Sky Broadband, do i or don't i?
21 December 2006, 01:40 PM
#1
\m/ ^_^ \m/
Thread Starter
Sky Broadband, do i or don't i?
it would seem their LLC has arrived in the neighbourhood, question is, do i put my internet in the hands of Sky? 
i've read quitea few good things but alot of bad things about the service 
but at the end of the day, it's 16mb BB for a tenner (will only get 8-9mb by the time it gets to my house but that's twice as fast as i have now and 15 quid cheaper!)
anyone care to sway my decision?
i've read quitea few good things but alot of bad things about the service but at the end of the day, it's 16mb BB for a tenner (will only get 8-9mb by the time it gets to my house but that's twice as fast as i have now and 15 quid cheaper!)anyone care to sway my decision?
21 December 2006, 01:47 PM
#2
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Download Speed: 10774 kbps (1346.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 629 kbps (78.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
That's with two other people in the house browsing and whatever else.
It's not as reliable as NTL, I sometimes have to click refresh a few times, never been down as such.
I know it's somehow capped, or perhaps it's the number of people now connected as I used to hit the full 22meg download speed.
Upload Speed: 629 kbps (78.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
That's with two other people in the house browsing and whatever else.
It's not as reliable as NTL, I sometimes have to click refresh a few times, never been down as such.
I know it's somehow capped, or perhaps it's the number of people now connected as I used to hit the full 22meg download speed.
21 December 2006, 02:30 PM
#3
\m/ ^_^ \m/
Thread Starter
how far from the local exchange are you? im 1.8km as the crow flies
i've read a lot about the crap router you get free with it being half the problem, but you can hack it to get your username and password and then use your existing wireless router, i'm swaying to giving in to them but not till after Christmas
i've read a lot about the crap router you get free with it being half the problem, but you can hack it to get your username and password and then use your existing wireless router, i'm swaying to giving in to them but not till after Christmas
21 December 2006, 03:11 PM
#4
I've signed up for Sky broadband, ordered it on the 9th Dec, then again on the 11th Dec after they cocked it up, they then promised the modem would be delivered before the line goes "live".
The line went "Live" yesterday (20th) and I'm still waiting for the modem to arrive
Phoned them last night to find out what was happening and they have no record of the modem even being dispatched yet, so they have "activated" my account again....and again have been told "delivery within 5 days sir"......yeah right....we will see. 
Not a good start!
The line went "Live" yesterday (20th) and I'm still waiting for the modem to arrive
Phoned them last night to find out what was happening and they have no record of the modem even being dispatched yet, so they have "activated" my account again....and again have been told "delivery within 5 days sir"......yeah right....we will see. Not a good start!
21 December 2006, 03:16 PM
#5
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I've got it. Supplied router can be a bit flaky, but it is possible to use your own. Line speed and stability can be improved with a faceplate splitter like the adslnation one.
Last time I checked it was synced at 15.8mbit ( about 617m from the exchange
as the crow flies )
Last time I checked it was synced at 15.8mbit ( about 617m from the exchange
as the crow flies )
21 December 2006, 03:29 PM
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the one supplied is a branded netgear. I used the hack to get the username and password and then set up my thomson speedtouch 585v6 with it and use that in conjuction with the dmt tool to set a stable snr ratio. Sky broadband is far better than adsl max as it gives more consistent results.
Jack, I wasnt aware Sky did 22mb thought it was 16mb max.
Flat4, the saving in itself is worthwhile, you will get a slightly higher sync speed on sky than with bt max adsl and it will be more consistent. I am 1.3km as the crow flies and sync at over 7mb, however to the exchange by road it is probably closer to 2km (crow flies goes over fields near me)
Jack, I wasnt aware Sky did 22mb thought it was 16mb max.
Flat4, the saving in itself is worthwhile, you will get a slightly higher sync speed on sky than with bt max adsl and it will be more consistent. I am 1.3km as the crow flies and sync at over 7mb, however to the exchange by road it is probably closer to 2km (crow flies goes over fields near me)
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21 December 2006, 03:35 PM
#8
Originally Posted by jaytc2003
I used the hack to get the username and password
) How do I do "the hack" ?
21 December 2006, 04:09 PM
#11
Originally Posted by stevem2k
there's a html page you can use to get all those details via url injection.
pm me an email address and I'll send it over.
pm me an email address and I'll send it over.
21 December 2006, 05:22 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by jaytc2003
Jack, I wasnt aware Sky did 22mb thought it was 16mb max.
21 December 2006, 08:35 PM
#14
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Email is a real pain unless you use the POP settings and outlook or an alternative - the online portal really has problems at the moment so I wouldn't recommend using it for webmail. That said the actual connection itself seems very stable
21 December 2006, 11:55 PM
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agree email can be difficult without a client - though they are promising to sort the portal out with a google/gmail tie up.
Only ever use my old gmail accounts these days anyway.
1.6MB/sec from easynews currently this evening geton !
Only ever use my old gmail accounts these days anyway.
1.6MB/sec from easynews currently this evening
geton !
22 December 2006, 10:32 AM
#16
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anyone using Xbox live via the sky supplied router (is it netgear wireless ?) I have my set-up how I like it now with no problems and changing allways makes me think I'm opening myself up to problems for the next few weeks.
23 December 2006, 09:10 AM
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Does the Sky broadband have to 'dial' for connection like AOL and some others using phonelines? I use NTL never had a problem and permanently connected which is what I like.
23 December 2006, 11:57 AM
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i know there are issues with the sky router if you have UPnP enabled, this does tend to cause dropouts (info found on the unoffical sky users forum) I havent bothered with the sky router though as my stats were a lot worse than with the speedtouch
03 January 2007, 12:01 PM
#23
Right....after numerous phone calls and umpteen different lies from various different customer services representatives I have FINALLY received my modem thingy....only took them a month! 
So I unpack it all and get ready to use it.......
"Step 3 - Insert cd to install software" ......cd?......WHAT F**KING CD?!?!?! 
Another phone call...."The disc will be with you in 3-5 Days" AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!
Complete bunch of incompetent to$$ers!
A friend of mine also received his modem....also minus the cd!
So I unpack it all and get ready to use it.......
"Step 3 - Insert cd to install software" ......cd?......WHAT F**KING CD?!?!?!
Another phone call...."The disc will be with you in 3-5 Days" AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!
Complete bunch of incompetent to$$ers!
A friend of mine also received his modem....also minus the cd!
03 January 2007, 12:06 PM
#24
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you dont need the cd. Just hook the modem/router up and log into it via ethernet to get the security settings (assuming you are going to use wireless) I also got a security card with my router telling me what the security settings were so I could just change my settings on my wireless adapters
03 January 2007, 12:15 PM
#25
Originally Posted by jaytc2003
you dont need the cd. Just hook the modem/router up and log into it via ethernet to get the security settings (assuming you are going to use wireless) I also got a security card with my router telling me what the security settings were so I could just change my settings on my wireless adapters
Any ideas?
03 January 2007, 01:58 PM
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Has anyone else noticed that in Sky's latest TV ad for the broadband bundle they laughingly announce in the ad "broadband speeds of up to 16 mega BYTES"
Heard it last night, and had to rewind live TV to check out what I thought I'd heard.
Made me chuckle anyway....
Heard it last night, and had to rewind live TV to check out what I thought I'd heard.
Made me chuckle anyway....
03 January 2007, 02:05 PM
#28
Originally Posted by stevem2k
can you ping the router from the laptop ?
Sorry, technical/IT numpty here How do i ping it?The icon in the bottom left of the screen says that I am connected and it appears on the network neighbourhood thing.
I figured I needed the cd for some sort of software update to allow access to the Sky Broadband server.