Setting up internet

I'm in the UK now, and searching for a flat or house to rent.  One big feature for us is whether we can get a decent internet connection, as my boyfriend will be working from home.  In the US, we can get broadband either through cable (eg. Comcast, Verizon FiOS), or over the phone line (DSL) which is usually slower.  Are there similar options in the UK, or is it all over the phone line?  I'm just not sure what to ask the letting agents when I look around.  Today I asked one if the house was cable ready or if they had good internet access, and he just said "look, they have a computer, I assume you can set up decent internet".

We're looking for flats/houses in Cambridge and would like a similar speed to what we are used to in the US (25 Mbps download speed).  I would really appreciate it if anyone has any information or suggestions.

Hi,

The only company I know of that does internet through cable is Virgin, and while I don't know how widespread they are, I've never lived anyplace where it was an option.  If you know a post code where you're going to live, you can check the availability here:

http://store.virginmedia.com/check-your-postcode

Most places have broadband through the phone, and the speed will depend on whether or not the local exchange has been upgraded or not, and how far you are from the exchange.

Again, if you know a post code, you can check its status and get a speed estimate here:

https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html

Hope that helps.

Virgin Media bought out Telewest, so should be pretty widespread. But a word of warning before you sign up. The service is pretty good. We have a 30mb line (which they are supposedly upping for free) with unlimited bandwidth, so they say - we don't do large downloads so haven't been throttled - but it can be brutally slow and sometimes just drop out from seconds to hours. If you are working from home, that could be an issue. That being said, no internet line is perfect so just compare the costs.

The warning is about their contracts. They will make you sign a year contract, and if for any reason you need to get out of it, they will charge you a huge fee. No exceptions, even if you are moving house. So my tip is to really do your research on cancellation policies of the companies you compare!

When you are looking around the flats with the estate agents, look for ethernet type outlets (these will generally be phone lines) and coaxial cable/aerial outlets. Also look for Telewest Broadband written on the outlet; that could mean that previous tenants/landlords had the place wired for cable, and that is now Virgin Media. Rule of thumb is that the newer the property, the more likely the place is wired up with something. Oh, and it goes without saying, if the place you decide you like is not wired up with the connectivity you need - put that in your offer to rent! 

They will make you sign a year contract, and if for any reason you need to get out of it, they will charge you a huge fee. No exceptions, even if you are moving house.

They'll also extend your contract. We were 12 months into an 18-month contract when we moved, and we took Virgin with us. They charged a £10 fee to change the account to the new address, and doubled our speed for free, but we're locked into another 12 month contract (essentially adding 6 months to our original timeframe). We wouldn't be likely to go with anyone else, really, but just a head's up.

no internet line is perfect so just compare the costs.

This is the best advice you're going to get.  In my experience, Sky internet was terrible, their customer service was terrible, and it was relatively expensive.

We've had good service with PlusNet.  We've had them for about a year and a half, and they've been great to deal with.

This is the best advice you're going to get.  In my experience, Sky internet was terrible, their customer service was terrible, and it was relatively expensive.

After years of being with Virgin Media in Bristol, I decided to finally try Sky when I moved to Lincoln in September 2011... unfortunately, it might not have been the best idea as although it seemed like a better deal than Virgin Media at first, I think it's actually ended up being more expensive (as I didn't realise the broadband in the package wasn't unlimited so I am now paying extra for the unlimited).

My internet speeds aren't brilliant (something that takes 5 minutes to download at my parents' house in Bristol takes over an hour on my connection here), but I think that has more to do with the speeds available in my area than the service provider (apparently I can only get a max speed of 2 megs!).

I'm currently tied into a 12-month contract until September 2012, so there isn't anything I can do about it at the moment, but I'll probably look into switching back to Virgin Media at the end of my contract.

We've had good service with PlusNet.  We've had them for about a year and a half, and they've been great to deal with.

Whereas for me, PlusNet was horrible. Their technician came at the wrong time for the install, and then lied to me about coming to install it (and never apologised for 1) lying to me 2) claiming I was a liar when I disputed their lie). So we went with Virgin. I wouldn't say I like them, per se, but at least they haven't had me in a rage like PlusNet did.

Whereas for me, PlusNet was horrible.

I feel your pain.   No matter which one of them you choose, there's a high possibility that they'll suck.  So pick the cheapest one and hope for the best.

We've had Virgin (originally NTL) for years & have been very happy with them - it's been years since we were in a contract.

Fast speed & we rarely have connection issues, very reasonable cost packages for phone/TV/broadband (but we don't have many TV channels on our package because we don't watch that much TV).

YMMV.

ETA - We wouldn't get Sky because we don't wish to put a dish on the house.  Neighbour across the street had it once (he lived in a flat) & took them months to get his connection set up right and by then he was moving away.  Again YMMV.

Thanks everyone.  It looks like Virgin Media is available in Cambridge so that's what we'll go for.  I guess that doesn't mean the properties we're viewing are wired up, but hopefully whatever place we pick will be ok with installing it.  PlusNet isn't available, so I guess Virgin have a monopoly here.

Just because a provider isn't listed doesn't mean you can't get them for phone broadband.  PlusNet isn't listed if you search our postcode either, but that's who we've got broadband with.

Oh yeah I was looking for cable broadband though, which I think is what we prefer.  I've searched for phone broadband, but it seems rare that it's offered at more than 17Mbps, at least for the properties I'm looking at.

Yeah, I understand.  Unfortunately, I don't know a definitive method to say whether you can get Virgin unless you have a post code you can check with them.

Hope you're able to get it.

If you do decide to use Virgin, you can check Quidco to see if there are any deals or cash back opportunities. Just a thought!