ISP for gaming - read and help please :)

I am so fed up with the speeds in my area, with my whole family online 24/7 3 laptops, pc, xbox, wii 3 meg isn't enough to keep my pings low and stop it from spiking and cutting out all the damn time!

So I decided to pay with my own money, get my parents to get a second line to my room and get broadband down that, this way I get the connection to me and only me. I want to know what is the best ISP for gaming, is terms of max download speed AND latency.

I heard BE and O2 are good choices, any other suggestions or people with experience?

what's your exchange then?

How about some router stats too?

Edited by deleted (Fri 13-Jan-12 23:01:47)

O2 have traffic management - BE don't

Note you also do not need to get the landline with Be or O2 - Post Office are doing free line isntalls at the moment if you haven't got the second line already

Been with BE over 5 years, which imo says it all.
Was previously with BT

Your exchange and stats of your parents line will tell more

What Nicola said. I am moving later this year and I'm dreading not being able to get BE. I have been rather spoiled at my current address and have enjoyed 20+ meg speeds with BE for around 5 years. My new place is a lot farther from the exchange and I may have to go with (gulp) BT FTTC.

I'm hoping that BE will get a shift on with their fibre trials so I won't have to leave what , for me, has been an excellent ISP for gaming.

My exchange is the CWMBRAN exchange, and my current line stats with Sky are

Down: 4092kbps
Up: 798kbps
Down Attenuation: 48.5dB but I have seen it as low as 46 on this line
Down Noise Margin: 4.9dB
Up Attenuation: 19.6dB
Up Noise Margin: 14.5dB

A few of my neighbors have around 5 and 6 meg download and most of the people in Llanyrafon (that I know) are on around 5. All the "tests" on my line on ISP websites have given me estimates of 4.5 to 7.5 in my area, Likely speed 5.5, some have given me estimates of 6.5 but I think that is unlikely. Any thoughts?

Your attenuation will vary depending on if you are on ADSL or ADSL2+.

Have you asked Sky to put you on the Gaming profile?

What would putting me on the gaming profile do exactly? If it effects the performance of other internet activities i'm sure my family will complain

Well, it's supposed to reduce the level of interleaving to improve your gaming experience, and also remove the DLM cap from your line, but it doesn't always happen.

Won't changing ISP affect the performance and you'll lose Anytime+ ?

I won't be changing ISP, I am just getting a second line and will get a separate service down that, leaving my family with Sky and I can choose my own ISP. It is possible yes?

Oh yeah, forgot that. Yes, that's possible. Anyway, BE have already been recommended and they are available from a number of resellers as well.

Also, if you have 2 lines, you can get a device to load balance them and combine the speeds.