Orange or O2 Broadband or Plusnet? Thoughts Please

Hi All,

I'm moving house in the next week and need to decide which ISP to go with. My younger Sis has just switched from Be to O2 (same company I know) as she has an O2 phone so gets the same �14 Be package I had, at �7.50 (yes we just found out, ha [censored] ha! :-p ). If i go to O2, it will cost �12.50 as I don't have an O2 phone or my wife could get Orange home broadband for �10 as she has an Orange contract.

Which of the two would you recommend? Should I go for �2.50 a mnth saving or should I just stick with what I broadly know (unless you tell me that O2 and Be operate in diff ways eventhough they have the same Parent company)

I would like the freedom of unlimited usage but at the same time definitely want stability and also good Xbox Live performance. I have considered going back to an ISP I was with, Plusnet, but at �14.99 for a 15GB limit during certain times, I think I would be restricting myself unnecessarily.

Also, before anyone suggests it, I definitely want to keep my home line with BT so no home phone package is required at the same time.

Cheers in advance.

You might find this News Article and the comments following it interesting regarding Orange broadband.

Compare with this one about O2.

O2/be are having problems coping with O2's rapid growth, but seem to be doing all the right things to handle it. Orange on the other hand just seem clueless.

I get occasional DNS problems but my speeds are consistently well over 80% of sync, in fact recently always between 83% and 84%. That is just about the theoretical maximum possible. The number of people actually complaining about O2 does not seem to be high, just they do it a lot. I don't blame them for that but it can distort the picture.

You know there are O2 and Orange forums on this site I presume? Worth a browse perhaps, but my opinion is that there is no contest! O2 is having short-term teething problems but is the future. Orange definitely is not!

Don't go with Orange! I am an Orange broadband customer, reluctantly hi-jacked from Wanadoo, and am desperate to switch, which is why I am looking in this forum. I have more or less decided to go with O2, but was looking fior reassurance as a relative ignoramus in the technical field. I have had absolutely no help from Orange in answering one or two queries - I am paying �17.99 p.m. while much cheaper offers exist; Orange and Freeserve customers can opt out of Orange webmail; ex-wanadoo customers can't. They wouldn't justify either fact, and I';m suer will only react when I leave.

I've been with PlusNet for 6 years and I get just what I want from them - a very reliable, rock solid connection which is also great for gaming. I do any P2P downloads overnight, so the monthly 20GB limit (between 6pm and midnight) doesn't affect me (I'm on an older, 'Premier' account).

Very few ISPs offer a truely unlimited service - if you read their Fair Usage Policies, then you'll see that none of them will tolerate heavy usage...unless you're on their more expensive packages that is.

The other downside is the minimum contracts, which are often 12-18 months. PlusNet have a minmum one month contract, the only 'catch' being that you have to pay back your activation cost (which you get free) if you leave within the first year.

Pricewise, it's unlikely that PlusNet would be able to compete with the likes of O2 or Orange (if you already had an O2 or Orange mobile) or Sky (if you were already a Sky TV subscriber) but if you're not already linked to these companies, then it pays to shop around and read the small print. Cheapest isn't necessarily best.

All,

Thanks for your opinions and saving me from making what seems like a mistake with a certain company! I actually put in an order for O2 on Thursday 27/11 (�12.50 a mnth, Unlimited) (rec'd an email today saying my router is on it's way and that my access should be live by the 4/12) and will see how it goes for the year. Appreciate the comments on PN and will bear them in mind again next year, should I be looking elsewhere.

Now to jump on to the O2 discussion board on this site to find out how to activate WPA-PSK auth on the O2 router, it knocked it out at my Sister's place when i did it so have had to leave it on WEP...

You have to log into the O2 box as SuperUser password O2Br0ad64nd (Note letter O at the start and zero in the middle, and case sensitive).

Nah you don't, you can mess with the wireless settings without SuperUser. Administrator is all you need for this relatively simple task. :P

OK I'll believe you - I forget . He'll need it if he wants stats though.

Interesting in that case that O2 consider wireless security should be accessible by normal Admin, but to read the stats you have to be SuperUser!

Yep, its a joke the security on the O2 wireless box. What is the point of the different accounts with bad naming?
Never knew that Administrator would translate to someone not allowed the adsl stats or any control over the firewall but you can add rules to port forwarding. Yet SuperUser basicly translates to root. :/

So I made my own account as a SuperUser, that has a simple name and a simple password, as default so I can login quickly with the access I want. ^^