Internet / TV / Phone Services

[Ferdinand]

I am looking for a new TV / Broadband / Phone setup.

 

Currently I am on a Virgin package with lots of TV, theoretically very High Speed Broadband, and inclusive weekend / evening phone calls. We are generally happy with our mobile phone setup.

 

Currently I am with Virgin and could price-match them into taking a few ££ off, but really the performance is poor and intermittent, and I want to move.

 

Our requirements are: decent Internet, Freeview type selection of TV channels, and phone with inclusive weekend / evening calls.

 

We cannot get a good signal for Freeview (tried that first). However, following the neighbour's removal of a couple of trees, we can now have a satellite dish.

 

Suggestions, and also comments on Now-TV,  would be welcome.

 

Ferdinand

[ragg987]

8 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Currently I am with Virgin and could price-match them into taking a few ££ off, but really the performance is poor and intermittent, and I want to move.

Currently I am with BT and feel exactly the same - we pay a premium for Fibre and get crap back. I wonder if there are failings in the infrastructure given the fast expansion in recent years? I also suspect the cheapo routers provided by the big names play a role in the instability, and a good third-party router might help.

 

I guess Freesat would be an obvious choice for your live TV, might require a satellite receiver / decoder if your TV does not already have the capability. On-demand would still require a good internet connection.

[Grosey]

The single biggest improvement anyone can make to their internet service is to chuck the router that is provided by the ISP in the bin and buy your own one. 

 

Itll be like night and day. 

 

However if you are with Virgin you must use theirs for the connection, you just switch it to Modem Mode and then use your own router. 

 

For BT/Sky/Talk Talk etc based services you can use any VDSL modem/router. 

[Ferdinand]

As it happens, I have a BT line still installed :-)/

 

I would be quite happy to get the Sky wiring in place too, in addition to the Virgin fibre installed a couple of years ago.

 

My issue with Freesat might be whether the TV interface is easy to drive for my 80 year old parent.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Ferdinand

[Stones]

4 minutes ago, Grosey said:

The single biggest improvement anyone can make to their internet service is to chuck the router that is provided by the ISP in the bin and buy your own one. 

 

Itll be like night and day. 

 

However if you are with Virgin you must use theirs for the connection, you just switch it to Modem Mode and then use your own router. 

 

For BT/Sky/Talk Talk etc based services you can use any VDSL modem/router. 

 

@Grosey  Is the improvement speed based or one of reliability / preventing drop outs / poor connectivity?

[Grosey]

@Ferdinand If you can get Virgin it’s likely to be the fastest service available in your area, any Openreach based service won’t be able to compete on speed (not very likely anyway).  I’d look to switch your Virgin package to a Broadband and Phone only package and then buy yourself a decent Freesat box - it’ll be a 1 time cost of a couple hundred I expect but then it’s free TV for life. 

 

See my my note above about replacing the router however. 

[Grosey]

When most people moan about speed it’s rarely down to their connection, if you drill in to your router settings you can sometimes find your sync speed - this is what your are connected to the exchange / DSLAMs at. Generally this speed is ok for most (those with long lines are a different issue). 

 

When people go on speedtest.net etc and don’t see the speed they are expecting to get they are actually testing Throughput. This test is incorporating many other factors aside from your connection speed.  It’s not difficult nowadays to have 20+ devices connected to a router via Wi-fi and a few wired, the routers that are given away for free simply don’t have he processing power to cope with all this. Hence slowdowns, drop outs, need for reboots etc. All this while your connection speed will have stayed the same. 

 

At the the very least if you get a decent router you can rule that out as an issue if you are trying to improve your speeds. 

 

I should make make it clear that changing a router will NOT improve your sync speed, it will simply assist you in getting the most out of incoming speed that you do have. 

[daiking]

I use Now TV and am quite happy with it. It streams ok with slow broadband. Sports is not always a great picture as that is live streaming only but I can live with it.

 

Never pay full price though. Buy vouchers off Ebay and cancel your subscription to push a discount offer from now tv themselves.

 

it won’t suit everyone but it suits my needs for not a lot of money. 

[Temp]

Recently set up NowTV at my mothers place. She had a problem with the Freeview menu disappearing needing a software update to get it back.

[ProDave]

59 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

I am looking for a new TV / Broadband / Phone setup.

 

..., Freeview type selection of TV channels, and phone with inclusive weekend / evening calls.

 

We cannot get a good signal for Freeview (tried that first). However, following the neighbour's removal of a couple of trees, we can now have a satellite dish.

 

It sounds like you do NOT want the extra subscription channels that a pay tv package gives you. So remove that from your list and install a satellite dish and use Freesat.

 

Then concentrate on the best phone / internet service for your needs and don't forget to look at mobile offerings as well as wired offerings.

 

We only get slow BB and only via a BT line. But in the near future the community council is launching a community broadband offering delivered to each home by wifi. Also EE are planning a 4g mast very close to us. So I will be looking at both those as a possible way to dump the landline.

[daiking]

10 minutes ago, Temp said:

Recently set up NowTV at my mothers place. She had a problem with the Freeview menu disappearing needing a software update to get it back.

This must be one of the newer nowtv boxes?

 

I have 3 (different gens as well) of the basic streamers which were effectively free as you pay £15 for the content vouchers that came with them. These boxes have the catch up apps of the main terrestrial channels but no freeview functionality.

[Temp]

Yes it's the "new" black smart box. She only really got it for iPlayer which her TV doesn't support.

[Declan52]

Doesn't really matter who you go with bt, sky, talk talk or plusnet they all are great until you need them. I had nothing but issues with sky in my previous house so they where never an option, by tried to shaft me with my connection on my new build, where looking £600 for putting a cable approx 10m to the pole in my garden. Ended up with talk talk and so far they have been fine. Had some issues with my router a few months back and they where quick to sort it out. Granted me from NI talking to some Indian guy on the phone was not much fun but got there in the end.

I just have freeview on all my TVs but use android boxes for Kodi and IPTV so have access to every channel that I need to watch plus access to all the sport, films and TV shows that I want to watch. Kodi is free but the IPTV is £80 a year.