I have been looking for 2 months now and finally have to make a decision.
Broadband has just come to our area so I need to change from dialup to
broadband. I am currently with freeserve/wanadoo. I contacted them and
said I was changing to broadband hoping they might offer a deal to keep my
custom but they didn't so I need a new isp.

My requirements are:
512k (being 3 miles from the exchange they say that is the fastest we will
get)
unlimited download(no limits)
newsgroup access especialy uk.rec.competitions
pop3 email if possible.
At the moment I access newsgroups and send emails via my freeserve account
and outlook express so would still like to use those through my new isp.
I know about the german server. Can I set it up if I have an isp that
doesn't offer newsgroups?
under £30 a month.
I don't need an isp that includes the modem as I need to get a one that
allows networking.
No yearly contract sounds good too.
I don't play games but would like to download music.
(I have just read that back, I don't want much do I )

I have been looking at demon,freedom2suf,plusnet,metro,zen
and virginnet and possibly pipex or nildram.
I decided on DEMON HOME500 then saw that there were no newsgroups. That is
the one thing that is putting me off. The £24.99 demon might be an option if
I cannot get newsgroups via another server.

Just looking for some advice please.
I didn't realise choosing a broadband isp would be so hard.
I forgot to say I have ruled out aol, tiscali and ntl. I am not in a cable
area either.
Also we have just got another computer so I need to network 2 computers too.
Thats why a "free" modem is not so important anymore. Do any isps provide
you with a ADSL modem-router?
Tia
Lucy

www.adslguide.org.uk

I think Plusnet have a router option available with one of their
packages, but i`m not sure on the cost.

I`ve been very pleased with my Pipex account (had it almost 2 years now)
- no limits, no restrictions, £23.44 per month

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"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:csbkb0$hlk$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...
Not suprised.
Plusnet offer all this, I think its about £10-£20 for not having a years
contract.

Plusnet £14.99 a month for 1GB, or £21.99 for premier (no limits).
Personally I would first of all go for one of the limited options - you can
always upgrade - unless you know you are going to need the extra anyway (I
have a home network and use alot of terminal server services, downloading
and run a webserver so use the premier option).

Your half way there then I wouldn't touch those three either.

Its never free, its included, better to not be fooled and buy what you
actually need.

Sam

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Thank you. I have been looking at plusnet but the £70 activation fee is
putting me off. Yes they do the modem-router, but I could choose a one with
an included modem then buy the proper one but not need to pay the activation
fee couldn't I? Or do you have to use the modem they provide?
Do plusnet include newsgroups?
I know need to go and look at zen and freedom2surf. At the moment demon and
plusnet are favourites!

Just to point out I have nothing against ntl it is just I am in a non cable
area. My brother was on ntl and has had no problems at all(we messed them
about cancelling before thre year then they let us restart the contract with
no extra cost as my mum had been with ntl phone+ tv for years). I read they
are not as reliable on the bt line. I am just giving credit where credit is
due, as I keep reading how bad they are.
Lucy





"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:csbkb0$hlk$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...

"Its never free, its included, better to not be fooled and buy what you
actually need."

Yes I realise that now after hours reading up on the various isp'! I know
they get the money back over the year.

Can anyone recommend a usb-router? It is just for 2 computers. Do you get
everything with it you need to network and get broadband? Also is it hard
network computers. As you can tell I am not very good with technical
matters.would I be better to get someone in to network them?
Sorry for all the questions. My main priority is to find an isp but as I
need to consider which modem I need they have become linked.
Thanks very much again.
Lucy

In article <csbot3$1ho$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>,
"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:

I'm with Zen and they are very very good, but they aren't the cheapest
which puts a lot of people off.

I'd take a look at Zen, Metronet and Pipex, maybe Eclipse too as they
each have decent reputations.

With Pipex the setup and modem are free but if you leave within the
first year you pay the connection fee back, with the others you pay
connection up front.

I tend to subscribe to the "you don't get something for nothing" school
of thought, and any ISP offering free connection usually does so by
charging more over the course of the year, capping, or tying you in to a
years contract so they're guaranteed to make some money out of you -
basically check the small print before you sign with anybody.

If you've not done so, head over to http://bbs.adslguide.org and look on
the ISP specific forums, you'll find loads of feedback there.

cheers,
Paul
--
paul <at> spamcop <dot> net

http://www.ndodsl.com/

Product Variants Available

Home500 Complete
A complete broadband service with modem, line filters and line
activation.from £27.00 per month

All our Home ADSL products benefit from the following high specifications:
512kbps or 1024kbps download speed
Max 256kbps upload speed
50:1 contention ratio
Dynamic IP address
Outbound SMTP support
Connection Sharing
Backup 0845 dial access
Use a telephone or a fax while online

Also includes...
20Mb of HomeWeb included
1 x 20Mb POP3 mailbox - Now with 5 included as standard
Unlimited email aliases
NEWT Anti-Spam Protection
WebMail remote email access
Free .uk domain name
Support available 24/7

"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:csbot4$1ho$2@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
It shouldn't matter, any ADSL modem \ router will work with ADSL on a BT
Line.

Personally I wouldn't touch USB - go for ethernet, much better all round,
less likley to cause problems with other USB devices, much more likley to
'just work'. I would recomend the vigor routers as they are very feature
rich and easy to configue, however they aren't the cheapest.

www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk etc are probably worth looking at as they have a
good selection, but obviously shop around for the best price.

Sam


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www.adslguide.org

Dave

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For what we are about to balls up may common sense prevent us doing it
again
in the future!!

I have almost definitely decided on demon unless I read something very bad
about them soon!
The newsgroup access was what was holding me up but as I think I can get
them elsewhere I should be ok.
Thanks very much for all your advice
Lucy




"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:csbkb0$hlk$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...

On 15/01/2005 lu wrote:


I hope you're right, I go live with them on Wednesday :-)

They do respond to emails and you can speak to intelligent human beings
on a local call rate line, fingers crossed.

Have a look at www.individual.net for (text only) news.

--
Jeff Gaines
Posted with XanaNews 1.17.1.2

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 18:50:52 -0000, "lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk>
wrote:

No.

I doubt anyone but the manufacturer would recommend any usb router (if
they even exist).

Get an ethernet one. If your PCs are reasonably modern, they will
almost certainly have networking built in.

There are quite a few available from places such as BroadbandBuyer
<http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopSearch.asp?CategoryID=1&ShopGroupID=12&Alt=Yes >.
Another is Simply
-<http://www.simply.co.uk/search/ADSL+Modem+router/index.htm>


No, it isn't difficult. Just follow the wizard in XP, and it will be
more or less satisfactory for most people. Tell it you access the
internet via a LAN, and give it the IP address of the router when it
asks for the gateway. Your router instruction manual should tell you
what the IP address it will use is.

Also let the router handle IP addresses for the PCs - when the wizard
asks say that you are assigned an IP address automatically. Set up the
router to be a DHCP server in order to do this (almost all of them
default to this setting).



--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
What color is a chameleon on a mirror?

To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom

"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:csbkb0$hlk$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...
Wanadoo were always ok for dialup but they don't offer very good value
when it comes to broadband.
When I phoned them up at the beginning of the month and told them I had
broadband eleswhere, they didn't come up with any offer to me either.
Regards Mike.

--
"Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and
ability" (David Brent).

lu wrote:
Are you sure that you really need unlimited download? Do you know what
your actual usage figures are now, and likely to be with Broadband?

You could save quite a bit each month by going with a capped package
which accommodates your real needs?

yours truly,
Ed

"lu" <blue@skies.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:csc5t7$h06$1@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...
I'd whole-heartedly recommend Demon.
I use giganews for my news feed. A 2GB a month account is $7.99 a month
(just over £4)
http://www.giganews.com/

On 15 Jan 2005 in uk.telecom.broadband, Paul Hutchings wrote:

But overall, the price differences aren't usually that great (so one
cannot really claim that the extra paid to Pipex, vs say Plus.Net, at
12x 1.45 ie under 20 quid, covers the 50+VAT setup). One minor plus,
if one hated Plus.Net and had a 1 year contract, is that the guarantee
for new customers allows free migration to another ISP within the first
*45* days <http://www.plus.net/guarantee/>

Although I'm with Plus.Net and generally recommend them, theirs is one
charging a full setup fee with a 12 month contract, which nowadays is
a bit 'out of date'. The news service has been playing up, and while
Pipex doesn't have it's own, it seems to offer reasonable news service
(10 GB/month download; more for additional payment) for many and right
now, would certainly be worth a look, surely. Similarly, some Freedom
to Surf accounts have free setup, and I'd certainly put such services
in the shortlist despite the apparently "hidden" setup cost/lock in
which they use. Yes, small print is essential reading :-) Peter M.



--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

My other ISP : UK Free Software Network <http://www.ukfsn.org>
UKFSN passes all profits to Free Software projects in the UK.

On 15 Jan 2005, in uk.telecom.broadband, "baron" wrote:

only 27 quid if whole year paid in one lump, and the USB modem they
offer is not going to support 2 PCs from what I read, and not even
free... 27 quid seems costly (my 1000 kbps service is 27.50) when
it's a dynamic IP and still just 500 kbps. I think NDO has lost
the plot, like Claranet's ADSL service for home users. Peter.



--
PlusNet <http://tinyurl.com/24ymz> - I recommend them and save some cash.

My other ISP : UK Free Software Network <http://www.ukfsn.org>
UKFSN passes all profits to Free Software projects in the UK.

Thanks alot, which demon package did you decide on ? I want to go for the
£19.99 one but wonder why the other one is £5 more as it doesn't seem to be
much different.
Lucy




"Jeff Gaines" <whitedragon101@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:xn0dxapv0unrdn00b@news.individual.net...

On 16/01/2005 lu wrote:


They're quite hard to compare side by side since the site was
re-designed.

I went for Demon Express Solo because I don't need a modem but I do
need a managed conversion (I have ISDN at the moment). Home 500 is only
offered as a web purchase so is not offered when you call for a managed
conversion.


The key differences seem to be:
Dial up backup available.
Web space.
Fixed IP address
FAx to mail.


--
Jeff Gaines
Posted with XanaNews 1.17.1.2

Gizmo, which demon package are you on? I want to go for the £19.99 one but
wonder why the other one is £5 more as it doesn't seem to be much different.
Lucy