My Views on NTL after 2 Months

[IanUK]

Hi,

I don't know if this is helpful or not but it sure makes me feel a bit better to get it off my chest (its not all bad though !)

I've had NTL installed for about 2 months now (Havering area).

These are my findings/thoughts (just my opinions)

Good:

The Digital TV service has been very good, the box has locked when using Interactive or looking up program details a couple of times and the new UK People channel was late starting - but mostly it has been good, picture quality is very very good.

Internet availability is also good, no downtime at all yet (Now I've said it !)

Bad:

Lots of site access problems - changing proxies always seems to fix it, but why should I have to bother ? for instance to watch BBC online news I have to usually switch proxies before it will let me have the 'fast quality' streams.
Broadband Plus - its nearly always unavailable for one reason or another whenever I try to access it - they certainly won't be getting my money while it remains so unreliable.
Newsserver - was brilliant - really good - for the last 2 days everything is awful again, totally unusable, so my money that would be spent on Broadband Plus will have to go towards a pay newsserver instead.

The cap hasn't been a problem, I've gone over 1 gig on the odd occasion (almost 4 gig one day !) but my normal usage is nearer 3-400 meg (mind you if more web sites worked properly....) so no warning letter on the doormat yet....

In summary I guess I'm half pleased

My personal wish list would be:

Get FX & Horror channel on TV
Extend cap to 5 gig (for those days when its needed)
Make the newsserver reliable !

Thats my lot

Ian

[Graham F]

Glad you are kinda of happy with the service, just a shame that you have been let down by the usually stuff

Ian you should take a few mins to fill out a user review http://www.cableforum.co.uk/review/

[abailey152]

Originally Posted by IanUK

Lots of site access problems - changing proxies always seems to fix it, but why should I have to bother ? for instance to watch BBC online news I have to usually switch proxies before it will let me have the 'fast quality' streams.

Yes, the proxy problems always seem to crop up after a period of "load balancing". Why is this? I would like to know. It isn't something that lasts a few hours, either. The problems usually remain for days.

Then some of the NTL tech people have the nerve to complain that users setting their own proxies "unbalances" the system. Well, yeah it might, but if the job was done right in the first place, we wouldn't have to resort to such tactics. In all the time I've used the net, I don't know of one other ISP who regularly has these problems.

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by IanUK

<snip>
Extend cap to 5 gig (for those days when its needed)

You can go to 5 gig...as long as you don't do it more then 3 times in a fortnight....

[ntl customer]

Lots of site access problems - changing proxies always seems to fix it, but why should I have to bother ? for instance to watch BBC online news I have to usually switch proxies before it will let me have the 'fast quality' streams.

I always seem to have to do this too to be able to view the broadband streams. Of course, if they had no proxies then we would not have to have this stupid problem.

I have been with ntl two and a bit months too. Here is my view of the service...

It's complete ****e.

Email is Ok but seems to have a habit of breaking down when it wants to, web browsing can be dreadfully slow at times - bah those stupid proxies, newsgroups are completely useless when it comes to binaries and downloading text only messages.

In all the time I've used the net, I don't know of one other ISP who regularly has these problems.

Neither have I. I have never had an ISP that uses forced transparent proxies, nor had such an unreliable email and news service. I shall want to jump ship at the earliest opportunity.

[Matth]

Noticing a lot of "only works on the second try" - cannot find host or DNS error - not sure if that's proxy, DNS or BOTH giving rise to that problem.


If I had to put the main problem of NTLWORLD in one word ... RELIABILITY.

On the rare occasions when all the parts are working, it is a joy to behold, and none of the fiddling with PPOE and other oddities that can beset ADSL.

But, in the main, there is always something down, or at best only half working:
1. The flaky DNS
2. The flaky proxies
3. Email, varies between excellent, slow, and failed
4. News servers, they DID work well, once upon a time, long, long ago

NTL crow about having a million broadband users, but it fees like they can only comfortably run half that!

[rdhw]

Originally Posted by Matth

Noticing a lot of "only works on the second try" - cannot find host or DNS error - not sure if that's proxy, DNS or BOTH giving rise to that problem.

There is another possibility: a software firewall that is too strict about replies from DNS servers. If you have a firewall, try configuring it to trust NTL's DNS servers, so that DNS replies always get through to the operating system.

[Matth]

General "Allow DNS" rule - I was actually thinking of tightening it.

The firewall does log some "Destination Unreachable/3" to the DNS servers - after kicking around at the firewall forum, it appears to mean that the reply from DNS was so late that it's been timed out - I wonder where that timeout is set?