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