Which ISP for heavy usage?

Well i've been getting the runaround from entanet and tbh, i'm getting fed up of it. While i'm trying to remain patient regarding my ridiculous speeds, I think it's time to at least explore their competition.

I both create and watch a LOT of machinima so I need an isp for heavy usage. I'd say probably 200gb a month minimum would be ideal. I'm happy for peak/offpeak with 200gb offpeak providing that the offpeak starts at midnight at the very latest as 2am is just too unreaslistic for me. Unlimited with no FUPs would be acceptable too! Price isn't really a problem for me as long as i'm not paying much more than £80.

I've checked my exchange and LLU isn't really an option as the only ones available are Orange, Talk Talk and Tiscali.

Any recommendations?

With no LLU, then you are looking a gamble on how congested the cheaper offerings from say UK Online are, or some of the business packages from people like IDNET, Zen, A&A

http://www.idnet.net/solutions/business/broadband/
http://www.zen.co.uk/Broadband/ML_Business/medium-la...
http://www.aa.nu/broadband-pro8.html

The AA one may take some calculating to as to when your usage would be, but if you can schedule some into the unmetered period it may be better.

Either move home () or take a punt on O2 Access.

Although Access frequently gets over-subscribed so speeds may be at times as bad as Enta it is the only genuinely unlimited BT-based service I know of.

IDNet quotes unlimited for about £79 I think, but I have seen several reports here of warning letters at 100GB or so.

Several people have moved from Enta to AAISP. If you go for the business tariff, (it's unclear to me whether you can add further 2GB peak allowances above 8GB but that's the implication), and add one or possibly 2 more 100GB off-peak, (same caveat as above), bearing in mind there is also an unmetered overnight spell, that could be the best thing to go for.

Why not ask them about those additional allowances?

(I'm not quite sure what you meant to say here - "Price isn't really a problem for me as long as i'm not paying much more than £80", but I'm taking it to mean those AAISP prices would be acceptable).

02 access has an FUP though doesn't it? Well my speeds can't possibly be as bad as enta.. 30kbps download speeds are a joke! I'm really just taking the preliminary steps in hunting for a new isp incase Enta screw me around like they've done with a few other people that have posted in the complaints section. I will probably go with Zen... I don't mind paying extra for good service and in the past i've heard nothing but good things about them.

Speeds wil be more reliable with Zen than O2 Access, though I see some murmurings about Zen in general recently.

Now you mention the FUP, I do seem to remember some reports recently of it Access users getting warnings. I might check up later.

Don't forget that all BT-based ISPs are moving towards WBC/WBMC so could easily suffer some of Enta's teething problems with it and also get the current Enta ones.

I still reckon AAISP is your best bet. They already have live experience of WBC/WBMC so should be good at sorting things.

Nope o2 access is FULLY unlimited. Yes it has a FUP but several users have downloaded several 100s of gb without any limitiations. They have got traffic management however, but it's not too bad And £80 for broadband is A JOKE!!! You should never be prepared to pay that much. I pay a tenner to sky and have downloaded several 100 gbs before for that price. Shame you don't have LLU.

Another vote for o2 access anyway

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

Nope o2 access is FULLY unlimited. Yes it has a FUP but several users have downloaded several 100s of gb without any limitiations. They have got traffic management however, but it's not too bad And £80 for broadband is A JOKE!!! You should never be prepared to pay that much. I pay a tenner to sky and have downloaded several 100 gbs before for that price. Shame you don't have LLU.

Another vote for o2 access anyway

I'm afraid you are totally wrong on at least one thing there.

The one thing O2 Access does not have is traffic management in any way, shape or form.

The one thing they do frequently have is congestion.

I think you have a better grasp of what is needed to be payed to have a unlimited service on BT resold than some of the people advising you on this thread .

I would avoid any ISP that wants a 12 month contract and advertises unlimited at a domestic price point there all congested or traffic managed to death or both .

Some may be happy with this , but as you have already said your not happy with 30kbps speeds . so don't gamble on getting a good service by signing a 12 month contract with a ISP that offers unlimited at a domestic price .

You will lose and get trapped , not a good place to be if like you have said your happy to pay your money but want the service .

Try Zen , if not happy , then move on and try somebody new next month , but please keep your self free to move if things go bad , as they tend too on resold BT ...

The signs are changing at Sky so enjoy their 'freedom' while you can.

The internet is a scarce resource given the number of people with access to it.

Edited by MrSaffron (Fri 14-Aug-09 08:45:25)

In reply to a post by woweebert:

I think you have a better grasp of what is needed to be payed to have a unlimited service on BT resold than some of the people advising you on this thread .

Perhaps you should re-read my three posts in this thread and then apologise.

The third one contradicts completely wrong statements by someone else, but clearly points out the major problem with O2 Access.

The first two directed at the OP both recommend AAISP - Access merely being thrown in originally associated with the suggestion of a house move, which to a sensible person would give a clue as to my rating of it.

In fact the second paragraph specifically warns against Access then follows by making a statement of fact as to why I mentioned it.

I resent the quote above which says I have a poor grasp of the perils and costs of an unlimited service. I do at least have a grasp of the comprehension of English and an unbiased viewpoint.

Regarding Zen both you and the OP may care to take a look at the current top 10 threads in the Zen forum here, then note that in my posts in this thread I say I consider Zen would give better speed reliability than Access.

Read and think before spouting denigratory rot. You could just have given reasons for rejecting Access and recommending Zen, without insulting me.