Who Should I Get Broadband From?

[interspark]

ok, i need escapee advice-

my search for broadband is killing me, i really just want to be able to check my email and use facebook and stuff from home, i'm hardly going to be downloading anything and, most importantly, i don't have or want a landline, what would escapees recomend?

 

[antidonkey]

Since we have no idea where you live, we have no idea what options are available to you. The standard run down looks like this:

Cable - reasonably priced with high bandwidth potential but you share a pipe with your neighborhood and is prone to slow downs during peak times.

DSL - Often slightly cheaper than cable and you might be able to get it without having to have phone service (naked DSL). Less bandwidth than cable but it's all yours..however your speeds often depend on what part of town you live in.

Cell Wireless - Expensive but portable. Hell, you can take it on the road with you. If you live in a 4g area then speeds can be pretty good.

Regular Wireless - About the same price as DSL with lower bandwidth but also portable if only for within your town.

Fiber - fast, very expsensive, and only available in large cities.

satellite - slow, pricey, and generally plain crap. Often this is the best choice if you live in the middle of nowhere.

For most people, cable or DSL are the best choices...especially since DSL usually has various packages with different prices.

 

[EeveeElectro]

If you won't be downloading, just get a small, cheap package. I believe Virgin Media can set you up without a phone line because it's fibre optics. All the other ones I know, they need to fit you a phone line. I'm not sure of the pries, but if it's just you it won't be too much.
I'm getting Sky phone fitted on Wednesday and interwebs a week after. I think it costs £27 a month, then £37 a month after 6 months. I think o_o

 

[CrazyBlaze]

What country are from? Different countries have differnt providers so we can't really help you with a specific company. For general advice, look for independent providers. They buy the speed from big providers but offer it back at a lower price. Or if a company offers a lower priced landlines, not sure if many do, pick up a wireless router and install it and you have wireless.

 

[WarDialler]

Having just written a university paper about broadband providers, I'd like to think the research is still valid.

Virgin Media is your best bet. If your area isnt served you'll NEED a phone line for an ADSL connection. Best bet is BT, sky are crap. Anyone else is too small to have been important enough to be included in the writeup.

 

[requisitename]

If you're in the US (and a large city, at that), I would suggest Verizon's FIOS. It's what I have and I love it. I've had it for over a year and it's not gone down once, customer service has been awesome, and it's *fast*.

 

[FalloutJack]

ok, i need escapee advice-

my search for broadband is killing me, i really just want to be able to check my email and use facebook and stuff from home, i'm hardly going to be downloading anything and, most importantly, i don't have or want a landline, what would escapees recomend?

Someone local that you can shout at when something goes wrong, instead of a bloody-useless machine operator that doesn't care.

 

[praetor_alpha]

If you're in the US (and a large city, at that), I would suggest Verizon's FIOS. It's what I have and I love it. I've had it for over a year and it's not gone down once, customer service has been awesome, and it's *fast*.

Seconded. Though, you have to not just live in a large US city, you have have Verizon as the phone company, and be lucky that you're in a city they've signed on with. I've had my 25/25 FIOS since July.

Yes, there is a happiness when your internets come over a glass wire.