Which ISP for backup connection?

I currently have Plusnet and Virgin but I'm likely to be moving soon and virgin can't serve the new area (That will be fun with the ETFs )

I'll move the Plusnet FTTC connection seeing as I'm still in contract with them and they can provide FTTC in the new location. However if there's enough spare pairs to allow for a 2nd line I'd probably still like to have a 2nd ISP as a backup, probably on one of the LLU networks incase BTW go splat.

Ideally looking for ADSL2+ and line rental on a 30 day term.

Alphabetically:-

AAISP; Aquiss; vivaciti; xilo/uno (possibly not taking orders till June due to brand-splitting and package changes); Zen.

Have you checked the ADSLx speed estimates against your needs?

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 11-May-15 21:59:00)

It was about 17Mbit/s which compared to the Virgin connection I have here will be slow but as I'll also have VDSL/FTTC it won't matter to much (Predicted 60 - 80 on the FTTC)

According to this post Vivaciti don't do LLU anymore.

If it really is backup you're after, I'd go with mobile broadband.

LLU ADSL would be another option, but there will likely be more single points of failure than with mobile. This is especially an issue if relevant Openreach line plant runs overhead or is of questionable condition.

Not seen where AAISP & Aquiss offer one month contracts as OP wanted. Don't forget Pulse8, not the cheapest, but no contract tie-in.

You can check what is in your area but VFast are in mine. They do wireless broadband in south east Kent (not sure where you are based).

Total waste of money for myself, but if I did have a need for two connections on physically different transport mediums (FTTC landline and wireless microwave), that would be a pretty sweet setup. But I cannot personally justify the price or need for it.

Anyway, you suggested ADSL2+ as a backup so are looking for two physical line solution, but thought I would suggest it anyway.

Edited by deleted (Tue 12-May-15 13:24:53)

No Vfast sadly,

I did think about 4G which would be fine for emergency usage but if there was a long running issue with routing or peak time performance on my primary ISP then I'd probably run out of data.

Also I can tether my mobile providing it's not more than a few GB's of usage (I have a fairly high 4G allowance on that compared to most people)

Obviously having a DSL based backup won't help me if someone digs up the line or the exchange goes bang but at least having LLU DSL should help if the cabnet loses power/dies or help in the case of BTW/ISP issues.

Other than those listed on our website?
http://www.aquiss.net/broadband-family.php

Which rather conflicts with what I found! http://www.aquiss.net/home-broadband-packages/

Take a look at the purple/dark blue banner

Are you looking for something different, such as a short term contract?
Our Classic Home Broadband packages are still available, which can be found http://www.aquiss.net/broadband-family.php

The OP was -I already have no contract tie-in - Even for fibre!

okay so it's 12 month contract but Sky are doing 12 months free LLU service when you take a phone line for £16,99 a month . Offer is on the front of this site.

I am with AAISP and I recommend them if you don't need more than 100GB a month. I use 200GB and pay £45 including the phone. They are worth it though.

Edit they use the Talktalk Business network also but if you don't have it they can use BT ADSL also. Everyone pays the same and they buy what they need.

Edited by deleted (Tue 12-May-15 16:14:47)

Sky phone line rental is £16.40 a month

I did forget Pulse8, but not deliberately omit them.

Re AAISP and Aquiss, I was about to post the link but luckily scrolled down here first.

Re AAISP

Length of on-going service

All of the ongoing services we offer (for example: Internet services; telephone services; maintenance; etc.) are provided for each billing period as agreed (typically monthly, but other billing cycles are available) on an automatically renewing basis. You receive an invoice at (or just before) the start of the period and at that point we have agreed to provide service for the period and you have agreed to pay for service for that period. In some cases this can be adjusted later where there is a notice period of termination, but where there is no notice period we operate on a no-refund basis. I.e. we have made an agreement with you at the start of the period to provide service and be paid for that whole period.

If you do not ask us to terminate service we will start a new period on your next billing date.

That's from the Legal pages. IIRC all the non-fibre packages on this page are monthly terms.

The OP said "preferably ADSL2+".

Edit they use the Talktalk Business network also but if you don't have it they can use BT ADSL also. Everyone pays the same and they buy what they need.

My supplier almost exactly the same without contract tie-in - £26 per month.

Edited by professor973 (Tue 12-May-15 20:26:08)

In reply to a post by professor973:

The OP was -I already have no contract tie-in - Even for fibre!

I already have a contract Tie in for the FTTC, and the cable at the old location, the FTTC I'm moving and since I'm paying for the new line install it doesn't change my existing contract end date.

The cable I'll either have to pay the ETF or see if someone else here wants to take it over.

So ideally I'd prefer a 30day contract on the backup line this time round, that said I suppose if it works out cheaper to get a 12month contract and just pay the ETF's if I move again before that then It's an option.

I've just moved from a PlusNet FTTC (78/18) connection back to good old ADSL2+.
Luckily I'm only 1Km from the exchange so I *should* get 19-20 down, 0.4 Up
Unluckily, I have an issue on my line at the moment, (for some reason DLM keeps setting my Downstream SNR to 0.6dB causing a bucket load of errors and even after they fix it to 3dB a few weeks later it keeps resetting itself.

Anyway, I have a 4G EE MiFi device which I picked up from Carphone Warehouse. They have the best deals on at the moment. I have a 25Gb data allowance for £30. If you buy that one 'once', you get the MiFi device free. You can at the end of the 1st month, terminate the contract and keep the MiFi or drop down to a 12Gb allowance for £10/month.
Since where I am, even inside the house on Orange I get 40Mb down, 12Mb up, if I'm doing a lot of uploading I switch to 4G. On O2 with my phone tethered, I can get 30-40Mb up/down inside the house.
With the EE plan, you can take the lower data rate for emergency use and add extra data at a relative cheap price.

I'd say take a look at the deals that Carphone warehouse have got and see if that meets your need. I did go round all the major players but couldn't beat the deals Carphone Warehouse were offering 4G wise.

Edited by deleted (Tue 12-May-15 22:31:36)

Pulse8 upgrading heavy use packages to unlimited in June. https://www.facebook.com/pulse8broadband

In reply to a post by shinerweb:

I've just moved from a PlusNet FTTC (78/18) connection back to good old ADSL2+.
Luckily I'm only 1Km from the exchange so I *should* get 19-20 down, 0.4 Up
Unluckily, I have an issue on my line at the moment, (for some reason DLM keeps setting my Downstream SNR to 0.6dB causing a bucket load of errors and even after they fix it to 3dB a few weeks later it keeps resetting itself.

That sounds more like the normal fluctuations of a 3dB profile with crosstalk to me.

Does it actually stay at 0.3dB SNR all the time once its reduced? That would to me suggest a modem issue as DLM would never aim for below 3dB.

Your line might get stuck quite low if interference is consistently there and your modem is aggressive at holding sync. A 6dB profile may be required.

Edited by alexatkin (Wed 13-May-15 02:31:48)

Ordered ADSL + static ip from Pulse 8.

I value actually being able to talk to someone when I have problem more than getting the cheapest rubbish possible but at the same time I don't want to worry about usage.

So I'll have Residential DSL from Pulse8 and "business" FTTC from Plusnet (Although it's pretty much all residential traffic they answer the phone a bit quicker for business customers and i get multiple IP's)

Option 1 when you phone P8 and you are straight through to Sam or Adam, whe are at their control screen to sort problems as you talk to them.

No they don`t, which is why I left them last year, Now with Xilo, excellent LLU service.

Looks like their LLU broadband is TT as the static IP they assigned is from one of the ex Tiscali ranges.

Figured it would be either TT or C&W, guess it's a white label service with TT managing the infrastructure/IP's

Managed to get an appointment in the same slot from both Pulse 8 and Plusnet so it will be interesting to see if Openreach are smart enough to give both jobs to the same engineer or if they'll send 2 different engineers.

Yes, P8 are TT resellers, so you get good broadband and good customer services. Where there is no unbundled TT, they supply BTW. In a couple of weeks when back at our P8 address, I will be switching to fibre.

Do you know if PPPoE works on the TT DSL platform?

I did ask support but they weren't sure for DSL and the settings they sent me say to use PPPoA, id prefer to just bridge a modem and use PPPoE on the other router.

Not tried using my Draytek Vigor 120 modem. I usually use that when using my Airport Extreme. It looks as if you are taking the same route as me. I was initially showing Tiscali on speedtests, that is because you start on BTW, then after a while you switch to full LLU, which then shows as Talktalk.

I went for a static ip, I doubt it being a Tiscali IP is directly related to if it's LLU or not but rather it's likely it's simply from an IP block that they acquired when they bought out Tiscali.

I really hope it's not being provisioned using BTW as I want to avoid them if possible, I can't do much about the connection between me and the exchange or the exchange itself but I specifically wanted it on the LLU network incase BTW experience back-haul issues

You will get switched to TT LLU if it's at your exchange. A mail to [email protected] will get a quick reply.

It's available on the exchange according to Sam Knows.

In reply to a post by professor973:

Edit they use the Talktalk Business network also but if you don't have it they can use BT ADSL also. Everyone pays the same and they buy what they need.

My supplier almost exactly the same without contract tie-in - £26 per month.

You seem desperate to sell them are.you not one of them?

Thrs guy's reselll via icnet so nothing special

icnet?

I would say you are "One of Them"! Either way, they do all AA do cheaper and better! http://www.pulse8.co.uk/ - As for the rest of the jibberish, possibly you could interpret for a Pleb!

Edited by professor973 (Thu 14-May-15 18:59:10)

I'm neither of them. I wouldn't want to be either. I will believe this wonderful ISP you have based on when someone has a fault and when they fix it.

We don't all want cheaper! I very very much doubt they can do it better. But I am sure you will come back and prove me wrong.

jibberish? How about you stop being a pleb and use google? it's all there for you.

Many here will vouch for the absolute mess my broadband was, due to degraded line that BTW STILL will not fix. Zen (line) and Enta both made a pigs ear and the situation worse. Adam and Sam at Pulse8 have jumped through hoops and hours making adjustments on their control screen while on the phone. The result at the moment is a slower but stable line, which will do nicely till upgrade to fibre, shortening my flaky 2k of copper/aluminium to 300 metres. ALL BTOR visits arranged by P8 were with the promise of NO charge whatever the outcome. All of the above has been a long saga witnessed by many here, which leaves me more that happy with my supplier. Oh, and they are not cheap, just no dearer than PN & BT, but cheaper than AA.
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ping/share/39a1c33dbf9...
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ping/share/b3e8294be54...

How things were.
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ping/share/78e5ee4fbf6...

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/ping/share/1bc1b3dd005...

Edited by professor973 (Thu 14-May-15 21:05:13)

Good news attached to this months invoice - More of it AND cheaper!


Good News!
All Fibre Packages have been upgraded to Unlimited Monthly Usage!
If you were previously paying for a 500gb package you will also save £6 per month!

Unlimited Fibreoptic Line Packages include Line Rental and start from £38inc.
Save £7 per month on our Home Broadband & Line Rental bundles from £25 inc.
Save £7 per month on our Business Broadband & Line Rental bundles from £26.80 inc.
See www.pulse8broadband.co.uk for futher details.

Home Line Rental = £13 inc.
Business Line Rental = £13.80 inc.
ISDN2e (2 Channels) = £30.00 inc.
Daytime Local / National Calls @ 1p/min inc.
Evening Local / National Calls @ 0.8p/min inc.
U.K. Mobile Daytime / Evening Calls @ 8p/min inc.

Intersting seems TalkTalk haven't yet ceased the previous occupants line, (Of course that might still happen between now and mine going live) I know they've been told about the move as the previous occupant took their service with them and has confirmed it's live in their new property.

Also my Pulse8 login seems to work on it, I've therefore asked pulse8 if a new line is still the best way forward or if they can just take over the one that's here.

Either way works for me... I kinda hope this line stays active until Next week when openreach come to install mine.

Will be interesting to see how it pans out, as TT LLU to certain other TT LLU resellers can be problematic, their customer service and desire to make it tough for folks to move away, or keep their number can be a pain.

In reply to a post by professor973:

Will be interesting to see how it pans out, as TT LLU to certain other TT LLU resellers can be problematic, their customer service and desire to make it tough for folks to move away, or keep their number can be a pain.

Because the line is stopped I can't even dial 17070 to find out it's number, I've asked the previous occupant if they've taken the same number to their new address and what it was.

Pulse8 don't seem to mind that I'm using the service a bit early, my static IP doesn't work yet but that's because it's not fully activated.

To be honest I don't really care if they can take over the line or if I still end up paying for a new one, I'm just hoping It continues working until at least one of my own lines go active.

It depends TT LLU SMPF (as on broadband only, thats what i have) migrations work fine. Its when they're fully unbundled you get problems