Choosing an ISP

Now that broadband has been enabled, you can sign-up with an ISP for broadband service. For technical reasons, service to your home will only be available 5-10 days after you sign up.

How do I know which ISP to choose?

Choosing the right service provider can be tricky, and often boils down to word of mouth, or 'gut instinct'. There are many internet service providers competing for your business so you are recommended to use the ADSL Guide advanced search to filter the list based upon your requirements. You do not have to use the same ISP as you currently use for your dial-up service.

Remember that if you're looking for a good personal service, the cheapest products and the largest ISPs are not usually the best choice. Try comparing providers with the extremely useful ADSL Guide ISP Comparator.

Having done an enormous amount of research I've signed up with

to their 'ADSL Home - Self Install (Annual)' package, costing a one-off £58.75 activation charge and £21.99 monthly. Connection took 5 working days. This is an extremely good product for a typical home user.

Should you decide that is for you too, please enter 'davesummers' in the 'Referred by' box when you sign up - it will help to fund this website!

You will need to ask yourself a number of questions before you sign-up with any ISP.

	Do I need a backup dial-up facility in case of ADSL problems? This is probably more important for business users.
	Do you intend to run a server from your home PC? Most people won't.
	Am I prepared to sign-up for at least 1 year? Some ISPs will give you a 'free' modem and waive the £50-60 activation charge.
	Are you 'computer-literate' or might you need to use a helpline? Look for 24/7 support coverage at local call rates

Also look for:

	What is the activation charge? Typically it is £50-60 but sometimes free with a 12-month contract
	Is a modem supplied? Sometimes they are free with a 12-month contract, and is usually a USB type.
	Is VAT included in quoted prices for equipment and monthly subscription? Some ISPs quote ex-VAT tariffs.
	What is the minimum contract term? 12 months is typical.
	Are there penalties for early termination of a contract? Almost always there will be if you have had a package which includes a free modem and/or free activation.
	The most suitable product for most people will be one typically including '500' or '512' and with 'Home' in the title. These products will also be suitable for small businesses unless VERY heavy use is anticipated when one of the more expensive business-orientated options will be appropriate.
	Expect a monthly subscription of £22 (inc VAT) upwards. The higher priced packages include extras which may be irrelevant to your needs.

For an explanation of some of these issues, go to the ISP FAQs page.

Recommended ISPs

The ADSL Guide ISP comparison charts show that on the basis of connection speed, customer service and reliability, these 5 ISPs are highly recommended by users:

	Eclipse Internet
	Nildram
	Zen
	Plusnet
	Freedom2surf

ISPs NOT recommended

By contrast, the following well-known ISPs, who are all heavy advertisers, were very poorly rated by users using the above criteria. The choice is yours!

	Tiscali
	AOL
	breathe
	BT Broadband
	freeserve

Visit the ADSL Guide ISP list for more details

Page last updated Thursday, 09 December 2004