Ditching my landline (NLC)

[ed]

Anyone successfully managed to ditch BT in favour of a 4G connection at home.

I am getting increasingly frustrated with our crap internet speeds (3mb at best) - unbundled exchange, constant drop outs, BT couldn't give a hoot and have asked me about my phone socket a million times, no virgin etc and ridiculous line rental costs.

Is it possible to buy a decent 4G data plan, one of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Huawei-B593s-22 ... =4g+router

and do away with my landline all together? I don't have much time to stream movies but I would need the above to work with Sonos.

Thanks in advance,

cheers Ed

[tut]

Have you checked out with Sky ed?

No help with 4G, but if you take out line rental with them you get free Broadband, and when I changed over from BT the speed went up to over 8mb and the drop outs stopped.

tut

[woody]

Tut, if the exchange is unbundled, as my local one is, getting any kind of deal from anyone except BT and BT owned plusnet is nigh on impossible.

Briefly looked into similar Ed after finding 18meg via 3g upstairs Vs the 6.5 over the broadband but it looked no cheaper than broadband + landline & had more restrictive caps. The line here does tend to be rock solid to be fair.

[tut]

Been looking forward to getting fibre in Old Deer, but now we have it they can stick it.

tut

[tonyg]

Surely if the local exchange is unbundled you should be able to get from someone else ?

Check on -

https://www.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker

Will let you know who supplies your exchange.

[mwmackenzie]

I use my phone as a modem at work and internet is far faster than through phone line.... That said I'm on a contract with Three, where everything is unlimited and aparently they are starting to cap the teathering GB, they're even doing this on existing contracts. I use 8GB a month at work, have sky broadband at home which is OK so only gets used in the office. The caps on teathering will be 2 or 4GB! this is not explained anywhere on the face of the contract, must be stashed in the small print somewhere! I specifically asked the question and was told I would be getting a letter in January explaining new limits, my contract expired last September so I'll be shopping elsewhere this time!

[Sparky]

I am getting increasingly frustrated with our crap internet speeds (3mb at best) - unbundled exchange, constant drop outs, BT couldn't give a hoot and have asked me about my phone socket a million times, no virgin etc and ridiculous line rental costs.

If this fits the BT socket you have then try this...

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/product ... om-iplate/

Fitted a few of these and then do help with speed. Also are you using the BT supplied router? If so then replace it with something decent

[thinfourth]

I use these guys

they cost 52 pence a month for the broadband

£25 a month not to have to deal with sky/BT

http://www.zen.co.uk/home-office/broadb ... dband.aspx

[mxvx]

Sorry to de-rail...anyone in Aberdeen with fibre? Some are saying it's available online, some aren't...asked someone and he said its only in certain places

[campbell]

Three state tethering limits in my recently opened contract. I only have / need 2gb data in any case.

[Mr Momo]

Sorry to de-rail...anyone in Aberdeen with fibre? Some are saying it's available online, some aren't...asked someone and he said its only in certain places

Had fibre to cabinet for about a year. No major issues. Not checked speed recently, but was about 35Mb last time I checked.

Check online for availability with BT.

[robin]

Tony is correct - if your exchange is unbundled then there is more competition, not less. If your exchange is not unbundled then you have less choice. What's your exchange? (dialling prefix of your landline).

Is there any 3G/4G coverage in your area - if you tether your telephone to your PC, what sort of throughput do you get (ignore speedtest.net - your 3G/4G ISP will cheat - choose something real world - e.g. pick a random Linux distribution and attempt to download it!)?

My understanding of the 3G/4G data networks is that the traffic is heavily processed - so whilst the throughput might be good for streaming/downloading, etc., certain more complex applications might not like the additional latency/huge buffering/caching that you'll get on the ink.

Cheers,
Robin

[mxvx]

Oh yes, I can get infinity (upto 76mb) for 25 a month plus 17 quid line rental

Think our bloody contract has just been renewed though so 12more months to go

[ed]

Thanks all, a few good suggestions there. They are sending
Another hub3 which will Be my third. Won't make any
Difference but worth a try. Guess the reason
Bt wants EE because everyone is fed up with
soon to be pointless expensive landlines.

[Callummarshall]

3 mb/s I wish I got that, I get 1.5 on a good day it usaly sits just below 1.

I have a 3G router with 3. It is faster than the home internet. But it is massively more temperamental than the fixed connection, it's more susceptible to weather and usage though so at peak times it's slower and when the weather is bad it seems slower, but that's maybe just my imagination.
The 3G router is very expensive to use in comparison to the landline. I'm around £24 for 15gb of usage on the 3G and it's very easy to top that. Where as its £35 for the landline inc line rental, call package and unlimited usage if the Internet.