Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Fed up with the renfrew proxy / newsgroups / email situation on NTL so looking for some advice as to what DL speed I can expect on 1mb ADSL from PIPEX and what their current binary newsgroup completion is..

FYI I have at the moment a good 120 - 130kB/s through cable and would be none too happy if this was reduced by using ADSL. Reason im asking is my mate has ADSL not from PIPEX though and it rarely hits 90kB/s.

I have got my BT line reconnected in preperation and NTL are offering freebies to stay!

Cheers in advance!

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

PM Neil about PIPEX, he has the info.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Follow the link in my sig & you'll never look back!!

PM me if you need any more info. :)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

I am getting the business 20:1 1mb as soon as I move - I am looking forward to it I can tell you...

Comparing Pipex to NTL is like comparing a clapped out scoda to a supercar !!

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Have to add that pure speed isnt everything, just get rid of the proxies and fly........
1meg is no good if there is a three second pause after every click!

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

:rolleyes:

Are you being paid by Neil now ;) I doubt 1m pipex runs any better than my 1m NTL here.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

That's good for you Pem, but not for the person who requested the info.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Yes it's good for me - and my reply was to Stuart, not bawbag99 whose request has, I believe, already been answered by your advert.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Not on Pipex yet pem. Just going by the views of 10-15 network techs at my work. They have all switched over from ntl as we now have a contract with pipex and they have all stated that it flies like s**t of a spade :D

I would be happy to stay with NTL if they could sort out my BB. Never had any problems with the phone or the tv (apart from the red button never working)

Actualy - I called then at about 6:00pm to ask that caller id be added and the phone was answered in about 30 secs. The service was online by 7:0o0pm..... I know I moan and groan about NTL but I will allways give a company the benifit of the doubt.......

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

so true, got 512k internet today from freedom2surf and despite lower d/load sppeds than my 1meg ntl(still got it) it rulessss........ the lack of proxies means that pages load as soon as you click and that makes a big difference.

I know i have just moved and must seem like i am trying to justify it but on the whole with 3 pcs running in the house on a linksys router it feels really much faster, so much better :)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

I have the pipex 1 meg service, it's pretty much faultless, I've had a couple of DNS problems a while ago and about 10 seconds downtime today but other than that .. I can't fault it.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Pipex 512 here.. faultless.. No noticable downtime yet, and my computers are connected 24/7.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Well from a longish standind Pipex customer - myself have been on their 512 service for over a year.

Stability and reliability is ace and have been notified of any possible outages well in advance via e-mail mostly for a minute tops while BT carry out work at the exchange although it has never noticably affected me.

Email has yet to fail in 12 months plus never had to call their customer services so no comment there.

As for the 1meg service i took for a while on a trial basis and it was bursty and went from 90 to 130 and jumped alot so gave up on the trial after 1 month as i was and am getting a steady 70-80 plus on the 512 service.

Although I am told it is a lot better now and stable on the 1 meg service and constantly hits 120 plus.

I guess there are a lot of varying factors depending on location and number of users but from in sunny Wales cannot fault it at all with Pipex.

Although I liked the one months free offer after being a customer for 12 months and also managed to get three months free for introducing friends but sadly but those offers have gone now.

:)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

My 512k Pipex service delivered downloads of 61k/s and upload of 30k/s 24x7x365, have had some email and DNS issues with them, which seem to be resolved now. News service on Pipex, text only is good, binary is very up and down. Reliability wise some issues there as well, appear to be resolved now.

1Mbit service delivers 120 - 122k/s downloads.

Pings are slightly higher than ntl, downloads slightly slower than they were on 1Mbit ntl, and browsing isn't as quick as on ntl, with graphics heavy pages there's quite a noticeable distance between their page loadings due to the lack of the burst that cable gives. That's the view from someone who's had both services.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Finally got my disconnection date from NTL: after two long phone calls to the retentions dept. Going to sign up for pipex 1mb, kind of high installation costs but at least no proxies to stop access to yahoo mail/messenger etc. Cheers for all the info!

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

What 'installation' costs are you referring to?

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

For the Pipex 1mb service it's £41.13 + your own modem costs + DSL filter/s, you're looking at probably over £100 in total if you get half decent equipment.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

But all Pipex charge is £41.13 (activation) for the 1 meg service, I agree about filter costs, but router is optional cost (same as with ntl)

So you're talking about £50.00 tops.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

You still have to buy your own modem unless you choose the service that includes a sh*te USB model, which then incurs an installation charge of £52.88.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Installation cost being, line activation & modem.

Over £100 in my case but thats becasue I already have an IPcop firewall and do not want to use USB, therefore £41 activation & £62 for ADSL modem with an Ethernet socket similar to the cable modem.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

get the origo (cheap name i know) eth router from ebuyer. £34 inc delivery, works straight out of the box, BSD firewall as well....fantastic

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Well cheers for the helpful information. Pipex is installed, speed is excellent, (120k/s) and NO PROXIES!! so fast & stable browsing compared to what I had on NTL (Renfrew). Ahh, I can get into yahoo profiles now!!

Only gripe is the binary newsgroups, good retention & completion BUT slow. Theres an outstanding fault ticket on it so hopefully this will be sorted soon.

Once again thanks for all the information especially the ebuyer link, saved a few pounds there!!!!

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Nice to see someone happy with Pipex. I got their service and it's just awful. Slow isn't the word. Reported the problem and they still haven't sorted it. I'd never recommend their service unfortunately. Roll on BTi.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Is the problem their ADSL service, or is their a problem with your (BT)line?

If it's your line, you will have that issue whoever you get your DSL from.

When you say 'they still haven't sorted it', what do you mean? How long has this been going on etc?

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

They said it could be a problem with my BT line. They said they will get in touch with them and have them run checks. That was over 2 weeks go. They advised me not to bother ringing back as they will sort it.

.... when I did ring I was in a queue for over 15 mins.

I miss my NTL broadband! lol (I'd never thought I would ever say that!)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Ring BT & ask them what is going on-it's their line that is causing the problem, not Pipex.

I rang BT to get an explanation of why I couldn't have 1 meg DSL when Pipex said it couldn't be done. I got a detailed & satisfactory explanation from BT. :tu:

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Wicked. Thanks Neil. I appreciate the help.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

ADSL Splitter/Micro Filter are only £1.17 inc vat :)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Can someone answer a few queries I have about using the Pipex Solo 512 service after reading thier site info?

1) The modem, it says it has to be plugged into the master socket?
Will it run OK if I plug it into an extension lead that plugs into the master socket, via a splitter, 1 side going to the modem & the other side going through a filter to the other sockets around the house.

2) This pages suggests to me that if I get the Solo 512 account I get a free domain name, is this so & if so does anyone know if that name gets registered to "me" & can I move it to another (like I-web) easily without cost?

3) If the service turns out to be complete crap as Bifta would suggest (and others say its excellent) would I be within my rights to cancel & not pay the £58 charge they say you have to pay if cancelling within the 1st 12 months, because they have not provided a reasonable level of service etc & broken the contract?

4) What can you do on the webspace?
Can you use PHP/CGI/forums/etc any of the things that you cannot on NTL space?

5) The Pipex webspace, if I make a site on there are there any bandwith restrictions on that sites use?

6) Is there a secret support number not given on the site, I want to try it occasionally?

7) Whats the email addresses likely to end in?

8) Are there any issues relating to Xbox use that I need to consider when choosing them?

Cheers,
Zoombini

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Yes.

Not sure, never took them up on it, probably best to ring them.

No, they'll automatically debit your credit/debit card or take it via Direct Debit, then, despite the complaint about their service, they'll completely ignore you and continue to bill you for a service you don't have (just like they're doing with me)

Probably best to ring them for this too, if they are offering a free domain name they might let you use at least Perl.

Again, give them a ring

0845 077 8324, it's on the site (10 minute queue when I last looked)

asdf01@dsl.pipex.com (for example)


No idea

You're welcome, just a shame you're not considering a decent ISP

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

I knew it, I just knew it... that you'd chip in...

Your not on them any more, leave off :D

As far as I know Pipex are the only company that offer free setup for ADSL & at the moment I cannot afford the extra £58 plus the cost of a ethernet modem which I must buy.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

I do think service is varied (as in where you are) and BT probably cause some problems too.

I've been on 512 Solo for about a year and have had no probs. Not even had to mail or phone CS. To be honest I can only recall one downtime, but that was just on email and webspace - and it was sorted quickly.

Hopefully, if you sign up, you'll be a lucky one - dare I say it - like me **runs off to touch some wood**

:D

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

See, another happy customer...

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

No they're not, and I did PM you with details of far better companies offering free setup.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Good luck to you if you do ever have to deal with the incompentant morons that work at Pipex, I cancelled my account 2 weeks ago and they still billed me 2 days ago, my account is still active and it's showing them due to bill me again at the beginning of next month, they quote 28 day's to respond to emails to customer service and at the moment, when I call them I get told to call again later as they're too busy (incompetant) to answer the phone.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Er.... you PM'd me with 1, "Plus Net".

Who for a similar service to the Pipex unlimited one charge the £58 activation fee.
Thier free setup service is capped.
And I have heard of no-one else saying how good they are & personal reccomendations are what I prefer rather than some likely biased magazine...
And Pipex gets a lot of good reccomendations from people here.

They do however offer 250mb webspace & 250mb daily bandwith on it, Per/PHP/MySQL etc.

Its the setup fee thats a pain for me, I can't afford it atthe moment & dont want to be without for the extra few month it will take.
Maybe I have to sweettalk the wife & get the kids on my side (I know thy will be, they love XBL).

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Why don't you do some research yourself?

There's a whole list of ISP's here:

http://www.adslguide.org.uk/isps/summarylist.asp

You could always check every single one of them to see what they offer, but if you've got your heart set on paying for crap (Pipex) then be prepared to accept exactly what you've paid for. Me, personally I'd rather have the peace of mind instead of scraping by with a cheap, nasty, amazingly useless ISP with far and above the worst service (customer/technical AND connection) I've ever experienced, and I include a particularly nasty period with NTL in that.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Pipex ain't crap I have had it for almost a year and it been "touches wood" brilliant and I just recommended it to another friend who signed up last week and he was online earlier than told. Chuffed he is.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

D'oh, my mistake, of course Pipex aren't crap, this is just a terrible nightmare I've woken up from. :rolleyes:

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Yes Bifta, its your nightmare!

You are the only person on this site that slates them so, everyone else has said they have been very happy with the service.

And I have been doing research, but reading webpages from the ISP's is in no way compared to personal reccomendations from people who use varying services.
You are extremely biased against Pipex, you have had bad service from them. There has to be someone for every ISP that does & for Pipex it is you.
I "have" noted what you say about them & take it into consideration, however please now shutup with slagging them off, its getting almost as bad as my slagging off NTL :D

I have looked at BT/BT-Yahoo & do not like them & they charge lots more, Nildram & I do not like what they offer, Plus net but they all charge for activation, Virgin.net are currently offering free activation & 1 month minimum service but give no indication of any charge for leaving in 12 month & no sales line to contact. Pipex currently seem to be the best option & if I want to go with them because I cannot afford the activation fee I will, however I value other peoples experiences with other ISP's not just yours.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

If you value opinions, I recommend you read pipexwoe.org.uk, pipexsupport.com and the message board posts about pipex on adslguide.org.uk, and no, I will not stop slagging them off, one day you'll all come running and say "f*ck, my internet connections shafted and Pipex are incapable of fixing it", and I'll resist strongly the urge to say "I told you so", I refuse to believe that nearly 5 months of complete f*ck ups by Pipex is just my bad luck, I'm pretty convinced they haven't reserved what amounts to the bottom of the barrel just for me.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Pipexwoe.org.uk does not appear to say they are that bad, many users on there say they are good, not many actual reports really, <500 users is not much.

Were you by chance "Saoirse" on pipexsupport.com? sounds very familier & like your problem.

Looking at pipexsupport there are a great many people who say how good it is in responce to the problems that some have had & the support have actually contributed to the website.

Customer support may not be the best in the world, Zen & Nildram may be better but they do not look that bad.

Thankyou for the links.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

That was me yes, they cancelled my membership as soon as I mentioned I'd moved on to Nildram :D And thinking about it, looking at the last post, they're all Pipex apologists. Good job they don't do that here with ex-NTL customers eh?

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Started with Pipex yesterday and the speed is fine for me. A couple of k down on NTLs speed, but I can live with that. Webpages are exploded onto the screen, instead of dribbled as it was with NTL. I suspect it's the lack of proxies. Tested my ping to the games servers I play and it was about 2ms more than on NTL, which to me is nothing, ie 20ms as opposed to 18ms on NTL. Good news was though, not a single sign of packet loss, unlike NTL, which dropped packets every once in a while and had a few terrible hops on the way. Binary news servers seems to have a service call against them at the moment. I was on them last night. There is a kind of stuttering delay to them at the moment. It completes ok, but takes longer as for every x seconds of download you get x seconds of delay. If they get them fixed then I will be one very happy bunny as the speeds at which things came down when they were coming down from them was pretty good for an ISP news service, something like 95-100KB/s for me.

Installation is free at the moment and if you get the xtreme 1meg package (and the other unlimited packages I think) they will throw in a free USB modem and a couple of pretty good splitters. I took this simply to get some splitters for my other phones and a backup modem for my DLINK ethernet jobbie! :)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

The news service has been faulty for weeks now.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Apparently, to get a brillant News group service, u need to pay for a dedicated one.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Sounds familier, however, there is signs of recent upgrades & many happy customers. Not that I use the newsgroups, I dont have the time to trawl through them nor want to download massive binaries.

For every problem reported that I read, there were many coming back saying that they did not have a problem. Unlike NTl, we come back & sympathise & tell them the fix is "coming soon" or just live with it because "thats life".

So I think you have made my mind up for me, I shall go with them just to pi$$ you off. :pp

I only need 1 filter to run the rest of the phone system through & the modem is useless to me.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

It won't pi$$ me off in the slightest, and with an attitude like that I think you should sign up with them, you deserve everything you get :)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Yes, I noticed that, but on the other hand I noticed the NTL ones were broken for years! :)

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

True, but I've left both companies in disgust ;) Admittedly though, the service from NTL despite it being pretty poor was still far FAR better than the one I experienced with Pipex.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

I deserve a damn site more than I am getting from the NTL service & I have no doubt that I will get it with Pipex. Cu.

Re: Anyone got info on PIPEX 1mb service?
 

Well just my tuppence worth.

Been on pipex 1mb for 5 weeks now.

In the most happy with the service especially working stable email servers!
Web browsing is lightning quick compared to NTL, and volia I can now access profiles.yahoo.com which was borked with ntls proxies in Glasgow but overall speed is slightly lower 119-120kB/s compared to 128kB/s on NTL. I also notice that if you have two downloads going web browsing speed takes a hit compared with NTLs service.
News servers are very slow ~19-20kB/s but completion is excellent, not on par with Clara but useable. There seems to be an ongoing issue with them at the mo but at least they are accessable.

Overall happy but the news servers better be working when my clara is up for renewal or it will be firefly 2mb with giganews......

BTW...I have not had reason to contact the support people yet but I am used to NTL so shouldnt be much worse hopefully!!

Cheers to all who responded!!!