40GB monthly limit?

[Ken]

I am just about to change over from AOL 5Mb broadband which has no cap to BT infinity 40Mb which has a 40GB limit.

On average I watch about 4 hours of telly a week on broadband and the pc is usually playing the radio for about the same. Other than that it's emails and browsing for a good few hours a day. Would the 40GB be enough? too much? or about right?

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers

Ken

[rovexCDTi]

Probably. streaming TV is usually about 1GB an hour or so. Its downloading and streaming that uses bandwidth.

Im not with BT so haven't kept up with their (previously extremely high) pricing structure, but whats the point in having 40Mb/s and a pathetic 40GB limit? And they wonder why they are considered an old dinosaur and a complete joke. Id much rather have the 13Mb/s im getting with Sky and the freedom to clear over 1TB of data a month, which i have done on occasion.

[Tatts]

40Gb on a 40Mb pipe? Thats pretty poor from BT. How much they charging for that?

I'm on a 50mb connection and I can download 40gb in 2 hours!

Anyway, for light useage what you say, then 40Gb will should be enough, although for the first month keep an eye on your useage, as you'll probably be experimenting with the new found speed!

[rovexCDTi]

Its all very local. I CAN get BT infinity, but would rather cut my own face off than go with BT again.

I can also get 100Mb Virgin, but they are rubbish around here. High connection rate but practically no throughput at all. I know loads of people who left them, one of whom threatened legal action if they didnt let him out of his contract because the service was 'unfit for purpose'.

Both throttle you, both restrict you. Sky, while 'slow' with only up to 24Mb/s ADSL, they are genuinely unlimited and never throttle you, ever. At that speed you can easily stream HD video and download anything in minutes.

[Ken]

I take it 40GB isn't a lot then? It's £18 monthly

Tatts is that on Virgin?

[rovexCDTi]

£18 a month.. BT have no shame!

The speed is fine, when its not throttled, which it will be because its BT, but 40GB is nothing. In theory you could clear the entire allowance in just over 2 hours!

The problem is the speed is pointless when limited by such an allowance, what can you actually do with that much speed and for how long? You would be better finding a slower cheaper service.

Its like the Bugatti Veyron, yes it will do 260mph, but its entire fuel capacity lasts for 12 minutes at that speed.

[Tatts]

Originally Posted by rovexCDTi

Its all very local. I CAN get BT infinity, but would rather cut my own face off than go with BT again.

I can also get 100Mb Virgin, but they are rubbish around here. High connection rate but practically no throughput at all. I know loads of people who left them, one of whom threatened legal action if they didnt let him out of his contract because the service was 'unfit for purpose'.

Both throttle you, both restrict you. Sky, while 'slow' with only up to 24Mb/s ADSL, they are genuinely unlimited and never throttle you, ever. At that speed you can easily stream HD video and download anything in minutes.

I feel the same about BT! I'm with Vermin Media, and to be fair (around here anyway) they are pretty good. I can usually max out my connection, and in the next 6 weeks I'm being upgraded to a 120Mb connection! Thats a full 4.3Gb DVD movie in about 8 mins!

Originally Posted by Ken

I take it 40GB isn't a lot then? It's £18 monthly

Tatts is that on Virgin?

Yes, Virgin. 40Gb is 'enough' for general use, but if you start downloading regularly, keep an eye on your usage, it soon mounts up! Last October I pulled down just over 2Tb. In other words, 52 months worth of BT Infinity monthly allowance!

[Ken]

Virgin media is ok here and that was my other choice. I think I will have to do my homework

Thanks

Ken

[SapperGB]

I cannot recommend Bethere enough, an ISP small enough to care and offering unlimited usage package and no throttling whatsoever.

Up to 24meg and unlike many other ISP's do actually provide this (dependent on factors beyond their control - i.e. line length etc)

www.bethere.co.uk

i wouldnt touch Virgin ever again, im an ex NTL customer who left and rejoined VM years later to end up suffering the exact same issues i had with NTL, my cancellation/complaint letter to them was 4 A4 pages long.

[Ken]

Originally Posted by SapperGB

I cannot recommend Bethere enough, an ISP small enough to care and offering unlimited usage package and no throttling whatsoever.

Up to 24meg and unlike many other ISP's do actually provide this (dependent on factors beyond their control - i.e. line length etc)

www.bethere.co.uk

i wouldnt touch Virgin ever again, im an ex NTL customer who left and rejoined VM years later to end up suffering the exact same issues i had with NTL, my cancellation/complaint letter to them was 4 A4 pages long.

Just done a line check on mine and it's says 3.5 - 7.0 which is the same as I am getting now so it's no good to me. I need a faster connection as there are two wifi connections running at the same time with both myself and wife on iPads. I was also on Ntl and before that cable and wireless with no problems but moved to a non cabled house. Now we have moved again we are back in a cabled area. I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet for either BT or VM

Thanks for your help