Suggested ISP

Can anyone suggest an ISP for SN4 9BA that doesn't require leaving BT, router not essential, absolute tiny usage, up to 8Mbps acceptable and as low cost as possible? Virgin Cable available but there is no low cost broadband only service that is particularly cheap that I am aware of. So does something like this exist for a 90 year old just to keep in touch with the family via email? Hmm any thoughts anyone? It would be much appreciated.

Any neighbours willing?

In reply to a post by flippery:

Any neighbours willing?

Nice thought and maybe a monthly contribution would be acceptable and might come down to this. Let's wait and see if there are suggestions first.

Goscomb's cheapest package is £12+vat per month for an up to 8128/448kbps service with 10gb data limit (1 month contract). Excellent isp on a par with AAISP, Zen etc used to be with them before selling my soul to the devil.
http://www.goscomb.net/connectivity/broadband/consumer

Edited by deleted (Sat 11-Aug-12 14:49:19)

Plusnet Value.

It's a Market 2 exchange so gets the low cost rate. £6.49 pm, but a £25 signup fee. It will be ADSL2+.

TopCashBack are offering £28.28 cash back for b/b only signup, but can't be paid via PayPal. (Odd!).

Quidco needs a free signup even to find out, from what I can see.

But even without cashback, it's under £8.60pm for the first year, then £6.49.

QuidCo appear to be offering £38 cashback + 6 months half price broadband

AOL Broadband gives you 10GB of usage and is free for 1 month, £5 for a further 2 months then £15 afterwards. They give you a free wireless router too. It looks as if it fits every single one of your requirements.

http://aolbroadband.co.uk/products/broadband-only.html

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

QuidCo appear to be offering £38 cashback + 6 months half price broadband

For Plusnet Value? Are you sure that isn't "Extra" or one of the Fibre packages?

http://www.quidco.com/plusnet/ I don't see any reference to 6 months free..

Yes you do . It's in the offers panel on the right of the link you gave me. (Thanks for that by the way ).

But as I thought - it is for a phone/broadband bundle. The phone is required to stay with BT according to the OP, and I read that to mean BT Retail, not simply a "BT line". After I posted my reply to the guy that gave that info I wondered if it was a phone bundle, but was busy then forgot to add it.

Why not ask any nice neighbours our next door neighbour camps out my wireless hardly notice she using it

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Can anyone suggest an ISP for SN4 9BA that doesn't require leaving BT, router not essential, absolute tiny usage, up to 8Mbps acceptable and as low cost as possible? Virgin Cable available but there is no low cost broadband only service that is particularly cheap that I am aware of. So does something like this exist for a 90 year old just to keep in touch with the family via email? Hmm any thoughts anyone? It would be much appreciated.

With market 2 exchange! I reckon the best broadband only deal for the ninety year old person is Plusnet at £6.49 per month, 10GB usage allowance and no annual contract.

http://www.plus.net/broadband/

I agree with others that with your exchange being classed as market 2 the Value 10GB monthly usage BB only package from Plusnet is well worth trying.

As well as the PN forum on thinkbroadband there is also the PN Community forum which certain PN Staff monitor most of the working day Monday to Friday.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

Can anyone suggest an ISP for SN4 9BA that doesn't require leaving BT

Does your elderly acquaintance use the "BT Basic" phone package formally known as the "Light User Scheme"? If so I don't think broadband will be possible on that line.

I think you are right about the old Light User scheme. However the BT Basic scheme is not a rename, it is a replacement. As I understand it customers were moved to either BT Basic or a standard plan, depending on their status.

Broadband is allowed on BT Basic.

Can I have broadband with BT Basic?

Yes. We recognise the importance of the internet in today's world and BT Basic has been designed to allow broadband on the line. If you do take a broadband service the cost of this will be added to the BT Basic line rental.

What if I'm not eligible, or do not want BT Basic?
Even if you can't get, or don't want to take the BT Basic Calling Plan, we still want to help you cut your phone costs. We will do all we can to find the best Calling Plan for you. Our Calling Plans now include more calls, more features, and cost less than ever before. To find out more please go to www.bt.com/callingplans.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I think you are right about the old Light User scheme. However the BT Basic scheme is not a rename, it is a replacement. As I understand it customers were moved to either BT Basic or a standard plan, depending on their status.

Broadband is allowed on BT Basic.

Yes, my aunt was moved from the light user scheme to BT basic and the deal seems roughly the same.

Would only BT broadband be possible if one has BT basic?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

If you do take a broadband service the cost of this will be added to the BT Basic line rental.

Even if you go to another ISP for your BB? What chutzpah!

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Would only BT broadband be possible if one has BT basic?

I hope that's standard misleading prose from BT. It does read a bit that way, but hard to believe. The trouble is it would be almost impossible to explain the question to anyone contactable at BT, as (for example) they still seem unaware you can have FTTC that isn't Infinity or Virgin cable.

I will try and do some broadband availability checks from my aunt's line, e.g. Plusnet, if she'll let me - the internet is an alien monster as far as she is concerned!!!

I doubt if anything would show up. If there is a restriction I would expect it to be purely at the contractual level and anything nasty would happen after a signup to a different broadband.

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 13-Aug-12 01:38:01)

I was on the light user scheme a few years back and I used to get a hefty saving on line rental - downside was I couldn't get broadband on the landline so used a '3' 3g usb dongle for connecting to the internet (which when it was first introduced was pretty good - strong signal and reasonable speeds.)

If I remember correctly I think my aunt had to declare that she was in receipt of a benefit, i.e. Attendance Allowance, before she was transferred from light user to BT basic and I must confess that I assumed broadband would still not be possible on her line...

Have you thought of a mobile broadband dongle and a preloaded SIM like:

amazon

£11.81 for 3 GB over 3 months plus 1 off cost of a dongle or wifi mobile router.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I doubt if anything would show up. If there is a restriction I would expect it to be purely at the contractual level and anything nasty would happen after a signup to a different broadband.

Just asked my aunt about the possibility of checking for broadband availability on her BT Basic line but, as I anticipated, she was unwilling to let me try

Probably, as an alternative to BT broadband, Plusnet would certainly be worth trying - however I've read that Zen refused to supply broadband on a BT Basic line but I'm not really sure that all the details were accurately described in a post on another forum.

Surely you can just put her phone number into the BT Retail checker and see what it offers?

That's a great idea, but unfortunately without her permission I wouldn't put her phone number into any form of online checker...

In reply to a post by 4M2:

That's a great idea, but unfortunately without her permission I wouldn't put her phone number into any form of online checker...

Probably wise, many companies take that as being a green light to ring up and flog broadband.

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by 4M2:

That's a great idea, but unfortunately without her permission I wouldn't put her phone number into any form of online checker...

Probably wise, many companies take that as being a green light to ring up and flog broadband.

Especially TT LOL!

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Especially TT LOL!

Yeah, they are the worst offenders. They do say "Please be aware that if you use the speed checker, TalkTalk may call you to discuss your broadband requirements". Checking on postcode/address might be an option, but would they then send junk in the post?

Well, I didn't put my phone number nor post code into the TT checker a few years ago, rather I rang them directly on their free phone number to check whether LLU or IP Stream would be available on my line. LLU was indeed available for new customers but for my unfortunate cousin, who lives close by using the same exchange and had been a TT customer for several years, he was still being billed for IP Stream with a surcharge of £15. This was part of a long running battle that he had, as an existing customer, with TT with regard to a transfer to LLU and his billing.

I was not personally interested in ordering TT broadband rather I just wanted to gather evidence on my cousin's behalf that new customers were being prioritised over existing customers in terms of LLU capacity.

Anyway TT never called me back, because I stressed that it was an enquiry only, and eventually my cousin's problem was sorted out

Giving only a postcode could perhaps result in oneself and nearby neighbours getting junk mail I guess�

Edited by 4M2 (Sat 18-Aug-12 18:54:12)

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Giving only a postcode could perhaps result in oneself and nearby neighbours getting junk mail I guess�

When you give it a postcode, it demands a house number. If you're feeling evil, I suppose you could give a neighbour's.

I always give 999

Oh! right, haven't looked at it recently...

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

I always give 999

Oh, they've thought of that, when you put the postcode in they give you a clickable list of addresses on that postcode!