View Full Version : 10mb Set Top Box
Having just looked at upgrading to the 10mb service I have seen that I have to change my current set top box (Samsung) to a newer modem. Can anytone give me any information on this new set top box and why there is a charge of £50 to do so.
In another thread I have discussed moving over to a seperate modem as they can upgrade for free online. It seems that because I choose to get all 3 services (Tel, Tv and BB) I am being penalised for doing so via a set top box. :(
You will probably not be able to move to a SACM unless you can prove that your service is impaired by using the STB. The charge is probably for the change of hardware which is not faulty. (The fact that it won't work with 10Mb is totally ignored by NTL in these situations) If the STB were faulty then it would be a free replacement.
Having just looked at upgrading to the 10mb service I have seen that I have to change my current set top box (Samsung) to a newer modem. Can anytone give me any information on this new set top box and why there is a charge of £50 to do so.
In another thread I have discussed moving over to a seperate modem as they can upgrade for free online. It seems that because I choose to get all 3 services (Tel, Tv and BB) I am being penalised for doing so via a set top box. :(
The general policy is that so many modems can't run at a full 10Mb, they don't want the cost of giving everyone a new one for free. STBs can't do 10Mb, so anyone who wants it has to get a separate, Stand Alone Cable Modem (SACM). You won't lose your STB though, you will continue to use this for TV only.
TBH I'd be equally peeved if I were in this situation. New customers will get a new modem and 10Mb; loyal customers who signed up years ago (and who therefore have inadequate equipment) get short changed.
What I'd do is phone them and explain you will cancel all your services and move to Sky/ADSL if they don't dish you out a new SACM. There are plenty of free install/free equipment deals out there at the moment. I expect the retentions department will be slightly more accommodating than the people you've been dealing with so far.
What I'd do is phone them and explain you will cancel all your services and move to Sky/ADSL if they don't dish you out a new SACM. There are plenty of free install/free equipment deals out there at the moment. I expect the retentions department will be slightly more accommodating than the people you've been dealing with so far.
Yep I agree, having 3 services puts you in a good position to go to retentions and force the issue there. NTL probably won't enjoy losing too many customers who currently have all 3 services with them.
Chrysalis
05-01-2006, 11:14
the 120s are shaky as well I think, they will run 10meg but dont seem to be as stable after the firmware update.
Thanks for those replies, some good info there for me to use ;)
Chrysalis, I presume 120s are the type of SACM that are around.
I must admit I have had very litle problems with the STB over the past few years, so feel unsure about changing.
I'm on the '10mb' samsung stb as well. I don't really care if I don't get the full 10mb speed as the 5-7mb I am getting is just fine (I've forgotten how many free upgrades I've had in the last year or so). At least I'm not on bulldog 8mb and only getting 1-2mb :D
Rang NTL and asked if I could have a SACM instead of the set top box. Got put on hold for 2 mins and she came back and said no problem, and engineer will call out on Tuesday. Lets hope I have done the right thing.
craig5320
05-01-2006, 15:32
I've always had my BB through the set-top box, since i got it 4 years ago.
I wanted a CM but was told they weren't available in my area, When the upgrade to 1.5mb came, I had to wait months after all the CM folk before I got my new box, then we had to wait again for the move to 3mb, and now all this mess, so I've paid the money and I've got me a CM. Just so that in the future I won't be last in the queue because I was first in the queue at the beginning.
Hopefully if they sort the network out and in the coming year we see speeds upto 25mb to match ADSL2 I won't be left waiting...
If you can afford it, ditch the STB it's simply not good enough anymore.
Jim galbally
05-01-2006, 17:46
i had a similar experience with NThell and the bull they kept giving me.
i ended up buying a SACM off ebay for 40quid
but even then i had a nightmare, as they still wanted to charge me for a SACM!!! after about 6 phonecalls with what can only be described as "completely useless jobsworth ****s" i finally got hold of someone who wasn't a complete idiot and he quickly activated my shiny new SACM and 10mb BB service. it was a real ball ache to get sorted tho...
Cable modem is coming on Tuesday. Do I have to install all that software that comes with it. I have a Lan connection which I hope still to use?
i had a similar experience with NThell and the bull they kept giving me.
i ended up buying a SACM off ebay for 40quid
but even then i had a nightmare, as they still wanted to charge me for a SACM!!! after about 6 phonecalls with what can only be described as "completely useless jobsworth ****s" i finally got hold of someone who wasn't a complete idiot and he quickly activated my shiny new SACM and 10mb BB service. it was a real ball ache to get sorted tho...
The CSR was not a jobsworth as it is illegal to buy a SACM off EBAY and to connect it to the network. All SACM's are owned by NTL.
---------- Post added at 18:58 ---------- Previous post was at 18:56 ----------
Cable modem is coming on Tuesday. Do I have to install all that software that comes with it. I have a Lan connection which I hope still to use?
Do not run the disc, just connect via ethernet as you do now and type in 'autoreg.autoregister.net' and follow the instructions. oh and make sure you get the PIN number off the install tech before he leaves.;)
Jim galbally
05-01-2006, 19:21
it is illegal to buy a SACM off EBAY and to connect it to the network. All SACM's are owned by NTL.
no its not, and no they're not
and thats not the reason i think the blokes were jobsworths, it was the LIES they were giving me about technical limitations/problems which i KNOW were made up.
it is illegal to buy a SACM off EBAY and to connect it to the network. All SACM's are owned by NTL.
no its not, and no they're not
and thats not the reason i think the blokes were jobsworths, it was the LIES they were giving me about technical limitations/problems which i KNOW were made up.
Don't want to go too far off topic, but AFAIK, NTL DO now retain ownership of Cable Modems and STB. I know they USED to allow you to use your own cable modem, but they aren't doing this any more.
Of course, if you bought your cable modem in the past, you are free to do what you will with it. Somebody who buys a cable modem now will NOT be able to get it to work through NTL.
So, yes, the chances are that if you see a cable modem or STB for sale on eBay, it does belong to NTL or Telewest. The person who is selling it is therefore selling stolen property, and if you buy it, you are buying stolen property. Both of which are illegal.
no its not, and no they're not
and thats not the reason i think the blokes were jobsworths, it was the LIES they were giving me about technical limitations/problems which i KNOW were made up.
ummm your wrong, if as your avatar suggests you have a NTL:250, then you cant & never have been able to buy them...
The only Cm's available to buy were the Surfboards, terayons & tailfins, & that was along time ago, the 250's have been out about 12-18mnths & in that time all Cm's given to customers would have been loaned as part of the usual rental package....
i had a similar experience with NThell and the bull they kept giving me.
i ended up buying a SACM off ebay for 40quid
but even then i had a nightmare, as they still wanted to charge me for a SACM!!! after about 6 phonecalls with what can only be described as "completely useless jobsworth ****s" i finally got hold of someone who wasn't a complete idiot and he quickly activated my shiny new SACM and 10mb BB service. it was a real ball ache to get sorted tho...
Can you please explain what the difference (from your point of view) between paying £40 for a modem off ebay and £50 for fitting a modem from NTL? I wouldn't risk handling stolen goods for a £10 saving.
Jim galbally
05-01-2006, 21:06
stuart, NTL were refusing to supply me with a new STB or a cable modem. i had no option but to buy my own.
as for owning modems, you can buy cable modems brand new from the manufacturer, NTL arent the only supplier of CMs worldwide. its perfectly acceptable to use your own equipment with their service, just needs a bit of reconfiguring to pick up the correct TFTP addresses etc.
however in my particular situation i did indeed buy an NTL:250 and the bloke did sound dodgy
Can you please explain what the difference (from your point of view) between paying £40 for a modem off ebay and £50 for fitting a modem from NTL? I wouldn't risk handling stolen goods for a £10 saving.
depends on the modem surely, i mean we have a sb4100 which belongs to my dad and NOT NTL.
EDIT: although clearly an NTL 250 shouldnt be on ebay and he shouldn't have bought it
Jim galbally
05-01-2006, 21:30
also if i bought on ebay i was guaranteed a 250 not some old secondhand 120 or something
ian@huth
05-01-2006, 22:01
i had a similar experience with NThell and the bull they kept giving me.
i ended up buying a SACM off ebay for 40quid
but even then i had a nightmare, as they still wanted to charge me for a SACM!!! after about 6 phonecalls with what can only be described as "completely useless jobsworth ****s" i finally got hold of someone who wasn't a complete idiot and he quickly activated my shiny new SACM and 10mb BB service. it was a real ball ache to get sorted tho...The person at NTL who you say activated your cable modem was the completely useless one. If indeed he did activate it he shouldn't have as it was not one supplied by NTL.
Was the modem that you bought off Ebay badged as a NTL modem? If so you have definately been handling stolen goods.
stuart, NTL were refusing to supply me with a new STB or a cable modem. i had no option but to buy my own.
Not even if you offered to pay?
as for owning modems, you can buy cable modems brand new from the manufacturer, NTL arent the only supplier of CMs worldwide. its perfectly acceptable to use your own equipment with their service, just needs a bit of reconfiguring to pick up the correct TFTP addresses etc.
It's not illegal However it is against NTL's terms and conditions.
From http://www.home.ntl.com/page/termsresidential
9.1 If any further internal cable or Equipment is required it must be provided by us and you may have to pay our reasonable additional Charges.
So you do risk losing your service if NTL find out.
However, technically, seeing as the other bloke sold a modem he had no right to, you *are* handling stolen goods, which is illegal.
i wander do NTL really care that much that he bought the modem off ebay :erm: :confused:
I mean i know they probably could do him for handling stolen goods if they really wanted to ,the person who sold him the modem had no right to do so in the first place
But at least he is actually a paying customer and not for stealing service that he shouldnt have so its an NTL modem being used on the NTL network by someone paying NTL for service. so surely its not so bad :erm:
besides when you cancell broadband i thought NTL didn't even bother asking for the modem back anyway :Yikes: .
True..
Anyway, back to the subject. I have to admit though, I am slightly angry with NTL for being short sighted enough to specify a box (the Samsung, which I have) that apparently cannot manage 10 meg. They then have the cheek to charge us if we want the same service Cable Modem users get for the same price.
It doesn't bother me that much, as the Samsung can go fast enough for me, but it would be nice to have the same service.
Which Modem am I likley to be supplied with now then ?
Which Modem am I likley to be supplied with now then ?
no idea probly whatever the installer has in the back of his van :erm:
are you having to pay £50 to change or did you manage to get retention's to waive that fee?
I also think its rather poor on ntl's part to expect someone to pay for someone to come out and change 10mbit users over to sacm its not the customers fault the equipment NTL themselves provided is not capable of giveing the service the customer is actally paying to get.
its not like with some ADSL isps where you use your own modem.
this is NTL's equipment we are talking about and therefore its their repsonsiblity to ensure its fit for the purpose its provided for.
No charge, or at least non has been mentioned. I didnt make any mention of upgrading to 10mb when I rang. My enquiry was just to change from the STB to a SACM. I did get quite chatty to her and asked what I would have to do sometime in the future if I wanted to upgrade to 10mb. She told me that initially on install my speed would be similar to what it is now, which is probably about 5mb. However all I needed to do is upgrade online and it would be done. We shall see.
To be honest it has really annoyed me that I have had to go to this trouble and I am considering throwing the TV package in and just getting a Sky+ box but thats a different issue.
I'm currently going through the process of trying to get a SACM but, without paying the £50 fee. I have all three services from ntl and have done for years. I've always had the top package as well.
I just phoned Customer Services to discuss/complain that I pay £38 a month like other people but, I only get 70% of the package. Also, that it wasn't that long ago that I had the STB changed from the old version (Pace was it?) so I could get the 3mb speed, and that they did this without me asking and no charge.
The emplyee refused to discuss the matter and just kept repeatedly saying you can have a SACM but there's a £50.00 installation fee. When I asked why they couldn't install it for free, I was told that any one in Customer Services, including managers, doesn't have the authority to make this decision. What I should do is fill out the form on the ntl website requesting a SACM install and, when they contact me, to discuss it with them as only they could make the decision. Apparently I'll be contacted in the next 10 days by them. 10 Days!!! I'm blaming the employee here for anything as I expect they're under specific instructions on what to do in these cases. In general I find most people at ntl very helpful and polite.
After a quick break and a cup of tea (or possibly something stronger the way thid is going :) ), I'm going to call up again and speak to a supervisor and make an official complaint. One good thing about the fee being £50 is that it'll cost ntl more to deal with my complaint than install the SACM for free. So, if they're not prepared to do it for free then, I'll be more than happy for then to make a commercial decision and do it for free due to that.
I'll try to remember to post the result.
garyparson
06-01-2006, 18:45
What if you cancel your broadband then ring up one second later and order 10 meg? Why wouldn't this work?
New customers only, your account will stay on file for a while and they would know what you have done ;)
Chrysalis
07-01-2006, 01:05
dont worry about the 120s if you paying for a change from STB to SACM, ntl as far as I am aware are now only giving out 250s.
busterdan
07-01-2006, 01:41
I am a bit confused by this because I have agreed to go for 10mb and was advised that I would get a SACM as well as keeping my Samsung STB... I was also told that a extra cable would need to be routed into the house from the box outside to the SACM.
I certainly wasn't told about any fee....
The guy is supposed to come on Tuesday....I'm actually hoping he'll be able to reroute the existing STB cable and bring the SACM on with it... because at the moment the cable works it's way around the living room...whereas the TV is now closer to the outside wall where the box is.
If the engineer comes with a new STB or a SACM that doesn't supprt the full 10mb then I wont have it and simply cancel... I'll keep you posted.
busterdan
07-01-2006, 08:56
Just to add... I got a letter through the post this morning with my pin number.
It also has a foot note on the bottom stating use ethernet instead of USB to get extra benefits, reliabilty, standard connection, compatibility with home network equipment.
What if you cancel your broadband then ring up one second later and order 10 meg? Why wouldn't this work?
If they check your house address it should have all details about your present and past accounts that are associated with that address. It would then be up to the sales person as to how they proceed.
I am a bit confused by this because I have agreed to go for 10mb and was advised that I would get a SACM as well as keeping my Samsung STB... I was also told that a extra cable would need to be routed into the house from the box outside to the SACM.
Are you an existing 3Mb customer or, upgrading from 1 or 2Mb? I believe if your upgrading then they treat you similar to a new customer. I don't know this for definate though.
As for my quest to get a free SACM, I've not managed to get through to ntl again yet. there's only so long I'll hold on the phone for. I'll be trying again on Monday :)
busterdan
07-01-2006, 12:41
Are you an existing 3Mb customer or, upgrading from 1 or 2Mb? I believe if your upgrading then they treat you similar to a new customer. I don't know this for definate though.
As for my quest to get a free SACM, I've not managed to get through to ntl again yet. there's only so long I'll hold on the phone for. I'll be trying again on Monday :)
I'm upgrading... I was on 3mb for about 4 months at the beginning of last year but didn't feel the extra speed at that time over 2mb was really worth the cost.
busterdan
10-01-2006, 16:24
I'm upgraded now... not really tested anything yet... just downloaded Winamp at around 760kbps
I was given a NTL250 cable modem.
So far so good but will run a speed test later.
SACM (NTL 250) was installed today and after a few problems trying to get a PIN number from them I am up and running.
Lots of flashing lights here and I am a little puzzled what they all mean apart from the obvious. Als, is it OK to have the modem permanantly powered, even with the PC off.
busterdan
10-01-2006, 16:43
SACM (NTL 250) was installed today and after a few problems trying to get a PIN number from them I am up and running.
Lots of flashing lights here and I am a little puzzled what they all mean apart from the obvious. Als, is it OK to have the modem permanantly powered, even with the PC off.
Yes will be OK to leave on.... well I plan to anyway... my router sdtays on all the time anyway.
I'm going to try this free test later this evening to see how good or bad things are... http://www.broadbandspeedtest.net/
busterdan
10-01-2006, 21:03
Spme speed test results... http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showpost.php?p=665169&postcount=11
SACM (NTL 250) was installed today and after a few problems trying to get a PIN number from them I am up and running.
Lots of flashing lights here and I am a little puzzled what they all mean apart from the obvious. Als, is it OK to have the modem permanantly powered, even with the PC off.
yeah as far as i know, hardly ever gets turned off here and thats with a sb4100 since back when it was 512/128k ;)
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