Go back to Narrowband

Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband? What are the
disadvantages to broadband do you think?
The monthly subscription for narrowband is certainly less but I am now
seriously considering broadband. What do you think to that?

On 08 Aug 2005 11:54 GMT, "melanie" wrote:

>Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband?

Not in the slightest.

>What are the disadvantages to broadband do you think?

The single disadvantage is that you cannot test out two ISPs on a single
phone line at home, while with a dial-up you have instant choice. Only
a problem if you have (a) an ISP with lots of faults, or (b) a service
which is slow as could be, and apparently no interest from the ISP, or
(c) you are locked into a contract for 12 months or more.

>The monthly subscription for narrowband is certainly less but I am now
>seriously considering broadband. What do you think to that?

Don't spend much more time thinking, start looking at www.ADSLguide.org
and see what people think about different services, and then check up
on the small print for cancellation costs, activation costs, etc.

One thing I would recommend is considering use of a combined ADSL modem
and router, which can be had for under 35 or 40 pounds (there was a post
in the last 48 hours mentioning Ebuyer, from Sunil Sood, saying under 20)
because I have very limited trust in USB kit (and being free when you
sign up doesn't make it ideal, just a cheap solution for an ISP as
you can plug in a USB unit without opening the PC case so simple from
their support - "please reinstall the USB drivers for this device" may
as well be on their answerphone, I suspect !! Peter Morgan.


--

UK ADSL <http://tinyurl.com/5jpa4> - Happy to save cash with Plus.Net!!

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
melanie <business-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband? What
> are the disadvantages to broadband do you think?
> The monthly subscription for narrowband is certainly less but I am now
> seriously considering broadband. What do you think to that?

With narrowband, you can't use your phone while you are on-line. I got round
this by converting to Home Highway - which gave me an internet connection
*and* a voice line at the same time - but this was expensive. I am now on
broadband (which of course allows the phone to be used whilst on-line) and
am paying *less*!

That is quite apart from the much faster downloads - and the ability to
watch streaming video - which BB provides. And you get emails as soon as
they are sent - rather than having to log on ocassionally to check for them.
Also, if you wish, you can use VoIP to make phone calls over the internet -
very cheaply or even free.

Of course, with an 'always-on' connection, you are more vulnerable to
external attack - and have to make sure that you have decent anti-virus and
firewall software.

I occasionally have to use narrowband - with a dial-up modem in my laptop -
when away from home, and it's DIRE!
--
Cheers,
Tim
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

poster <us-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> The single disadvantage is that you cannot test out two ISPs on a single
> phone line at home,

You are no worse off if one of them is your broadband ISP than you would
be without broadband. You can still use your (otherwise obselete) modem
to connect at will to any other service provider.

Chris

-
one would never dream of returning to narrowband, one must be mad if one
considers doing such a thing

"melanie" <business-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:ZJHJe.24799$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband? What are the
> disadvantages to broadband do you think?
> The monthly subscription for narrowband is certainly less but I am now
> seriously considering broadband. What do you think to that?
>
>

Only disadvantage for me is that before getting broadband I was on
BT's light user scheme,which is not available on an ADSLed line
so my phone rental costs have risen sightly. But my actual ISP
subscription costs have barely changed - I've gone from paying
£8.99 for a wholly unsatisfactory and unreliable, cheap and
very, very nasty, and extremely difficult to cancel dial-up ISP
to £10 per month for a cheap ADSL service.

On 8 Aug 2005 17:57, "Mel" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>to £10 per month for a cheap ADSL service.

out of interest, which ISP ? Peter M.

In article <ZJHJe.24799$(E-Mail Removed)>, business-
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband?

lol. Really!

"poster" <us-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed). net...
> On 08 Aug 2005 11:54 GMT, "melanie" wrote:
>
>>Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband?
>
> Not in the slightest.
>
>>What are the disadvantages to broadband do you think?
>
> The single disadvantage is that you cannot test out two ISPs on a single
> phone line at home, while with a dial-up you have instant choice. Only
> a problem if you have (a) an ISP with lots of faults, or (b) a service
> which is slow as could be, and apparently no interest from the ISP, or
> (c) you are locked into a contract for 12 months or more.
>
>>The monthly subscription for narrowband is certainly less but I am now
>>seriously considering broadband. What do you think to that?
>
> Don't spend much more time thinking, start looking at www.ADSLguide.org
> and see what people think about different services, and then check up
> on the small print for cancellation costs, activation costs, etc.
>
> One thing I would recommend is considering use of a combined ADSL modem
> and router, which can be had for under 35 or 40 pounds (there was a post
> in the last 48 hours mentioning Ebuyer, from Sunil Sood, saying under 20)
> because I have very limited trust in USB kit (and being free when you
> sign up doesn't make it ideal, just a cheap solution for an ISP as
> you can plug in a USB unit without opening the PC case so simple from
> their support - "please reinstall the USB drivers for this device" may
> as well be on their answerphone, I suspect !! Peter Morgan.


Thanks for your advice Mr Morgan- I appreciate your kind response - but
since I checked yesterday I discovered broadband is unavailable in my local
area !! I will have to wait.

"Tiscali Tim" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> melanie <business-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Has anyone here tried broadband and miss standard narrowband? What
>> are the disadvantages to broadband do you think?
>> The monthly subscription for narrowband is certainly less but I am now
>> seriously considering broadband. What do you think to that?
>
> With narrowband, you can't use your phone while you are on-line. I got
> round
> this by converting to Home Highway - which gave me an internet connection
> *and* a voice line at the same time - but this was expensive. I am now on
> broadband (which of course allows the phone to be used whilst on-line) and
> am paying *less*!
>
> That is quite apart from the much faster downloads - and the ability to
> watch streaming video - which BB provides. And you get emails as soon as
> they are sent - rather than having to log on ocassionally to check for
> them.
> Also, if you wish, you can use VoIP to make phone calls over the
> internet -
> very cheaply or even free.
>
> Of course, with an 'always-on' connection, you are more vulnerable to
> external attack - and have to make sure that you have decent anti-virus
> and
> firewall software.
>
> I occasionally have to use narrowband - with a dial-up modem in my
> laptop -
> when away from home, and it's DIRE!
> --
> Cheers,
> Tim


Yes thanks Tim, I was quite concerned about the security issues as a
potential hacker might be able to spend all day trying to gain access to
your system - so a good firewall is clearly essential! I have since
discovered that broadband is not yet available in my area which frankly
amazed me!