Are BT Best?

**ajbrun** · 13-01-2005, 05:02 PM

My Dad (who works for BT) is very adamant that we choose BT for broadband. The reason he says so is he believes that BT has more of a consistant speed when compared to other ISP's. Ie 512kbps is always 512kbps.

Is this true?

I'm sure we'll be better off going to somehere like pipex, where we get 512kbps and unlimited download limits for cheaper than BT's 15GB/month.

Who's right? What do you think?

**tiggerai** · 13-01-2005, 05:12 PM

NONONONONONONO

Go with Zen, BT are ahem carp.

**Rcb** · 13-01-2005, 05:17 PM

BT are crap.

**daniel_owen_uk** · 13-01-2005, 05:17 PM

www.adslguide.org, just so you can rub the statistics in his face.

BT as an isp pretty much suck.

**ajbrun** · 13-01-2005, 05:17 PM

We'll we have BT boradband now (don't ask why I'm asking which ISP to go for since we already have it!), but I don't think it's that bad. Theres been no loss of connection, and as far as I can tell, it IS 512kbps etc.

Why would you say NOT BT? It needs to be REALLY convincing as whenever I suggest another one to my day, his tone of voise changes as if to tell me he knows something I don't.

EDIT - For a start then, I can show him this:

http://www.adslguide.org/isps/compar...action=Compare

**nichomach** · 13-01-2005, 05:19 PM

Short answer? No. BT's broadband operates at exactly the same contention ratios as other people; for 512kbps to ALWAYS be 512kbps, you would need a contention ratio of 1:1 (i.e. unshared bandwidth). Typically, domestic broadband contention ratios (including BT's) are of the order of 50:1 (business services are usually more like 20:1). BTW, Zen do their 512kbps service for exactly the same price as BT's with no usage cap. BT are thus comparatively expensive for a limited service. Zen are reliable, friendly and helpful - unlike my experience of BT, who have been surly, tardy and unreliable.

**daniel_owen_uk** · 13-01-2005, 05:21 PM

Things that make an isp good:

Speed, actual speed not just its class ie 512k
Latency
Customer Service
Reliability

Not necessarily in that order.

**ajbrun** · 13-01-2005, 05:22 PM

What's latency? I've heard of latency in CS, but I though that was ping, and related to speed.

**Lee H** · 13-01-2005, 05:23 PM

I used to be on BTOpenworld and the infrastructure is poor to say the least.

I have a server @ telehouse and have done for a few number of years. When I was on BTO there was BAD (<10% most of the time) packet loss and the tracerts were nothing short of scary routing from Manchester to various places in the uk including Bletchley Park, Birmingham etc before even hitting telehouse and this was shown as the traces usually took 12-13 hops on BT yet Nildram, Zen, and many other ISP can do the same trace in 5-6 hops.

When reporting packet loss I was told that "they do not support gaming" ... erm nice idea from someone that advertised they do in PCGAMER

and the support line fobbed me of with several excuses.

BT - let them run and service the equipment but thats it really, don't use them as an ISP

Edit : I think these charts will show your dad that BT is not the ISP to go with in all honesty. I can understand his loyalty but I would show him this

http://www.adslguide.org/isps/compar...action=Compare

**Apex** · 13-01-2005, 05:30 PM

add in the fact that with other isp you get email and some webspace, bt no frills service which is what most people go for has none.

i have been on bt since october 2003, speeds have allways been in thr 57k to 59k region down and 32k up

in total i think i have had 5 minutest in outages and thats when i was upgrading to 1mb and then back a few months later.

There support services leave summat to be desired :s

BTYahoo/openworld is horrid to say the least.

One thing ajburn, because he works for bt he will get his bb cheaper iirc

**daniel_owen_uk** · 13-01-2005, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by ajbrun

What's latency? I've heard of latency in CS, but I though that was ping, and related to speed.

Latency is the time it takes your connection to go to a server, way to test that is to ping an address.

So yeah its kinda the same thing.

Your ping time is basically the amount of latency.

**ajbrun** · 13-01-2005, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by WildmonkeyUK

I have a server @ telehouse and have done for a few number of years. When I was on BTO there was BAD (<10% most of the time) packet loss and the tracerts were nothing short of scary routing from Manchester to various places in the uk including Bletchley Park, Birmingham etc before even hitting telehouse and this was shown as the traces usually took 12-13 hops on BT yet Nildram, Zen, and many other ISP can do the same trace in 5-6 hops.

I just did a tracert to www.google.co.uk and that took 15 hops, so I guess if others can do it in 5 hops, then that's better. I'm guessing the more hops it takes, the more time it takes to get there and back?

**TiG** · 13-01-2005, 05:42 PM

People forget that BT provides most of the UK backbone infrastructure, there are not that many ISP's that can do fk all without BT, so its a tiny bit unfair to look at it without taking this into consideration.

BT's core network in my experience is extremely good, and i've been involved with projects involving direct diverse routed circuits, with requirements to have 99.85% uptime, that less than 90 seconds down time allowed max per day. 8*2MB circuits running telephony services.

and they have been superb. But as for an ISP, they quality of technical support is appaling, and thats why i'd go elsewhere, not for the speed difference which appears to be negliable.

TiG

**ajbrun** · 13-01-2005, 05:46 PM

Does anyone know of a site that compares major ISP's using proper speed tests (not just peoples' ratings)? I know you can download a program that'll test YOUR speed, but I'd like other speed too.

Thanks

.

**daniel_owen_uk** · 13-01-2005, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by ajbrun

Does anyone know of a site that compares major ISP's using proper speed tests (not just peoples' ratings)? I know you can download a program that'll test YOUR speed, but I'd like other speed too.

Thanks

.

www.adslguide.org

TiG with you on that one m8 thats why I said "BT as an ISP suck".

**ajbrun** · 13-01-2005, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by Apex

One thing ajburn, because he works for bt he will get his bb cheaper iirc

I don't think he ALWAYS gets it cheaper. From how I understand it, there are occasional deals that employees can use. I think if it was cheaper than any other decent ISP, then I wouldn't have a problem, but there are so many out there that offer more for less, so even if my Dad can get a deal, it STILL might not be cheaper.

I'm just leaving my options open incase there isn't a deal too TBH.

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