Bristol Broadband Internet Service Providers

Bristol Broadband ISP's

Remember the tables below only includes broadband products available in Bristol that cost below £20 per month. I hope it makes comparing similar products easier.

Broadband for BT (non cable) lines	Last Updated
BT	13th November 2007
Plusnet	13th November 2007
Tiscali	13th November 2007
Orange	13th November 2007
Virgin	13th November 2007
Cable Broadband
Virgin Media (was Telewest)	13th November 2007
Quicker Dial-up
Onspeed	13th November 2007

1. 13th November 2007 Update: Either price reduction, speed improvements or better 'free' hardware by all ISP's, with one exception BT.
2. You need to confirm all prices yourself, this page is for guidance only. If the dates above are more than a month or two out be especially cautious, prices and features change very quickly!
3. Before installing broadband you should consider the broadband security issues. You are more at risk of virus infections when using broadband than with dial-up.

   You may be disconnected or charged more for usage (generated by the virus) if you have a virus on your PC/lap top.

Broadband Speed (Bandwidth) and Broadband Capacity or Usage how much do you need?

• Broadband Speed or Bandwidth: Is the download speed. Copper BT type lines are usually up to 8mb with optical fibre cable lines up to 4Mb. The 'up to' 8Mb speeds depend on your exchange and the quality and distance of the cable between you and the exchange.

  You may get much less with poor line conditions and/or distant exchanges. Look at your internal telephone cabling too: poor cabling connections, old broadband filters, multiple or very long extension leads, faxes, automated phone alarms and so on may cause problems for broadband.

  Some suppliers offer cheaper services with a slower connection speed (less bandwidth).

  Faster connections are more suitable for: streaming high quality video on demand, on-line gaming with intensive graphics/audio, faster downloads of 'very' large files or shared network use with multiple users online at the same time.

• Broadband Capacity or Usage: Is both frequency of use and what you use it for.

  Moving from dial-up to broadband likely to greatly increase your usage. However unless you intend to play online (graphic) games or download videos, binaries and to a lesser extent audio files such as mp3's. 2Gb per month would normally be sufficient for quite heavy other use for a single user.

  If you are unsure of your usage requirements look for a flexible package that allow growth or has a cheap cancellation option.

BT

Needs a BT line (not cable).

Comment : By leaving prices and product features unchanged since my last review this product is again looking over-priced.

Free online 5Gb storage.

BT Products	Band Width	Monthly Cost	Notes
BT Broadband Option 1	Up to 8Mb	£17.99	5Gb data transfer limit.

Notes

1. £8.95 for first 6 months with a 18 month contract or £12.99 for first 3 months with a 12 month contract.
2. Router included as standard, routers are also known as hardware firewalls and give additional security to your PC and make it easy to add broadband to a network.
3. Wireless BT Home Hub £30 extra (if ordered online).

External Link

BT Site

Plusnet

Needs a BT type line (not cable).

Comment :

Very flexible and well priced packages.

Changes since last update: Wireless Router now included on option 2.

Plusnet Products	Band Width	Monthly Cost	Notes
Option 1	Up to 8Mb.	£9.99	1 Gb Usage include, free usage midnight to 8am. Extra usage is available for 75p (planned) or £1(unplanned) per 1Gb. With an optional 128Kb speed (about 2x dial-up) service if you decide not to pay for extra Gb's.
Option 2	Up to 8Mb.	£14.99	8Gb usage included, free usage midnight to 8am. Wireless Router (1 wired connection) included.
Option 3	Up to 8Mb.	£19.99	20Gb usage included, free usage midnight to 8am. Free wireless router/multi port hub.

Notes

1. Free router but charges for it will apply if you cancel within 12 months.

External Link

Plusnet Site

Tiscali

Needs a BT type line (not cable).

Comment : Unlimited Usage subject to a Fair Usage policy - external link. If you exceed this 'fair usage' (the amount is unclear) you may be given a reduced service by sharing the bandwidth allocated to you with other high usage customers. These products are however likely to be suitable for most broadband users.

November 2007 Update: 1Mb broadband product increased to 'Unlimited' 2Mb product! This is now a very good option for heavy broadband usage (not peer to peer or file sharing), typically users who are distant from their exchange and can't get higher speeds anyway.

Tiscali Products.	Band width	Monthly Cost	Notes
Unlimited Broadband	Up to 2Mb	£12.99	1st 3 months at £6.49. 'Fair Usage' clause confuses the unlimited claim. A 'free modem' which probably indicates only a USB modem which may restrict you for wireless networking. Check for cancelation costs too in the first year.

Notes

1. Phone/Broadband combinations look interesting but this is beyond the scope of this page.
2. 12 month contract.

External Link

Tiscali Site

Orange

Needs a BT type line (not cable).

Comment : Like the Tiscali 2Mb product, this is now a good option for moderately heavy broadband usage, typically users who are distant from their exchange and can't get higher speeds anyway.

Orange Products.	Band width	Monthly Cost	Notes
Home Starter	Up to 2Mb	£12	6Gb Usage, wireless modem supplied.

Notes

1. 12 month contract.
2. Fair Usage terms on unlimited product.

External Link

Orange Site.

Virgin Media

Needs a BT type line (not cable).

Comment : Unlimited use (with a acceptable usage clause), good for users with moderately heavy broadband usage.

Virgin Media Product.	Band width	Cost per month	Notes
Bundle 3	Up to 2Mb.	£9.99.	'Unlimited' with acceptable usage clause. Price increase to £12.99 after 12 months. Free modem.
Bundle 2	Up to 8Mb.	£14.99.	'Unlimited' with acceptable usage clause. Free Virgin TV -or- wireless kit.

Notes

1. Bundle 3 at £19.99 is idetical to Bundle 2 but with additional phone features.
2. £15 installation fee.
3. Unlimited Usage claimed, with acceptable usage clause.
4. 12 month contract.

External Link

Virgin Site.

Virgin Media (was Telewest)

Needs a Cable phone line not BT copper.

Comment : Unlimited use (with a acceptable usage clause), good for users with moderately heavy broadband usage.

November 2007 Update: The pricing structure seems like a Sprat to catch a Mackerel with enormous price increases after 12 months!

Virgin Media Product.	Band width	Cost per month	Notes
Size M	Up to 2Mb.	£4.50.	'Unlimited' with acceptable usage clause. Price increase to £18.00 after 12 months! Free modem.
SIze L	Up to 4Mb.	£11.50.	'Unlimited' with acceptable usage clause. Price increase to £25.00 after 12 months! Free modem.

Notes

1. installation charges may apply.
2. Unlimited Usage claimed, with acceptable usage clause.
3. 12 month contract.

External Link

Virgin Media Site

Onspeed

Onspeed are not a broadband ISP but they claim to improve dial-up speed by a significant factor for web pages and on many types of files. They also claim to be able to improve broadband speeds.

This is done by compressing web pages and some but not all file types. So although Onspeed still use your current modem, any web pages you view or files that you download are received quicker.

You are likely to get no or less compression on already compressed files such as mp3 and mpg's. This is specified in more detail on the Onspeed web site.

With no extra hardware needed if you already have a dial-up or broadband modem.

Cost is £24.99 per year, note that you still need an ISP (dial-up or broadband).

External Link

Onspeed