Talktalk rubbish - Plusnet decent?

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:02

I am fed up with Talktalk ever since they have taken over my old onetel account. I am not a massive downloader/gamer and when I do download I use usenet instead of torrents. I don't think the throttling will be a big issue.

Looking for recommendations on plusnet to help sway me either way. Twitter is full of people complaining tonight about talktalk and their service is almost unusable. I'm in the sticks so 2Mb line is the most we can get. Is it worth the change?

_lecro_ · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:05

Had minus net for 3 years before i left for sky.
wouldnt touch them with a barge pole tbh

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:06

What was the problem?

_lecro_ · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:11

The download allowance !!
with 3 workstations in the household it was just way tooo low

the only thing i do miss with gheynet is the static IP
everything else they have to offer fails when compared to Sky

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:12

Well I can't get sky in my area so that isn't an option. 60GB is plenty for me. I wouldn't call download limit a show stopper though! In terms of quality of service was it fine?

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:13

Broadband is flying again after midnight.

_lecro_ · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:17

Yea service was fine as far as network connectivity is concerned
sql service and general knowledge was poor and there help desk was less than average

but if thats not a concern for you then go for it !!

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:20

Anything should be better than TalkTalk - I think they get the reputation of being shocking.

Plusnet has local support right?

andy_mk3 · 22 Mar 2011 at 00:30

I've been with TalkTalk and Plusnet, never had much problems with either. I think it depends on your location with a lot of ISPs.

KIA · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:06

PlusNet shape USENET.

dekez · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:25

I download using Usenet on plus net and have never had a problem, I'm on the pro service so only have 20 gig allowance during the day. All downloads are scheduled to run overnight never had a problem (12-8 unlimited) I don't download a massive amount but everything always completed by the morning.
Just have a good read through the terms and conditions I seem to remember its all on there ( on phone so can't check)
In terms if customer service they've been pretty good, quick to respond etc. I do worry with all their cheap deals that they are going to oversubscribe, but will have to see.

Engram · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:53

dekez said:
I download using Usenet on plus net and have never had a problem, I'm on the pro service so only have 20 gig allowance during the day. All downloads are scheduled to run overnight never had a problem (12-8 unlimited) I don't download a massive amount but everything always completed by the morning.

Same here.

I like Plusnet. They do shape their traffic, but they've always been open about how they do it. They don't promise "unlimited" and then put a limit in their terms and conditions.

Also, their shaping means that time critical applications (VOIP, gaming) always work properly, 24/7. I prefer that to an ISP that says "download as much as you want, whenever you want" and then gets swamped by the warez hoarders.

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:17

I use SSL usenet. Can it be shaped too?

dekez · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:24

Engram said:
time critical applications (VOIP, gaming) always work properly, 24/7. I prefer that to an ISP that says "download as much as you want, whenever you want" and then gets swamped by the warez hoarders.

Exactly

20-30ms pings whatever the time of day.

I used to be on virgin, 10mb download but pings and latency were awful from 4pm-1am, couldn't game at all unless it was the middle of the night.

Here is the table of how the shaping happens (I assume your going for extra):

http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/speed_guide/download_speeds.shtml#extraSpeeds

fullmetaltony · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:47

What they said, go for Plusnet if you want complete open honesty regarding usage allowance/speeds. Their websites really good for keeping track of your usage too.

Also worth noting that while they impose caps on GB usage, that doesn't affect traffic between midnight and 8am iirc.

hood1971 · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:48

ringo747 said:
I use SSL usenet. Can it be shaped too?

Yes, though you can get a around that with something like VyprVPN from giganews.

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:54

I have been looking at IDNET and they sound really good. Might switch the whole thing over for phone and b'band. Don't seem to get a free router or anything though.

Philtor · 22 Mar 2011 at 11:10

I've been with PlusNet since Feb 2008 and never had any problems. Great ISP and call centre in Sheffield too

ringo747 · 22 Mar 2011 at 14:09

I think I am going to go for IDNet.

Can anyone else except 'fluff' recommend them? He must be on commission for recommending them on here.

Edit: Actually i am put off by IDNETs tiered downloading whereby you have a peak allowance and an off peak allowance.

The max I can get is 2Mbps. Am I likely to see much of an improvement? Talktalk Onetel tell me they don't throttle but it's so slow during peak times.

KIA · 22 Mar 2011 at 15:36

ringo747 said:
I think I am going to go for IDNet.
Can anyone else except 'fluff' recommend them? He must be on commission for recommending them on here.

Edit: Actually i am put off by IDNETs tiered downloading whereby you have a peak allowance and an off peak allowance.

I use 'em because I want a quality connection.

- They don't traffic shape
- The network isn't oversubscribed
- You will be able to max your line 24/7
- Low latency
- 1 month contract

Quite simply, you get what you pay for. What don't you like about the download allowance? It's best to save large downloads for the offpeak period.