Tesco Broadband - Any good?

Does anyone have any experience with Tesco Broadband or know what it's like?

They are currently running an offer for £4 a month, so i was just wondering what they are like.

Here's my exchange http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/MRMDW

Tesco normally use C&W for their broadband (which is actually provided in part over NTLs (VM) network).

You don't have LLU there according to that and without a phone number I can't check specifically but it will probably be a BT based service.

Matt

Edited by uno (Tue 01-Nov-11 15:17:51)

Ah right, I recently found out that virgin (who i'm on) use C&W too for their 20mb broadband, so i'm stuck at 8mb.

I've been looking for a while for someone to move to but don't know who.

Tesco seem to use the same network as Virgin do. (IP blocks, and route origination is the same).

Matt

Is there anyone you would recommend.

I'm currently paying about £15 - £20 a month for Virgin 8mb including evening and weekend calls.

I'm looking for either unlimited or a high usage cap, i'm not the heaviest user but some months i use more than others so like the flexibility. I'm an online gamer so low ping times, also either no or a very good traffic management.

I was looking at Sky Unlimited but was put off them when i found out you have to take their line rental as well.

In reply to a post by Corbula:

I'm looking for either unlimited or a high usage cap,

I was looking at Sky Unlimited but was put off them when i found out you have to take their line rental as well.

Sky is probably your best best, followed by Talk Talk, at your exchange.

Matt

I suggest you try Plusnet Extra, with the Pro Option, if you don't want Sky taking the line off BT.

Plusnet is in effect a 10-day notice period anyway, so if it didn't work out easy enough to move away from.

Talk Talk is a definite no. I've heard Sky can be difficult to move a way from when you've got their line rental.

How much is the Pro Option for plusnet? There used to be a chart on Plusnet's website saying the actual speed traffic is managed at at different times of the day, is that no longer there? I'm also considering Plusnet Fibre as well.

On plusnet's website it says next to the prices +£11 for line rental. Does the line rental go to plusnet, do they take over the line?

A number of questions raised there .

Pro used to be a separate package. Now it is a £5 add-on to Value or Extra, and removes the traffic shaping from them, so everything should be line speed as per the old stand-alone Pro product.

Plusnet Fibre is good, like most BT-based FTTC products, but has an 18-month contract and only (at the moment) the 2Mbps upload option. Allowances are 40GB and 120GB. I don't know if the Pro add-on is applicable to their Fibre, as I read the page I link to it probably isn't.

Have you checked FTTC is available on your line?

Plusnet line rental is just the rental is paid to them. The line stays as a "BT" line for all migrations. In the past, you couldn't order Plusnet line rental without having their broadband, but they let you keep it if you then migrated the broadband away. (Except if you moved somewhere that demanded the line as well, such as BT). I think this is still the case, but I'm not sure.

You may be misreading their website. The line rental is only payable to them if you take a broadband and phone package. If, for example, your line is with BT like mine, and you wish to leave it there, just take a broadband-only product .

Excellent reply.

So to clarify. If i take Plusnet broadband and calls, then the line gets moved to Plusnet. If i take broadband only the line stays a BT line?

Yes FTTC is available on my line, it has been for a while but the high price didn't justify the need really.

Also, what about 20mb from Plusnet? I think i have ADSL2+ at my exchange (see OP), would it be possible to get ADSL2+ from Plusnet?

Edited by deleted (Tue 01-Nov-11 17:15:20)

would it be possible to get ADSL2+ from Plusnet?

Yes.

When i do the availability check though on their site it says 8mb. What do they use to provide ADSL2+ i.e. Virgin and Tesco use C&W which i don't have.

As long as your exchange has been upgraded i.e. from 20CN to 21CN then PN can supply ADSL2+ to you, whether it will work well and gives a stable connection depends on some factors.
One of these is the actual line distance to your exchange so if your downstream attenuation figure is say over 44dB (give or take) ADSL2+ wouldn't be of any great benefit.

Plusnet's supplier is BT Wholesale.

i suggest you put your liine through ieither sam knows or BT.com checker as this will give you a view of an Fibre and non fibre service - whicl, will help you make an iinformed deceion -- i think plusnet may offer a fibre service as well

My downstream Attenuation is 35dB so i should get around 12mb-13mb.

If it's available from Plusnet then i wonder why when i check my number the site only says 8mb.

In reply to a post by Corbula:

Excellent reply.

Thanks, but not that excellent, as the following obviously wasn't clear in it

So to clarify. If i take Plusnet broadband and calls, then the line gets moved to Plusnet. If i take broadband only the line stays a BT line?

No. With Plusnet the line always stays as "BT" line insofar as that is required by most ISPs. There is a thing called Wholesale Line Rental, (WLR), of which the latest version is WLR3.

Plusnet, IDNet, Entanet resellers, Zen, O2/Be and nearly all others, including I expect BT Retail Broadband and Phone, rent the line off Openreach using WLR3. LLU suppliers such as Sky and TalkTalk do not use WLR3 - I have no idea what their arrangement is, but it ceases to be a "BT" line. Hence the difficulty migrating out, as it has to be returned to a WLR3-using ISP.

Also, what about 20mb from Plusnet? I think i have ADSL2+ at my exchange (see OP), would it be possible to get ADSL2+ from Plusnet?

Already answered by others. Just to say I agree with them, yes.

On your line stats, you may not gain a lot download, as already explained, (Confused you with another user in another thread) ... but the upload on ADSL2+ should be well over 1Mbps connection speed, once the strange initial cap to 448kbps by Plusnet is removed. That just requires a ticket to support.

(Edit was the strikeout)

Edited by RobertoS (Tue 01-Nov-11 20:44:56)

Because an estimate can be wrong - hence why it is called an estimate

I've just had a thought. The estimate on Plusnet's site would have come from the BT line checker wouldn't it?

I've just had a look on their and it says this.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 8Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 7Mbps and 8Mbps.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 8Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 7Mbps and 9Mbps. Our test also indicates that your line could support an estimated ADSL 2+ Annex-M broadband upstream line speed of 1Mbps and downstream line speed of 8Mbps; typically the downstream speed would range between 7Mbps and 9Mbps.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a fibre technology with an estimated WBC FTTC Broadband where consumers have received downstream line speed of 36.1Mbps and upstream line speed of 14.1Mbps.

Currently my router states download at 8064kbps and upload 1024kbps. The upload changed from 448kbps a while ago in line with my exchange getting WBC 21CN but the download never changed.

So if Plusnet is getting the 8mb from this i should still get more and be put on ADSL2+?

You may be on ADSL2+ but with an 8Mbps profile.

Virgin Media ADSL is amongst the poor suppliers, other large ones being O2 Access and Sky Connect, as opposed to Virgin Media Cable, O2 LLU, and Sky LLU, which are generally good.

It is quite possible, (just me surmising), that VM are restricting all customers to 8Mbps maximum as that way they need to invest less in the handover capacity at their end. The ADSL product is basically just to show they provide national coverage, and take money off people who don't cotton on.

O2 Access is certainly restricted to 8Mbps, where ADSL2+ may be available, but at least that is the published speed.

Edited by RobertoS (Tue 01-Nov-11 21:36:34)

I'm considering Plusnet even though while i've been looking around at them i've read about people having bad experiences, but every ISP has bad stories.

Signing up to the no contact option (extra + pro addon) looks promising on paper but you never know what the broadband or they are going to be like. At least with that your not stuck with a 12 month contract. The thing is i don't want to go to Plusnet not get a very good service then after a couple of months move again. because then i might get stuck in another contract with someone else.

Also, just looking at your site on the Plusnet page, you say it's pointless taking the monthly contract, always take the 12 month contract. Why say that?

Edited by deleted (Fri 04-Nov-11 17:40:31)

In reply to a post by Corbula:

Is there anyone you would recommend.

I'm currently paying about £15 - £20 a month for Virgin 8mb including evening and weekend calls.

I'm looking for either unlimited or a high usage cap, i'm not the heaviest user but some months i use more than others so like the flexibility. I'm an online gamer so low ping times, also either no or a very good traffic management.

I was looking at Sky Unlimited but was put off them when i found out you have to take their line rental as well.

Sky now uses a service that needs your line to be fully unbundled, the same as Talk Talk, it is fine as long as you don't want to move services as it can be pricey and a pain.
you don't have a lot of choice on your exchange as Tiscali and AOl is Talk Talk anyway.


Not sure what I would do in your place, i would not go to plusnet, there are third parties that use the talk Talk network, but i think they are fully unbundled as well and will cost more than Talk Talk.

In reply to a post by Corbula:

I'm considering Plusnet even though while i've been looking around at them i've read about people having bad experiences, but every ISP has bad stories.

Signing up to the no contact option (extra + pro addon) looks promising on paper but you never know what the broadband or they are going to be like. At least with that your not stuck with a 12 month contract. The thing is i don't want to go to Plusnet not get a very good service then after a couple of months move again. because then i might get stuck in another contract with someone else.

Also, just looking at your site on the Plusnet page, you say it's pointless taking the monthly contract, always take the 12 month contract. Why say that?

that is why I tend to avoid long contracts if I can, thankfully the ISp i am on now is only a monthly contract, not that it makes much difference now as I have been with them for over 12 months, which proves i must be happy with them.
a shame you can't get cable and wireless network

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

Sky now uses a service that needs your line to be fully unbundled, the same as Talk Talk, it is fine as long as you don't want to move services as it can be pricey and a pain.
you don't have a lot of choice on your exchange as Tiscali and AOL is Talk Talk anyway.

AOL still do BB Only: http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk/products/broadband-onl... , i.e Partial LLU.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

a shame you can't get cable and wireless network

Tell me about it. I don't suppose it's going to get installed at my exchange any time soon either.

you say it's pointless taking the monthly contract, always take the 12 month contract. Why say that?

Because the 12-month contract means you get the router for free,(if you take one), but you can still leave within the twelve months by paying for it then. The same applies to the broadband setup charge, if you have also taken the Home Phone option. If you don't take the Home Phone option then you pay the setup anyway.

(I need to update my Plusnet page, as this has changed a little since I wrote it. Previousy the setup charge could be treated like the router charge, whether or not you took Home Phone).

I'm going to post a question myself in the Plusnet forum about the Home Phone, so watch that thread .

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 06-Nov-11 15:10:16)

If i take the no contract option and the phone bundle it costs £25 setup and that's it. I would probably get my own router than one supplied by an ISP. The one i'm using at the moment is a Netgear supplied by Virgin, which has been quite poor. The wireless doesn't seem very fast, on a wireless laptop it runs very slow at time trying to browse the internet. It keeps losing wireless as well where anything connected via wifi will stop loading the internet and nothing can connect to the wifi either. So i have to keep turning it on and off to fix it.

To be honest the router i had before this one was supplied by Virgin as well and that was ok for a couple of years until it stopped connecting to the internet.

Next time i will probably just buy a router myself and get a decent one.

That's my point about the phone bundle .

Assuming you hope not to leave in the 12 months, you don't pay the £25, but if you change your mind and leave then you just have to pay the £25 then. You cannot lose by taking the contract option.

After the 12 months the charge is dropped.

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 06-Nov-11 16:24:50)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

Sky now uses a service that needs your line to be fully unbundled, the same as Talk Talk, it is fine as long as you don't want to move services as it can be pricey and a pain.
you don't have a lot of choice on your exchange as Tiscali and AOL is Talk Talk anyway.

AOL still do BB Only: http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk/products/broadband-onl... , i.e Partial LLU.

Could be llu ,but at upto 8mbits to me is suspect, i think it's BTW resold shaped/throttled rubbish ,just like the rest of AO hell

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

That's my point about the phone bundle .

Assuming you hope not to leave in the 12 months, you don't pay the £25, but if you change your mind and leave then you just have to pay the £25 then. You cannot lose by taking the contract option.

After the 12 months the charge is dropped.

Well look through Plusnet's site i found this.

http://www.plus.net/support/service/policies/cancell...

Under 5. Contracts

Should the customer wish to cancel before the initial term has expired, payment for the remaining months of the contract will be requested as a final payment.

To me that implies that if you leave before the contract is up you have to pay all of the remaining months.

Corbula,

That is correct: remaining months do have be paid, plus £40 for the router if one was taken as part of the contract - the TG585 v8 router isn't that brilliant anyway from what I've heard.

One month contracts are probably the best way to go and use your own router if you want to give Plusnet a try, I would recommend the "Pro" add-on if you want to stream YouTube videos etc. at peak times

Oh yuk!

Either it has changed, (possible), or they have got in a complete tangle in explaining things. Viz:-
"3. Broadband Specific Cancellation Policies
1.It is important that customers understand the difference between 'cancelling' (ceasing) their Broadband line and 'migrating' to a new provider. This avoids confusion and will prevent the customer having their broadband ceased unnecessarily (in which case, any new ISP would have to re-activate the line, and broadband downtime would be unavoidable)."

From there to the quote you give, including the quote you give, the main topic is "Cancellations". There is an implicit difference for migrations, but "This avoids confusion" looks to have disappeared.

Specifically
"4.To ensure no loss of service for the customer, when we issue a MAC Key, we do not schedule the account for cancellation. Any due subscription payments will continue to be taken. The account will only be closed (or downgraded) when we receive confirmation from either the customer (or from our network supplier) that the service has moved to the new provider."

No mention of cancellation there. I'll see what I can find out.

Bob,

I believe cancellation with or without MAC key simply means ending the PN broadband account. Obviously ceasing broadband on a line is a completely different kettle of fish...

I was asked to give 10 days notice when a MAC key was issued recently - however I'm out of contract so I can not be 100% certain about what happens if one cancels during a 12 month contract...

It certainly used to be as I described initially. It may have changed, but as well as the document containing that "Contracts" link, there are at least two other sources on the site that do not mention having to pay the balance, in a context where it could reasonably be expected.

It seems extremely unlikely that paying for the router upfront rather than after 3 months can give rise to a liability for 9 months subscription, cancellation or no cancellation. There doesn't appear to be any other factor involved.

A mess!

(Not for the first time, and not just Plusnet).

I can call up PN customer accounts and find out if you like - but I�ll probably not get a definitive answer and that will only add to the confusion

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Could be llu ,but at upto 8mbits to me is suspect, i think it's BTW resold shaped/throttled rubbish ,just like the rest of AO hell

It's Partial LLU ADSL2+, in the areas where they have LLU kit, capped to 8 Meg.

Found this about cessation also when I checked my account details:

4. When do Cessation Charges apply?
They apply to any customer who has a broadband cease placed on their line.

Generally, the main reasons for broadband ceases are:

�A broadband account is cancelled (without switching providers)
�Switching providers without a MAC Key - (LLU migrations excluded)
�The telephone line used to provide broadband is cut off
Cessation Charges don't apply when using a MAC Key to switch providers (this is called a migration), as a broadband cease is not required

and this regarding cancellation:

1. Residential Accounts
Our residential products are available with either:

�A 12 month contract (with free connection/hardware)
�A Monthly contract (No Contract)
What happens if I want to cancel?
�Our residential accounts require 10 days notice for cancellation.
�If cancelling within 12 months of receiving a free connection or router you'll be charged for them.
�If cancelling within 12 months of taking a free house move, you'll be charged for this
You would also need to pay for costs that fall within this notice period - usually your next month's subscription.

2. Business Accounts
Our business products can be purchased with either:

�A 12 month contract
�A 24 month contract
All business contracts automatically become monthly contracts once the initial term is up.

What happens if I want to cancel?
�Our business accounts require 30 days notice for cancellation
�To cancel before a 12 or 24 month contract ends, you'd need to pay up to the end of your contracted period
You would also need to pay for costs that fall within this notice period - usually your next month's subscription.

The confusion may be due to the differences between residential and business accounts

Edit: certainly looks as if you were correct and only a 10 day notice period is required to cancel a 12 month residential contract with no penalties other than a charge for free connection/router.

Edited by 4M2 (Sun 06-Nov-11 20:53:59)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

Sky now uses a service that needs your line to be fully unbundled, the same as Talk Talk, it is fine as long as you don't want to move services as it can be pricey and a pain.
you don't have a lot of choice on your exchange as Tiscali and AOL is Talk Talk anyway.

AOL still do BB Only: http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk/products/broadband-onl... , i.e Partial LLU.

18 month contract and be careful if yo just want a look as they will phone you up if you enter your details on their site.


If they use the AOL LLU service and it is only partial then that may be the way to go.

In reply to a post by Corbula:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

a shame you can't get cable and wireless network

Tell me about it. I don't suppose it's going to get installed at my exchange any time soon either.

about as much chance as we have of getting Fibre in the next 5 years

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

be careful if yo just want a look as they will phone you up if you enter your details on their site.

I did and got this quote:

The AOL Broadband package you've chosen includes the following:
Broadband Only
1 Month Free Broadband & £10 Credit for 2 Months

Broadband £15.31
SMPF: ADSL 24Mbps £0.00
10GB download allowance £0.00

Total £15.31
(18 month minimum contract)

That should settle the Partial LLU ADSL2+ argument . However the speed estimates I was given were under the 8 Meg, when my line is capable of 18 Meg. .

EDIT: But when I put my #s into their headline 24 Meg Broadband, Calls and Line Rental package I did get speed estimates of over 8 Meg, but nowhere near my real speeds, but that's probably down to BT's fallible database.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Sun 06-Nov-11 20:45:51)

That's another one, which I hadn't seen, as well as the two I mentioned.

Surely if the balance of the 12 months would be payable, then it really has to be mentioned there . The fact that it isn't, as you say in your edit, implies the "Contract" statement could be, should we say, imprecise.

However, O2 do have a clear statement in their terms that a £30 up-front payment secures a monthly contract rather than a 12-month minimum period.

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 06-Nov-11 22:45:44)

Bob,

I think the only precise thing is the 10 day notice otherwise the PN broadband will be ceased on the line at a cost of 25 quid...

However I've no idea how phone rental fits into the equation?

O2 usually want their router back also, don't they? I sent one back after a dreadful experience with their "access" deal a couple of years ago - that was a one year contract that only lasted 3 weeks though!

Phone Line Rental fits in (now) as you have to get that to get the broadband setup fee waived for 12 months then cancelled. On stand-alone broadband the setup fee is unavoidable.

Yes, O2 want the router back. They are used in reinforcing motorway hard shoulders for use as congestion relief lanes.

Hi there,

That rule only applies if you're in contract. Currently activation and hardware are provided free under deferred contracts, which are slightly different.

There are 2 scenarios:
1) in contract and have deferred fees (ie current fibre products) - you would pay a fee for remaining months + hardware + activation fee
2) deferred fees only (ie choosing not to pay activation fee up front) - you would just pay for activation and/or hardware + 10 days notice

Hope that helps

Setup fee on standalone broadband seems to have come with their price match marketing - I paid nothing two years ago and got the first four months of an 18 month contract free ("Pro") and a TG585 v7 for nowt.

Do 02 really recycle those routers then? LOL!

See my post here.

This page explains things better.

I'll talk to the content guys and see if we can get that cleared up as you're right, it is confusing.

"Deferred fees" - what's that?

In reply to a post by 4M2:

"Deferred fees" - what's that?

Even on the 12-month contract the setup and router fee if one is taken are invoiced to the account. At the end of the 12 months they are credited.

In reply to a post by mand_beckett:

Hi there,

That rule only applies if you're in contract. Currently activation and hardware are provided free under deferred contracts, which are slightly different.

There are 2 scenarios:
1) in contract and have deferred fees (ie current fibre products) - you would pay a fee for remaining months + hardware + activation fee
2) deferred fees only (ie choosing not to pay activation fee up front) - you would just pay for activation and/or hardware + 10 days notice

Hope that helps

Re the first scenario, you say "ie" = "that is". That would make sense as OR have a 12-month minimum term. But did you mean "eg" = "for example", so it also applies to ADSLx services?

Re the second, I don't see how you can have deferred fees and not be in contract?

Bob,

Thanks for the explanation regarding "deferred fees"

I should have included - but payment for them is not taken through the d/d". So they just sit there until you leave before the 12 months, or the 12 months expires .

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

be careful if yo just want a look as they will phone you up if you enter your details on their site.

I did and got this quote:

The AOL Broadband package you've chosen includes the following:
Broadband Only
1 Month Free Broadband & £10 Credit for 2 Months

Broadband £15.31
SMPF: ADSL 24Mbps £0.00
10GB download allowance £0.00

Total £15.31
(18 month minimum contract)

That should settle the Partial LLU ADSL2+ argument . However the speed estimates I was given were under the 8 Meg, when my line is capable of 18 Meg. .

EDIT: But when I put my #s into their headline 24 Meg Broadband, Calls and Line Rental package I did get speed estimates of over 8 Meg, but nowhere near my real speeds, but that's probably down to BT's fallible database.

I used to like AOL, I would not use them now even if they unbundled our exchange which they won't now,

You are brave putting your details in, no doubt you will get a phone call today.

Currently our *residential* ADSL products only have deferred fees contracted. If you sign up and then leave within the 12 months you *would not* be required to pay the remaining monthly subs, you would just need to pay for the deferred items (router, activation).

Fibre is slightly different in that you do have to pay a fee for the remaining months of your contract, but it's not the full subscription cost, details here. You would also need to pay any deferred fees.

Business users can be both in contract and have deferred fees. If a business customer wanted to leave and was in contract they would need to pay the full subscription cost for the remaining months plus any deferred charges.

Hope that makes things a bit clearer.

Bob,

So somebody takes a residential PN 12 months phone and broadband deal, meaning that setup and router charges will be deferred. If they leave within that 12 months period (cancel the broadband giving 10 days notice after receiving a MAC key if migrating to another ISP's IP stream product or without a MAC key if moving to LLU) then only those deferred charges will be payable and the remaining months subscriptions will not be charged for.

But what happens about the phone line rental if that was part of the deferred charges deal if one wishes to terminate that also? That is normally supplied on a one month contract basis unless it is part of a special offer - perhaps it's part of the deferred charges (special?) offer on the 12 months broadband/phone contract? If so, maybe cancellation charges would be applied to that also...

Edit: found this also from Terms and Conditions/Plusnet Broadband Phone Service Terms:

Other Information
19. If you end your Plusnet Broadband service your Plusnet Talk service will also end.

Edited by 4M2 (Mon 07-Nov-11 17:14:44)

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

You are brave putting your details in, no doubt you will get a phone call today.

Thanks, but I'm used to it with TT. I just say "I'm not interested. I was just testing your speed tester. Goodbye!"

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

You are brave putting your details in, no doubt you will get a phone call today.

Thanks, but I'm used to it with TT. I just say "I'm not interested. I was just testing your speed tester. Goodbye!"

With TrueCall they are automatically all blocked.

I don't have £100 to throw away on something I can do for free in 30 secs.

Also it only works on #s I've received before, which doesn't happen often.

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

I don't have £100 to throw away on something I can do for free in 30 secs.

Also it only works on #s I've received before, which doesn't happen often.

Do yourself for free in 30 secs?? Even if you pay BT the ripoff £4 per month to block withheld numbers, it still does not block International withheld numbers like TrueCall does, most of which are phishing or marketing calls, so possibly you could pass on your secret.
It does NOT only work on numbers received before, which is the whole award winning idea.

Ok, so just to clarify.

If i take Extra with the Pro addon and evening and weekend calls. If i'm on contract and leave within 12 months i will only pay the activation fee and for the router if taken?

If i take the no contract option on the package in the first example i pay the activation and that's all?


Also can anyone recommend me a wireless router. Specifically good wireless and good for gaming. Here's my setup.
I've got my main pc wired to my current router. I've got my ps3 connected wired via homeplugs to the router. I've got a wireless laptop and various mobile phones. It needs to have good wireless for the laptop and the various mobile phones, but also i don't know how much difference it would make but good for gaming. I've heard some routers can increase latency more than others.