ISP For New Apartment

[Terbinator]

So in a few weeks I'll be paying for the net for the first time by myself (not including house share/uni) and it seems you can't actually get just broadband without getting spanked on line rental?

My complex doesn't have VM so it's BT+others only.

I'm looking at Zen atm but is there any other suggestions for best/cheapest deal out there?

We don't need phone/TV - i've even looked at dongles - and I don't do that much downloading but the GF likes Netflix and I wouldn't want to risk going over a data limit.

[Biscuit]

Although you don't want television/phone etc, plusnet quite often have fantastic deals regardless of the extras (that you could just ignore). The youview boxes that come with their television are pretty good though.
You wont get quite the level of service you get with someone like Zen but it will almost certainly be cheaper and it sounds like it will be easily good enough.

[kalniel]

So in a few weeks I'll be paying for the net for the first time by myself (not including house share/uni) and it seems you can't actually get just broadband without getting spanked on line rental?

Indeed. The govt. are looking at precisely that.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35869222

My complex doesn't have VM so it's BT+others only.

I'm looking at Zen atm but is there any other suggestions for best/cheapest deal out there?

We don't need phone/TV - i've even looked at dongles - and I don't do that much downloading but the GF likes Netflix and I wouldn't want to risk going over a data limit.

I can recommend looking at the switch/broker sites (eg http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/packages/) as they quite often have commission deals. Don't forget quidco either.

Money Saving Expert recon Sky is the cheapest at the moment:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/pho...e-calls#bundle

Bonus is only a 12 month contract so you can switch after the offer price goes.

[Terbinator]

Although you don't want television/phone etc, plusnet quite often have fantastic deals regardless of the extras (that you could just ignore). The youview boxes that come with their television are pretty good though.
You wont get quite the level of service you get with someone like Zen but it will almost certainly be cheaper and it sounds like it will be easily good enough.

It'll just be another box I don't need I don't think the GF has realised there's going to be a PS4, XB1 and ITX build hidden behind/near the TV.

Indeed. The govt. are looking at precisely that.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35869222

I did see this but Vaizey hits it on the head when he mentions they can do (if they must) just shift what is being paid for rather than lower the price.

I can recommend looking at the switch/broker sites (eg http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/packages/) as they quite often have commission deals. Don't forget quidco either.

Money Saving Expert recon Sky is the cheapest at the moment:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/pho...e-calls#bundle

Bonus is only a 12 month contract so you can switch after the offer price goes.

I'll have a look at these, thanks. 12 month contracts is a bonus as that is my initial tenancy.

[jim]

Don't forget to check out Topcashback / Quidco before you buy the cheapest package.

TBH the trick with the line rental these days is just to add it to the cost of the broadband and take that as your overall cost for comparison. When people are offering £5 p/m broadband it seems fairly logical that they're hiding a large part of the cost elsewhere.

[Terbinator]

Well it's that time of the year again Unfortunately still 20 flights up on bell-wire capable of <17Mb/s

Best deal I've seen so far appears to be NowTV BB as you can get the 'Entertainment' package and a "free" NowTV box + Router thrown in for £25/mo + £20 upfront costs/delivery. I'm just conscious that the already meagre speed will be eaten in to by the TV box.

[Dashers]

Once introductory offers have expired, Zen isn't massively more expensive than the others.

I find, like many things, you pay for what you get when it comes to broadband. I've had cheap broadband and I've vowed against it ever again. I've been on Zen since Pipex was gobbled up by one of the crappy ones and have been very happy.

[Biscuit]

Well it's that time of the year again Unfortunately still 20 flights up on bell-wire capable of <17Mb/s

Best deal I've seen so far appears to be NowTV BB as you can get the 'Entertainment' package and a "free" NowTV box + Router thrown in for £25/mo + £20 upfront costs/delivery. I'm just conscious that the already meagre speed will be eaten in to by the TV box.

A decent quality HD stream will likely be ~4Mbps or less, so you should be ok.

[cptwhite_uk]

Depending where you are and how much you use an EE 4G Sim only offer might be a good option.

I currently get 64Gb data allowance per month for £21.50 (ish). This was a deal offered to me after using them for 12 months (Double data, and 30% discount I believe).

You could potentially call them up and see if they can offer you a deal for a 12 month contract.

Alternatively you can get 32Gb data for £29 per month on a 30 day contract (no tie in).

Other benefits are you are use 4G allowance anywhere in the UK (not just in your house) if you insert the SIM into a phone / 4G Wifi dongle....wireless 4G router
Optionally no contract (or potentially better deal with 12 month contract)

I'm not saying this is the best option, but if you're a light user, live in a good area for EE 4G speeds, and you want to avoid a contract - this is a potential option.

I've been using it for 2 1/2 years ....i even game online with it without issues where I am. 4G cellular connections have come a long way...at my old address I would to get 50-60Mbps stable!

You could also limit data transfer rates to a given device if you use a capable 4G router (TP Link Archer C9 I think can do this, but please check)

[Millennium]

The introductory offers are often the best, I've been switching between Sky, PlusNet and now Origin Broadband for the last few years looking for a good deal and my Sky > Origin transition was quite painless, just shot them an email about reduced speeds and they fixed it.

They had a crazy good offer on HUKD recently but not sure if that is still honoured. Always go through TopCashBack or Quidco if you can.

[wazzickle]

Very happy with plusnet service, speed and price, and they've just offered me a mobile deal (now out of contract) which cuts my bill in half for the same amount of data and calls, so I'll be staying with them for the foreseeable future.

If you can get reliable 4g, and you can deal with a 64gb/month cap, that might be the most economic option, but bear in mind that if it's tied to your phone, your other half won't get wifi when you're not around, and you'll need to have it permanently charged.

You can get multiple brokers playing off against each other for the cheapest deal, but to some degree, you are paying for quality (more customer service than line, but that does come into it as well).

[shaithis]

If you have looked at the Zen price and thought "I'd pay that", then do so. It's second to none. They remind me of BE back-in-the-day but better!

[Terbinator]

Once introductory offers have expired, Zen isn't massively more expensive than the others...

BT has been solid for me the past year, pants router/modem aside. I would probably look at Zen if I knew I'd get anywhere near a 'super-fast' speed but I'm not sure if the extra outlay for no 'extra' features is worth it.

A decent quality HD stream will likely be ~4Mbps or less, so you should be ok.

That would stick me on ~9Mb/s for other devices and games I was on the same speed 10 years ago when I lived at home.

Depending where you are and how much you use an EE 4G Sim only offer might be a good option...

Unfortunately Microsoft love dishing out huge patches and the GF sucks the life out of Netflix so a data cap is no good.

[wazzickle]

Unfortunately Microsoft love dishing out huge patches and the GF sucks the life out of Netflix so a data cap is no good.

In which case you'll need to make sure your ISP doesn't subject you to a 'fair usage policy' - they might have been outlawed (should have been) but all they are is a way to advertise it as unlimited when it's obviously not, i.e. a scam.

[solarfreak]

I know you've mentioned you can't get VM, but if you're in a new build block of flats, it may be worth seeing if Hyperoptic are in/coming to your building. Decent prices for some super fast speeds - currently using their 100mbit up/down service.