OT Escape from Castle NTL

Dave · 2006-05-13T14:04:20+00:00

There was a time I thought the NTL 3 in 1 idea a good one (TV, Phone andinternet). This was indeed a good deal and for a couple of years and it's workedpretty well. But things are changing.First the hardware setup. We have an NTL cable from the road to a Set Top box.One line goes to the STB and another to the box that the 'phone plugs into.Now the moans. For starters the FREE dialup is of course no longer free andindeed has seen a few price rises since the freeness was removed some time ago.Almost every week I get a ntl broadband offer which while cheap to start with, Iknow from past experience will soon float upwards,Since the ntl analogue box was changed for digital Set Top box (and I was 100%assured NOTHING would change as regards setup, cost etc - and it was all donefor free) I find the new "Base Pack" (a collection of TV channels) just happensto cost a few more pounds per month that the old analogue one. Of course no onetold me that even though I asked several times if the change would cost me more.Even though the cost increase isn't great I very much dislike this not beingmade clear to me until I got the first new bill after the digital STB wasinstalled.So I'm just looking at ways to escape Castle NTL. Perhaps You can help along theway with all/any of these?Phone.I suppose this is the easiest to escape from. We still have the old BT phonelines installed. Simply sign up with BT then?TVWell Freeview has all the channels I want anyway. So if I buy a Freeview STB (Iam in a suitable postcode area to receive the signal). That removes the "BasePack" or any other "pack" costs.InternetThis is the most tricky aspect. I'd need to sign up with an ISP to at leastmaintain my dialup system as now. However if I ever want to go broadband I onlyhave that BT phone line available. Is broadband possible down such a line, or doI need some other line installing? The NTL digital STB has a nice cosy ethernetport on the back - it looks oh so temping to keep ntl just for that - unless...

May 13, 2006 25 Replies

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tony sayer 20 years ago

In article , gort writes

Well aren't BT claiming that BB is now within reach of some 98% or is that not right?...

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Owain 20 years ago

It may be that 98% of people 'live in an area served by a broadband-enabled exchange'.

It doesn't mean that everyone in that area can get broadband though.

Owain

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tony sayer 20 years ago

Well just how far does the wiring extend from a BT exchange?, AFAIK BB connections are possible, tho not that fast!, up to some 7-8 Km....

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Owain 20 years ago

It's not the distance, it's the attenuation...

With a 50V ballast resistor bridge (50 ohm elements), a modern telephone incorporating ASTIC, and 20 lb/mile UG cable, 570 ohm line loop is the max permissible resistance for 60mA transmitter current, equating to

6.45 miles. [Atkinson]. (This was when trunk lines were cabled in up to 100 lb/mi.)

I expect loop length was pushed further when electronics got pushed into local exchanges.

Bandwidth deteriorates rapidly with line length; which means that broadband-users located beyond 3.8 miles (6 kilometres) from their local telephone exchange are restricted to 1Mbps or less.

formatting link

news: Jim from Lincolshire with a loop length of 11 kms won the uk.telecom longest local loop award, beating off the previous holder from somewhere near Spean Bridge.

Owain

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Dave 20 years ago

Wonder if it's the same guy who keeps calling me from India saying "Helo how arre U today. You have been selected at random... and have wona free ". Never found out what it was as I put the phone down. Blimey, hope it's not NTL support!

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tony sayer 20 years ago

Arguably much the same thing;).....

is what people find the best attribute...

Jezzzz thats going some!....

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