My Change to Sky Broadband Experience

[DeputyDawg]

Hi,
I wanted to share my experience with Sky Broadband with anyone who is thinking of signing up to their service.

SkyBroadband is IDEAL if you want the following:
-Fast Service
-Simple broadband connection
-Never need to contact Customer support
-Just plug and surf
-Dont need good range from Wireless router provided (use cable)
-Dont need any sopecial configuration

Sky Broadband is absolute crap for :
-Contacting Customer Service: after 45 (yes fourty five) mins waiting you get a call centre in Philipines with VERY poor english, asks you if power is on if cables are connected etc, before referring you to someone who understands the real problem
-You need good wireless coverage: The supplied Sagem F@st has been withdrawn in France by all the ISP's due to quality problems: no wonder it is free. It is 'G' Spec so if you have a large house and need good coverage forget it. 10m at best.
-You HAVE to use their own router: there are NO chances of them giving you the ADSL username and password: I tried the user forum that claimed it could decode it, but it did not work.
-No Fixed IP address
-Router does NOT show attached devices: good luck if you can see what IP address has been assigned to a peripheral.

After having wasted 1.5 hours trying to get some sense I have thrown in the towel. I have changed to another ISP who will let me use my own router.

If this is a service for a single user who lives in a small house/flat, need to technical support and just wants to surf and email then it is ideal.
If you dabble in Internet stuff, stay away!!!

[Brian69]

Perhaps if you had come here first your problems could have been solved, It is very easy to get your user name and password from the password generator on this site, wireless problems are solved with a wireless access point, homeplugs, network cable (always better not to use wireless at all). If you had given details of your line stats, it would have been easy to see if the problem is in your own wiring.
If you want a static IP, then look elsewhere. What do you want for £10 a month (assuming you had MAX)?

[IWasNotTheEnemy]

Originally Posted by DeputyDawg

Hi,
I wanted to share my experience with Sky Broadband with anyone who is thinking of signing up to their service.

SkyBroadband is IDEAL if you want the following:
-Fast Service
-Simple broadband connection
-Never need to contact Customer support
-Just plug and surf
-Dont need good range from Wireless router provided (use cable)
-Dont need any sopecial configuration

Sky Broadband is absolute crap for :
-Contacting Customer Service: after 45 (yes fourty five) mins waiting you get a call centre in Philipines with VERY poor english, asks you if power is on if cables are connected etc, before referring you to someone who understands the real problem
-You need good wireless coverage: The supplied Sagem F@st has been withdrawn in France by all the ISP's due to quality problems: no wonder it is free. It is 'G' Spec so if you have a large house and need good coverage forget it. 10m at best.
-You HAVE to use their own router: there are NO chances of them giving you the ADSL username and password: I tried the user forum that claimed it could decode it, but it did not work.
-No Fixed IP address
-Router does NOT show attached devices: good luck if you can see what IP address has been assigned to a peripheral.

After having wasted 1.5 hours trying to get some sense I have thrown in the towel. I have changed to another ISP who will let me use my own router.

If this is a service for a single user who lives in a small house/flat, need to technical support and just wants to surf and email then it is ideal.
If you dabble in Internet stuff, stay away!!!

using own router - it's in the contract you signed when joining Sky BB - your own fault if you didn't read it...

can't see attached devices - i think you find you can!! under the Maintenance section under the nicely labeled 'Attached Devices' funnily enough!!

agree on the wireless, but i dont use wireless anyway due to absolutely rubbishness as a technology and anyone in IT will tell you to not use it. static IPs have never been offered either so as to why you didn't research it before i don't know - you can always use a dynamic dns service if you need it that bad (works fine for me)...

as said above, shoulda come here first and all would've been sorted...

[Isitme]

-You HAVE to use their own router: there are NO chances of them giving you the ADSL username and password: I tried the user forum that claimed it could decode it, but it did not work.

Once again if you had come here with your problems they might have been solved. The method of obtaining the username and password used by this forum works perfectly. If that is the one you are referring to, then all I can say is that you have not used it properly.

[DeputyDawg]

Hi,
I think you are all missing an important point:
1- I knew that the contract said you have to use their own router
2-I knew the contract said they would not do fixed IP.

BUT

When their sales people call you and tell you that its no problem just call tech support and they will help set up is misleading.

I peviously turned them down becasue of the position they take.

I disagree witht he comments on wirelss technology being un-reliable. I have used it for 10 years, and it hasworked fine with no problems. If you have more that one person in a house with Laptops, (my case) then this is very convinient. It is just the Sagem F@ast router is C-R-A-P.
I have used a Netgear DG834N and it works even to the bottom of my garden. The Sagem does not even work through one room to another. That is the reason why it is free!
The position Sky takes on this is absolutly rediculous: They could let you have your username and password, but just not support you with other modems....that would have been acceptable.

I have a friend in France who told me 'oh is that where they dumped all that...??' They were removed from French network for performace issues.

I did find the web page that detects the ADSL password and username and i very careflly entered all this into my Netgear, but i never did connect.

My comments about customers service with Philipines and pressing 1 then 3 then 5 then back to 1 the 2 and then 'thanks but we are busy' still apply.

As I said, this is a great no frills service. But it you want more features then stay away...

Deputydawg

[Isitme]

I disagree witht he comments on wirelss technology being un-reliable. I have used it for 10 years, and it hasworked fine with no problems.

I wonder how many wireless routers were in use 10 years ago, not many and very few if any were in domestic use. Now almost every house has a broadband connection and a high proportion of these are using wireless routers. This is the problem, too many devices trying to use a very restricted part of the wireless spectrum.

I agree with you Sky broadband is basic and for domestic use, this is reflected in the cost. If you want or need an all singing and dancing service, then you have to go to an ISP who supplies a full service as you have done.

[browners]

I actually disagree and say Wireless is great, IF it is setup correctly !

I have used a netgear dg834g for about 5-6 years now as a router and wireless access at first, then around a year ago simply as a wireless access point.

The Netgear does infact give off a decent signal but you need to experiment a little and find the best reasonable position in the house giving the best signal. (Mine is in the attic).

Now having a good wireless broadcasting access point is no use whatsoever if your wireless adapter connected to the PC is a 15.99 usb dongle under the table. They suck.

You NEED a high power reliable broadcast AND receiption at your PC. A standard USB in the UK transmits around 30mw. I purchased the Alfa AWUS036H 500mw
See this for details 500mw Wifi Alfa Networks 802.11g High Power USB Wifi Adapter AWUS036H - USB Wifi Adaptors - The Wifi Shop - Wifi that Works!.

As you can see its transmit power is massive and it uses an external arial which you can also upgrade for next to nothing to a 12dbi for even better receiption.

Now I can guarentee my wireless connection is every bit as good as anyones hard wired ethernet out there. Rock solid 1ms Pings to the access point.

Always think of BOTH ends, not just the router. The netgears ariel can also be un-screwed and fitted with a better more powerfull ariel. This also helps with higher transmit and more sensitive receive.

The only drawback using wireless in my opinion comes when you setup a home network and want to share files with other devices. The actual throughput speed on wireless is nowhere even close to that of hardwired ethernet. Plus the actual wireless conenction on all wireless devices is Half duplex. Wireless can only transmit or recieve at any one time, unlike Full Duplex ethernet which can transmit and recieve simulataniously at 100meg (or 1000 if you have the kit)

I personaly have a home network and never really share huge files. Streaming video is fine but I have not tried streaming anything HD over wireless.

Other things to watch for are the channel you broadcast on. On 802.11g the UK has 13 Wireless channels available to broadcast on. This is true, but there are only 3 of those channels which are pure. By that I mean any channel except 1, 6 or 11 are wavelength variations and are more suseptable to bleedover / interferance from neighboring channels. So always check what your neighbors are using and pick the channel farthest away using 1, 6 or 11.

Have a read at this for more info IEEE 802.11 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So now I have had my lecture for the night I will stop.

Nothing can really beat the hardwired ethernet for reliability, performance and throughput. Wireless if setup and used correctly will be as good provided throughput is not an issue. After all, even the fastest broadband connection will never max out a Wireless station with even 40meg available throughput.

[adney999]

Can anyone help me, I'm non tech so please be nice and simpIe, I was with BT for my internet at home, and when I was I could see all my devises on my home network no problem. I have recently changed to Sky and therefore I now have a sky router, but I can no longer see all my devises. I can see my printer but not my buffalo any ideas.

This has been replied to in your other post. Please do not post the same query more than once.

[Old_nick]

With the possible exception of wireless, I agree with all the sentiments. Sky was a "no brainer" when it first appeared, but the increased prices and the decreased in quality of the tech support has dropped its appeal. I'm now with Be LLU, and although it's £2.88 a month dearer, it's worth that for the static IP and decent tech support.

[Faust]

I would agree with the OP regarding the router though and not just the Sagem. I have the grey Netgear which causes me issues which I have mentioned before on this forum i.e. microwave interference. I have had various routers over the years, even the infamous BT HH but never experienced anything like this. Every time anyone uses the Laptop and the microwave is switched on it knocks out the wireless signal - no matter what channel I try. My neighbour lent me his microwave to see if mine could be faulty (despite it being new). Sadly not 900w be it from a Panny or a Sharp knocks out the Netgear. Will Sky send me another router? NO. I could use my own router but then I risk being suspended by Sky.