Questions about Zen

Hello, I am thinking of switching to Zen and have a simple (I hope) and difficult question (to which the answer is probably no). Obviously my first attempt was to ask Zen directly, and though I got an auto-reply saying they would answer within two days, they did not. Which itself is a worrying sign as using the phone can be a problem for me so I rely on email communication.

As background, I have a BT landline and Sky (ADSL) for broadband. I also want a static IP which I have as a legacy O2 customer, but I think I would lose if I switch to fibre. Also only FTTC is offered here at the moment which is all I need, though it seems BT and EE do claim to now offer FTTP.

Anyway, the simple question.

On Zen's product page it says for both products that "Phone line not included" yet lower down the page the "All our packages include…" section has a panel for "Phone line rental" though it goes on to say "When you need it [you can]…"

So does this mean I still need line rental from someone else if I do not also take their Digital Voice phone service, or do they take over the line to deliver a broadband only service and I would lose my phone line?

Which leads to the difficult question.

I do not use my landline (nor my mobile one) but I want to keep my phone number. Though my elderly dad would normally use my mobile, after a number of recent illness scares I do not want to confuse anything by losing or changing it in case of any emergencies. So ideally what I want to do is move my number to a cheap VOIP service.

Is there any way to do this without a prolonged loss of internet service? Because I know if I transfer the number it will shut down my phone line, including broadband. Would it be too much of a risk to order VOIP one day and internet the next so that there is only a short gap between the two? Or is the scheduling of the change random that I could have my broadband transferred then cut off? Or do I even need to wait until I have no phone line because after the line has been disconnected it needs to go through some separate process?

I am assuming the answer to the first question is No? The alternative plan is that I have read somewhere that Ofcom plan to make some changes later this year allowing you to reclaim you number within a short period after it has been cancelled. Is that correct? If so then I presumably could just take Zen's Digital Voice for a year, cancel it, and then move it elsewhere after that. I would at least still save more than I am currently spending.

Though with all phone lines becoming VOIP ones in a few years, surely by that point Ofcom will then have to require being able to switch between providers easily without it affecting the broadband service.

If you go FTTC there will still be a physical phone line there, so somewhere "rental" will need to be paid - either as an identifiable item or hidden in other charges.

If you have FTTP available, then why not make te jump now? You can choose from lower level options right up to 1Gbps.

Go for FTTP and get it installed - chosing a supplier that will give a static IP. When that is installed, initiate a transfer of your number to a VoIP provider, which will cancel both your line and ADSL. You will have maybe a one month overlap, but you have a decent IP connection and VoIP

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

only FTTC is offered here at the moment which is all I need, though it seems BT and EE do claim to now offer FTTP.

Above wasn't clear to me if FTTP was available at the OP's address ,if it was I wouldn't suggest they go with Zen considering the issues they have been having over the last month without a resolution in sight.

Exactly what does the BT checker say for your line and FTTP?

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Note to Rebecka, on that checker do not confuse FTTP and FTTPoD (FTTP on Demand). Lots of people make that easy mistake.

FTTP is "standard" products where available, usually at FTTC prices. FTTPoD is a special provision where FTTP is not a standard product and costs thousands.

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

On Zen's product page it says for both products that "Phone line not included" yet lower down the page the "All our packages include…" section has a panel for "Phone line rental" though it goes on to say "When you need it [you can]…"

So does this mean I still need line rental from someone else if I do not also take their Digital Voice phone service, or do they take over the line to deliver a broadband only service and I would lose my phone line?

It means they allow you to have your line rental with your existing supplier of phone services. But that too depends on your existing supplier being willing to supply a line if your broadband isn't also with them. Clearly BT do.

The Zen pages are confusing/misleading. As they have recently introduced SoGEA + Digital Voice to replace FTTC atop WLR3 phone for residential customers then where they say "Phone line not included" they really mean "No phone service included". Other pages / sections of pages have not been updates so they still mention line rental from other suppliers.

I recently migrated from Plusnet FTTC atop ICUK WLR3 to Zen SoGEA which all went smoothly and dropped the phone service (as my historic landline number is already VoIP from moving to a different exchange area previously). Unfortunately there is no easy foolproof method of migrating ADSL or FTTC to SoGEA and transferring the WLR3 phone number to a provider than the one offering the SoGEA broadband service.

For no loss of either phone or broadband service options include:
Transfer everything to Zen, migrate from their Digital Voice to a lower cost provider (e.g. Sipgate, AAISP) when contractually permitted - it isn't clear if the Digital Voice is subject to the same 12-month contract as the broadband.

Install a new line for SoGEA, or FTTP if available. Once the new broadband service is operational port the existing phone number to a VoIP provider of your choice, this will cease the orginal phone service and broadband.

Transfer everything to AAISP - they can do a working line takeover of the existing phone and broadband and then do a 'port out with renumber' to move the phone number to their VoIP platform, but crucially keeping the broadband active. As their broadband comes at a permium due to their excellent customer service, etc., you could migrate the broadband when contractually permitted. If you are on ADSL currently this may only be a month so you could potentially stay on ADSL when transferring to AAISP, then migrating from ADSL to SoGEA with another provider.

Zen and AAISP both provide static IPs.

Even when the planned Ofcom regulations regarding reclaiming ceased numbers comes into effect there would be a break in phone service using this method, and being new how foolproof it will be is as yet unknown.

It says at the bottom of the page that:

The exchange is not in a current fibre priority programme

WLR is currently available at the exchange

SOADSL is restricted at the exchange

FTTP is not available.

I am sorry for the ambiguity in my post, which seems to have been a misunderstanding by me. I had looked on the SamKnows Availability page which said that FTTP was not available, and no other provider was offering it. But when I looked on the BT and EE sites they were the only ones offering 300 Mbps packages for my line, which I wrongly assumed meant FTTP services. I guess from the above I was wrong about that, although neither of those offer domestic static IP addresses anyway.

For reference, the BT Wholesale page shows an availability of "green" in both columns for G.fast, if that means anything important.

Incidentally, the problem for me with FTTP is having to have an installer visit. Aside from having to move a load of things that are in front of the phone socket (it was where it was so there was only so much I could do to work around it), I am immunocompromised and have a lung condition so I am still be extremely careful of Covid and would not want anyone coming in anyway.

The relevant samknows pages, which used to be the fastest and best for the info, are now not usefully maintained. Haven't been for literally years.

Sam himself, and his business, now have far bigger fish to fry.

Thank you so much, that was all very helpful.

That was my problem with Zen's language, I had originally assumed they now only offered a service where they provided the line too whether or not you also took a phone service. But then it was suggested that that you still needed a separate line, and rereading the page it did read that way too.

So basically, they no longer offer a service on top of a line provided by another provider.

AAISP is where I wanted to take my phone service, but they also do not like answering sales emails either, it seems. Though for £1.20 a month I am probably not the most important customer.

The problem with their broadband service is the higher cost, unless it is truly worth the cost difference? Unfortunately my old Netgear modem requires regularly rebooting so I cannot access any usage stats, but with streaming TV I would not be surprised if I exceed the 500GB quota for the lower tariff. Though rechecking the AAISP site just now it seems they do offer G.Fast up to 160Mbps, so I suppose that is one benefit. Though with the risk of doing so at a higher quality if I do not exceed the quota!

Also they have different charges based on whether you take a copper pair from them or not, I assume from the language use in "migrate existing copper pair" then I would be with them, rather than it more strictly only meaning something they physically installed?

Because of the reason above, about not wanting to deal with installers visiting at this time, the idea of using a second line to separate broadband and phone is not really an option. So I guess it is between AAISP or Zen, or paying the premium to spend a month with AAISP then move broadband to Zen

Is there anyone else you would recommend other than Zen?

Basically I just want as fast as I can for as cheap as I can (who does not?) but with a static IP and no need for an installer visit. A modem would be also be very good, else I would need to buy one, but otherwise I do not want or need any extra software or services.

I guess with the phone situation it also restricts me to provider who offer some sort of phone service too, so I can keep my number. Obviously having a separate phone and broadband provider is just an unnecessary expenses. That along with upgrading to faster speeds is why I want to change, the current situation is only a consequence of inertia rather than any reason for keeping my current providers.

G.Fast is FTTC, just like VDSL2. It offers speeds of up to 330Mb/s down and 50Mb/s up over the the existing copper wiring.
Just like VDSL2 the speed you receive depends on the line length from the cabinet.
The available speed on G.Fast drops off very quickly as distance from the cabinet increases, meaning it has a very limited range.
For lines at the edge of G.Fast coverage the upstream is often worse than VDSL2.

Zen email support is now non-existent.
If using their phone support is an issue then I would strongly advise you to pick another provider.

The cabinet is probably about 70 yards up the street, and the VDSL estimated speed on Zen's site is 72–73 Mbps. The BT Wholesale page gives a Downstream Handback Threshold of 76.7 and 75 Mbps for VDSL entires, so I am guessing that jargon means the maximum realistic speed? For the G.fast entires, though, it says 300.

Another vote against Zen though, so thank you for that though I am guessing then that only really leaves AAISP. But rather switching to them would increase costs rather than cutting them! Even with their 500GB quota tier, which the more I think about the more it sounds difficult for me to exceed.

If AAISP is still like it was when I was with them, half of any unused quota carries forward. This is cumulative.

So use 400GB month 1, quota month 2 550GB. Then use 410GB month 2 and quota month 3 is 570GB. And so on.

Edited by pluralist (Sat 23-Apr-22 16:25:59)

Your requirements seem to be straight forward but notice you require a static IP, can I ask how you make use of it?

I use a static IP because I have my own little cloud on a home server, that I just use for calendar, contacts, and notes. Not paranoia but control freakery, I guess! It is also helpful to be able to connect to it when visiting my dad. The other is to access a web host which is just used for email and messing around, but they use IP addresses to restrict access to SSH and MySQL.

Though I could use a dynamic DNS for home, a dynamic IP would be awkward with the web host needing to keep on top of changes and then go through terrible customer support. A static one just keeps everything simple.

Anyway, I am not sure when Zen prices rose, or when I wrote them down, but it seems they are now more expensive than I thought. So if there are no other options it seems my choices are Zen for £19.99 set up and £41.99/mo or AAISP for £15 set up and £46.20/mo (I think).

Given the comments about Zen it seems the best solution is the six-month contract with AAISP, that way it solves the problem of separating my phone number from the line and I can reconsider my broadband options later this year. The only catch is the modem, which makes Zen very attractive.

The Zen's Fritz!Box seems to have good reviews, but what I like is it does everything. I could just use a DECT handset with it. While AAISP offer two and neither supports VOIP so would require an extra adapter. So rather than pay the discounted price (as with a six-month contract) it would make more sense to buy my own.

Out of laziness I would have just bought the one Zen uses, but it seems to not be readily sold here. And it seems expensive, and I am not sure if that is because it is a niche brand or it is just that good. So are there any recommendations for a similar (and not too expensive) modem?

Otherwise I suppose I could just suck up the inconvenience, buy a VOIP adapter and AAISP's cheaper modem to use in bridge mode with my current wireless router. The I can decide on a better solution when my contract is up, when I may end up switching to Zen anyway. Though it dose seem wasteful and is yet another cost.

Have you considered something like freeDNS? Which would remove the need for a static IP?

https://freedns.afraid.org/signup/moreinfo/

The basic service is free which is a plus! I use it on my Zen static IP just in case I decide to move providers (which I will in December, BT or EE as FTTP seems to be solid on most providers).

Might be worth a look as then you are not limited to providers with only static IPs...

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

The problem with their broadband service is the higher cost, unless it is truly worth the cost difference? Unfortunately my old Netgear modem requires regularly rebooting so I cannot access any usage stats, but with streaming TV I would not be surprised if I exceed the 500GB quota for the lower tariff.

Is is difficult to estimate how much you use if it isn't recorded anywhere, it depends if your are just a watching a few programmes a week or continually steaming things.

Also they have different charges based on whether you take a copper pair from them or not, I assume from the language use in "migrate existing copper pair" then I would be with them, rather than it more strictly only meaning something they physically installed?

Yes, AAISP rent the copper pair from Openreach.

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

Anyway, I am not sure when Zen prices rose, or when I wrote them down, but it seems they are now more expensive than I thought. So if there are no other options it seems my choices are Zen for £19.99 set up and £41.99/mo

The website currently shows £34.99/mo for 80/20 broadband with £19.99 setup, extra £7/mo for Digital Voice which includes 1000 minutes/mo to UK landlines & mobiles.

The Zen's Fritz!Box seems to have good reviews, but what I like is it does everything. I could just use a DECT handset with it. While AAISP offer two and neither supports VOIP so would require an extra adapter. So rather than pay the discounted price (as with a six-month contract) it would make more sense to buy my own.

Out of laziness I would have just bought the one Zen uses, but it seems to not be readily sold here. And it seems expensive, and I am not sure if that is because it is a niche brand or it is just that good. So are there any recommendations for a similar (and not too expensive) modem?

The Fritz!Box is very much better than most ISP-supplied routers, you can also turn of the remote managment and use it with any other ISP (I repuposed one connected to CIX/ICUK ADSL and AAISP VoIP). It is rather niche here, I believe much more commonplace in Germany where it originates from.

Otherwise I suppose I could just suck up the inconvenience, buy a VOIP adapter and AAISP's cheaper modem to use in bridge mode with my current wireless router. The I can decide on a better solution when my contract is up, when I may end up switching to Zen anyway. Though it dose seem wasteful and is yet another cost.

There does seem to be a steady stream of people selling the Zen-supplied Fritz!Box on eBay (and likely elsewhere too) as they either never used it having their own setups, or have migrated to other suppliers.

For VDSL modems the leader is still the Draytek Vigor 130, again they appear regularly on auction sites but still command high prices.

For standalone DECT VoIP the leader is Gigaset. The original N300 supported an analogue PSTN connection in addition to VoIP, the later N510 is VoIP only. The same boxes are also rebadged with some of their Gigaset GO ranges, and there is a webiste which shows the how compatible and extended feateures are between bases and handsets.

In reply to a post by tdw42:

For standalone DECT VoIP the leader is Gigaset. The original N300 supported an analogue PSTN connection in addition to VoIP, the later N510 is VoIP only. The same boxes are also rebadged with some of their Gigaset GO ranges, and there is a webiste which shows the how compatible and extended feateures are between bases and handsets.

Fo accuracy there are two Gigasets N300 IP and N300A IP - the latter has answerphone included. The GO Box 100 is the standalone and there are other versions such as the S850GO which inludes 850 series handsets and also other variants but the base station is the same

That sort of service was what I meany by dynamic DNS. It would be just as for accessing home, as you say, but I need an IP address rather than domain name for use with the web host. But I do appreciate it is one of those "something has to give" situations and at some point it will likely have to be the cost over the convenience. Or a different web host.

I tried looking on eBay but there were not that many Fritz!boxes on there. However it seems I was wrong in that that AAISP's Technicolor modem does support VOIP, though not DECT, and has no subsidy on the six-month contract though it is free with a 12-month one.

Another little known brand here! So first I find out it is Technicolor as in the logo on the end of films of all things, and then that it is a brand now owned by Thomson which makes more sense. They made the supplied O2 modem which was an awful experience. I am guessing their quality must be better now. It will be interesting if on leaving Sky they ask for it back, a complete waste of postage on their part but I still have it boxed up in case they do. I do not think I own it. I hope not, anyway!

So one option is to buy that modem for £90, though you can get the DGA4134 online for £106 (a bit less than AAISP charge) which has Wifi 6 and, for me, a better form factor. If paying that much then it is probably worth the extra.

The other option would be to buy their subsidized ZyXEL VMG1312-T20B for £25, then buy a VOIP solution for which the cheapest option seems to be the Gigaset Hello handset and adapter which is £40 on Amazon. That is less than the N300 adapter on its own, I guess maybe it only supports one line but that would be enough for me, though.

That combination would only cost £65, but I would also need to keep using my wireless router as the ZyXEL modem does not support 5 GHz Wifi. I know it is meant to be the basic offering, but I am surprised such a thing is still being made let alone offered.

Nothing is ever easy!

Which includes that on AAISP's site you can order broadband (losing phone service and number) or order VOIP (cutting off broadband) yet not both together! So I will have to email despite as I said earlier that they, like Zen, did not answer my question to their sales email address when I first asked for advice. So that could be an adventure in itself.

Apologies to AAISP, they do have a form where you can order broadband and VOIP together, but wow is their website a mess with buttons spread out over various pages.

A few days ago I screenshot a drop down list from their site which offers a ZyXEL VMG8623. I just have no idea where it came from as I cannot see any mention of that model on the site at all, yet it has to be theirs as it is alongside the other modems they offer. But it has both 5GHz wifi and VOIP support so if they can provide that, and obviously depending on the price, I think I have found my answer.

If no one wants to warn me away from that choosing option, I will contact them tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for the help and warning me about Zen. All being well they will improve so I can switch later as it would then save me £10/mo after having split the phone service away. Though in saying that, committing to AAISP for 12 months would cost me an extra £60, yet depending on modem and VOIP adapter costs could save more. Which is why you should type out your every thought at 1:30am.

I personally would say go for it with AAISP - they understand people like yourself who wish to communicate different ways so they cover them all.

Just be aware that if you port your number to AAISP you may not be able to port it away again

They don't have it documented anywhere on their website but after you place an order they send you these lovely t&c's

VoIP Services: We have very limited porting agreements in place so it is unlikely you will be able to port any number to another provider of your choice, although you may be able to port it back to the original provider if it is not one of our numbers originally.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

Just be aware that if you port your number to AAISP you may not be able to port it away again

They don't have it documented anywhere on their website but after you place an order they send you these lovely t&c's

VoIP Services: We have very limited porting agreements in place so it is unlikely you will be able to port any number to another provider of your choice, although you may be able to port it back to the original provider if it is not one of our numbers originally.

If one is reasonably savvy and IT literate, to my mind the best way forward is provider separation of voice/VoIP and broadband. It just keeps all options open and allows the best integration of novel access techniques to the century old landline.

That’s just me though and I recognise it doesn’t work across the board or for all folk who want the one stop shop.

Thank you. I never got the chance yesterday so emailed them today so will hopefully they will reply. If it were not for wanting a more suitable modem than the couple offered on their form I would have just ordered online.

Thank you for the warning. It is a little worrying, but unless they significantly raise the price than at £1.20 per month then I doubt I will want to move anyway.

I did consider Sipgate's free service, which seems to be well regarded, but the AAISP call costs are better that I could just redirect my number to my mobile when necessary without risking it costing too much. Plus going with Sipgate would have required going a few weeks without internet access or needing installers to add a second line.

But with the PSTN switch-off I would expect Ofcom to start regulating VOIP providers the same way they currently do for phone and broadband. I guess BT will be required to provide a restricted broadband line for those who only want a phone service but not internet access. Otherwise, though, it will completely separate the phone line from the phone service, so it would be odd if they do make it so that people could easily switch phone providers.

I appreciate there has been a bank holiday, but a week later but no reply.

It was the start of April when I first contacted them to ask a question about their VOIP service, to which they never replied but I ended up finding the answer elsewhere. Based on this I am not feeling like they would be any better for me to be able to communicate with than the warnings people have given about Zen.

I had wanted to switch by the middle-ish of this month but it seems to late for that now, so I am looking at my options for buying my own modem then can just order AAISP online for six months to split the broadband and phone service. While I have been waiting for a reply I I have discovered IDNet, who seem to be well reviewed but do not offer a modem of their own. So as they are cheaper than Zen or AAISP I can switch to them after my contract is up.

I have been an IDNet customer for about 3.5 years now and they offer a solid reliable service with good support when you need it.

Would their customer service be better than AAISP? I doubt it.
Would their customer service be better than Zen, Historically IDNet were always on a par with Zen and the evidence appears to be that Zen aren't as good as they used to be.

The beauty of IDNet is that you are only on a one month contract for ADSL or FTTC.

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

I appreciate there has been a bank holiday, but a week later but no reply.

It was the start of April when I first contacted them to ask a question about their VOIP service, to which they never replied but I ended up finding the answer elsewhere. Based on this I am not feeling like they would be any better for me to be able to communicate with than the warnings people have given about Zen.

Contacting Zen by email is a waste of time. Invariably the request is ignored

I was referring to AAISP though!

If I am understanding everything correctly, the monthly cost for an 80Mbps SoGEA broadband line is £45 from AAISP (500GB quota level), £34.99 from Zen, or £30 from IDNet. That is quite a difference just for customer service and modem options (depending on contract lengths).

My current experience of trying to contract AAISP's sales department suggest they are not worth it. If they are ignoring me when I am asking to give them money, why would they be interested in helping me when they already have it?

Is the quality of service with FTTC or from any of those providers such a problem that I should expect to need to use customer services often? I have been with Sky since then bought O2 Broadband which was a long time ago, and only once can I recall ever having a problem

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

If I am understanding everything correctly, the monthly cost for an 80Mbps SoGEA broadband line is £45 from AAISP (500GB quota level), £34.99 from Zen, or £30 from IDNet. That is quite a difference just for customer service and modem options (depending on contract lengths).

My current experience of trying to contract AAISP's sales department suggest they are not worth it. If they are ignoring me when I am asking to give them money, why would they be interested in helping me when they already have it?

Is the quality of service with FTTC or from any of those providers such a problem that I should expect to need to use customer services often? I have been with Sky since then bought O2 Broadband which was a long time ago, and only once can I recall ever having a problem

I contacted AAISP sales using IRC (under Help on their website), within seconds I was speaking to a staff member who then immediately called me. I contacted them again regarding a couple of things and the same response with emails answered in minutes.

It could be your email isn't getting to them or is going into SPAM.

IDNet service is good as I've used them, although left them due to them using Zen backhaul and issues that was creating for me which they couldn't fix. Note that IDNet is £36.00 a month with VAT, the £30 is ex VAT.

IDNet (and AAISP) are not large ISPs so you are less likely to be held in a queue or get typical first line support responses of "turn it off and on again".

Without knowing in advance if you will actually need support and for what faults you may have, you can never really know which is going to be the better ISP before joining.

Basically you are wanting the best service and support at the cheapest price, and don't we all, but its usually a case of picking one, you don't get to have both usually.

If price is important and you want the cheapest, then IDNet will be fine. If you want the most reliable and the most likely ISP that will go the extra mile to sort out problems that you may never have, then AAISP might be better.

Just forget Zen and make a choice of two. Price and desire, do you desire the reputation of AAISP more than saving on price by going to IDNet?

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

I was referring to AAISP though!

They have a lot of methods, if email doesn't work, try phone, or you can use IRC, or Live Chat, or even twitter and other social media.

https://www.aa.net.uk/etc/contact/

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

My current experience of trying to contract AAISP's sales department suggest they are not worth it. If they are ignoring me when I am asking to give them money, why would they be interested in helping me when they already have it?

Here's your chance to message the General Manager of AAISP and let him know your experience of trying to get in touch through the official routes - Andrew Hearn

Edited by deleted (Thu 05-May-22 15:24:12)

In reply to a post by dect:

Here's your chance to message the General Manager of AAISP and let him know your experience of trying to get in touch through the official routes -

Whose bio says please don't PM him. :-/

In reply to a post by E300:

It could be your email isn't getting to them or is going into SPAM.

IDNet service is good as I've used them, although left them due to them using Zen backhaul and issues that was creating for me which they couldn't fix. Note that IDNet is £36.00 a month with VAT, the £30 is ex VAT.

I did get auto-reply messages with AAISP, so I assume my emails were getting through okay.

But thank you pointing out the VAT for IDNet as I did notice that it said that. It is not something I would have expected for a domestic Home broadband page to even have thought to check it.

So they are a little more expensive then Zen but everyone seems to agree worth that difference Though with a rolling contract it wold always be easy to move later if things change.

Thank you.

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

But thank you pointing out the VAT for IDNet as I did notice that it said that. It is not something I would have expected for a domestic Home broadband page to even have thought to check it.

Thank you.

Not sure it is even legal showing ex-VAT prices when you are selling to consumers. The link to click on for HOME broadband goes to https://www.idnet.com/home-broadband.php and that should default to inclusive of VAT. Everything on that pricing page says Home broadband and family friendly packages and isn't selling to businesses. IDNet say they pride themselves on being a B Corp, they boast about making a difference and being honest, but yet mislead with ex VAT pricing to consumers. Guess that is marketing for you, take it with a pinch of salt.

It is good to know that those other means exist in case they are needed, but as I said at the start of the thread, using the phone is a problem for me (so I only use it with my dad, and which is why I want to keep my phone number for him to use in emergencies) so I do rely on email. And with a set of connected questions it is much easier to write things out that try to go through things interactively in chat. Certainly for me, anyway.

There is a "Help for vulnerable customers page" on the AAISP site that has a special email address that goes to various leaders but it also says that they "regard all methods of communicating (as per the ‘contact us’ page on the website) as acceptable and accessible." Not that I would call myself "vulnerable" but they seem to mean any sort of accessibility issues etc. by it too.

I did consider contacting them that way before posting yesterday, but the time spent waiting a reasonable time for a reply (and I think a week is actually generous) lead me to discover IDNet and reconsidering my options again. But I do not think I should have to do that whenever I need help that I am no longer feel I want to commit to a six or 12-month contract with them, which is what I was considering so asking about.

Almost everyone has warned me away from Zen, and I appreciate that and have ruled them out. But having to IRC, for example, instead of email just to contacted AAISP similarly feels like something to be wary of.

In reply to a post by Rebecka:

It is good to know that those other means exist in case they are needed, but as I said at the start of the thread, using the phone is a problem for me (so I only use it with my dad, and which is why I want to keep my phone number for him to use in emergencies) so I do rely on email. And with a set of connected questions it is much easier to write things out that try to go through things interactively in chat. Certainly for me, anyway.

Understood, it is strange not to have a reply, I only use them for VoIP (previously L2TP) as the openreach connection to my home is very poor, but they always replied to my emails fast and resonsive. I was suggesting perhaps trying another method to see if they find out why either a) they didn't reply, or b) the reply didn't make it to you.

I finally placed my order today, though I am anticipating more problems.

There do not seem to be many options for VOIP supporting modems. And it is not that manufacturers do not make any, they just do not offer them in the U.K. for some reason. So I settled on buying a DGA4134, I much preferred the Frtiz!Box, not least as it is also a DECT base station. But it costs more for a slower wifi speed, and if I do end up with Zen at some point they will give me one for free anyway, so I could not justify it. I can just move the phone from the wall socker to modem and use my existing handset anyway.

I am not entirely impressed with the modem, it feels cheap and is a weird design with ports out the back, so I have no idea how anyone is supposed to use the wall mount it, while the lights on the side where they are impossible to see. Certainly where I have it, which is also why I wanted an upright design rather than the slab style of the DGA0122, which also limited choice. On top of that, the Technicolor sites says they do not offer any support but you should contact your ISP, despite having bought a stock model.

Anyway, it is up and running with my old Sky connection so I am now ready for a switch to VDSL. So I have ordered AAISP today, and will then move to IDNet in a month's time. Do AAISP charge pro-rata for incomplete months, or will I need to order IDNet to migrate me exactly a month after I am first switched over? First that needs to happen, but I was never asked for any account details for my B.T. line. So now I am worried they are assuming they match my payment details. And unfortunately they do not.

Have a look at my recent posts in the AAISP section here.

I have been an A&A broadband customer since ADSL, now FTTC and wanted to get ahead of the game re BT (who supplied my line and telephony) going to Digital Voice.

It has been a couple of months now, good service from A&A both via email and phone. Cheaper overall too! One bonus is that with having my own ATA (Analogue Telephone Adaptor) is that I can set my own line levels for incoming and outgoing volume. So now those I call can hear my soft voice and I can hear incoming calls clearly (I am slightly deaf).

Cheers!

I think it is fair to correct this thread regarding AAISP, as it turns out they had not been ignoring my emails but my address kept bouncing for them. It seems to me that the way their mail system works and how my host's server is configured (using standard cPanel options to configure EXIM) are incompatible.

Maybe that was the case when I emailed Zen a while back too, but unfortunately my host only keeps delivery records for a month so I cannot check. Though it appears to be a rather uncommon problem as it has otherwise only affected a few spam messages, and that out of thousands.

I have also resolved the issue with them from the signup process, so everything now seems to be okay. I have a suitable modem and a switchover date, so hopefully the only outstanding issue will be switching to IDNet, which I will likely still do even though I no longer have any concerns with AAISP.

I am surprised how many internet providers are still offering PSTN phone services rather than VOIP, it seems to be only Zen and AAISP who do not offer it. For me it is just about cost when not using the phone enough (pretty much never) to justify the cost of a normal phone service, but it is also good to be ahead of the coming switchover.

It is the same reason I expect to move my broadband to IDNet even now the problems I had with AAISP have been cleared up. Now that I have been able to get through to them my impressions are very good, and I would accept worth extra for that. But an extra £9 per month plus the quota, as I am still am not certain I would be under, is quite a difference.

It will be interesting to see where I am after a month just to find out my usage, as that could change things. In just three days the Technicolor modem claims I have downloaded 27GB, but it also says I have sent 60GB so I am not sure how much I am willing to trust that!