# Key Post: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.



## Marion (10 Feb 2002)

This was originally posted by *Anonymous*

Can anyone recommend the most efficient / cost effective ISP available for a regular user for personal use. 

Also what package is better: Outlook Express or Eudora?

Thanks


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## garrettod (10 Feb 2002)

*....*

Might also be worth asking what service is cheapest ...

I think I saw an add for Ireland online (?) offering access at 1cent per mintute - anyone confirm this / comments pls ?


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## bubbles (10 Feb 2002)

*Internet*

Hi, I would definitely recommend UTV Internet 
[www.utvinternet.com]
Look up their website to either order a CD, sign online, or check their ISP address to set up manually (my preferred option as it does not interfere with other ISP providers you  might use)
Support is at normal rates - not the 50p (oops!) per minute some other IPS charge.

Can I also recommend the use of Opera 
[www.opera.com]
as a browser alternative to IE. I have been using Opera for about 6 years, paid my $30 for version 4, got a free upgrade for version 5, and a discounted price of $15 for version 6. Money well spent. It's small, it's fast, the cache is  brilliant and it's very flexible and easy to customise for your own preferences  - download and install Java, it's a once off process, which does not need to be repeated for further upgrades.
I thought everybody knew about Opera but looking throught he Fool's message board, I realised this is not the case!
Regards
Bubbles


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## rainyday (10 Feb 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

I use either UTV or IOL from home. I generally prefer UTV, but I did find some quirks on their service. I found it difficult to login for periods of a few days over the past few weeks. Also, I couldn't seem to get through to some specific sites (e.g. www.buyandsell.net/classifieds/), though it is actually working fine this morning, as it happens. 

I've only recently installed the IOL option, to get around the problems with UTV listed above. I'll see the price difference on my next phone bill.

Just one note of caution - There is a bit difference between the weekend/evening rates and the Mon/Fri daytime rates for most of the providers. My post-Xmas phone bill which had a load of Internet access time during 'business hours' over the holiday period was scary.

Check out [broken link removed] site for a good comparison of the various providers and a nice explanation of the choices between the subscription services and the 'free' services.

Regards - RainyDay


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## CM (10 Feb 2002)

*ISPs*

<!--EZCODE BOLD START-->* I think I saw an add for Ireland online (?) offering access at 1cent per mintute - anyone confirm this / comments pls ?*<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->

I think that may have been esat Fusion - I saw some poster ads in town claiming €0.01 per minute internet access but when I went looking on their website I could find no details. If this offer does exist then I would cynically assume that there is a catch. For what it's worth I use UTV internet with eircom.net as a backup (both non subscription accounts - i.e. call charges only but no 1891 (?) internet access "discount"). I have UTV internet on my eircom Circle of Friends discount list. Also - I tend to set up dial-up accounts manually rather than using an ISP's CD installer or the "INS" files generated by their web registrations. It's a bit fiddly and requires a little technical knowledge but it avoids the pitfalls of each ISP trying to "take over" your settings unilaterally (e.g. killing other dial-up accounts, rebranding the browser etc....).


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## JohnnyFontane (11 Feb 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

Surely People are forgetting the only real free internet access......

If you subscribe to NTL's cable tv/telephone/ internet package.....you get totally free internet at weekends...thats free Dialup included.....

so from  12am saturday to 12pm sunday totally free and fast internet.  

The connection is as fast as any of the other tortoises......

If you download stuff frequently, its the only one to choose......


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## tedd (11 Feb 2002)

*Not quite free Johnny!*

According to this link, it's definitely not free! (especially if you are not interested in ntl for the television services...)



ps great site Rainyday!


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## JohnnyFontane (11 Feb 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

Well if you go through NTL for your telephone, tv and internet its free.....

If you spend 40 hours a month online at weekends....its cost you nothing.....

thats a saving of €30, so why would you care about paying 3/4 euros extra a month for their tv services....

If you do alot of downloading, you save alot of money.....


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## happydude1 (14 Feb 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

I went for that deal about a year ago - and it was the worst thing I ever did. 

Connection speed was ridiculously slow - when I switched to iol, downloads took only a third of the time

I have found the NTL phone service to be extremely unreliable. Unfortunately, you have to take this to get the internet access. 
All in all, it is not a good deal, as the free access is countered by the poor service, crackling phone line and slow downloads. 

I find IOL free to be the best of a bad bunch really. If you will be using the internet a lot during the day, Eircom net's paid service gives you access via a 1891 phone number for cheaper than local-call charges.

Have fun!


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## JohnnyFontane (14 Feb 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

I've never had any problems with NTL (Phone or internet)!!!

Their service is fine.  I have never had to log on more than once (i.e. lines weren't busy/oversubscribed).  I have downloaded probably 10-15 gigs of music over the last year and not had any problems.  The download speeds are normally fine at about 4.55-4.8k per second (which is all you can expect).  I was with IOL and they were about the same.

As for the crackling phone line.....dunno if you can blame NTL for that!!

Again, if you are a serious downloader, there is no other alternative.....

Whilst there are problems with NTL's prices changes, their internet service has been perfect for me....

and as a footnote....it doesn't matter if you have broadband/DSL/Dial Up at peak times.....if the americans are on line, it WILL be slower....


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## happydude1 (15 Feb 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

Glad to hear that they were good to you Johnny!

I am sure that there may have been a bit of Eircom messing with the phone line (as I still paid them rental). My download speeds were about half those you are getting.

At the end of the day, these problems only existed when I had NTL as my CPS operator. AS soon as I changed back to Eircom, all was perfect. 

Irrespective of who was actually at fault, the problems only ocurredwhen I was an NTL customer. All I am saying is - beware of the potential pitfalls.Even if NTL were really good, and offered free service, it may still take you two or three times as long online to download something. And if your general phone service deteriorates, it is not really worth it.


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## rainyday (16 Feb 2002)

*Re: UTV Internet Vs IOL*

I just got my monthly phone bill (Esat Fusion) and compared the costs of IOL Vs UTV Internet, and I'm pretty shocked at the results. For weekday evening access, the IOL calls are working out about 0.85c per minute, which is about what I expected. However, the UTV weekday access calls (via 1890 number) are working out about 2.25c per minute. This is almost double the rate quoted on the [broken link removed] and the [broken link removed] website.

I'm going to query this with both UTV & Esat Fusion - Anyone got any ideas why I've been paying double the price!

Regards - RainyDay


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## CM (17 Feb 2002)

*Re: UTV Internet Vs IOL*

It's my understanding that using Esat Fusion as your telephone service provider also provides you with internet access for €0.01/minute (off peak) and €0.04/minute (peak) - see here. Local calls (including calls to other ISPs) are charged at €0.0381/minute (peak), €0.0253/minute (off peak), €0.0127/minute (weekend) - see here. As far as I know a 1890 number is not the same as a 1891 number in that the latter is a discounted internet access number - so I guess 1890 calls are simply treated as local calls. I get the impression that UTV internet's ROI pricing guidelines are based on eircom's call charges. 

Not sure how your calculations tally with this information!


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## rainyday (17 Feb 2002)

*Re: UTV Internet Vs IOL*

The real issue seems to be an anomoly in Esat Fusion's pricing. Their off-peak charge per minute for local calls is 2.53c (which is double the equivalent Eircom charge) but their weekend off-peak charge is 1.27c per minute. So, as CM suspected, I'm paying the standard 'local call' charge for access to their 1890 number. I just didn't realise that the weekday evening charge was double their weekend charge. I'll be switching to the IOL service for the foreseeable to benefit from the lower charges, I think.

Regards - RainyDay


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## CM (18 Feb 2002)

*EsatFusion/IOL*

Sounds to me like it's a no brainer to use IOL for internet access if you're with Esat Fusion for your telephony services - €0.01/minute off peak access is hard (impossible?) to beat for dial-up access (assuming a reasonable quality of service - e.g. high modem eople ration, few disconnects etc.).


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## Joe Nonety (16 May 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

Besides NTL's phone/cable TV/internet package, are there any other services where you can pay a flat rate per month and it covers all the phone charges for evening + weekend access?
I'm sure I've heard of people having this service before.


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## rainyday (6 Sep 2002)

*Re: Best Internet Service Providers for home use.*

I see that UTV have released their [broken link removed] package, which covers ROI & NI. I think this is a first in the Irish market, and is a long overdue development. The price seems reasonable at €30 per month - The only 'catch'  is that you HAVE to sign up for their telephony service also.


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## Homer (6 Sep 2002)

*Re: Check the small print*

Hi Rainyday

I had a look at ITV's website and it does seem like good value.

However, at the bottom of their list of charges they mention that all calls are subject to a set up fee of 3.87 cent.  They also say that no discount is given on calls to mobile phones. 

If you allow for the discount available on eircom's gold options plan, I wonder would the telephony service actually work out dearer with UTV?  Has anyone any experience of using their service or is there a cost comparison out there?

Regards
Homer


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## rainyday (7 Sep 2002)

*Re: Check the small print*

Good catch, Homer - I hadn't spotted that setup charge. Though, on checking the pricing for my current home phone provider - Esat Fusion, I see they have an identical setup charge, so it looks like I won't be any worse off.


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## ClubMan (7 Sep 2002)

*Re: Check the small print*

According to [broken link removed] there's also a once off €30 set-up fee.


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## Homer (7 Sep 2002)

*Re: Check the small print*

Thanks ClubMan

There is a €30 sign up fee, but it's waived for those who sign up before 31 December 2002.

I see they have a 150 hours limit, with normal call charges applying to the access.  For someone going online for more than 150 hours a month, the €30 charge represents a saving of over €80 compared to eircom's charges.  The break even point is around 40 hours a month.

As there are five of us using the Internet, it seems like a no brainer to me.  Are there any snags/pitfalls I'm overlooking?

Regards
Homer


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## rainyday (7 Sep 2002)

*Re: Check the small print*

Hi Homer - There is some [broken link removed], where the UTV management have been participating on the thread. They stated that the 150 hours per month is a 'soft limit' rather than a hard one. So they might let you go a bit over 150 (I think they actually mention 170-175) before they start charging you. It looks like they are trying to establish the principle that this is NOT an unlimited service. In the US, with free local calls, many people just leave their internet connection 'always on', hence the phenomenon of having somebody in the 'snoozing' section of the chat room (i.e. he's still connected, but he's actually asleep in bed!).


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## Homer (8 Sep 2002)

*Re: Check the small print*

Thanks Rainyday

I called UTV to ask about some of the detail set out in their terms and conditions.  The person I spoke to told me that there would be no charge if we went slightly over the 150 hour limit, so that seems to be consistent with what they're saying on www.boards.ie.

Regards
Homer


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## Marion (4 Nov 2002)

*RE: UTV*

Hi Homer

Did you sign up? Was it worthwhile to switch? I am thinking of moving to either Esat or ITV. 

Thanks

Marion :hat


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## rainyday (4 Nov 2002)

*Re: RE: UTV*

Hi Marion - I've signed up for UTV - The internet service is working fine. It's probably too soon to draw any conclusions on their telephony charges, as I've only been billed for half a month.


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## rainyday (20 Nov 2002)

*UTV Internet*

If any of you are planning on signing up for [broken link removed], you might want to email me at  rainyday@askaboutmoney.com so I can 'refer' you. Under their current offer, there is nothing in it for you, I'm afraid - but they are offering me a €50 discount for every user that signs up based on my referral.

I've no connection with UTV, other than as a customer.

Regards - RainyDay


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## garrettod (14 Oct 2003)

*...*

Hi Rainyday,

you could always split your gain with people: €25 per head  

regards

G>


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## Judybaby73 (9 Mar 2006)

Anybody know anything aboout 

www.imagine.ie?


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## CCOVICH (9 Mar 2006)

Judybaby73 said:
			
		

> Anybody know anything aboout
> 
> www.imagine.ie?



At first glance, reasonable value, but the more I read, the less I like.


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## Judybaby73 (9 Mar 2006)

CCOVICH said:
			
		

> At first glance, reasonable value, but the more I read, the less I like.


 

What don't u like???? any better deals???


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## CCOVICH (9 Mar 2006)

Add on charges for modems and connection etc.  Slower than others for the same price.

I'm happy with UTV-works out cheaper at €29.99 per month for phone and broadband.  Smart and NTL are probably cheaper.  Do a search or browse the forum-plenty of discussion on this. Even more on www.boards.ie

Why pay more for less?


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