Digiweb Metro best option in Baldoyle, D13?

ari101

Hey,

Just wondering if anyone can confirm my suspicions...

I can't get NTL despite what their website says about my area (*grrrrr) and am unwilling to get a phone line in but need broadband.

I want reliability, acceptable d/l speed and decent cap.

Based on this I think Vodafone, O2 and Meteor offer too little cap,
Irish Broadband's Ripwave is too slow.
I was considering 3 because of the price (€9+12(€19.99) but I've since heard issues with the reliability/contention/selected sites not loading etc. so I'm changing my mind.

Which only leaves Metro Value from Digiweb (As I will be footing the bill on my own I can't afford any higher package, this even is more than the planned budget of €32 for NTL). Can anyone offer advise as to whether they think I'm making the right choice, considering I will not be doing any hard core gaming, and only downloading the odd bit of music/tv/film and streaming tv and uploading a few pics. Other than that I'm a surfing, banking, social networking type, who plays the odd *girlie* java platform game!

Help? and Thanks!

Sarah-J.

jor el

Metro Value's cap is 20GB, and is strictly enforced. So if you're worried about the cap, this is worth considering.

Apart from that, it's probably your best bet.

watty

Vodafone, O2 and Meteor and 3 are the Mobile phone variant of IBB/Imagine Ripwave. Similar performance and issues as all are CDMA based.

However unlike Mobile, you don't get charged €50 a gigabyte, for over cap on Digiweb, it's just slowed till you are 80% of Cap on the rolling 30 day total.

ari101

Thanks for the advice,

I think I'm going to sign up for the Digiweb Metro Value

Wish me luck!

Magnet: Rory

Magnet are in Baldoyle off the Coolock/Sutton exchange.

No cap and very reliable.

Be advised, you do need a line and it is a little more expensive.

http://magnetentertainment.ie/products/llu/index.htm

watty

It's time DSL providers are more transparent on Pricing. You have to click to detail to discover it isn't €29.99

10 Mbps Broadband *
Phone service included

€29.99 per month

10Mbps broadband €29.99 this includes a phone service but excludes line rental of €25.36.

http://magnetentertainment.ie/products/llu/10.htm

I know you offer an excellent service.

But phone line usage has dropped from 82% to 66% with 1/3rd of those "welfare" aided.

DSL prices IMO, should always show current line rental up front. Maybe then Comreg and eircom would be shamed to do something about the most expensive line rental in the world for one of the highest rates of Line faults in a developed Country. Digiweb and UPC also offer a phone service.
Digiweb €34.95
Magnet €55.95

60% more expensive isn't a little more expensive

Also "no Cap" isn't generally true on Domestic packages that claim it, It never really was true on Smart, and now they are enforcing their FUP more strictly. It is a very large cap. Only 1:1 Contention Business packages with no FUP have truly no Cap.

Magnet: Rory

watty wrote: »

It's time DSL providers are more transparent on Pricing. You have to click to detail to discover it isn't €29.99
http://magnetentertainment.ie/products/llu/10.htm

I know you offer an excellent service.

But phone line usage has dropped from 82% to 66% with 1/3rd of those "welfare" aided.

DSL prices IMO, should always show current line rental up front. Maybe then Comreg and eircom would be shamed to do something about the most expensive line rental in the world for one of the highest rates of Line faults in a developed Country. Digiweb and UPC also offer a phone service.
Digiweb €34.95
Magnet €55.95

60% more expensive isn't a little more expensive

Also "no Cap" isn't generally true on Domestic packages that claim it, It never really was true on Smart, and now they are enforcing their FUP more strictly. It is a very large cap. Only 1:1 Contention Business packages with no FUP have truly no Cap.

We have never throttled, nor have we charged anyone for going beyond our FUP. Our service is more expensive than those listed but it must be noted that (line rental aside) this is justified, the service comes with quite a few additions and no set up fee.

The old adage of "wire good no wire bad" does still apply in the vast majority of cases.

Also in a comparative sense the digiweb site is returning a price of €49.95 for services (in Baldoyle) of up to 5Mb phone and broadband. The nearest to the Magnet 10Mb (€55.95 no install charge) is 8Mb phone and BB (€54.95) or 12MB (€79.95). This does not include an install charge (from digiweb) of €99.

watty

What the market needs though is a €20 2Mbps DSL inc line rental. For most people the higher speeds simply are not the issue at the minute. The issue is cost.

This is why, with data subsidized by voice calls the Mobile vendors are cannibalising the DSL and Fixed Wireless markets with their artificially cheap substandard dishonestly advertised product.

I appreciate that Magnet offers a very high quality product (copper permitting) and to date has not made an issue about Cap. But you do reserve the right to do so and might enforce an FUP in the future.

Even so, excess Cap of the Mobile products can be €50 a Gigabyte on a product with a low cap to start with. This should be in same size print, with their Cap along side price.

There should be a level playing field of accurate advertising comparing eggs with eggs and not comparing Eggs to Banana.

You can get 10Gbps Fibre in some places at great value. But it doesn't do people that only want an entry level Broadband much good.
A genuine 2Mbps down, 256k up, < 40ms Latency, 20G Cap, genuinely always on, with no excess charges, only throttling for excess use is a minimum entry level spec for Broadband. Absolutely no Mobile provider can supply it.

Also cross subsidy of Mobile Data by voice is a distortion of the Market that is damaging our Broadband infrastructure, as is eircom madly over priced line rental and all the charges (not just line rental) associated with LLU. A failure of Regulation and policy letting eicom be asset stripped and Debt run up to nearly 5 Billion inc Pension under funding.

With out a massive change I can't see how any DSL supplier can be profitable, or competitive with typical European speeds & price inc. Line Rental.

CutzEr

watty wrote: »

<snip>

So true, so very very true.

Magnet: Rory

Yes we reserve that right but please don't forget that for now this really is a non issue.

Politics aside I intervened because I do think that the customer should take another look at alternatives before committing to anyone. Sometimes looking at the specifics of a more expensive pack can remind customers of features that they value (the 8Mb pack from digiweb only has a 30GB cap) and/or wish to try.

Happy shopping.

watty

Fair enough. And you are one of the top 4 or 5 companies in delivering what you claim.

(Ranking among the top ISPs isn't possible as it depends where you are and what you want/need as to which suits you best as no-one has universal non-Satellite coverage)

Magnet: Rory

watty wrote: »

Fair enough. And you are one of the top 4 or 5 companies in delivering what you claim.

I'm not going to ask where you would rank us in this 4/5 company scale, I think we have gone through enough of the details already, but I appreciate the generous words.

ari101

So, I rang to find out about installation and sign up to discover that based on the position of Mars in the Fifth house and the Sun moving into Venus... Metro is not available to me (It has something to do with the big beautiful established trees and 2 storey houses around me in the estate despite my address being classed as covered online!):mad:

So going with Ripwave seams v. expensive for what your getting, I think I'd be better off with a Three dongle!

Any thoughts on my terrible choice of home location re broadband access?

Actually I want thoughts on the best mobile broadband provider in the area because I will NOT consider getting a phone line (connection fee, line test, hope it passes and then €25ish a month - NO WAY!)

Irish broadband, 3, O2, Vodafone, Meteor.... any one else I'm forgetting... is any one any good?

I miss the NTL we had in Galway!

Even the Eircom c**p in my Dad's place is starting to look good!

Help, Please?

Magnet: Rory

I know you have discounted the fixed line option but it may be worth your while looking into how much the initial connection may cost, for a huge number of customers this is free.

watty

DSL AKA phone line is best bet.

Ripwave can in some areas be better or worse than 3G. 3G Mobile simply isn't Broadband. Even if it works when you get it the latancy is x3 DSL and at any time it can get permanently worse. Cap is low and you get charged €20 to €50 a gigabyte excess.

Check out UTV, BT, Smart, Digiweb, Imagine and eircom for DSL as well as Magnet.

Magnet: Rory

watty wrote: »

DSL AKA phone line is best bet.

Ripwave can in some areas be better or worse than 3G. 3G Mobile simply isn't Broadband. Even if it works when you get it the latancy is x3 DSL and at any time it can get permanently worse. Cap is low and you get charged €20 to €50 a gigabyte excess.

Check out UTV, BT, Smart, Digiweb, Imagine and eircom for DSL as well as Magnet.

Be aware that this customer is most likely on the Sutton exchange, Magnet are the only company which can offer up to 24Mb (for residential customers) off that exchange.

Everything else will just be repackaged eircom.

watty

If you can see the exchange. Not everyone wants 24Mbps and less than 10% of people are close enough to exchange.

Magnet: Rory

watty wrote: »

If you can see the exchange. Not everyone wants 24Mbps and less than 10% of people are close enough to exchange.

Your right Watty, I forgot to mention our 10Mb service. On the exchange front, your right again, which is why I said up to 24Mb. Other factors like environmental noise and line damage can also reduce the quality of a customers experience.

All in all ADSL2+ is a great service, but, like others it has its downsides. It just so happens that it doesn't have as many downsides as mobile or wireless BB.