you'll need an eircom line for any other ADSL and you'll need to continue paying eircom line rental.

If your limited to Eircom Bitstream resellers then forget about 10MB and truly unlimited as no such product exists unless your going down lease line path in which case be prepared to take out a loan

Magnet: Rory · 05-02-2009 8:01pm

newmark401 wrote: »

Right, I've just returned to Ireland after living abroad for three years. Before I left, I had bt broadband, but had to use a landline (provided by eircom, of course). What I would like now is not to have to use a landline or eircom (same thing?). I would also like a connection speed of at least 100Mps and an unlimited downloading capacity. Am I asking too much?

Mark

You need to move to a Fiber To The Home (FTTH) development (there are 37). Magnet are offering 50Mb in these areas with no download limit.

JohnnieM · 05-02-2009 10:35pm

newmark401 wrote: »

Am I asking too much?

Mark

yes...:D

Where are you located?

newmark401 · 06-02-2009 4:51pm

I'm living in Townsend Street, just before Pearse Street, in Dublin 2. Is that a good area for coverage?

Magnet: Rory · 06-02-2009 5:39pm

newmark401 wrote: »

I'm living in Townsend Street, just before Pearse Street, in Dublin 2. Is that a good area for coverage?

Magnet are available on ADSL2+, up to 24mb.

newmark401 · 06-02-2009 5:50pm

I notice that the previous occupiers of the apartment I've just moved into had a landline, but they didn't use, although they did use the internet. There is a sort of ntl modem with a "card" in it on the mantlepiece. Does this mean that I won't need to use the landline if I want to get the internet?

Magnet: Rory · 06-02-2009 6:04pm

newmark401 wrote: »

I notice that the previous occupiers of the apartment I've just moved into had a landline, but they didn't use, although they did use the internet. There is a sort of ntl modem with a "card" in it on the mantlepiece. Does this mean that I won't need to use the landline if I want to get the internet?

The modem with a card in it sounds like a set top box (TV)......are you sure its a modem?

ionix5891 · 06-02-2009 6:44pm

newmark401 wrote: »

I notice that the previous occupiers of the apartment I've just moved into had a landline, but they didn't use, although they did use the internet. There is a sort of ntl modem with a "card" in it on the mantlepiece. Does this mean that I won't need to use the landline if I want to get the internet?

that means more than likely you can get NTL/UPC

go for it

no need to much around phones and linerental and UPC are best of the bad bunch we have here in Ireland

Magnet: Rory · 06-02-2009 6:54pm

ionix5891 wrote: »

that means more than likely you can get NTL/UPC go for it

no need to much around phones and linerental and UPC are best of the bad bunch we have here in Ireland

Ehhhh....no, that’s not true...just because they can get digital TV does not mean they can automatically get NTL broadband. On the other count...even if they can get UPC that does not mean that UPC is the right option. What if the customer cares about low contention...what if the customer cares about customer service?

Aside from all this UPC is a reasonably good service but they are not the "best of a bad bunch". This customer can get both Magnet and Smart just for starters, I for one would encourage him to look into all services available.

ionix5891 · 06-02-2009 6:58pm

Rorser wrote: »

Ehhhh....no, that’s not true...just because they can get digital TV does not mean they can automatically get NTL broadband. On the other count...even if they can get UPC that does not mean that UPC is the right option. What if the customer cares about low contention...what if the customer cares about customer service?

Aside from all this UPC is a reasonably good service but they are not the "best of a bad bunch". This customer can get both Magnet and Smart just for starters, I for one would encourage him to look into all services available.

more than likely

each to their own, he should be happy he has a choice, alot of people dont in this country

Magnet: Rory · 06-02-2009 7:02pm

ionix5891 wrote: »

more than likely

each to their own, he should be happy he has a choice, alot of people dont in this country

No....I have to reject that (I don’t want to get into a big long one about this), different customers have different needs and in many areas there are services which are superior to UPC (especially in the city centre).

You are right on the choice issue....10% of the country have nothing at all to go with.

newmark401 · 06-02-2009 7:39pm

No, I'm not sure it's a modem, the box with a card in it on the mantlepiece. But it looks like a modem. I'll have to look further into it. Would I need a landline with Smart or Magnet?

Magnet: Rory · 06-02-2009 7:43pm

newmark401 wrote: »

No, I'm not sure it's a modem, the box with a card in it on the mantlepiece. But it looks like a modem. I'll have to look further into it. Would I need a landline with Smart or Magnet?

If the previous people had landline broadband i would suspect that it is a TV set top box. Both Smart and Magnet would need a landline, it can be a simple process, you need the landline number and the account number from Eircom.

newmark401 · 06-02-2009 8:13pm

As far as I'm aware the previous people didn't use the landline, although they probably had the internet. I'm hoping that the UPC service is good quality because I work for home and use the internet for my work. However, I see that UPC or ntl are not very keen on overuse, which is silly of them really...

DingDong · 06-02-2009 8:33pm

If you work from home and upc is available to you, One of the SME products from upc might be the right choice for you Link

newmark401 · 07-02-2009 5:12pm

That offer for SME's from UPC sounds interesting. It doesn't look as if I would need a landline either. Is it me or has ntl become UPC, or are they separate companies?

ionix5891 · 07-02-2009 5:14pm

chorus/ntl are part of upc europe

Dasilva94 · 07-02-2009 6:35pm

Surely UPC/NTL despite however good they are, can only be accessed by a fairly small minority of the country. i.e. those cabled up.

As far as I know, only BT, Smart and Magnet are the only countrywide choice for people without cable who want to get 20+ Mbps.

So of those three which would be the best?

p.s. I remember talk last summer of Eircom upgrading some of their exchanges to ADSL2+. Has anything come of that?

Marlow · 07-02-2009 8:56pm

Dasilva94 wrote: »

p.s. I remember talk last summer of Eircom upgrading some of their exchanges to ADSL2+. Has anything come of that?

Yes. Several exchanges are ADSL2+ now. Basically all the ones, where you can get 8m and 12m packages. The ones with 7.6 (or is it 7.2 mbit) are ADSL1 and will cause you issues on latency because of high interleaving.

Ennis for one is ADSL2+, Loughrea and Gort for example are not and are not going to be upgraded in the near time.

If you want to know, if your exchange is ADSL2+ or ADSL1, you can always dump the press office a mail. They usually tell you.

An exchange being ADSL2+ doesn't mean that the service is better, at least with eircom.

/Martin

jor el · 08-02-2009 2:23am

Dasilva94 wrote: »

Surely UPC/NTL despite however good they are, can only be accessed by a fairly small minority of the country. i.e. those cabled up.

At the last census, UPC had a cable service to just under 1/3 of the households in the country. How many of those are broadband enabled was not mentioned, but it's a good bet that less than 1/3 of households can get UPC cable broadband. My guess would be about 20-25% of total households.

Dasilva94 · 08-02-2009 2:40am

Okay I was wrong on the the amount of cabling. I'd never have guessed it was that high.

But as regards Magnet and Smart; what would the consensus be as to which is better service for getting ADSL2+ 24Mbps?

k123flynn666 · 08-02-2009 2:45am

wat is the best mobile broadband???

Marlow · 08-02-2009 10:20am

k123flynn666 wrote: »

wat is the best mobile broadband???

"Mobile broadband" is not broadband and this question belongs in the "midband" category. Please start a new thread there. Thank you.

/Martin

Any good ISP's out there? (No eircom, please!)

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