Any Good?

Hello All,

I'm currently with Virgin Media on their 100MB service.

There are now more ISP's providing 'fibre broadband' in my area one of which is PlusNet.

I'm just after recommendations as to whether to consider moving to PlusNet. The Virgin service has been on the whole quite good, however I have had several outages this year and I have noticed buffering when trying to use services like Netflix, youtube, NowTV. I have tried all the usual things like using a wired connection, diferent devices etc. I believe that cable can be a bit 'laggy' with thinkgs like gaming, streaming etc?

Was just wondering if there are any additional things like storage, security, webspace provided in the package?

Cheers

John

I have noticed buffering when trying to use services like Netflix, youtube, NowTV. I have tried all the usual things like using a wired connection, diferent devices etc. I believe that cable can be a bit 'laggy' with thinkgs like gaming, streaming etc?

The VM cable service is a bit the same as the FTTC service that Plusnet offer in the way it is laid out at the customer end.

Neither provide cable all the way to you, even though Virgin like you to think they do. It is fibre to a Virgin node, or to an Openreach FTTC cabinet. Then Virgin use co-ax cable to their smaller distribution cabinets and onward to you, and Openreach use the existing "BT" phone wires from the cabinet to you.

The ways the data is passed over the fibre and the wires are totally different.

Cable is not inherently laggy for anything. It is just the same as with ordinary ADSLx broadband - it depends how much capacity per customer the ISP provides. The sort of problems you are getting are down simply to Virgin not providing enough capacity in your area.

Plusnet do not have any allowance limit on their unlimited package, nor do they throttle anyone down to a low speed for P2P at any specific time. They used to, like many ISPs, but that was ditched on 19 December with the new packages.

However they do use traffic management, designed to avoid the troubles you have. Gaming, VOIP, iPlayer type streaming are given priority over P2P in a flexible sort of way. The best thing is for you to read this explanation.

IIRC they do provide McAfee free, but anyone using that is crackers. What IS system do you use now?

They don't provide web space, but they do provide email. I don't believe in any ISP's provision of either, as in general it is an add-on just to keep people happy. I think it is far better to get these yourself, and then your web space email address carry on unchanged whenever you migrate between ISPs. Have a read of this page. (The numbers are a tiny bit out at the moment, but follow the link on that page to get to the site for the latest).

Re Plusnet themselves, I used to rate them quite poorly a couple of years ago and earlier. That opinion has completely reversed.

I wanted FTTC when it came to my area, but I was on O2 LLU and they don't do it. I moved to IDNet for FTTC in Feb 20111 because of their reputation. That was fine but expensive, so I held my breath and moved to Plusnet in February this year. I got more for considerably less. I have not regretted it for a minute.

Eleven months in, I have just upgraded to the new package, tieing myself in for another 18 months. 'Nuff said? (I am only a light user, no P2P, so you might want other opinions on that, but you don't see many complaints).

Thanks for the response RobertoS.

I think that I will more than likely move to hosting for web space / email like you suggest. Just need to find a decent supplier of storage too as I get this as part of my package with Virgin at the moment.

Just another question regarding PlusNet. Does the supplied router have restricted firmware on it? I like to use my own LAN/DNS settings etc and the SuperHub supplied by Virgin is restricted.

Thanks

John

I believe the router is locked to Plusnet but I don't use mine. I have used it, and I've a feeling I altered the subnet. If no-one answers that here then I suggest a new thread asking about it, as it isn't obvious from the Subject you want to know that. GIve it a day or two though, most people will have other things on their mind at the moment.

What sort/usage of storage, and more importantly what quantity? Web space is basically just storage anyway and can used for archiving as well.

It has Plusnet proprietary firmware to allow one of the LAN ports to be used as an input
However that shouldn't stop you changing those entries although you may have to use Telnet to do it

In reply to a post by jw6520:

I'm just after recommendations as to whether to consider moving to PlusNet.

I was with Virgin and moved to Plusnet about a year ago.

I find the service itself compatible, but haven't been impressed by Plusnet's attitude to customer relations.

Plusnet win hands down on price though; VM weren't prepared to continue a "deal" we agreed and the price kept creeping up.

Downtime with Plusnet has been minimal, but I'd say generally ADSL is less stable than cable as connection drops quite regularly.

If you are lucky enough to have a "clean"/short phone line and you don't require much in the way of support, then changing might be worthwhile.

In reply to a post by hk11:

I find the service itself compatible, but haven't been impressed by Plusnet's attitude to customer relations.

I find them the best I have ever been with. Demon, Freeserve, BT, Prodigynet, Newnet, O2 LLU (comparable), IDNet and now Plusnet.

Downtime with Plusnet has been minimal, but I'd say generally ADSL is less stable than cable as connection drops quite regularly.

Sounds like a line problem. Apart from an obvious fault on the e-side of my connection at one time with O2 I've never found ADSLx connections dropping regularly. There are people on these forums stay connected for months at a time.

If you are lucky enough to have a "clean"/short phone line and you don't require much in the way of support, then changing might be worthwhile.

See earlier in this post. Also, attenuation on ADSLx was 49-52dB.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I find them the best I have ever been with.

Maybe I've just been unlucky?

That can happen. The thing is that every ISP gets things wrong now and then, and upsets a few people - it's inevitable, and then it can be very difficult to re-establish trust and co-operation. As in all walks of life.

My posting history includes considerable criticism of Plusnet, and so do some of my recent posts. But my opinion of them is still growing. Just the luck of the draw.

Actually, you aren't helping yourself at all. I spent probably 4 hours attempting to work out what your issue was on Christmas eve and you aren't prepared to even explain what the problem is.

We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong.

This shows how often his connection is dropping:

http://ccgi.psmith12.plus.com/visradius/generated/im...

Just a point of information . Which I think I have given before in relation to Plusnet. (And I've just read through that 6-page thread on the Commnity forum).

It is entirely possible for a modem/router to lose sync and reconnect within the time taken for a PPP session to be dropped by the ISP. This was apparent several times on Newnet ADSL connections when I was with them and monitoring the Newnet forum here.

Related to this, the Openreach SIN for GEA specifically says this can happen with their VDSL2 modem, and that ISPs should ensure that their PPP session persistence is low enough to pick up re-syncs. The importance of it being that only PPP session renewal triggers the messages to recalculate the BT Wholesale IP Profile.

See SIN 498 Section 2.1.6 wrt to FTTC in general, and the following note later in that SIN wrt the pending ISP-provided alternatives to the OR modem.

Note: Where the modem is an integrated device with PPP and/or DHCP functionality, it is recommended that change in state of the VDSL layer also triggers change of state of PPP/DHCP state. E.g. on transition to �showtime� re-initialise the PPP session and/or force DHCP to renew. This will ensure the BRAS is informed of the new VDSL net data rate via the Intermediate Agent

From the little I've been able to glean, it's possible he is getting reconnections due to some fault or other, but the Plusnet system is not detecting these for this reason - like Newnet's didn't.

I've seen a 10-15 loss of sync with no loss of the PPP session a number of times when I was on 20CN, it hasn't happened since I moved to 21CN. I raised this possibility in the topic on the Plusnet Community forums and how to identify if it happened - he didn't respond to the suggestion so (like most of his topics) we haven't a clue whether it applied to him or not.

Edited by jelv (Wed 26-Dec-12 17:26:29)

But did PN respond to it?

I don't think you can judge an ISP on how many problems it has, but how they go about sorting things out.

If this is directed at me, it would be better to take it to PM or email.

If directed at the OP, then fair enough.

?
How on earth could Kelly's post have anything whatsoever to do with the OP? Even if one ignores the fact its header contains a link to one of your posts, indicating it is intended as a reply to that.

I begin to understand the Community Forum thread where your primary request seemed to be to have your latest (at the time) question quoted back to you, apparently because you couldn't remember it.

A support question that you can't remember wouldn't seem particularly important.

On the other hand, if you read my recent reply here to jelv, about session timeout times, might it be an idea to start a thread here about these regular disconnections you mentioned to the OP of this one, and see if anyone can help you with eliminating them? The session timeout thought may have a bearing, but isn't the cause of disconnections.

There is a little problem with that scenario - if Plusnet don't see the drop then the IP address won't change which was his original gripe

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

How on earth could Kelly's post have anything whatsoever to do with the OP?

Who knows the way their minds work at Plusnet?

If it's nothing to do with the OP, then it would be best to start a new post or deal with it via PM or email or else we could end up with posts as meaningless and unconnected to the OP as they have on the Plusnet forum.

I'll PM you via the rest of your post later; thanks.

Bluntly,

I'm publicly answering your points about you suggesting that we aren't willing to support you, by pointing out that I've tried but that you don't seem willing to be supported. Therefore when the rest of the people reading here see your posts, they can bear this in mind when considering how good Plusnet is as an ISP.

Like I said, I'm willing to help you out, if you actually explain what the issue is. Go start a new thread on community, and we'll deal with it. Or here if you prefer.

Last I'll post on it on here, unless you start a new thread.

RobertoS

Thanks for the response. I have set up storage with both Adrive and Skydrive as their services seem to be ample for my needs (and as a comparison). My experience of VM's backup and storage offering is not good. It took me months to get some of my old backups deleted (as you are not able to do this yourself and there is a limit of 5).

My OP was to allow me to get a feeling as to whether moving to PlusNet would be a good move in comparison to BT/TalkTalk/Sky for their fibre offering. I was with BT originally on their 8Mbps service and found that to be great, however BT Vision wasn't. Therefore I moved.

I suspect that most ISP's tie down their router firmware these days, so I'll have to use my own whoever I go with

Thanks

John

In reply to a post by KellyD:

you don't seem willing to be supported. Therefore when the rest of the people reading here see your posts, they can bear this in mind when considering how good Plusnet is as an ISP.

I'll start a new thread, as I suggested, and let the public judge.

I went for a very cheapo when I first got FTTC at IDNet. A Buffalo Nfiniti Airstation WHR-G300 WHR-G300N that came at just under £24. (The prices now vary from that to £35 day by day).

Only 100Mbps ethernet, but otherwise fine. I've two Plusnet ones (also 100Mbps) and the wireless on the Buffalo is better so I'm using that.

I hope the spoiler in the thread hasn't had too much influence. He clearly has had a bad experience, but this can occasionally happen with any ISP.

I think you should choose between Plusnet and Sky. BT Infinity does seem to be getting a lot of P2P throttling reports these days - a lot of it being effected by throttling the upstream not the downstream.

Also, the Sky router uses a different logging in system, (MER), from the norm and tries to lock you in to having to use their router. I believe you can get round that, so if serious about them you may find it worth asking in the Sky forum here.

Let me know what you decide please .