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Broadband help!!

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  • 17-09-2002 6:11pm
    #1
    edove
    Closed Accounts Posts: 57 ✭✭


    Hi all.
    Just moved to Ireland from the UK and I am about to order eircom i-stream solo.

    Firstly, is this the best/only decent source of broadband? I tried a few other leads and couldn't find the answers I was looking for. I'm after speeds of 512k or more, always on, no interruption to telephone calls, standard stuff. I know eircom can do all this but I'm a) a little worried about the fact they charge 3.6c per mb for downloads in excess of 3GB per month and b) astounded at the price! I used to get the same service thought NTL, for £25 a month! If I have to pay it, I will because I need it, but if there's a cheaper way....

    My second question is, why I have to upgrade my modem to a 512k ADSL USB or Ethernet modem. Eircom have told me I have to do this, either getting the modem from them at up to 240 euros, or going elsewhere. I never had to upgrade the 56k modem in my laptop when I had broadband before.

    Anyone?

    Em


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    #2
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Originally posted by edove
    Hi all.
    Just moved to Ireland from the UK and I am about to order eircom i-stream solo.

    Welcome to Ireland! I wouldn't order broadband unless you really need it - you have seen how expensive it is?

    Firstly, is this the best/only decent source of broadband? I tried a few other leads and couldn't find the answers I was looking for. I'm after speeds of 512k or more, always on, no interruption to telephone calls, standard stuff. I know eircom can do all this but I'm a) a little worried about the fact they charge 3.6c per mb for downloads in excess of 3GB per month and b) astounded at the price! I used to get the same service thought NTL, for £25 a month! If I have to pay it, I will because I need it, but if there's a cheaper way....

    If there was a cheaper way, we'd all be using it! Chances are, 90% of the people on these boards are using 56K from home, because broadband services in Ireland are dire.

    The IrelandOffline boards is the best place to find out about this. The incumbent is holding back internet services here, like BT in England did a few years back, and so internet access is prohibitively expensive for everyone.

    My second question is, why I have to upgrade my modem to a 512k ADSL USB or Ethernet modem. Eircom have told me I have to do this, either getting the modem from them at up to 240 euros, or going elsewhere. I never had to upgrade the 56k modem in my laptop when I had broadband before.

    Perhaps you have a network card in your laptop as well as a modem? Eircom seem to have found the most expensive way to do everything. Your best bet is to source yourself these parts, and not rent/buy them from eircom. You'll get better components for less.

    IMO, your bets bet is to sign up for one of the brand new (typically of Ireland) Flat-Rate 56K services which have just come on the market. Then, like the rest of us, you'll have to wait with baited breath for someone to offer reasonable ADSL services. Details on all of this should be available on the IrelandOffline board.

    :)

    Oh yeah, NTL do a very limited Cable service in selected parts of south Dublin, but they're so difficult to avail of, they might as well not exist.


  • Options
    #3
    edove
    Closed Accounts Posts: 57 ✭✭edove


    "Welcome to Ireland! I wouldn't order broadband unless you really need it - you have seen how expensive it is?"

    Cheers!

    Yeah I have seen how expensive it is, I was gobsmacked! But I do think I need it. I'm a developer, working from home. I regularly work directly on peoples servers in the UK. I'm currently using normal eircom.net dial-up and I want to kill myself everytime I try to make changes to a database. I know there is eircom hi-speed, but I'm online for a good 8 hours at least a day and I can see the phone bills now! I'm sure I could change the way I work, to cut costs but...

    Yeah I do have a network card. Does this mean I won't need to upgrade the modem?

    "The IrelandOffline boards is the best place to find out about this. The incumbent is holding back internet services here, like BT in England did a few years back, and so internet access is prohibitively expensive for everyone."

    I figured that was the problem you were having, hopefully it won't be too long before the market opens out. I'll check out IrelandOffline though and see what's what.
    Ta


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