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Hi, just a few questions on choosing ISP's.

Hi,

Firstly I am new to the forum, so if I have done something which is against the rules please let me know.

I have been with Tiscali Broadband for the last few years now and we really need to end business with them as they are terrible.

We live a long way from the exchange (3km approx.) so I know we wont get a mega-fast speed, but I would like a connection that remains constant and does not die on me as soon as it starts to rain!

I have been surfing the net, reading reviews etc. and from what I gather an ISP may be better suited to you depending on where you live etc.

So what do I need to consider when looking to change ISP? I do not want to have the same experience as I have had with Tiscali. (Main considerations)

From what I have seen it looks like these are the best ISP's:

02
Be
Zen

What other ISP's are widely considered to be good?

I also understand that BT wholesale re-sellers are the ones that need to be avoided, is this correct?

Note: I cannot access cable so it looks like ADSL is the only route, are there any other mediums you could suggest because I know it is v. unlikely that we will be able to get even a 1mb ADSL connection? I heard sattellite is just expensive and the speeds are not even that great, and mobile broadband is only good for light browsers, I am a heavy user.
 
Drops out when it rains? is that actually what happens or do you mean the service is just horrid? If it does drop out when it rains it sounds like possibly a fault with your line? Maybe some connector somewhere is getting wet?

As for which ISP, i had Be (which is the same as o2) for several years and the service was brilliant. If you have a long line even with ADSL 2 your not going to get super super fast speeds but you should find it quicker and more reliable than Tiscali.

As for other solutions it really depends on your circumstances, how much do you use it? where do you live? how much can you afford to shell out every month.

If you don't download that much and live in a fairly decent cellular area you could consider mobile broadband from someone such as o2/three/vodafone etc etc.
 
IDNet and Fast.co.uk are also good options, plus Sky Broadband (Unlimited/Max package) can be good if you already have a Sky TV service.

Like onephat says though, if your broadband literally drops out when it rains then that could suggest a problem with your line, a lack of microfilters/splitters being installed on all your telephone output points for the broadband line or possibly a really crap router.

Some cheap routers are highly susceptible to environmental interference. I once had an old K-Corp that would cut my connection out anytime a storm got within even 50miles of my house. It also twigged out from interference generated by my printers AC adapter and Christmas tree lights.

If you can post your router stats then we might be able to spot anything unusual for you. Also what estimated speed do you get for BT ADSLMAX when you put your phone number into our checker?

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/checker/

How does this compare with a daytime speed test?

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/speed/
 
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