# Will a different provider give a better service using Eir line?



## Hollygolightly (25 Oct 2020)

I am looking at changing my broadband supplier as my current speeds are very low.   SIRO is not available in my area.   My understanding is that all other providers apart from Virgin use the Eir phone network.   Many of the alternative service providers covering my area are promising speeds of "up to"  100 times faster than I currently have (and more).    Can someone explain how it is possible for an alternative supplier to provide such a better speed,  using the same line?      I am concerned that I will end up in a contract that looks like a good deal on price grounds,  but is not delivering the speed or bandwidth that I need.   None of those I have seen offer a guaranteed minimum speed,  only the reference to a possible maximum. 

I realise there may be other more relevant forums/websites out there for this topic,  so if someone can point me to other websites that have more information on this topic I would appreciate that.


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## losttheplot (25 Oct 2020)

I think the keyword in the other suppliers claim is 'up to'. Like when shops have sales for up to 50% off, but you'd be lucky to find anything at that discount.

What they're claiming is the maximum possible. Reality maybe very different.


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## irbx (25 Oct 2020)

Hollygolightly said:


> I am looking at changing my broadband supplier as my current speeds are very low.   SIRO is not available in my area.   My understanding is that all other providers apart from Virgin use the Eir phone network.   Many of the alternative service providers covering my area are promising speeds of "up to"  100 times faster than I currently have (and more).    Can someone explain how it is possible for an alternative supplier to provide such a better speed,  using the same line?      I am concerned that I will end up in a contract that looks like a good deal on price grounds,  but is not delivering the speed or bandwidth that I need.   None of those I have seen offer a guaranteed minimum speed,  only the reference to a possible maximum.
> 
> I realise there may be other more relevant forums/websites out there for this topic,  so if someone can point me to other websites that have more information on this topic I would appreciate that.



All the other suppliers are reselling eir or siro. If Siro nit in your area it will be eircom service. So they will be same speeds as eir now. At your address. 

Speed is ruled by serval things. The signal is very sensitive to interface and bad copper.

Distant from eir exchange (as you follow phone to house)

Internal wiring. I have seen very slow speeds and disconnecting internal wiring or having router at first point entry see big increases in speeds

My parents are to far for exchange only getting 5mbps down and .5mbps upload. Checking with neighbours they were getting the same.

They thinking of switching to imagine broadband which is wireless to a local mast. 

Hope it helps


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## jpd (25 Oct 2020)

I would say no - changing your supplier but still using the same line will not increase your speed any more than changing the label on a bar of chocolate makes it taste any better.

The speed you get is determined, by and large, by the physical infrastructure you are using - the cable type, the state of the cable, the distance from the exchange, etc moving from Eir to Vodafone does not change any of these

And, I would argue although COMREG say differently, if you have a fault on the line and your supplier is someone other than Eir, you have added a layer of complexity to getting it fixed.


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## joer (25 Oct 2020)

How far from the Exchange are you ? Or how far from the cabinet .


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## Hollygolightly (26 Oct 2020)

joer said:


> How far from the Exchange are you ? Or how far from the cabinet .


Thanks all for helpful comments.   In response to joer,   I don't know how far I am from the Exchange or the cabinet.   There are a few telecoms-type cabinets in the housing estate,  but I don't know which is the Eir one (or indeed if they relate to something else like lights or electricity - one big metal box looks much like another to me!!).


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## joer (26 Oct 2020)

Have any of your neighbours got Eir broadband , do you know. Or broadband from any provider , that is the first thing to establish.  If your neighbours have good broadband  then there is no reason why you should not, it might be an issue with your own set up , alarm, extensions etc.


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## Hollygolightly (26 Oct 2020)

Any neighbours I have asked use Virgin and are happy with it.   But some of the other potential suppliers are a lot cheaper,  and my own experience of Virgin's customer service is woeful,  so I am trying to check all options before getting locked into a contract with Virgin.    I've been trying for weeks to get Virgin to answer their phones to clarify some issues,   but no success.   (Eir is,  of course,  just as bad in this respect).  

I appreciate your input,  thanks. 


joer said:


> Have any of your neighbours got Eir broadband , do you know. Or broadband from any provider , that is the first thing to establish.  If your neighbours have good broadband  then there is no reason why you should not, it might be an issue with your own set up , alarm, extensions etc.


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## joer (26 Oct 2020)

I do not know much about Virgin but Eir customer service is very poor. 
It might be an option to call to one of their shops in town ,you might get your information there.


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## lukegriffen (26 Oct 2020)

I think you've a better chance of solving issues if you avoid eir (even though it's their infrastructure). Having said that, with Vodafone, 8 months ago you would be waiting a few minutes to speak with an agent, but lately it seems to be 25+ mins.  nbi natl broadband is coming on stream for a few areas from Jan. So maybe you can check what areas they're doing first.


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## Feemar5 (26 Oct 2020)

There should be little difference if another company uses the Eir lines.     We had a similar problem but were advised recently that Eir Fibre was available - it is not " fibre to home" as was advertised but is "fibre to cabinet" and the cabinet is not far from our house so the service is much improved.   Eir customer service is terrible but their call out to fix faults is ok.


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## jpd (27 Oct 2020)

As long as it's "their" internet service and not someone elses.

Yes, I know that they are supposed to treat all broadband suppliers equally but I do not believe, nor does COMREG either if you read between the lines of their reports


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## Hollygolightly (27 Oct 2020)

Feemar5 said:


> There should be little difference if another company uses the Eir lines.     We had a similar problem but were advised recently that Eir Fibre was available - it is not " fibre to home" as was advertised but is "fibre to cabinet" and the cabinet is not far from our house so the service is much improved.   Eir customer service is terrible but their call out to fix faults is ok.


Hi Feemar,  can you tell me more about this.   Eir are advertising fibre in my area although they haven't contacted me to offer it.   Do you have to opt for upgrade to fibre to get this or does Eir connecting its cabinet to fibre give everyone on that connection a better service?    (I realise that I should be able to get this information by contacting Eir, but they don't answer their phones).


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## Steven Barrett (27 Oct 2020)

I recently switched from Eir to Sky, purely to reduce the overall cost of my Sky package. Have had nothing but trouble since and the kids are doing their nut. Internet lags, which is especially annoying to my son when he's playing online with his mates. Internet will cut out at random times, start buffering in the middle of watching a programme on Netflix. We never had these problems with Eir. Wish I hadn't switched to be honest.


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## Feemar5 (27 Oct 2020)

Hollygolightly said:


> Hi Feemar,  can you tell me more about this.   Eir are advertising fibre in my area although they haven't contacted me to offer it.   Do you have to opt for upgrade to fibre to get this or does Eir connecting its cabinet to fibre give everyone on that connection a better service?    (I realise that I should be able to get this information by contacting Eir, but they don't answer their phones).


As far as I kow Eir have upgraded their lines to Fibre in some areas.    I was able to check online by putting in my post code on an Eir site and it said I could get it.     There was a connection fee of one hundred euros but it did improve the service.


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## Leo (27 Oct 2020)

Hollygolightly said:


> In response to joer, I don't know how far I am from the Exchange or the cabinet.



Cabinet map here. you can search by map or Eircode.


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