General broadband discussion

The vast majority of people only connect by WiFi so i think it’s accepted that people use either

What other options do you have apart from cuckoo?

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You probably have a lot more options than you think! Most ISPs piggyback on the backhauls like BTWholesale/Openreach and TalkTalk. Those and virgin are the three big ones. Sky and Zen have their own backhaul in some locations but will also resell BT or TalkTalk in areas they don’t.

If cuckoo can provide you service then you’re covered by BT, and so any ISP supplying a service over their backhaul could service you in theory. I presume what it’s going to come down to for you is contract length and price, and this is what narrows your options as many will want to lock you for 18 months or more. Cuckoo have a very customer friendly thing going on in that regard so they’re not a bad choice at all.

IDNET is my go to recommendation these days for most people though, so they might be worth a look for you. Their services are typically provided on a one month contract as standard so you’re never locked in. In terms of quality of service, they’re a heck of a lot better than Cuckoo and only a smidge more expensive with the same setup costs.

I have never heard of Cuckoo but have similarly shopped around resellers for the best deals without giving too much thought about the differences until recently. As an o2 customer I switched from Sky Broadband to VM (Volt) getting a package that includes Gigabit internet and automatic doubling of my o2 contract data allowances. Most of my gadgets get 300-400mb via WiFi: my desktop and Xbox Series X are connected via ethernet (Cat 8) and Im getting around 1200mb stable download speeds. As I also shifted my digital subscriptions for a full tv package I am saving a few quid. I get Netflix with my TV package and Disney+ via O2.

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I am fortunate to live in Edinburgh, where digital infrastructure is much better than in other areas.The rural areas surrounding the city have invested similarly but progress has been slow. Most of my friends live in the rural outskirts and have a mixed experience of good/bad/ugly ranging from excellent coverage to constant drop outs from all providers. Virgin Media are giving customers 3 x free wifi extenders/boosters to address any WiFi black-spots in your home - I think most companies offer extenders/boosters.

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It arrived 10 minutes ago :eyes: shame their wasn’t a referral box otherwise I’ll of used yours.

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I like that you get “Hey Google” built into the mesh wifi system.

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Mine don’t have this as mine are wifi only, not hubs

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I don’t think mine does either. Just been saying hey Google to myself for last half hour thinking it don’t understand me

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Ah right. A quick check shows it’s Google Nest wifi which has the built–in Assistant, not Google wifi.

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Hi all,

I’m new to the Monzo community but was just wondering if anyone here is on Universal Credit and has managed to get a social tariff from their broadband provider?

Welcome.

It’s probably worth speaking to the provider direct to ask about this, they be more than happy to help.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/compare-broadband-deals/broadband-social-tariffs/

There may be people here too that may be able to help :blush:

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@Carlo1460 Little update. It hasn’t gone off as of yet since swapping it over to the Google wifi :ok_hand:t2:

Strangely enough virgin media randomly sent out a engineer today who blamed the equipment and I had to say I only got that because yours wasn’t working.

After he huffed around he found the issue and hopefully it’s completely back to normal.

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Well they will promote their own tech, even though it’s crap.

Stick with google, absolutely faultless.

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Expect this a lot from them for virtually every issue that may crop up going forward.

Until you’re using a wired connection to their supplied router, it’s always your equipment.

Using your own router? It’s your router not us. Use our router then call us back.

Using our router via Wi-Fi? Your devices not ours. Use an ethernet cable and check again.

When I was in an area, their speeds were lust worthy. But then I think back to this and I’ll never go back.

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I feel that’s why the o2 network has gone slower since they’ve merged with virgin it’s just way too congested.

Virgin mobile runs through Vodafone, until 2025 I think, 5 year deal.

O2 relies on low bandwidth, and spaced out masts which haven’t been upgrade quick enough, or installed quick enough to support more recent usage within maybe last 5 years or so.

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Oh right I thought they joined with o2 since that volt thing and since o2 shops now selling virgin media contracts.

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Mobile is run separately to fixed line, so they may sell the two in store, but mobile has its own backhaul and handles differently, so not likely to have much impact.

Whereas the launch of 5G, everybody got new phones and upgrades etc but O2 hasn’t been keeping up with this causing dismal speeds, and loads rely on mobile broadband for working from home so the past 2 years absolutely took a hit.

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Guess I learnt something new!

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Whilst Virgin mobile doesn’t yet use O2, the merger would have likely boosted O2 mobile signups. The Volt perks (gained by being both a Virgin Media broadband customer and O2 mobile customer) are very appealing.