Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with broadband

I'd like to buy 6 months of unlimited Internet in England.

iamkimiam — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:25:57 -0800

I'm moving house next weekend and new place does not have WiFi. It's a six month lease and I'll probably be moving out of the country after that. I use a lot of internet (streaming music, downloading podcasts, films, sending large files, using cloud services, etc.) and so I need something unlimited or pretty near it. Everything I'm seeing online so far is either too much £ for too little internet (£20 for 2GB per month, seriously??) or too much commitment (12-18 month contracts for phone, broadband and TV). I only need internet. What are my options, if any? Thanks!

Windows 7 and the unseen wireless router

Inner Universe — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 06:47:26 -0800

I've been blessed with the task of finding out why my father's windows 7 laptop can't connect to his new Virgin Media Broadband router. The laptop can't find the router, and I can't find a fix... The broadband router is newly installed, the laptop less than a few months old, but it seems like the laptop can't find any wireless networks whatsoever. A lot of the suggestions and fixes involve changing the router's security or downloading drivers, but obviously the laptop can't connect, and I'll be damned if I know how to mess with the Virgin box, as my own is much different.

As I'm posting this at his place, I can verify that the router works fine; another laptop in the house can also connect easily with just the SSID. The fault must lie with the laptop/operating system but... For once, I'm stumped. Any ideas on how to get W7 to detect the wireless router? I should hopefully be able to progress from there.

How do I buy a fast internet connection in Dallas / Fort Worth, TX?

GPF — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:27:43 -0800

How do I buy a fast internet connection in Dallas / Fort Worth, TX? I've been spoiled by living in university housing for several years (think pre-streaming anything). Ethernet jacks everywhere! Full 1080p all the time on all the computers (and phones and tablets)! And for free! (Well, subsidized because I'm an employee living in the company town, anyway).

How do I get back to that (what did I have, exactly?) and how much am I going to have to pay for it? OR How do I get fast service that will handle streaming video (and games and online backups via CrashPlan and...) on multiple devices without going broke?

I'm in Arlington, Texas for the time being -- but recommendations for the greater DFW would be appreciated.

Short-term Internet service in London

Kronios — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:58:48 -0800

I am studying abroad for the semester in London. My flat mates and I are looking for an Internet solution that doesn't require a contract. We picked up a 3G hotspot from Three but it isn't very fast. Is it possible to get actual broadband service without a 12- or 18-month contract?

Why is My Download Speed 10x Faster than my Upload?

watercarrier — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:08:15 -0800

Download Speed is 5.4 MPS, Upload 0.54 - Is this normal? Is this ratio the norm or do I need to start bugging my ISP?

European Broadband

JPD — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:03:12 -0800

Why is Western Europe dragging its heels on implementing Fiber based broadband? I was perusing this .pdf (slide 5) and was really really surprised to see how slow the incumbent telcos in much of Western Europe are at implementing Fibre. I recognize that the precedence of Satellite over Cable has take away some of the competitive angle we have in the US, but I would think the governments would be "encouraging" their respective telephone monopolies to get their act in gear.

What gives?

What is "latency"?

jackypaper — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:10:38 -0800

In regard to satellite internet service, can you explain “latency” to me? I’m currently a Hughesnet customer and get a deplorable 1.5 mbps. A new satellite will go online later this summer, and though download speeds will supposedly greatly increase, I’m told there will still be a latency issue. I’ve poked around online, but the explanations don’t really address the practical issues, like, can I play realtime games online and finally log on to secure sites without them timing out?

Please help me understand cable internet technology.

mullacc — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:48:53 -0800

Please help me understand cable technology. Why is it that my cable company can deliver hundreds of high quality TV channels but not an internet service that seems just as fast? I can't get my head around the following observations:

1) Cable TV delivers hundreds of channels, including dozens in HD, with almost no hiccups. I even get live video broadcasts in very good quality. And while things have been getting better over time, it seems like cable has been "streaming" video to me for decades.

2) The same cable also provides my internet access. Only in the last couple years have websites like Netflix and Hulu been able to deliver something that can sorta compete with the video I get through cable TV. And live broadcasts via the internet are pathetic compared to what I can get on my TV.

Please help me understand what is going on here. I'm not sure exactly how to phrase my question, so I'll just throw out a few...

How is the capacity of the cable infrastructure divided between television and internet services?

Is there something fundamentally different about the data coming to me via the TV service versus the internet service?

If a cable company were to eliminate its TV offering, could it offer me dramatically faster internet service using the existing equipment/infrastructure?

Handy und Internet

Yiggs — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:45:15 -0800

Moving to Berlin from San Francisco in October, and I'd like some advice for finding both a cell phone plan and a broadband service for my apartment. I've been able to find pieces of valuable information in previous posts, but nothing exactly answered my questions.

1. Handy: I'd like a plan that is fairly inexpensive for local calls and texting. The data plan is not too important, as I will mostly be using it for calls/texts, and for international calls I will use Skype on my computer. I'm currently considering blau.de (recommended by naturalog here), but am open to other suggestions. What would be a reliable, relatively cheap phone (perhaps €100-200?) that would work best with a plan like blau.de? Would it be cheaper to buy a phone here in the US, or wait until I am in Germany?

2. Internet: What is the best service for wireless broadband access in an apartment? Again, I'd prefer it be relatively inexpensive. It doesn't have to be extremely fast (streaming video is probably the most bandwidth-intense activity), but I'd pay extra to avoid a bandwidth cap (if those are common.) From what I've read this somewhat depends on the apartment building itself (which I'm still in the process of nailing down), but I would appreciate any general advice/recommendations.

In search of broadband

digdan — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:33:12 -0800

I have recently moved to Culver City (Southern California) and I need the best broadband available. Fast, at least 1mbps, No capping, No iffy uptime. Just solid and reliable down/up speeds. I don't care if its wireless, wired, copper, cable, tin-cans-and-string. I will be using VOIP, ROKU, and heaving uploads/downloads (work related). I do not wish to spend over $100/month

My new zip is 90232

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Cheapest, fastest internet in the emerald city?

The Winsome Parker Lewis — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:39:30 -0800

What are my options for broadband residential internet in Seattle? We're moving from out of state at the end of June. We don't have an exact address nailed down yet but we're looking at large apartment complexes in Queen Anne and West Seattle. I assume this rules out anything like satellite or WiMax that requires hardware installation on the exterior of the building.

Is fiber to the home available anywhere in the city? I'm looking for a fairly high amount of bandwidth (I'll be working virtually and need it for remote desktop connections). How's the cable and DSL out there? I'm really burned out on the big ISPs like Comcast and CenturyLink, so info about alternatives is welcome. Cost is also a factor. My wife and I have mobile data plans with Verizon, so we'd be interested in any package deals we could take advantage of to keep expenses low (yes, I realize they are also a "big ISP" and we'd get away from them if we could keep our iPhones!).

Why is my broadband acting weirdly?

xchmp — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:47:41 -0800

Why does my wireless router stop some devices from accessing the web every now and then. So we have O2 home broadband with a wireless router (this one, I think). We connect to the internet through this with a number of devices - a laptop, a desktop (both running Windows 7), and two android phones (my Galaxy Nexus and my girlfriend's HTC something, probably Desire S).

All these devices can successfully connect to the internet. Every now and then the HTC and the desktop lose the ability to reach websites. The desktop provided some weird results. It was still connected to the internet and I could ping servers. Trying to access a webpage would result in firefox waiting for a reply forever. The laptop and my phone continued to have normal connectivity while this was going on.

This has never happened with the laptop or my phone.

The easiest way to fix this issue appears to be to go into the router's configuration settings and delete the connected device. It then works again immediately. I've noticed the last couple of times that the device is showing as being connected (or at least its IP was granted) just under 24 hours ago. This doesn't happen every day though so maybe it's not relevant.

I've tried setting the router to use the same IP address forever for the phone and that didn't work. So I'm pretty confused at this point!

Any ideas?

Dish Network bundles

ackptui — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:39:05 -0800

How do Dish Network TV/phone/broadband bundles work? Anyone have any experience? We have the 3-way bundle from Charter now for about $100/month. AT&T is a no-go here, we are at the far end away from a switch, and their phone service was so crappy it could not even sustain a modem connection, not to even mention DSL. It looks like Dish network offers bundles by cooperative marketing with other vendors, of which AT&T is one. Care to offer your anecdotal evidence?

Mobile broadband in Australia, but cheap

dg — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:24:43 -0800

Seeking mobile broadband on the cheap in SE Queensland, Australia. Asking for a friend who wants to set up Internet access as cheaply as possible, but she doesn't have access to a landline. She simply wants to connect an iPad (WiFi only) to the Internet. Service must be pre-paid.

Obviously, ADSL is out and a USB dongle or similar is out. As far as I can tell, the only solution is one of the variously-described 3G modems that allow a connection via SIM card and then devices can connect to the modem via WiFi. She does not have a smart phone that can be tethered nor the capacity to get one.

It seems that Vodaphone have the cheapest deal available for prepaid. This modem, plus pre-paid data recharges.

Does anyone have any experience with this device/similar devices or suggestions for alternatives that are as cheap or cheaper? The same device is available for much less via a month-to-month plan, but she is adamant about pre-paid.

What's the cheapest, easiest way to offer monthly wireless broadband for a granny with a laptop?

waxpancake — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:33:09 -0800

My grandma lives in Las Vegas and got her hands on a MacBook Pro, but doesn't have a cell phone, digital cable, or any kind of Internet access. She lives on a very small Social Security payment, but wants to access the web to see her grandkids. What's the most affordable, simplest option currently available for cheap wireless broadband in Vegas (Zip code 89121) with a USB modem? Clear is too much for her ($35/month for unlimited bandwidth), and NetZero might be the best option (free for 300MB/month, $20 for 1GB/month) but charges an upfront fee for the hardware and doesn't offer the ability to downgrade once you switch to any higher paid plan.

Also, to complicate things, I live in another state and can't be there to configure it for her. So it either needs to be plug-and-play, or include on-site installation.

Do any of you people have experience with DEAD SIMPLE, standalone, single-device wireless broadband for my awesome 80-year-old grandma? Any caveats I should be aware of?

Does anyone have a film recommendation that links cooperative business and community to telecomm industry / Internet / broadband?

franklen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:56:34 -0800

Does anyone have a film recommendation that links cooperative business and community to telecomm industry / Internet / broadband? I've been working with a group of people in upstate NY to develop a community of cooperative business enthusiasts and future entrepreneurs. See www.cny.coop for our work so far.

We intend to follow up the Summit we just held with additional activities such as educational sessions and even a business "pitch" competition.

A local group is working on a 501(c)12 plan to create a cooperative broadband access initiative, and they want to hold an event to promote the project, and through a teach-in, educate the public who attend. They would like to do it in partnership with cny.coop, and they thought a film/discussion would be a good format.

So we need to find an appropriate film. Any ideas?

Keeping connection alive with pinging

sandyp — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:48:43 -0800

My Windows Live Mail loses connection with Verizon Broadband Card, how can I create a constant ping to keep connection alive? I spent 2 days with Dell on the phone trying to figure out why when using my laptop with Verizon Mobile Broadband card my Windows Live Mail loses the connection, I have to manually disconnect and reconnect the broadband card to send/receive emails after I have been connected a small amount of time. The final answer after checking all my settings with Live Mail was it was the broadband connection. I have been reading it is possible to set up a constant ping to keep connection alive to prevent this. What are the pros and cons and I need exact details how to do this and undo it if needed.

Live Mail and Verizon Broadband

sandyp — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:42:40 -0800

Dell Laptop with Verizon Broadband Card - Live Mail issue. Help please. My husband has a Dell Laptop with Windows 7 that he uses a Verizon Broadband Card to connect to the internet with. He uses Live Mail (Hotmail) to send emails. The problem we are having is after he connects to the Verizon Broadband the connection goes "dormant" after approximately 6 minutes and when he tries to use his Live Mail it gives him a error message:

Unable to send or receive messages to the Hotmail (perrypemberton) account
Server Error 0x80048848 Server "https://mail.services.live.com/DeltaSync_v2.0.0/Sync.aspx"
Windows Live Mail Error 0x80048848

I went to Windows website to problem solve this error message and done steps recommended there (update Windows Live Essentials, disabled Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Defender) but none of these helped.

He has to disconnect and reconnect to the Broadband and then open Live Mail to be able to Send/Receive emails.

Is there any settings in Windows or Live Mail I can change to fix this problem? Since it is probably a Broadband issue who would I contact Dell or Verizon? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Broadband in the Greater LA area?

Katemonkey — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:30:22 -0800

Broadband recommendations for the Long Beach/Greater L.A. area? There is, of course, a catch... My brother is getting our dad a laptop for Christmas, and he seems to think that he needs a wireless router bought separately (which would then be my present for him).

I don't know the first thing about broadband packages in L.A., but it seems to me that they would come with a wireless router, right? Because they do over here in the UK.

And there are installation issues - I'm not in L.A., my brother's not in L.A., my dad kinda likes being a luddite, and he works nights. So there might be some issues there. It's gotta be something where they set it all up nicely, and they have to be there in the morning, because waking my dad up in the afternoon is like poking polar bears with a stick.

So, really, what I'm hoping for is this: A broadband package that is fairly cheap, comes with a wireless router, lets someone in another country pay for the initial set-up, sets it all up perfectly in the morning, and has the speed and quality to let my dad watch things like NASA videos and Dodger games while at home.

Is that possible? If it's not, could you recommend to me a good broadband provider that my dad could use?

Can I rent bandwidth for a day?

MrBobaFett — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:53:21 -0800

Where can I rent bandwidth for a few hours? The design department here needs to do a big web presentation. They are using WebEx and when they did their dry run today they found the whole thing is lagging really bad. This seems to be due to our T1 that is our shared phone and internet. We need to upgrade that I know. That's the plan, but they need to give this presentation Monday.

Is there some place in the Chicago area where we can rent 3 desks with high speed internet access and a phone? OpenDesks looks like a possibility, but I don't see anywhere on the site where they say if the offices have internet and how much bandwidth they offer.

Basically we need a cyber cafe for business. Reliable fast broadband and phone for 3-4 hours. Is this a pipe dream?

When something seems too good to be true...

chmmr — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:43:10 -0800

I am looking into an "unlimited" ADSL2 broadband service, offered by TPG in Australia. It seems like an unusually good deal - enough to make me suspicious that there's some kind of hidden catch. I was hoping someone would be able to confirm/refute my doubts. Personally, I pay $60/month for 150Gb/month from Internode. I've been perfectly happy with their service.

TPG's offer (detailed here) is for unlimited, uncapped, unthrottled bandwidth, plus landline phone service, for the same price.

Reviews of TPG in general, and this plan in particular, that I've come across on various forums seem to be mixed. What I'm asking is: can I take this offer at face value? Are TPG-using MeFites happy with their service? My instincts are all saying something's not quite right here.

Academic Sources on Community Broadband needed

indiebass — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:39:02 -0800

Can anyone help me find academic or empirical sources to reference/cite in a law paper about state laws that prohibit local communities from building their own broadband networks? I am in my first semester of grad school, and I am trying to find sources that I can reference/cite, etc. in a pretty substantial paper on state laws that prohibit or restrict local communities from building their own broadband networks. I am specifically making an argument that these laws are economically inefficient, and should be rescinded.

I've turned in my abstract for the paper, but it hasn't been accepted yet; I have a meeting tomorrow and I need to present 5 (or so) sources, or I'll have to start over from scratch with another topic. I want to avoid this, because I do care about this topic, and I think the approach is a new one.

I know that my economic arguments will be sound, but finding prior research in this area has been difficult. I am interested in municipal broadband projects and especially in cooperative broadband projects (sort of the modern equivalent of the electrical co-ops of the 1930s). I've been on Google Scholar, of course, but I have not been very successful in this area, yet. I am trying to find anything that has been published (preferably in the last 2-3 years?) on the laws themselves, or the legal challenges both parties have made in these cases, or the like.

As always, any help you can give me would be immensely appreciated! Please let me know if I can clarify anything.

Does the espn app have video ads?

kilikina73 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:45:35 -0800

Does the WatchESPN app have ads before the video starts (on live events or on demand video)? Canadian seeking info from those with US app store access! Without access to the US iTunes store, and a US ISP or tv service account, I cannot learn about some popular, industry-relevant video related apps. I am specifically looking for info about the WatchESPN app, but would appreciate MeMail access to any Mefites who love video and could share info about CNN go, hbo go, etc!

Best prepaid mobile broadband in the U.S.

Kadin2048 — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:31:27 -0800

What's the best prepaid mobile broadband service for use in the U.S.? I've found myself doing a lot of traveling within the U.S. and constantly get stuck in areas without Internet access. We're not talking about the boonies, so there's great cellular coverage, just no wired or wireless Internet.

I have a smartphone and the ability to tether it for data, but it doesn't seem entirely stable and loves to revert back to EDGE at random, inconvenient times.

What I'd really like is the sort of prepaid mobile broadband that's seemingly common all over the rest of the world. I'd like to buy a USB aircard thing, put a prepaid SIM in it, and then pay per-megabyte for usage without a monthly fee, recharging it when I hit $0 balance. That way if I go a month or two without needing it, I don't get slammed for something I'm not using. I'd rather pay more for data than be on any sort of regularly-billed plan.

Does anything like this exist in the U.S.? I've looked a bit at Virgin Mobile and Cricket, but their "prepaid" services seem more like "contract-less" services. Which is nice, but I don't want to be on a monthly plan at all.

Any ideas?

o2 thinband, unfair useage policy

run"monty — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:14:27 -0800

My 'unlimited' broadband supplier (O2) has scolded me for exceeding its fair usage limit of 40GB. I see this as unfair. What would be the most effective way to complain? Apologies if this question comes across as a tad vexatious.

Today I received an email from my broadband supplier stating that I was using 'significant amounts' of their network capacity. This is my second warning; the first was in January. I do not consider myself to be an excessive user of the internet.

When I received the original email, I thought it fair that I unsync my home computer from DropBox thinking that those 100MB files might possibly be to blame.

However, it seems that last month's downloading of XCode 4, a couple of HD movies from iTunes, and some Doctor Who on iPlayer (which I reckon they've been throttling) has once again upset the beast and prompted them to send me the second warning.

The thing is, I've been an O2 'unlimited' broadband for a couple of years and it's only in recent months that I've had these emails. I called them this afternoon and was told that my usage was over their 40GB threshold. Whilst I am not naive enough to really believe 'unlimited' actually means 'unlimited', 40GB seems stingily low. 'Unlimited' really does seem inappropriate (some would say, misleading).

From their Fair Usage Policy:

4.1 Unless you are a customer signing up or moving to our Access package after 14th July
2010, there is no limit on the monthly network usage. However if we feel that your activities
are so excessive that other customers are detrimentally affected, we may give you a written
warning (by email or otherwise). In extreme circumstances, if the levels of activity do not
immediately decrease after the warning, we may terminate or suspend your Services.

No mention of what 'excessive' might mean.

I expect that I'll have to change ISP but after two years of paying £22 a month, I think I should at least try and see how far my consumer rights get me.

So, hivemind, I want to complain and I want to be heard. I assume I can't be the only mefite to have received such a warning from O2. I've written letters of complaint to companies before but this issue irks me more than any and so I want it to be effective (for my sake and the sake of the other subscribers). What should my tactic be? How do I win at this game?

(I guess I won't be downloading OS X Lion any time soon!)

For reference, here's the email I received:

We hope that you are enjoying your home broadband experience with us. Unfortunately, it looks like you’ve been using significant amounts of our network capacity and it’s affecting the service that our other customers get.

We need your help to make sure that all of our customers get the most from their broadband service. Here are some of the things you can do:
Be Aware - Make sure you know what’s using up a lot of bandwidth.
Peer-to-peer software - like Bittorrent. As these programs download and upload files, you might be using more than you realise.
File sharing - some programs might run continually in the background. If you turn off the ‘auto start’ setting you can stop this.
BBC iPlayer - If you’re using the old version, switch to the new version – it uses less capacity
Ask around - Someone else in your house might be using it more than you realise. Ask everyone to use a bit less
Lower your download speed - Most file sharing programs let you set a maximum download speed, please set yours to low.
Download an application that will monitor usage – There are lots available to download for free and it might help you keep an eye on how much you are downloading
And the simplest solution is to download and upload less.

Taking some or all of these steps will make sure all our customers get the most from their broadband. We’d like to help you sort this out as things unfortunately can’t carry on like this. Sadly, unless you cut down by next month, we’ll not be able to offer you a home broadband service. It’s not something we want to do, but it’s the only way to make sure all our customers get the same quality service.

And if you’ve got any questions or need some help to cut down, please call us.
Regards,

Felix Geyr

Head of O2 Home Broadband

This email is sent from Telefónica O2 UK Limited.
Registered Office:
260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 4DX.
Registered number: 1743099.