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January 2011 BT rollout of faster broadband http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4531-bt-announce-41-market-towns-to-benefit-from-super-fast-broadband.html

If you want to check you BT BB speed visit http://www.speedtester.bt.com/   If you then want to contact them go to
http://bt.custhelp.com/app/contact/session/

Jan 2011. In a recent survey of Virgin Media Cable customers thos payomg for 20Mb speed were averaging 18.5 mb/s  Thoise on the cheaper, minimum, 10 Mb/s tarriff were achieving 9.6 Mb/s

An Oftel report showed that the level of broadband take up in rural parts of Wales was higher than in urban parts, with rural take up standing at sixty nine percent and urban take up at sixty two percent. This is despite the fact that rural areas often struggle to get access and availability when it comes to broadband services. Many users in Rural Wales use mobile connections, such as O2.

A contact has just moved from Onetel to BT broadband and is very pleased. There are packages fro £13.99 to £27.99 a month plus line rental of £9.99. They all have an 18 month contract. The cheapest version has a  monthly usage limit of 10Gb (which is really only suitable for a light user) but it also includes free landline calls (evenings and weekends) including 0870 and 0845 numbers (important these days when many companies keep you hanging on).  For £15.99 you get anytime free calls (bargain). For £17.99 your get a 40Gb usage limit (you can check any time what you have used) with free weekend and evening landline calls. You CAN add anythime calls for £4.99).  The most expensive version (£27.99 a moth) has no limits on usage or calls. The speed available is quoted as 'Up to 20 Mb' but this depends on many things and can be anything from 1Mb/s. 

If you are tired of waiting for decent broadband have a look at what a small Lincolnshire village did.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9276550.stm

Good article on broadband choices at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-broadband

See http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/  for BB offers in your area.  But read the details.  Most of them are still quoting temporary prices that go up after a time.  

There is a comparison site at http://www.cable.co.uk/compare/broadband/

Broadband Genie

The Go Compare site re Broadband in all its flavours is at http://www.gocompare.com/guides/broadband.aspx.

From March 2010 BT connected a further 69 towns to its 40Mbits/sec fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) exchanges. This will enable ISPs to offer faster, stable broadband connections.
The towns listed are a follows:

ALTRINCHAM North West ARMLEY Yorkshire ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE NW BARKING London BARNET London BARRY Wales BASINGSTOKE South East BERKHAMSTED East of England BILLERICAY East of England BIRMINGHAM, NORTHERN BRENTWOOD East of England BRISTOL NORTH South West BRISTOL WEST South West CAERPHILLY Wales CASTLEFORD Yorkshire CHEETHAM North West CHESTER-LE-STREET North East

CHORLTON North West DARTFORD South East DENTON North West DOWNEND South West DURHAM North East EAST HERRINGTON North East EDINBURGH CORSTORPHINE EDINBURGH CRAIGLOCKHART ELSTREE East of England ELTHAM London FALLINGS PARK West Midlands GLASGOW BRIDGETON GLASGOW GIFFNOCK GLOSSOP East Midlands GREAT BARR West Midlands GREENWICH London HAINAULT East of England

HEADINGLEY Yorkshire HETTON-LE-HOLE North East HINCKLEY East Midlands HODDESDON East of England HORNCHURCH London HYDE North West INGREBOURNE London LEA VALLEY East of England LEAMORE West Midlands LISBURN Northern Ireland LOUGHTON East of England LOW MOOR Yorkshire MANCHESTER EAST North West MOSS SIDE North West NEW SOUTHGATE London NUNEATON West Midlands PENARTH Wales

PONDERS END London PONTEFRACT Yorkshire PRESTWICH North West SHIPLEY YorkshireSIDCUP London SLADE GREEN London STALYBRIDGE North West STAMFORD HILL London STANFORD-LE-HOPE East of England SWINTON  North West TETTENHALL West Midlands URMSTON North West WALKDEN North West WALSALL West Midlands WALTHAM CROSS East of England WEDNESBURY West Midlands WILMSLOW North West WOODFORD East of England

Slow ADSL broadband speed ?  But the first thing to do is use a broadband speed checker on the net.  Be aware that ALL broadband connections DOWNLOAD much faster than they UPLOAD.  You will get two readings and the one may be an eighth of the other. If you are not getting the speed you are paying for there be factors beyond your control such as the distance you are from the nearest digital exchange.

Computer Active, Issue 293, suggests that you check that your phone cables and filters are up to scratch and that you have one on each phone socket including any fax or Sky socket. In addition, for XP,  they recommend a free tune up program called TCP Optimizer which allows more files to be downloaded at once. Vista does this automatically.

Some of the filter/internal cabling problems can be tested by a 'trial and error' process using other pieces of equipment. It might even be worth checking by attaching the modem directly to the main BT socket. If your modem connects to the USB socket (especially the older type one socket, speed may be improved by connecting the PC by an RJ45 (Ethernet) cable.  But this needs an Ethernet socket on the PC and on the modem and router

An 'iPlate' is a £10 device from BT that could save your broadband. BT Wholesale have been trialling a new device that could radically improve the speed of ADSL broadband connections, allowing customers to finally enjoy speeds close to the advertised ‘up to’ limit. Fixing an Interstitial Plate to the master telephone socket helps to improve connections by eliminating exterior interference. Broadband connections can be seriously affected by electronic ‘noise’ from basic household appliances with faulty power supplies. Bad power supplies from electrical equipment interferes with the so-called “Bell Wire” which runs throughout households, and creates noise on the line.  In a test a basic ADSL connection running at 3.8Mbps was throttled down to 700Kbps when a nearby fluorescent tube with a faulty power supply was switched on; when an iPlate was fitted to the master socket, the connection returned to its normal speed. The iPlate is installed by unscrewing the face plate in the master socket and slotting iPlate into place. It is easiest fitted to sockets which are split into two halves. It is expected that iPlates will become part of the regular installation feature for new customers. Ashley Pickering from BT Wholesale said “We’ve seen huge increases in speed,” stating that “on average, it makes one and a half megs of difference.”

 Or, as I said last moth :. I really do think that, at the prices you can see in the following site there is no longer a case for people to still use a dialup connection.  It is not just a geek thing to go to broadband.  It is necessary if you wish to keep your machine safe.  The only machines I would consider to use without BB is one not connected to the net.

1. There may be a fault over the line outside the premise.
2. There may be a fault with the internal wirings and devices.

If you check with them you may get the following message :

I have just tested your line (this is worth asking them to do) for your Telephone Number and can confirm your line supports the UK's most complete broadband package, BT Total Broadband and we can confirm that you will be able to reach a maximum download speed of 8.0 (Megabits per second).
(But) BT Total Broadband will always give you the maximum download speed available to your line based on these factors.

1. The number of other users online at the time.
2. The overall usage across the Internet.
3. The distance between your premise and the nearest server or digital exchange
4. The condition of the copper cables.
5. The condition of the weather.

If the problem persist write back to us we will escalate the issue to the concerned Department.
For any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us or use our BT Broadband Self Help web site http://www.bt.com/broadband/help"

Jinu P. C. BT Total Broadband Support

END of message from BT

For the Uswitch page for comparing Broadband deals click HERE   or take a look at http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/results/  Their latest survey (March 08) put Plus.net well to the fore, with Sky next and (mysteriously) Talk Talk in third spot.  They must have got their act together.  Plus.net prices are from £9.99 a month for light users.  But ALL of their schemes offer up to 8Mb speed - if you are one of the lucky ones. With the cheapest option they offer a simple router and only insist on a one month contract.

Sky TV introduced a broadband service in July 2006.. Prices are from free to £10 a month depending on speed, though people living outside its coverage area pay more.

Wireless connections ?  Don't ask me, please !  But there are experts around who will supply the necessary equipment and advise you. For instance www.allwireless.co.uk of Leicester specialize in Wireless Technology & Home Automation and if you get stuck you can phone them on 0845 058 0504 and will get personal attention. And PCworld will be delighted to sell you the gear and set it up (at a price), as will Ebuyer.

But if you have a wireless set up and you are getting a bad connection to your router your should consider positioning it in the middle of the house and not behind thick walls. Moving it off the floor to a bookcase or shelf should also help. If you only have one wireless computer, then place the router closer to the computer and remember, wifi is a radio signal, so the signals from microwave ovens, cordless phones and even your neighbor's wireless router may interfere. So steer clear of those as well

Free Which ? booklet on Broadband. Phone 0800 389 7259  and quote ref. BROAD183

I now feel that no-one should be paying for Anytime dialup access, as broadband is about the same price. It is not just the speed of access to the net which is so much better but the size of security downloads these days (M'soft and Antivirus) must put off an awful lot of people when they go on for so long.  

Some people will say " Well I only use it for the occasional e-mail". If so, they are not on line long enough to get the security updates that are so essential these days - and are thus prone to virus infection and doomed to face endless trouble just to stay on line (and likely to infect others) .

But, if you really want to ignore the inevitable you might  wish to take a look at another very useful site at http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/computing/comms/speedup.htm

Eventually it is expected that Broadband speeds will increase substantially, allowing rapid download of TV.  NTL, using fibreoptic cable, is delivering up to 100Mb. Ccurrently copper wired  (BT type) landlines have difficulty delivering 8Mb.. Japan, Sweden, Korea and Finland all offer 100Mbps broadband connections (UP as well as DOWNload), as all four countries have switched to fibre optic networks.  

Another useful site is http://www.ispreview.co.uk

For another listing of Broadband services from www.ukoffer.com see HERE

An advantage with Broadband is the fact that you do not need an extra line in order to use the telephone at the same time as being on line.  This can be quite a saving and should be taken into account when calculating the total cost.

N.B. You may be disappointed that your broadband speed is nothing like what you are paying for.  This can be down to more than one factor. The first is (in the case of BT telephone line based broadband) the distance from the nearest digital exchange.  In the case of cable it can be down to the 'contention level', meaning the number of people in your area competing for the line.  But another factor seems to be rearing its head.  One contact (using cable) had complained he was not getting the very fast speeds he was paying for.  He decided to replace his expensive Norton Internet Security Suite with free software, such as AVG and Zone alarm.  Suddenly the speeds on ALL of his connections (he has four) increased dramatically. So, it does seem likely that security software can slow things up by spending time checking everything that goes on.

Want to change from one ISP to another ?  These days is should be comparatively easy, although you should check the small print to see if you have any 'tie in' with your current provider.  With Broadband, as they often supply equipment and software there is often a 1 year contract.  Having sorted that out what you need from your current ISP is a MAC address.  That is nothing to do with those pretty computer often favoured by designers. It stands for Migration Authorisation Code. Once you have this it should be comparatively easy to change. Internet Providers have an Association. See www.ispa.org.uk, especially if you have a complaint against one that you cannot resolve.
You can get useful information from places such as Internet Magazine, which lists ISP's and how well they are doing

SkyDSL provides broadband  (via satellite) anywhere in Europe from  and can provide up to 16 megabits per second.  However, you require a dish and a dialup connection to your own ISP, too, which takes the shine off that rather.

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What if you have Broadband and also have a laptop or second computer which you would like connected to the same system ?  The answer is a small local network. This can be achieved by connecting the two machines via a cable but the popular way these days is a Wireless connection. For this you will need at least one machine to have a wireless gadget or have wireless built in (like most laptops and netbooks).   Earlier models will need a wireless PC card adapter or, possibly, a USB2 wireless adapter.  The main machine will need either a wireless card or a USB2 Adapter.  I must stress that the faster USB2 is needed to cope with the Broadband connection. Lastly, you require an additional gadget called a Router, which sorts out the various connections to Broadband. This will have tiny aerials on top and will sit on the PC or on your desk. It may be connected to the PC via a USB2 or RJ45 (Ethernet) cable or may connect to all the PCs wirelessly.
Although it is possible for connections to be made between Windows 98 and ME machines it is easier and preferable if they are all using Windows XP. The big names in routers are Linksys, Belkin, Netgear and BT

To settle complaints about ISP's you can look at the following sites  www.ispa.org.uk (Association of ISP's) www.otelo.org.uk (Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman), www.cisas.org.uk  (Internet Services Adjudication Scheme)

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