Home Highway migration to non BT ADSL

Hi guys & gals.

Question is in the subject line really! I've currently got Home Highway.
We're getting Broadband in our exchange, active on November 5th.

I've decided to go with Plusnet ADSL Home Self Install, via (at the
moment, but things may change!) a Speed Touch 510 V4 router to connect to
my meagre LAN. I've had problems with USB HH in the past, and don't want
to have to root under my desk twice a day to pull the USB lead out and
replace it, and I currently use a router for HH anyway.

When I want to upgrade to ADSL, I'll have 1 month left on my HH contract,
so I'm aware I'll have a 26 quid month line rental left to pay, plus the
50 quid fee to convert from Home Highway to PSTN.

Plusnet can carry out (or arrange to have carried out) the HH to PSTN
conversion.

If for some reason (I'm only a few hundred yards away from the exchange)
the conversion doesn't work, can I be put back to Home Highway free of
charge if I go via Plusnet, or does it have to be BTOpenWoe for me to get
free stuff like this? If so, how bad _is_ BT really?

TIA,

Pete.

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In article <u7rg21-(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> Pete Smith <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > Question is in the subject line really! I've currently got Home Highway.
> > We're getting Broadband in our exchange, active on November 5th.
>
> > I've decided to go with Plusnet ADSL Home Self Install, via (at the
> > moment, but things may change!) a Speed Touch 510 V4 router to connect to
> > my meagre LAN.
>
> I went the same route a month ago, except I took PlusNet's offer of a
> SAR110 router (nice box). It's a single port ethernet device, and works
> well for me.
>

I'll bear that in mind if I hear scare stories about the 510.

> Costs (GBP) were:
>
> 50 HH/ADSL conversion (inc VAT), payable to BT
> 50 PlusNet ADSL setup
> 22pcm ADSL subscription, annual contract
> 60? Router purchase
>
> If the HH/ADSL conversion hadn't happened, my entire costs would have
> been refunded and the line left as HH.

This was this bit I was wanting to hear :-) It was discussed some time ago
in the group (according to google), but _then_ you were expected to pay
for a new 12 month HH installation if it went wrong. ISTR BT changing it,
but thanks for the confirmation.

> (As it happens, my line is
> apparently clean enough to run upto the full 7-8 MBit/s...)

The "preliminary survey" suggests I can only get a lousy 2Mbit service :-)

Thanks,

Pete.

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"Pete Smith" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ...
>
> When I want to upgrade to ADSL, I'll have 1 month left on my HH contract,
> so I'm aware I'll have a 26 quid month line rental left to pay, plus the
> 50 quid fee to convert from Home Highway to PSTN.
>
> Plusnet can carry out (or arrange to have carried out) the HH to PSTN
> conversion.
>
> If for some reason (I'm only a few hundred yards away from the exchange)
> the conversion doesn't work, can I be put back to Home Highway free of
> charge if I go via Plusnet

Yes, as long as Plusnet/other ISP arrange the HH-->ADSL conversion.

If you arrange to downgrade the HH line -->analogue yourself, you would have
to pay for a new installation fee for HH if you failed the ADSL line test

The cost of both options is the same, so its better to let your ISP handle
it.

Regards
Sunil

Pete Smith wrote:

>>I went the same route a month ago, except I took PlusNet's offer of a
>>SAR110 router (nice box). It's a single port ethernet device, and works
>>well for me.
>>
>
>
> I'll bear that in mind if I hear scare stories about the 510.

The SAR110s are nice and easy to setup but lack some of the more
advanced capabilities for dealing with tricky clients like messenger or
netmeeting etc. The SAR7x5 range may be better if you need to run these
sorts of applications. The web interface on the latest versions of the
firmware is now not far of the usability of the 110s.

> This was this bit I was wanting to hear :-) It was discussed some time ago
> in the group (according to google), but _then_ you were expected to pay
> for a new 12 month HH installation if it went wrong. ISTR BT changing it,
> but thanks for the confirmation.

That's why you pay the extra 50 quid for the "managed conversion". If
you fail the ADSL line test you go back to HH at no extra cost.

I followed exactly this route a while ago - from HH to ADSL with
plusnet. Worked very well - even managed to get my second HH number
shifted onto a new POTS line I had installed.


--
Cheers,

John.

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"John Rumm" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:kgx5b.578$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I followed exactly this route a while ago - from HH to ADSL with
> plusnet. Worked very well - even managed to get my second HH number
> shifted onto a new POTS line I had installed...

This seems puzzling - why didn't you keep the HH line and use the new POTS
line for the ADSL?

--
Phil McKerracher
www.mckerracher.org

Pete Smith wrote:

>>This seems puzzling - why didn't you keep the HH line and use the new POTS
>>line for the ADSL?

> Surely that would be more expensive wouldn't it? Plus give an extra
> "unwanted" number.
>
> I used to pay ?26 for my HH (I've now got Together Option 2). A POTS is
> ~?10.
>
> HH & POTS will be ?36 (giving 3 analogue & 1 ADSL) , whereas just 2 POTS
> is ~?20 (giving 2 analogue & 1 ADSL).
>
> I could of course have missed something fundamental here ;-)

Nope - you summarised my feelings almost perfectly! I could not see the
point of spending an extra 16/month for a third line that I had no real
use for.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

I wrote,
> If the HH/ADSL conversion hadn't happened, my entire costs would have
> been refunded and the line left as HH.

Pete Smith <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> This was this bit I was wanting to hear :-) It was discussed some time ago
> in the group (according to google), but _then_ you were expected to pay
> for a new 12 month HH installation if it went wrong. ISTR BT changing it,
> but thanks for the confirmation.

The *extremely* important bit is to get the ISP to do the entire bit
(I believe this is called a "managed conversion").

If you ask BT to change HH to POTS and then get the ISP to do POTS to
ADSL and it fails, then you will have to pay to get it all put back again.

Chris

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> The *extremely* important bit is to get the ISP to do the entire bit
> (I believe this is called a "managed conversion").

Davy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> But if it goes wrong and even if the ISP takes responsibility for returning
> the installation to HH, if you have bought the filters and router/modem
> independently of the ISP then you have wasted £100.

Yes, of course. What else would you expect?

The two solutions here are pretty obvious:
(a) Don't buy the hardware until the line's converted

(b) Buy from somewhere that will let you return the kit if your
conversion fails

Chris