I really don't know enough to counter that, so will have to take your word for it.

OK, so now I need to decipher which ISP is right for me... Looks like a total mine field. So many variables - most or all of which seem out of reach and/or comprehension of a lowly consumer like me.

It is complex and there can be a number of nuances. However, there are probably a fairly small number of ISPs that most people would recommend depending on the requirements.

If you let us know what is most important to you (ie budget, static ip, performance, quality of support, extras such as BT Sport, YouView, etc) then suggestions can be made. Also, do you currently have Sky TV?

Current top contenders will probably be in the list of BT, Sky, Plusnet, TalkTalk, IDNET, AAISP and I am probably missing some?

The selection will depend on those priorities.

Also - take a look in the "Which ISP (Residential)" board and you'll get an idea of previous conversations around selecting ISPs.

Edited by ian72 (Wed 02-Jul-14 08:42:40)

BT Sport and YouView are less important (YouView appears to be on it's last legs). I'm not with Sky and am unlikely to be.

Due to iPlayer, Netflix and iTunes movie streaming, and the fact that I have 2 Macs that back up to the cloud I need an unlimited package.

So, priorities are: good speed and lack of throttling/restrictions. I also work from home and make calls over Skype/WebEx, so if there's something there that requires something specific to make it more reliable then that'd be a priority. Good service and support should be a given. Clearly offshore help lines don't instil confidence.

Budget is a medium priority - I don't mind paying more, but within reason.

Will also check out the Which ISP board.

Thanks

For UK support with unlimited the obvious choice would be Plusnet. Their support has had some issues recently but the noise seems to be dying down. They also are active here and the guys on here tend to be able to get things fixed quite quickly.

They don't do "throttling" but they do prioritise important traffic. So, if you are heavily using the connection then the Skype traffic should get prioritised over less time sensitive traffic.

Someone will also probably mention they are part of BT but they have their own support and network services and operate as a separate business unit.

BT are a potential option but oversees call centres and a lot of people don't like BT (even though they are, I think, still the biggest ISP).

IDNet may be an option but I have no personal experience of them. I am sure a few other names will pop up from other people as well.

IDNet are fine. I went to them for my first FTTC connection but at the end of my 12 months moved to Plusnet, paying far less. I've not really seen any difference except the volume of problems with Plusnet are higher. Not surprising seeing as Plusnet have somewhere around 740,000 customers, most of them retail. IDNet I doubt have one tenth, maybe even one hundredth of that (retail).

My connection has always been fine. Eleven months in I upgraded and happily restarted my eighteen months. That's nearly up now, but I shan't be looking around.

Our cabinet is now live.

Think I'll go with PlusNet, which smarts a little given they are owned by BT

Thanks to all for the tips, info, education and advice

yu are looking for a serivice provider that can offer you fttc (thats it)
by using the BTW cheker yu can get a view about what speed you could get now you need t fund a serice prover which will give you what your want , in terms of content /. price point and chnoice -- as opposed to X (take it or leave it )