changing broadband provider

[Meg 50]

Ironic though it sounds when Talk talk are doing the hard sell on their service - we are moving away from them ( used to be aol, but they were taken over by TT) to BT Infinity.

we've had the MAC code, and been given a date for the changeover ( about 2 weeks time)...

we know the router will arrive, and they say broadband will be down for half an hour or so during changeover . blah, blah,

but I really don't understand how it works - specially when the paper work says they'll email when the new line is ready.........

please can anyone give me an idiot's guide to what happens?

ta

[david63]

Although we were already with BT we upgraded to Infinity last year (new contract deal).

We were given a date/time, from memory in the afternoon, and the engineer arrived just before 09:00 - I suspected that something was happening because the internet went down. All done and dusted in about 20 minutes.

The engineer has to replace the plate on the incoming BT line box - plug everything in and wait for it to start up. Check that it is working and then off in his van to the next job.

All pretty straightforward and trouble free.

[Meg 50]

engineer? engineer???????

been no mention of an engineer

[GillD46]

We upgraded from standard BT Broadband to BT Infinity a few months ago. They sent out the new Home Hub, gave us a date and we were without internet for half an hour or so. The lights on the Hub went bonkers and then it just started up. VERY easy.

We already had an ADSL socket.

[Silver_Shiney]

specially when the paper work says they'll email when the new line is ready.........

Clearly I'm missing something here - how do you get the email if your internet connection is down?

[Dancing Queen]

Will be interested in hearing the outcome Meg and if it is problem free as we are looking to change providers from TT and are considering BT Infinity although the last time we enquired it wasn't available in our area but that was over a year ago so that could have all changed now.

[david63]

engineer? engineer???????

been no mention of an engineer

Unless you have recently had the main box updated then you have to have an engineer for BT Infinity as there is a different faceplate required for the box - it also means that you do not have to have filters on any other phone sockets.

Will be interested in hearing the outcome Meg and if it is problem free as we are looking to change providers from TT and are considering BT Infinity although the last time we enquired it wasn't available in our area but that was over a year ago so that could have all changed now.

You can check here when/if it is available

[Delboy]

We have BT unlimited Broadband with Infinity 1, down load speed up to 38mb.

We had normal Bt Internet before we changed to infinity and I seem to remember in each case they sent us the Hub and an engineer came and connected us on line. He made sure everything worked ok on our desktop computer which is in a seperate room to the hub. He also did something outside.

Later we had problems, our speed was very slow, another engineer came and said the original engineer had incorrectly wired up our wall connection faceplate which our Hub plugs into. We had a seperate phone socket which we used to use for Sky TV. As we no longer have sky he disconnected that socket, and rewired the wall connection faceplate for a single connection. Speed increased and have had no problems since.

As you will see from above we have speed up to 38mb, they also have an up to 78mb speed package, the engineer told us that the higher speed package would be a waste of money. He said irrespective of how much you pay, you can only get the speed which comes from the nearest BT sub station, ours is two streets away, ours is less than the 38mb .You can do your own speed test via your computer, have not done a check on ours since engineers visit.

Just to add well pleased with BT infinity, I can sit out in our garden with my IPad and pick up our broadband connection. Our son has the Sky Broadband package connected in his lounge and you have a job to pick up a broadband connection in his kitchen.

[Stephen]

I have changed providers a few times now, and on the day of the switch over I just try for a connection every now and again until it finally all fires up.

I take the connection time and email they say they will send you with a pinch of salt as it normally arrives well after the connection is already up and running.

Delboy

Does you sons house have very thick walls by any chance which might affect signal strength. I also have Sky broadband and have no problems with using the iPad around the house or garden.

[Manoverboard]

BT Infinity isn't available to us but they are looking to see if it will be possible / commercially viable etc .... just have to plod along with the normal broadband, having said that my pooter responses are virtually instant for the most part.

[Meg 50]

specially when the paper work says they'll email when the new line is ready.........

Clearly I'm missing something here - how do you get the email if your internet connection is down?

quite - that was my first reaction....

then I remembered that the contact email is OH's office. fine if it's during office hours - otherwise we'll have to wait til next morning to finish the job!

partly why I asked this qu - how much can I do in advance?

[Meg 50]

It's OH's day off today - so tomoro I'll get him to check with his BT contact re engineers, but the 'details' email - with dates and stuff - doesn't mention one

[towny44]

Delboy

Does you sons house have very thick walls by any chance which might affect signal strength. I also have Sky broadband and have no problems with using the iPad around the house or garden.

Just to add well pleased with BT infinity, I can sit out in our garden with my IPad and pick up our broadband connection. Our son has the Sky Broadband package connected in his lounge and you have a job to pick up a broadband connection in his kitchen.

Delboy, signal strength is down to the router not the supplier, although it will depend on which router they supply.
Like Stephen we also have Sky broadband and pick it up in the garden, however we do have their new "Home Hub", which we got on a free upgrade offer last year, it is much better than their old one.

[Frank Manning]

BT are expensive, but I still think they are the best. I would like to have their TV package, but we are sticking with Freesat for a bit longer.

[Delboy]

Delboy

Does you sons house have very thick walls by any chance which might affect signal strength. I also have Sky broadband and have no problems with using the iPad around the house or garden.

Just to add well pleased with BT infinity, I can sit out in our garden with my IPad and pick up our broadband connection. Our son has the Sky Broadband package connected in his lounge and you have a job to pick up a broadband connection in his kitchen.

Delboy, signal strength is down to the router not the supplier, although it will depend on which router they supply.
Like Stephen we also have Sky broadband and pick it up in the garden, however we do have their new "Home Hub", which we got on a free upgrade offer last year, it is much better than their old one.

The BT engineer told me it does not matter what router or package you have, your speed is governed by the speed at the sub station, these are the large green BT boxes that you can often see BT engineers working on various street corners. In some areas the speed output is faster than others. That is why he told us not to waste our money on a more expensive package or hub it would make no difference to the speed we are currently getting.

That's why in all their adverts they say speeds up to, they cannot guarantee you a speed, it's down to individual areas.

I have also read on various forums of people who up dated to the 76mb package, but saw no difference in the speed they had been getting.
I also have the new hub.

Stephen no my son does not have thick walls but has to have a sky booster to pick up the signal in his kitchen and dining room

We also have freesat for the TV.

[Stephen]

BT are expensive, but I still think they are the best. I would like to have their TV package, but we are sticking with Freesat for a bit longer.

Yes Frank BT are expensive. I have just been looking on the web site at prices. The package that would interest me would be BT Infinity1 'Up to 38Mb speed - Totally Unlimited usage every month', but not at over double the price of their base infinity package.

To be fair, my current provider Sky has nothing like the download speeds of Infinity but is still pretty quick at downloading (latest hub) and almost instant opening web pages. And at £12 a month for 'Unlimited' usage I think I'll be sticking with them for now.

[Frank Manning]

I'm afraid Stephen that nasty prejudice on my part keeps me away from Sky....I find that whole Murdoch media empire a bit too distasteful. Even so I would like to get cricket, and golf on TV if I could swallow my pride and pay for it.

[Delboy]

BT are expensive, but I still think they are the best. I would like to have their TV package, but we are sticking with Freesat for a bit longer.

Yes Frank BT are expensive. I have just been looking on the web site at prices. The package that would interest me would be BT Infinity1 'Up to 38Mb speed - Totally Unlimited usage every month', but not at over double the price of their base infinity package.

To be fair, my current provider Sky has nothing like the download speeds of Infinity but is still pretty quick at downloading (latest hub) and almost instant opening web pages. And at £12 a month for 'Unlimited' usage I think I'll be sticking with them for now.

I don't use BT for TV, I have freesat TV

This is my BT broadband package plus £16.99 line rental, taken from my personal BT on line account.

Package
Broadband and Calls
5 Feb - 4 Mar 15
This is the cost of your Package at £24.45 a month, charged in advance from
5 Feb 2015 to 4 Mar 2015. This gives you:
Calling Plan Unlimited Weekend Calls
Broadband Unlimited BT Infinity 1 up to 38Mb speed

Yet to discover BT TV? See bt.com/bttv for a great TV service £24:45

My last quarterly bill was £47:75 including calls, infinity broadband and line rental.

[towny44]

Delboy, sorry we are talking at cross purposes, I was referring to Wi-Fi signal strength which is what determines how good a reception you get in and around the house, and this is dependent on the quality of the router.
You are corect that download speed is determined by how far you are away from the nearest main junction box, and whether you are ŕeceiving standard copper wire or fibre optic signal, but this will not improve your son's abilty to receive a good wifi signal in his garden.

[Delboy]

Delboy, sorry we are talking at cross purposes, I was referring to Wi-Fi signal strength which is what determines how good a reception you get in and around the house, and this is dependent on the quality of the router.
You are corect that download speed is determined by how far you are away from the nearest main junction box, and whether you are ŕeceiving standard copper wire or fibre optic signal, but this will not improve your son's abilty to receive a good wifi signal in his garden.

Thanks for clarifying your post, I am round my sons at the moment doggy sitting his two German shepherd dogs, and posting this from his lounge.

Got up, walked the little way down his hall way with my IPad, into his kitchen and dining room, and lost the signal, got the message you are not connected to the server. It's just an ordinary house.

His wife who is a teacher uses her laptop in the lounge. They did have a Sky broadband ext box, don't know if it's plugged in or not. They are aware, just think they have not been bothered to do anything about it.

[david63]

The download, and upload, speed is also governed by the slowest link in the chain. You can have the fastest offering from your provider but if the site you are accessing is running on a piece of "wet string" then that is the speed you will get.

Got up, walked the little way down his hall way with my IPad, into his kitchen and dining room, and lost the signal, got the message you are not connected to the server. It's just an ordinary house.

There are many things that can block a wi-fi signal even in an ordinary house - try moving the router around a bit

[Meg 50]

The download, and upload, speed is also governed by the slowest link in the chain. You can have the fastest offering from your provider but if the site you are accessing is running on a piece of "wet string" then that is the speed you will get.

Got up, walked the little way down his hall way with my IPad, into his kitchen and dining room, and lost the signal, got the message you are not connected to the server. It's just an ordinary house.

There are many things that can block a wi-fi signal even in an ordinary house - try moving the router around a bit

just tweaking the router's aerial can help

[Delboy]

The download, and upload, speed is also governed by the slowest link in the chain. You can have the fastest offering from your provider but if the site you are accessing is running on a piece of "wet string" then that is the speed you will get.

Got up, walked the little way down his hall way with my IPad, into his kitchen and dining room, and lost the signal, got the message you are not connected to the server. It's just an ordinary house.

There are many things that can block a wi-fi signal even in an ordinary house - try moving the router around a bit

just tweaking the router's aerial can help

Not sure if the Sky router has an atrial, will check next time I am there, our BT router does not have an aerial.

[GillD46]

The other point to note is that the speed is just the speed that enters the house. If using a wireless laptop/tablet-ipad etc, the speed is likely to be less, considerably less if using more than one!

To get best speed you need to plug into the hub - but who does that anymore?

[david63]

To get best speed you need to plug into the hub - but who does that anymore?

Me