Best Fibre Optic Broadband Provider..

[flynnroy 10]

how much is origin compared to plusnet/sky etc

last time i looked origin it was really pricey and installation fee required

[anywebsite 10]

I've been with Sky on their new Fibre package since May 2013 and the speeds I'm getting are around 40-45Mb Download and 19Mb upload. I'm around 30 metres from the local BT exchange so should in essence be getting around 50-60Mb at least, however, when questioning this with the SKY Fibre team, they are saying that only a direct connection will get speeds of 70-80Mb, direct connection meaning through a "direct wired" connection via ethernet cable from my router to my macbook, I think that's a bit of a con cos who's going to actually directly connect their laptop to via an ethernet cable to get these speeds? the whole point of having a laptop in the first place is to be portable, so you don't really want to be sat 1 metre away from your router via an ethernet cable connection. I think they should clearly advertise this and not leave it in their small print. The 45 download speeds are okay, but sometimes I even see it go down to 35Mb on busy periods. I've tried switching the network ports by logging into the SKY Hub control panel, and none are giving me the speeds of 60Mb on a wireless route. Plus, there are areas of my house that have a poor speed and i'm considering getting some wireless signal booster repeaters to plug into the walls. In any case, This is my input, don't know about the rest of the companies, have used Virgin once or twice as my mate has it and it's around the same also. BT Infinity is supposed to be the fastest, but I think that's based on a direct connection also I think choosing your provider for broadband also comes down to the service they provide, we went with SKY only because at the time we got a fantastic deal for TV, Internet and Telephone, but now it's not that appealing as it was then as the half price 6 months has expired and by signing up to the Fibre service we have in essence signed into another 24 month contract. What annoys me the most is that I receive emails from SKY offering new customers everything under the sun to entice them, but with existing customers, we get nothing of the same and are the bread and butter being existing, long term paying customers. I may consider going for EE Home Broadband as they seem to provide an award winning router and are said to have better speeds.

 

It's not their fault that their connection is faster than your wifi on your macbook.

[AlexAtkin 10]

It's not their fault that their connection is faster than your wifi on your macbook.

 

But it IS their fault that the WiFi on your macbook might actually be faster than the router is capable of.

 

However what people don't seem to realise is that your ISP is not obligated to provide WiFi at all, they only need to provide the service over ethernet and anything above that is purely for PR purposes.

 

I would never use the router an ISP provides, they all suck, but people expect the ISP to provide a £100-£200 router for free while paying peanuts for the broadband compared to the US. You get what you pay for and if you need high speed WiFi then you BUY high speed WiFi equipment, its not up to your ISP to provide it.

[WillPS 10]

I have narrowed my search down to 2 companies, following promotions from switching sites and speaking to them directly. Plusnet will offer upto 76mps, but I'm concerned that they are going to feed this to me via a badly reviewed techniclour wireless router. My other option is virgin, who seem to do favorably on reliability and speed, but then i think I'm correct in thinking they remove/disable my BT line which I have to pay £100+ to have reconnected if I ever wish to switch again. Does anyone have experience of either of these issues? Thanks.

Your line will be disconnected at the exchange - so long as the cabling remains intact, you'll be able to reconnect normally with no additional fee. Potentially, if say high winds bring down your telegraph pole, or BT decide to redo it, you'll be physically cut off, and then you'd need to pay for a fresh line install.

 

There are normally ways of bringing the cost of installation right down (if you commit to a fresh 12/18 month contract) if this happens.

[phawley 10]

I recommend that anyone thinking of going with EE/Orange fibre Broadband look up their reviews on Google, I signed up with them a few weeks ago as they seemed a good deal then I read the diabolical reviews and cancelled within a few days, (I know I should have read them first)

Since then I have received the router (which I refused delivery) I have had 2 visits from Openreach to connect me up, one on the allocated connection date and one three weeks later and had two emails telling me that my account is available to view online.

Edited November 4, 2013 by phawley

[phawley 10]

I recommend that anyone thinking of going with EE/Orange fibre Broadband look up their reviews on Google, I signed up with them a few weeks ago as they seemed a good deal then I read the diabolical reviews and cancelled within a few days, (I know I should have read them first)

Since then I have received the router (which I refused delivery) I have had 2 visits from Openreach to connect me up, one on the allocated connection date and one three weeks later and had two emails telling me that my account is available to view online.

 

I've now had 3 visits and 1 engineer phoned up first before calling, the 3rd engineer had actually connected me at the green box before he called.

[Origin_Pete 10]

For those who've been asking what the future plans are for Origin Broadband, we'll be making an announcement by 8pm tomorrow!

[Dunn1401 10]

used to hate BT but even I'm considering theirs