I really don't want to jump ship but please look at your Caps

[kerrso05]

Sky will only remain unlimited until they reach a certain amount of users with the same usage habits, then like those before them they will introduce a fair usage policy which will allow them to use traffic management or other network management techniques.

Yes, I'm sure you are right, I'm sure they will entice you in and introduce some sort of Traffic Management but at the moment they haven't from what my daughter's boyfriend is saying but it is very early days.....but as I keep saying I'm not expecting Idnet to go unlimited because they can't compete with the big boys but surely they can compete with the other minnows like Zen etc

By the way I was also wondering how UTV can give unlimited but when you look deeper into it they have a fair usage policy.....no definitely, been there done that and got the tee-shirt.....definitely not going down that road.........I would rather have caps (and that is saying something) than go to a new IP who has a FUP

I don't know if anyone has seen this comparison Spreadsheet or not but it makes interesting reading. Any comments

http://bit.ly/KEamit

[Glenn]

I'm sure if IDNet were to make Weekends 'Off Peak', along with changing the weekday timings to 9 - 9, it would go along way to easing the pain for some.

[Steve]

 I agree Glenn, The spreadsheet is difficult for me  to compare , unless I've misread it Zen's quoted figures are out of date. I guess it was correct at publication whenever that was.

[mervl]

  I just wonder if a loosening of caps before the Olympics might be asking for it, but assuming the network stands up well during the Event, then afterwards might be a different story?

We've had the discussion previously regarding Sky, but my understanding is that they've recently been investing massively in the backhaul network they inherited on the Easynet acquisition. Their history is they don't do things by halves, they just have a problem with creative content. (And they don't "do" the business market, which is the Easynet province).

[andrue]

I'm sure if IDNet were to make Weekends 'Off Peak', along with changing the weekday timings to 9 - 9, it would go along way to easing the pain for some.

Something like that, yes. It isn't directly affecting me at the moment but as I wrote in another thread it currently appears that 'on peak' means 'when you're awake' which sucks a bit 

As for Sky that was my second choice (I have Sky HD so would benefit from bundling). Unfortunately they don't do static IP and at the time at least only did 2Mb/s upload.

[kerrso05]

I don't know when that spreadsheet was first written.....I do think it is out of date and I'm sure if I looked harder I would find find an more up-to date copy but it does make you think...........and to be honest Idnet aren't too bad on the chart

[kerrso05]

I'm sure if IDNet were to make Weekends 'Off Peak', along with changing the weekday timings to 9 - 9, it would go along way to easing the pain for some.

Yes Glenn that would do it ....that would ease the pressure in this house. When is that proposal coming forward???

[Glenn]

No idea, I just thought of it. It would be upto IDNet to cost and make any changes, the admins here are just like you, customers.

[Steve]

My feeling is that in order for me to change my internet usage with daytime streaming etc I could go unlimited with BT or Sky and take a possible risk on the 18 month contract or  prepare to spend a fair bit more per month i.e. Zen Fibre Pro 200Gb. Neither seems to fit comfortably for me . I do use the off peak early in a morning and I don't watch a lot of TV .

[mervl]

No idea, I just thought of it. It would be upto IDNet to cost and make any changes, the admins here are just like you, customers.

Didn't IdNet get badly burned a couple of years back when they gave an unlimited concession over the Christmas holiday? "One bitten, twice shy" comes to mind so I'd have thought a controlled loosening of caps might be a more likely option? I too am saved by the breakfast off-peak.

[kerrso05]

No idea, I just thought of it. It would be upto IDNet to cost and make any changes, the admins here are just like you, customers.

Yes I know they are like me customers....I'm just having a 

Genuinely I do think it is a good idea

[kerrso05]

Didn't IdNet get badly burned a couple of years back when they gave an unlimited concession over the Christmas holiday? "One bitten, twice shy" comes to mind so I'd have thought a controlled loosening of caps might be a more likely option?

I don't remember anything about that but I do remember they did give this unlimited usage for a couple of days ......did they get burned

[Glenn]

Didn't IdNet get badly burned a couple of years back when they gave an unlimited concession over the Christmas holiday? "One bitten, twice shy" comes to mind so I'd have thought a controlled loosening of caps might be a more likely option? I too am saved by the breakfast off-peak.

Mervl, my plan wouldn't be unlimited usage, it would be using the 'off peak' allowance that you pay for but rarely use.

[pctech]

If you give something like bandwidth away which is one of your main products then unfortunately there will always be a minority that will abuse it and ruin it for the rest of the customer base.

Personally I'd have disabled their logins and presented them with a bill for the ridiculous excess they had used, only upon payment being received and cleared would I have reenabled their accounts on the RADIUS servers.

[Tacitus]

I do remember they did give this unlimited usage for a couple of days ......did they get burned

They gave unlimited usage over the Christmas/New Year holiday period a couple of years ago and, the fact they didn't repeat it suggests they did get burned.

[mervl]

Mervl, my plan wouldn't be unlimited usage, it would be using the 'off peak' allowance that you pay for but rarely use.

Yep I realised, but say on Home  FibrePlus the 90GB off-peak limit was available from 9pm and at weekends all day, then wouldn't everybody's use immediately jump to the full limit,  and all used during the evening/afternoon "peaks" rather than spread out across the off-peak? And would that be a likely problem? I'd have thought so.

[cavillas]

Idnet have to pay BT an enourmous amount for the data they use over their networks and they have to charge their own customers the right amounts to cover that useage.  If they allowed unlimited useage then the costs for the customer would mean very few customers.  BT charges seem to differ from isp to isp as well, it seems.

[Bill]

I'm sure if IDNet were to make Weekends 'Off Peak', along with changing the weekday timings to 9 - 9, it would go along way to easing the pain for some.

You might like to look at ADSL24's new offering:

http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/fibre/t/4128230-adsl24-new-fttc-products-including-8020-service.html

Not cheap, but an off-peak of 8pm to 8am and all weekend with unlimited off-peak usage. it's very tempting....

[Technical Ben]

If you give something like bandwidth away which is one of your main products then unfortunately there will always be a minority that will abuse it and ruin it for the rest of the customer base.

Personally I'd have disabled their logins and presented them with a bill for the ridiculous excess they had used, only upon payment being received and cleared would I have reenabled their accounts on the RADIUS servers.

Or give them a polite warning. You know, saying "unlimited" kind of gets people in the opinion you mean "unlimited". If they said "double allowance" or "Unlimited off peak" etc, then people would not use it unlimited all the time. 

Basically, there is a near unlimited amount of free content available now with the likes of Youtube etc. If you offer it, people will take you up on it.

[kerrso05]

Bill

Wow, ADSL24 new offering is certainly a very tempting offer especially as my eldest daughter doesn't get home from work until after 7pm, she would only have to wait till 8pm and then stream till her wee hearts content, it certainly would get her off my back and stop her whining....now why doesn't Idnet look at something like....maybe they are and we don't know anything about it!!!

The only problem I have with ADSL24 is I don't know anything about them, I've never heard of them till now, are they a fly by night company who draws you in with special offers and then hikes the prices up? Do they have a fair usage policy, traffic shaping etc or are they one of the goodies like Zen, Idnet? That 8pm till 8am is really very good....I would say that is as good as it gets for the small IP companies.

Come on Idnet please (if you are watching this thread) take a look at your caps and make some announcement on possible changes before offers like ADSL24's snatches your loyal customer base away......they have thrown the gauntlet down are you going to take up the challenge?............I for one, hope you do, I am  :fingers:you do

[Baz]

you get what you pay for I guess.Im happy paying the price IDNet charge, I like the good service.


I remember that IDNet did increase the package allowances a while back didnt they?

or Harry, get your daughters to contribute to the bill when you go over then may be they'll slow down a bit 

[Gary]

Sky will only remain unlimited until they reach a certain amount of users with the same usage habits, then like those before them they will introduce a fair usage policy which will allow them to use traffic management or other network management techniques.

They run with their huge anytime+ sky VOD service downloading programs in SD at 500mb or more and have for the last year of two happily, I think they have invested in they network pretty well tbh.

[andrue]

They run with their huge anytime+ sky VOD service downloading programs in SD at 500mb or more and have for the last year of two happily, I think they have invested in they network pretty well tbh.

Not forgetting that Sky own Easynet. That means they are in a very good position when it comes to managing backhaul. They probably don't need BT at all at most exchanges. TalkTalk is similar although with TalkTalk you risk having to deal with diabolical technical support.

But yeah it's definitely a case of you get what you pay for. It's just that Sky, TalkTalk and BT can subsidise their broadband from other services. Sky in particular with their satellite TV. Smaller providers can offer true unlimited - like Be - but it's not cheap and they still have a FUP even if no-one has ever been hit with it. I think the reason they haven't gone FTTC is price. I think one of their blogs said that for true unlimited they'd be looking at charging £50pcm.

[Bill]

The only problem I have with ADSL24 is I don't know anything about them, I've never heard of them till now, are they a fly by night company who draws you in with special offers and then hikes the prices up?

They've been around for quite a while- posting on thinkbroadband since late 2006, and according to their website they've been in the business (as part of a larger group) for over 20 years- a few years longer than IDNet in fact

As far as I can tell from their tbb posts they seem pretty helpful, but if anyone thinks I'm going to put my neck on the block and positively recommend them then dream on, sunshine

Do they have a fair usage policy, traffic shaping etc or are they one of the goodies like Zen, Idnet?

They claim no throttling or port blocking. I can't find any mention of an FUP, but like all ISPs they do have an AUP- here (scroll down about 80% of the page). I haven't gone through them in detail, but it looks broadly similar to IDNet's T&Cs.

Static IP as standard too... I'd be at least tentatively inclined to put them in the same camp as the good ones you mention. There's certainly no obvious elephant traps.


edit- can't find any mention of IPv6... not necessarily a deal-killer, but not irrelevant for me. Time for me to ask some questions, I think.

[ukwiz]

I remember that IDNet did increase the package allowances a while back didnt they?

But not for fttc customers