Which FTTP ISP should I consider? Gaming

Howdy!

I've a fair few ISPs available to me. I've narrowed it down to a few but just can't decide!

I've had enough of 1Gbps VM latency spikes, having to use ISP + ASUS router been told the other ISPs below can be "ditched" and just use your own directly.

ISP - Speed - Price
Zen - 900Mbps - £55
Onestream - 900Mbps - £43.95
Vodafone Pro II Full Fibre - 900Mbps - £48
Vodafone Business Pro II Full Fibre - £28 (12 months) £56 thereafter
Cuckoo - 900Mbps - £55
BT - 900Mbps - £0 (3 months) £50 thereafter
EE- 900Mbps - £0 (3 months) £50 thereafter (EE Unlimited Data added to my Mobile Sim)
EE- 1.6Gbps - £0 (3 months) £69 thereafter (EE Unlimited Data added to my Mobile Sim)
Aquiss - 900Mbps - £37.50 (6 months) £55 thereafter

Don't think anyone is really doing Black Friday lol.

Any personal recommendations? Good for gaming? Tips?

Kent based.

Thanks!

Don't think anyone is really doing Black Friday lol.

It's still pretty early to say that - ISPs may wait at least until the week of black friday or even the day itself before they start doing offers. Seems black friday starts at the beginning of November now.

Is LightSpeed Broadband available to you?

In reply to a post by ian72:

Don't think anyone is really doing Black Friday lol.

It's still pretty early to say that - ISPs may wait at least until the week of black friday or even the day itself before they start doing offers. Seems black friday starts at the beginning of November now.

True, but they doing BF mobile deals so would've assumed they'd do broadband at the same time?

Had EE/BT go door to door today and I wasn't home told my housemate they upgrading phone lines on the poles removing the old ones and switching them to the new tech and claims he can do a better deal for 1.6Gbps than EE website.

BT/Openreach van, EE/BT logo shirt said he will be back between 6-8pm today. WIll see!

In reply to a post by hypertony:

Is LightSpeed Broadband available to you?

Doesn't seem like it! We live in an old build 1950s and currently no fibre is here other than VM as they deliver it via a different way. EE/BT (plus other providers above) already said they'll need to send Openreach and route the fibre outside if I sign up.

https://cityfibre.com/news/sittingbourne-set-for-ful...

Not here yet though postal code checker says "no plans to do my area" so I'm confused now but company CS said it's planned and waiting for roadwork permit to dig lol.


LightSpeed Broadband:
We’re sorry!
We don't currently have plans to connect your area.

We may connect your area in future - leave your details and be the first to know if LightSpeed becomes available where you are.

Remember if you go for 1.6gbit, you'll need to buy a 3rd party router to get >1gbit (£175ish). Also prolly a new nic for your PC (£25ish).

Edited by arfster (Mon 13-Nov-23 17:50:45)

In reply to a post by arfster:

Remember if you go for 1.6gbit, you'll need to buy a 3rd party router to get >1gbit (£175ish). Also prolly a new nic for your PC (£25ish).

Thanks! My current router is the ASUS GT-AXE16000 running Asuswrt-Merlin.

Has 2.5G WAN but think that's only with 2 lines-in aggregation? Could be mistaken!

My current PC has a PCIe 2.5 gigabit that should be sweet ready to go, I think?

Isn't that a 10gbit router? If so just needs a new nic and you're sorted.

I guess this really doesn't matter too much for gaming, 1gbit or 1.6gbit will perform exactly the same. Maybe downloads a bit quicker, but maybe not even that (downloads often do 500/600 mbit or so).

Edited by arfster (Mon 13-Nov-23 21:12:23)

You can allocate one of the 10Gbe ports for wan if you like (or any of the ports). I'm on a 1.6GB service and use the 2.5Gb port for my service - which sync's at 2.5gb to the ONT, I get the full speed. I also use another port for a backup ISP so basically if I encounter a failure It will automatically failover, and failback when service is resumed. It hasn't happened yet - but I cannot function without internet.

In reply to a post by MashedPotato:

Thanks! My current router is the ASUS GT-AXE16000 running Asuswrt-Merlin.

Has 2.5G WAN but think that's only with 2 lines-in aggregation? Could be mistaken!

My current PC has a PCIe 2.5 gigabit that should be sweet ready to go, I think?

Please consider that more speed does not necessarily mean lower latency. I managed very well on a BT 80/20 line for some years streaming games from Stadia and GeforceNow.

I don't see any noticeable change since moving to 1gbit (at the same price) as I was managing the FttC connection with QoS and SQM.

In reply to a post by smouty:

In reply to a post by MashedPotato:

Thanks! My current router is the ASUS GT-AXE16000 running Asuswrt-Merlin.

Has 2.5G WAN but think that's only with 2 lines-in aggregation? Could be mistaken!

My current PC has a PCIe 2.5 gigabit that should be sweet ready to go, I think?

Please consider that more speed does not necessarily mean lower latency. I managed very well on a BT 80/20 line for some years streaming games from Stadia and GeforceNow.

I don't see any noticeable change since moving to 1gbit (at the same price) as I was managing the FttC connection with QoS and SQM.

For sure! But for me It's Virgin Media latency is terrible. Gaming can be done easily on 50Mbps but VM is just eh!

Well, so far I already regret ordering EE!

Nothing but issues and so far 4 credit checks in 3 days due to system errors and major other issues! I've complained in writing, EE Twitter and on EE Community Forums in detail (not sure If I'm allowed to post the link here?)

Now they're saying they've to cancel my order and start again... credit check number 5 incoming?

Why is switching never simple ha!

Do Openreach always take forever to finish installs? Been waiting since 28th November for the outside to be installed they've only done the (ONT) inside.

Working from home with no internet isn't gonna be fun, Virgin Media disconnects tomorrow.

If you're the first one taking connectivity in a particular location or CBT, then yes it has been known to take a while as you're shaking out problems with the installation. These *ought* to have been caught at audit time, but aren't always.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

If you're the first one taking connectivity in a particular location or CBT, then yes it has been known to take a while as you're shaking out problems with the installation. These *ought* to have been caught at audit time, but aren't always.

This is our first time using Fibre with them. Been with VM for 8 yrs or so. They left the copper to leave our Sky connection but that's now ended and so has our Virgin Media.

I have POWER solid green (OK) and PON flashing. The engineer installing said it'd be fixed outside within 48 hours of him logging the fault. Not heard anything since EE tell me contact Openreach and Openreach tell me they can't speak to customers directly (as no way to verify who you are etc) speak to your service provider...

Other homes down here (5 from the ones I know and asked) have it and no issues. Fibre was installed here a couple of years ago according to OR.

Pretty sure a flashing PON light means the ONT hasn't been authorised on the network, but the light is getting to it. So either the database has you on a different PON to where the physical cables are, or the Openreach tech never activated it.

EE are wrong to tell you to contact Openreach. Phone them tomorrow with your ONT serial number and keep escalating. I had a green flashing PON light when my FTTP was installed and it was because the engineer didn't have a data connection on his mobile to use the app to submit the barcode scan, once he walked down the road and submitted it again the PON light went solid green within 30 seconds.

Edited by jpm (Sun 17-Dec-23 23:42:07)

In reply to a post by MashedPotato:

Well, so far I already regret ordering EE!

Nothing but issues and so far 4 credit checks in 3 days due to system errors and major other issues! I've complained in writing, EE Twitter and on EE Community Forums in detail (not sure If I'm allowed to post the link here?)

Now they're saying they've to cancel my order and start again... credit check number 5 incoming?

Why is switching never simple ha!

I always hate companies that love to ruin your credit rating, especially EE! It's very difficult to chase it up to get the credit report removed. More often than not, EE won't bother.

In reply to a post by MashedPotato:

Not heard anything since EE tell me contact Openreach

They cannot tell you to do that. You must have been speaking to someone very green.

Your contract is with EE and EE only. EE separately have their own contract with Openreach.

EE is your single point of contact for all issues regarding your service and the installation. Just keep phoning up EE asking for updates. Furthermore, if they told you the service would be installed and working on date X, and it's not, then you should be getting compensation for every day past that day.

The only time Openreach will ever contact you directly is if EE have arranged an Openreach engineer appointment, and OR may contact you to let you know the engineer is on their way to you.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Pretty sure a flashing PON light means the ONT hasn't been authorised on the network, but the light is getting to it. So either the database has you on a different PON to where the physical cables are, or the Openreach tech never activated it.

EE are wrong to tell you to contact Openreach. Phone them tomorrow with your ONT serial number and keep escalating. I had a green flashing PON light when my FTTP was installed and it was because the engineer didn't have a data connection on his mobile to use the app to submit the barcode scan, once he walked down the road and submitted it again the PON light went solid green within 30 seconds.

I see! The installer told me it was OK my end in the home and when he rang someone from his mobile they told him it's likely something outside and as he was only an installer not a grounds/dig team he will need to send someone else. Was told within 2 days it's been 3 weeks lol.

In reply to a post by adslmax:

In reply to a post by MashedPotato:

Well, so far I already regret ordering EE!

Nothing but issues and so far 4 credit checks in 3 days due to system errors and major other issues! I've complained in writing, EE Twitter and on EE Community Forums in detail (not sure If I'm allowed to post the link here?)

Now they're saying they've to cancel my order and start again... credit check number 5 incoming?

Why is switching never simple ha!

I always hate companies that love to ruin your credit rating, especially EE! It's very difficult to chase it up to get the credit report removed. More often than not, EE won't bother.

EE have removed all the searches from my credit file after sending my written complaint to ee customer services.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by MashedPotato:

Not heard anything since EE tell me contact Openreach

They cannot tell you to do that. You must have been speaking to someone very green.

Your contract is with EE and EE only. EE separately have their own contract with Openreach.

EE is your single point of contact for all issues regarding your service and the installation. Just keep phoning up EE asking for updates. Furthermore, if they told you the service would be installed and working on date X, and it's not, then you should be getting compensation for every day past that day.

The only time Openreach will ever contact you directly is if EE have arranged an Openreach engineer appointment, and OR may contact you to let you know the engineer is on their way to you.

I have spoken to about 11 different people on Twitter @EE, EE community public forums and via Text Relay. Openreach said the same thing and they're unable to tell me much or anything in detail as you've to go thru ISP/Comms provider but they did kindly tell me in Twitter DM: "Your order is still open awaiting a specialist skilled engineer to repair a part of the network." But that's all they could tell me themselves.

EE claim the order doesn't exist and can't find any of my 4 order ref#, but sent my kit out and an Openreach engineer to install it lol but it's showing in my EE app so is the bundled Sim Upgrade that was included as part of the fibre discount.

I am very happy indeed with Fusion Fibre (formerly known as FACTCO). They use City Fibre's local and national network. At the moment they offer up to a 900Mb symmetrical service. I actually get over 940Mb.. Basic price £45. Landlines, Static IPs and IPv6 are additional costs. Installation and router are free.


Consistently, the connection is excellent with low latency and jitter. Customer services have been top-notch. Gamers in the house report smoother play at all times.

Here's a link to a speed test I did just now. (Cadence networks is part of their network) Fusion Fibre speed test

Howdy, @KilgoreTrout!

Thanks a lot for the suggestion! Wish I knew about this ISP before I hunted so hard for symmetrical in my area but nobody would offer it without a crazy 5K setup fee and all that.

Fusion Fibre are available to me 1Gbps @ £54.99pm but locked in EE now

I'm now on EE. 5ms here too, 1628Mbps Down, 110Mbps up.

I use Upload the most but yeah. Tied into EE now. Despite it took a LONG time to connect and still can't view my EE account, bills, access the "gaming features" which are the marketing of the package lol.

Weekly emails "team still looking into the account issues affecting a small number of customers."

Cheers.