Which fibre provider

Soldato
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FTTP or FTTC? I don’t think Sky do FTTP yet, so assuming FTTC, I’d say go with whoever does the best price/speed/contract.

If you already have Sky TV I’d say go Sky. Zen are decent, but expensive, might be better if something goes wrong but you can’t guarantee that, and is it worth the extra? Not used BT since ADSL days.
 
Soldato
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You don’t really get what you pay for with FTTC, they all rely on BT infrastructure at the end of the day and it’s the only bit that tends to go wrong.

Zen are the best when it comes to support but I’ve had broadband for years and never had a problem with the line, I just don’t see it as worth paying for of you don’t use it.

I just get the cheapest now which tends to be Plusnet or Talk Talk.
 
Soldato
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You don’t really get what you pay for with FTTC, they all rely on BT infrastructure at the end of the day and it’s the only bit that tends to go wrong.

Zen are the best when it comes to support but I’ve had broadband for years and never had a problem with the line, I just don’t see it as worth paying for of you don’t use it.

I just get the cheapest now which tends to be Plusnet or Talk Talk.

They all rely on OpenReach infrastructure, it’s what happens after your data leaves that infrastructure that things are generally different.

For the op - Zen have a decent reputation, they also are reasonably competitive on price and UK based, Sky have history for standing up for its users and not just folding at the first opportunity to hand your details over to a 3rd party, like Zen you generally get UK support. BT can be variable, at the first whiff of a court order they will fold like origami, support is UK based if you pay for it (Plus or Halo), but that comes at a price, and if the UK teams are closed you can do sweet FA as I found out the hard way. Also the g.fast team is staffed by unicorns - they’re mythical creatures that have never been seen and even the CEO’s office struggle to speak to.

Generally I’d look at who has the best price/offer/cash back via TCB/Quidco overall, PN/BT/Sky/Zen are all reasonable options depending on your preferences.
 
Soldato
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Im with BT FTTP (had no choice on BT). And to be fair there service is great, never drops and fast speed.

If I had a choice, with out a doubt I would be going with Virgin Media M500 package!
 
Soldato
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They all rely on OpenReach infrastructure, it’s what happens after your data leaves that infrastructure that things are generally different.

I don’t disagree but there is little measurable difference between any FTTC ISPs other than support. The chances of you needing that support are very slim which leaves price.
 
Soldato
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I don’t disagree but there is little measurable difference between any FTTC ISPs other than support. The chances of you needing that support are very slim which leaves price.
I suspect performance varies a lot during busy times between ISPs. They still have to be able to handle high volumes of traffic their end. I've found ZEN very good,including in assisting performance problems twice this year (both times BT fault). Used them for years now.
Vodafone this year have been trying to get me to give them a try. At I think £25 a month it's definitely cheaper and they said they'd knock off a few £ off my mobile tariff also but I don't want to run the risk of having issues with connectivity and performance etc.
 
Soldato
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Used to get 39500 lucky if it over 30000 now days. If I swap to Zen do you get a cooling off period? My sky page l package is going up from 60 to 95 next month and I don't want the TV anymore. So good time to switch
 
Soldato
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I suspect performance varies a lot during busy times between ISPs.

Got any evidence of this? As the above poster said ISP capacity isn't really an issue these days.

I have been on BT, Plusnet and Talk Talk all in the same property and I noticed no difference terms of the internet service even at peek times. It's all about how good your phone line is in terms of quality and reliability, none of which are in the control of the ISP or you.

Used to get 39500 lucky if it over 30000 now days. If I swap to Zen do you get a cooling off period? My sky page l package is going up from 60 to 95 next month and I don't want the TV anymore. So good time to switch

You'll not notice any difference in sync speed, the line can do what ever it does at the end of the day.

Check their T&C pages, i'd expect there to be 10 or 14 day cooling off period.
 
Soldato
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I'm with BT FTTP, I was with Virgin previously. BT FTTP has flawless for me, no issues and no reason to ring BT since I had it installed a few months ago. With it being a FTTP connection, there's little that can go wrong with it with regards to line faults, so I prioritised price over anything, and BT offered me 300/50 for £46 with no connection fee. I just had to pay a tenner for the BT router.
 
Soldato
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Got any evidence of this? As the above poster said ISP capacity isn't really an issue these days.
I have been on BT, Plusnet and Talk Talk all in the same property and I noticed no difference terms of the internet service even at peek times. It's all about how good your phone line is in terms of quality and reliability, none of which are in the control of the ISP or you.
No recent evidence and the last time I had issues was back in 2006 with Virgin broadband.
There was a thread here some time ago mentioning some of the issues with the cheaper ISP's still if I remember correctly, with I think Vodafone at that time being deemed the worse (by someone who works in the industry I think).I wouldn't write off support either, like I said above, I've needed support twice in the last 12 months. First time was an old box up a pole (whatever taht is called :)), the second time BTopenworld messed up a connection (they're always in the green Fibre box across the road). Zen were very quick to get back to me and spent quite a while diagnosing potential problems from their side and mine.
I might try another in the next year or so but reluctant to risk something to save a few quid at the moment.

PS Here's a post/thread from 2018. While it's about VF specifically
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/31974285
 
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Soldato
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Ran a speed test on my 4g phone and get 85/55 way faster than my fixed fibre line.
Is 4g a viable option? Would work out a lot cheaper for me, but what about gaming?
 
Soldato
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Ran a speed test on my 4g phone and get 85/55 way faster than my fixed fibre line.
Is 4g a viable option? Would work out a lot cheaper for me, but what about gaming?

I get a ping of about 50-60 in CS:GO, but still find it playable. Switched over to 3 for broadband via 4G as it's the best for price to service (£17 pm for ~40/20). Hoping to get an antenna fixed outside on the front of the house in the new year when we repaint which will increase the speed we receive.

[Edit] I believe three let you trial it for upto a couple of weeks, no penalty if you change your mind.

djfcoEE.jpg
 
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Soldato
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Screenshot-20191207-225645-org-zwanoo-android-speedtest.jpg



3 times the speed of my sky fibre.... and £21 pm its a no brainer, right or am misssing something? Is it truly unlimited?
 
Soldato
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Nice speed, the main issue with 4G is that it tends to be inconsistent. Particularly when it comes to congestion and latency.

What type of gaming are you going to do? That sort of latency will be noticeable compared to a fixed line, particularly if you are any good.

Also 1% packet loss on your speed test. Any pack let loss will be an issue for gaming.
 

TJM

TJM

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My experience with Three's 4G service was that outages weren't uncommon and lag spikes were frequent. It's a good temporary option or if cost matters more than consistency, but gaming on it will be frustrating unless the network is less congested in your neck of the woods.
 
Soldato
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3 times the speed of my sky fibre.... and £21 pm its a no brainer, right or am misssing something? Is it truly unlimited?

Yes it's unlimited, do you have a phone contract with three already? If so, go onto my three and look through the deals there as the same package should be £17.
If you decide to try the 4g route order online rather than in-store so you have the 14 days to return incase it doesn't work well for your usage.
 
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