UPC - Is it any good?

TsarBomba

Hi guys.

Im looking to change broadband provider from Perlico to UPC as Perlico were beyond useless (modem problems, line faults, poor service etc.)

Im looking at their broadband and phone deal (no TV):

15mb bb €32 p/month

Home phone: €6 p/month

and additionally Freetime Anyworld for €13 p/month

total €45 p/month

Has anyone have a similar package? What are UPC like to deal with? Is the internet phone much of a hassle and does anybody know where to get cheap handsets or can previous ones work?

I realise this has probably been asked many times before but Iheard this place is to be well trusted.

Thanks.

bestie

I switched from BT Ireland (was with them for 5 years and had no issues) to UPC mainly because I wanted better speeds.

On the 15mb package, getting great speed all the time and using the Freetime anyworld phone package, the only gripe I have with the phone package is that I tend to ring international alot and have 400 mins free a month but no way to track amount of mins used/left.

Apart from that I recommend it, top marks. Also having internet, tv and phone all on the one bill is very easy and paying via upc.ie is a cinch.

TsarBomba

Thanks. Seems from other places its a good deal too.

Outkast_IRE

Been a customer for 5 years now and i find them good to deal with .

Automan

The BB is grand just be carful of the AUP on the unlimited package of 250GB.
I got blueface for my phone instead of UPC phone and use there PAY as you go which is fine for me.

Blueface are doing a special at the moment for 200 euros you get a handset + free calls to local and national numbers for life + keep your existing number. There international rates are very good also.

http://www.blueface.ie/residential/free.calls.aspx

watty

If it's an upgraded area then it's very good.

However UPC's phone service is only IP on their own network to their own server and PSTN gateway. Blueface is 3rd party actually on the Internet so it's less secure, you can be voice spammed by IP (Using UPC's service the IP of the phone shouldn't be available on the Internet) and QOS is impossible to implement on public internet so quality can be poorer.

If Blueface goes bust (much more likely than UPC), then you probably lose the phone number as then there is no way to port it.

vibe666

i've had a rollercoaster ride with NTL, then chorus, then NTL & now UPC over the last 10 years whether it be relating to TV, phone or internet (multiple times for each), but it's still better than when i was with BT (for the most part) and it's hard to argue with the speeds.

the 250gb AUP (acceptable usage policy) is a bone of contention with a lot of people here, but as long as you keep track of your usage you should be fine. bear in mind that UPC will hold you to it, but don't give you any way of tracking your usage so you'll need a bandwidth monitor on your PC, or if you have multiple devices using the net at the same time, a router with bandwidth monitoring built in.

Automan

watty wrote: »

If it's an upgraded area then it's very good.

However UPC's phone service is only IP on their own network to their own server and PSTN gateway. Blueface is 3rd party actually on the Internet so it's less secure, you can be voice spammed by IP (Using UPC's service the IP of the phone shouldn't be available on the Internet) and QOS is impossible to implement on public internet so quality can be poorer.

If Blueface goes bust (much more likely than UPC), then you probably lose the phone number as then there is no way to port it.

While it might not be as secure as UPC you would have to be a seriously good hacker to be able to voice spam someone im sure.

Does UPC still not use the internet to connect from there server to the dialled person? Im not sure how it works.

With regards to QOS I very rarely ever have any problems with QOS most of the times I have I had been downloading something. Yet when im using my Nokia N95 through wirless this does not happen.
Any other time I have simply hung up and redialed the number and that has sorted it out, again this is very rare.

Im able to use blueface through my N95 mobile anywhere there is a wirless connection that I have access to or through a data package through my mobile phone provider.

My family all have blueface so we are all able to ring each other for free. My mother rings her sister in America a few times a week and it is charged at a local rate.

Also if you want to block certain premier numbers you have to pay a fee every month to UPC for this, you can do this for free with blueface through myaccount + you can add extra handsets giving them new Blueface internal numbers through myaccount at no extra charge.

watty

Automan wrote: »

While it might not be as secure as UPC you would have to be a seriously good hacker to be able to voice spam someone im sure.

No hacking skill at all. Only the IP required. Since source is Internet, & not phone system the spammer cost is zero. They use zombie bot nets (infected PCs).

Automan wrote: »

Does UPC still not use the internet to connect from there server to the dialled person? Im not sure how it works.
.

I'm sure how it works. This sort of stuff at ISP end (not UPC though) used to be my job. A call on UPC, Magnet or Digiweb built-in SIP/ATA on modem phone system only uses their internal networks, it's not on the public Internet at all. This means they can apply QOS (Quality Of service) rules to ensure enough speed, low jitter, good latency and zero packet loss no matter what else is happening. Blueface is over the public Internet. They have no security or QOS at all for your connection.

Blueface is a less secure version of Skype, as it uses SIP. With Skype the call is encrypted. Skype to Skype is free and needs no pay account at all. Skype in and Skype out with a number needs a pay account and is virtually identical service to Blueface but with Adaptive codec and encryption.

I have a Blueface account (for testing) and I have Skype which I use a lot. We had a four way free conference call on skype with decent quality for about an hour or so the other day. But for a "real" phone number I use my Digiweb SIP phone service (Secure as it's on their private network, like UPCs) and a UPS to power Modem, DECT bases and Radio Link so it still works during power cut. Fax and analogue modem even works over the Digiweb service.

I'm not saying Blueface is no use, but a more reasonable comparisons are:
PSTN (eircom analogue) vs Digiweb/Smart vs Magnet vs UPC (own networks)
OR
Blueface vs Skype vs Other 3rd party VOIP or SIP on Internet suppliers (Blueface and Skype are not the only ones).

SIP is best on an Office LAN, VLAN or Private network for VOIP
Propriety VOIP is best on Public Internet.

XUnknownX

hi em i know this is an old thread but i need an answer quick and yous seem to know your stuff .
i ordered upc few weeks back and they came out 3 days later and the guy said my house wasnt on the system and the copper lines bypassed my house o.o ? and he said that someone would come up on the friday to install it but it was another upc engineer he thought the wire was installed and i dono what to do..... i really want upc. thanks in advance x

Cabaal

Please don't post in old threads like this, LOCKED