Cable Forum - View Single Post

sav_c · 12-10-2006, 14:55

I've had Sky and NTL and BT services and my experiences have produced the conclusion that:

BB - NTL
TV - Sky
Phone - BT

are the best options IMO.

I've had BT Broadband and it was dire. NTL BB is a million times better. I had to constantly restart my modem every couple of days. You can't stay connected 24/7 as they lead you to believe. NTL BB is great, it works and the only time I've been knocked off the system is when an upgrade took place - a quick restart later I had double the speed. It is more expensive to pay for NTL than 'free' Sky BB but it also doesn't have the same grindingly slow access when everyone gets home from school/work. Sky BB is heavily shaped so watch out. Free doesn't mean worth it.

NTL TV was dire, the box kept freezing and would need a reboot every couple of days. The programme guide was sooooo slow and using one of the menus guaranteed to crash the box too. In short, as long as you never need to change channel it was great! The channels are all over the place and a pain to remember - I know they are supposed to be doing a reorganisation but they've been talking about if for 3 years! I moved to Sky+ after 1 year with NTL and have not looked back. Sky and Sky+ work, the channels are well ordered and the boxes don't crash every day.

My BT phone line has been far superior to my NTL. The NTL line seems to suffer from many more failures than the BT line.

Q. What equipement will I get with NTL? Is the modem wireless? And if not can I buy a wireless one (Sky restrict you to their own modem)?

A. You get a cable modem. You can buy a wireless router for Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£25+ depending on make. The router plugs into the modem and you have wireless access.

Q. Is the NTL Modem compatible with XBox Live? What is connection speed like? Any lag?

A. Don't know, never done it.

Q. Do I get a phone with the phone line?

A. No.

Q. NTL Is available in my area, but how do I determine where the cable comes into my house?

A. Talk to the installer. In my experience they are usually accomodating as long as you don't want anything that will cause them too much extra work. They get paid by the job so they don't want to be there too long.

Q. Does the Set-Top-Box need to be plugged into a phone line?

A. Not the NTL one. SKy and Sky+ do.

Q. I plan to put my TV in a place where there is currently no TV aerial or phone sockets. Will the installer run cables to the correct position for me?

A. If you have no NTL in your house they'll run the cable to where you want it, but be aware that they won't lift carpets etc. If you want the cable to be hidden you need to be prepared do the lifting and moving yourself.

Q. What are peoples general feelings about NTL and their service?

A. In my opinion, NTL BB is great, phone is OK, TV is crap, customer service is appalling.

12-10-2006, 14:55	#4
sav_c Inactive Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fleet Posts: 24	Re: NTL or Sky in new house??? I've had Sky and NTL and BT services and my experiences have produced the conclusion that: BB - NTL TV - Sky Phone - BT are the best options IMO. I've had BT Broadband and it was dire. NTL BB is a million times better. I had to constantly restart my modem every couple of days. You can't stay connected 24/7 as they lead you to believe. NTL BB is great, it works and the only time I've been knocked off the system is when an upgrade took place - a quick restart later I had double the speed. It is more expensive to pay for NTL than 'free' Sky BB but it also doesn't have the same grindingly slow access when everyone gets home from school/work. Sky BB is heavily shaped so watch out. Free doesn't mean worth it. NTL TV was dire, the box kept freezing and would need a reboot every couple of days. The programme guide was sooooo slow and using one of the menus guaranteed to crash the box too. In short, as long as you never need to change channel it was great! The channels are all over the place and a pain to remember - I know they are supposed to be doing a reorganisation but they've been talking about if for 3 years! I moved to Sky+ after 1 year with NTL and have not looked back. Sky and Sky+ work, the channels are well ordered and the boxes don't crash every day. My BT phone line has been far superior to my NTL. The NTL line seems to suffer from many more failures than the BT line. Q. What equipement will I get with NTL? Is the modem wireless? And if not can I buy a wireless one (Sky restrict you to their own modem)? A. You get a cable modem. You can buy a wireless router for Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£25+ depending on make. The router plugs into the modem and you have wireless access. Q. Is the NTL Modem compatible with XBox Live? What is connection speed like? Any lag? A. Don't know, never done it. Q. Do I get a phone with the phone line? A. No. Q. NTL Is available in my area, but how do I determine where the cable comes into my house? A. Talk to the installer. In my experience they are usually accomodating as long as you don't want anything that will cause them too much extra work. They get paid by the job so they don't want to be there too long. Q. Does the Set-Top-Box need to be plugged into a phone line? A. Not the NTL one. SKy and Sky+ do. Q. I plan to put my TV in a place where there is currently no TV aerial or phone sockets. Will the installer run cables to the correct position for me? A. If you have no NTL in your house they'll run the cable to where you want it, but be aware that they won't lift carpets etc. If you want the cable to be hidden you need to be prepared do the lifting and moving yourself. Q. What are peoples general feelings about NTL and their service? A. In my opinion, NTL BB is great, phone is OK, TV is crap, customer service is appalling.