virgin media/02 massive price increases check your isp

jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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For you to be happy, someone else will suffer. We've set it up that way. I wasn't going to ring tech support... seemed pointless... but there are a great many people using older computers out there who will be in the same boat - the Superhub 3 doesn't respond to the Core2Quad, ever since their latest fsckup. Even ethernet messages sent by the motherboard refuse to be sent, the moment a cable connects it's ethernet port to the Superhub. Take the cable out, the motherboard is happy testing the port.

SIM router arrived today, will test when I get a bit of time. Is Smarty a workable replacement for Virginmedia? Smarty uses the Three network, which I've used here with no problems in the past. If not, I'll try Giffgaff which uses O2's, which works ok here. EE has better mobile data coverage than O2, mixing many networks, but at their monthly contract prices I may as well get wired broadband, albeit on 18 month contract, which I don't want, because I'm moving.
son use three mobile unlimited data for everything, seems cheap&cheerfull, streams 4k movies, but perhaps not ideal for massive downloads. Moving sounds interesting, is it good?
 

guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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son use three mobile unlimited data for everything, seems cheap&cheerfull, streams 4k movies, but perhaps not ideal for massive downloads.
Hmm...interesting - ordered a £20 "Unlimited" Smarty SIM, will have a play when it arrives. When I get a moment, might see if the big aerials of the SIM router make a significant difference to reception, compared to the Giffgaff(O2) network connection I have anyway via MiFi. I'd expect ethernet to be less spotty than WiFi for large downloads.

Moving sounds interesting, is it good?
It'll be a palatial shag pad without stairs. Austin Powers will be jealous.
 
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jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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Hmm...interesting - ordered a £20 "Unlimited" Smarty SIM, will have a play when it arrives. When I get a moment, might see if the big aerials of the SIM router make a significant difference to reception, compared to the Giffgaff(O2) network connection I have anyway via MiFi. I'd expect ethernet to be less spotty than WiFi for large downloads.



It'll be a palatial shag pad without stairs. Austin Powers will be jealous.
Location I gather matter, if the massive fornicatorium is next to a busy starbucks in central London the smarty sim will share mobile broadband infrastructure with fifty sweaty students downloading massive amounts of god knows what. Whereas if it's somewhere we'll served but quiet you may get good download speeds. Calabria I found, of Al places, have really shite mobile broadband.
 

guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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if the massive fornicatorium is next to a busy starbucks in central London the smarty sim will share mobile broadband infrastructure with fifty sweaty students downloading massive amounts of god knows what.
Transparent to a huge number of players soon:


Calabria I found, of Al places, have really shite mobile broadband.
Isn't that quite an economically deprived area? Does that cause problems for you? Living where broccoli first appeared must be an upside. I suppose you could try bigger aerials too, if you haven't already? Are you holding it wrong?

No stairs, big, avoiding projected floodplains for about 40 years, close to fibre if poss, good cell reception if not, no neighbours, big pumpkin patch.
 
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tillson

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May 29, 2008
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CONFIRMED BROADBAND & TV RISES

BT • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

EE • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

Plusnet • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

Vodafone • 10.5% CPI + 3.9% = 14.4%

TalkTalk • 10.5% CPI + 3.7% = 14.2%


Shell Energy • 10.5% CPI + 3% = 13.5%

Virgin Media • Average 13.8%

Sky • 8.1%
Just threaten to leave. Virgin dropped my 150 Meg Broadband and basic TV to £14 / month.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,915
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i got it to 50 quid a month for net tv and phone but goes up next tax year :mad:
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,420
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Vermin Media hide new cheap deals from existing customers:

52523


Smarty isn't fast, but it's more stable than what the Vermin connection has become. Smarty's upload is always faster than it's download speeds - I haven't positioned the SIM router optimally yet, however I don't expect much improvement from the present 50% to 75% signal strength, even with long ethernet cables to the other side of my house. Large downloads work, slowly. Zero config required on the TP-Link router. Fingernail your SIM in and away you go.

Slow but stable.

52524
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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i need a new network switch mine is 15 years old now and eating the electric :rolleyes:

had my email go down for a few days but speed is normal otherwise
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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It's nice that I can switch the SIM router off overnight, without the damn thing throwing fits and disconnecting all day after being switched back on, which is what the Vermin router does.
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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Vermin's ethernet ports all suddenly work, now that I've set up Smarty :rolleyes: What are the chances that after I leave, and sign up again at a much lower price as a new customer, with a short 6 month contract, I'd get the new Superhub 4? More trouble than it's worth finding out lol.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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but with virgin you will have a fixed 2 year contract and as it now goes up buy rpi every tax year id not have stayed if i had another provider to use as just have phone line.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Whoa, suddenly I'm getting 1.5 megabyte a second download speeds from Smarty! People nearby must be nodding off and switching off their phones....
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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but with virgin you will have a fixed 2 year contract and as it now goes up buy rpi every tax year id not have stayed if i had another provider to use as just have phone line.
For new customers, it's only 6 month contract and £16 a month. Leave and I'm new. Vermin's website hides this from you, even if you delete cache and all cookies.

52528
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Blimey, that last download from Microsoft, was nearly as fast as using Vermin! It's been quite the opposite all day.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,915
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DSC_0100_04.JPG
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,420
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Websites providing downloads limit speed, traffic shaping by VM limits speed further. I need reliability not speed, and VM was ok till it got bought by Liberty Global. Three SIMs make certain I'm always online. Still may go with Zen sometime.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Smarty's deffo getting faster. It's been stable all day :)

52532
 
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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AAAARRRGGGHH! Yet more calls from Vermin Media, despite my emphasising "No more marketing calls!" Blocked! :mad:

Smarty's speed will just about do for now - encouraging enough stability and speed for me to route ethernet cables through ceilings to the other side of the house, to improve signal. Current speed:

52539


When I want to leave Smarty I'll simply disable auto-payments in Paypal and auto-renew in Smarty's control panel, then throw away the SIM so they can't call me.
 
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