Considering joining - comments on shortlist

[Gasman]

After 5+ yeas joining the Pip.... exodus.  Looking for a stable and consistent connection with speed of 2MB+ (currently fixed 1MB)  - not heavy downloader but work from home so looking at 15GB per month. I have come to short list of IDnet, Zen or Entanet supplier e.g. ADSL24.

IDnet seems to have good reputation but query relates to speed. With my current supplier this has been dial up speed in the evenings. My exchange has no LLU so has to be BT. Both IDnet and Zen seem to use IPstream but the Entanet business package (£29) for only slightly more then IDnet and Zen use the IPStream Max premium which is said to offer priority at busy times. Is this likely to be a significant effect? My exchange (Ranmoor) always seems to be green. On the Max service they say that contention is not relevant but could this slowness at the exchange be just local and would different suppliers make any difference as they will all be BT IPStream.

Any advice or comments on the three shortlisted ISPs would be welcome.

many thanks

[maxping]

Have a read - http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1310.0.html

Some IDNet customers (not many as you will see if you look through the forums) are having speed issues but with more capacity due by the end of the month this will soon be sorted.

Heres one of my speed tests.

[Nerval]

Hi Gasman
Whether you can get a stable 2Mb plus depends on your line  not on the ISP. You can easily find out what sort of Max speed you might expect by putting your stats into one of the predictors - see Google.

Provided your ISP has enough capacity and doesn't shape traffic, whichever of the three you choose won't make any difference.  The limiting factors will be your local exchange, the websites you're using and the general state of the network between them.

Entanet recently has been shaping traffic as it ran into capacity problems; IDNet has had some  speed problems for some customers due apparently to an influx of refugees from shaping ISPs, but at the moment mine for one is OK.  Don't know about Zen.

The business package has priority over residential, and a higher upload speed.  The priority should in theory make a difference at busy times though I've no experience of it.

[Rik]

Hi Gasman

I agree with Max and Nerv. Personally, but only because I'm biased , I wouldn't use Entanet. Both Zen and IDNet have generally excellent reputations and service (there will always be dissatisfied customers with both companies) but IDNet is a much more approachable, hands-on, style of management, and has outstripped Zen recently in the ThinkBroadband ratings.

If your budget can stand it, IDNet do a range of business services.