Broadband provider

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » 13 Feb 2007, 15:27

I have just bought a new laptop and now need to get broadband. Feel wi fi would be a good idea. Any recommendations or companies to avoid?

SoupDragon · Post by **SoupDragon** » 13 Feb 2007, 15:45

We've got what was Telewest broadband, now Vigin Media. We've had no problems when it was telewest.

Not long gone wi fi and so far so good, see wireless hub thread for hints on wifi equipment, We went with Lynksis router ( got through Amazon) and Netgear USB s for the not so upto date laptops

Jamesie · Post by **Jamesie** » 13 Feb 2007, 18:04

No problems to report from TeleVirgin - would recommend to anyone.

impossiblevoices · Post by **impossiblevoices** » 13 Feb 2007, 18:07

Go with cable. (Think they are called Virgin Media rather than Telewest now though)

The service is simply brilliant. Superfast connection speed, no silly download limits and your service is installed by a - wait for it - Real Person! That means someone comes to your house and fits it all up for you! Brilliant!

We have been using cable for two years now and never had a problem.

As far as wireless goes, get your broadband installed and then buy a Linksys or Netgear Ethernet wireless hub/router. Take it out the box, plug it in and then plug your broadband modem into it - Easy Peasy!

'Moan the cable!

What kind of laptop have you bought Gedge?

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 13 Feb 2007, 18:45

Same here. Telewest has been pretty reliable and hopefully will carry on much the same under Branson. No complaints either with my Linksys wireless router. When it developed a hardware fault after 2 years they mailed me a new one completely free of charge. You can't beat that for customer service.

Additionally, I have a Vodaphone card which gives me 3G and GRPS coverage on the go with my Dell laptop. It works pretty well, though 3G coverage can be a bit patchy and GRPS is dial-up speed, but at Â£23:50 a month it's difficult to justify and I intend to give it up soon unless the price drops dramatically.

impossiblevoices · Post by **impossiblevoices** » 13 Feb 2007, 19:53

Bob - get one of [these] then get one of [these]

HEY PRESTO!

You can sniff out and take advantage of other peoples unsecured wireless networks!

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 13 Feb 2007, 20:27

impossiblevoices wrote:Bob - get one of [these] then get one of [these]

HEY PRESTO!

You can sniff out and take advantage of other peoples unsecured wireless networks!

Don't bother hanging out near my house I've made sure mine is locked

aileenandfearghal · Post by **aileenandfearghal** » 13 Feb 2007, 21:19

We're with eclipse - great so far.

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 13 Feb 2007, 23:21

As with most of the replies so far, I'm with Virgin/Telewest, and have no complaints whatsoever. From installation (which was from an excellent installer who listened to my requirements) through to today, I've had no problems.

Looking at the replies so far on this thread, the new Virgin Media could do worse than just link to here for their advertising.

Scorpion · Post by **Scorpion** » 13 Feb 2007, 23:45

I took my PDA for a little walk recently just to see how easy it was to connect to other networks. It was quite surprising to see how many were open and I was able to connect to the Internet.