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Box Broadband
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Martin S Taylor
Sep 25, 2023, 5:39:49 AM9/25/23
to
Hi:
I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP high-speed
broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How reliable are they?
Does their broadband match up to their promises?
I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
not to investigate.
Martin S Taylor
I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP high-speed
broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How reliable are they?
Does their broadband match up to their promises?
I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
not to investigate.
Martin S Taylor
Graham J
Sep 25, 2023, 7:20:52 AM9/25/23
to
Reviews look good but are generally from people who don't understand
that the internet connection using FTTP has nothing to do with the
quality of the WiFi in their house. But the general public does expect
the ISP to be responsible for both these issues, and the reviewes
suggest that Box seem to have been OK with that.
With that level of service they can't possibly make money, so expect the
prices to go up soon.
--
Graham J
Martin S Taylor
Sep 25, 2023, 12:23:20 PM9/25/23
to
On 25 Sep 2023, Graham J wrote
(in article <uerqeg$1sqbh$1...@dont-email.me>):
> > I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
> > not to investigate.
<snip>
> With that level of service they can't possibly make money, so expect the
> prices to go up soon.
That's what the people at Zen said. But it's pegged at £10 a month for two
years.
MST
(in article <uerqeg$1sqbh$1...@dont-email.me>):
> > I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
> > not to investigate.
> With that level of service they can't possibly make money, so expect the
> prices to go up soon.
years.
MST
Graham J
Sep 25, 2023, 1:11:05 PM9/25/23
to
understand the limitations of WiFi in your house.
Do you need the static IP address that Zen would provide automatically?
There's no reason that a fibre connection should be intermittent, but it
would be worth setting up a logging mechanism to detect whether - and
exactly when - the connection fails, so that you have some ammunition if
the service is not as good as expected. I run a script on an old PC
that does this - checks one or several IP addresses once every minute or
more frequently, as desired, and writes a log file.
--
Graham J
Chris
Sep 25, 2023, 1:11:42 PM9/25/23
to
I'd expect the service to be reduced in quality as the same source is
spread thinner and thinner.
Martin S Taylor
Sep 26, 2023, 4:10:01 AM9/26/23
to
On 25 Sep 2023, Chris wrote
(in article <uesf0c$215q2$1...@dont-email.me>):
> Must be a loss leader and limited by region to a certain number. Otherwise
> I'd expect the service to be reduced in quality as the same source is
> spread thinner and thinner.
It's certainly limited by time, which is why I need to make the decision
today, Tuesday.
MST
(in article <uesf0c$215q2$1...@dont-email.me>):
> Must be a loss leader and limited by region to a certain number. Otherwise
> I'd expect the service to be reduced in quality as the same source is
> spread thinner and thinner.
today, Tuesday.
MST
Theo
Sep 26, 2023, 4:39:44 AM9/26/23
to
Martin S Taylor <corresp...@mraermtoivnestthaiyslor.com> wrote:
> Hi:
>
> I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP
> high-speed broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How
> reliable are they? Does their broadband match up to their promises?
These 'altnets' are typically very local to you - they are installing
> Hi:
>
> I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP
> high-speed broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How
> reliable are they? Does their broadband match up to their promises?
infrastructure in your street, so most likely the people to ask are those in
your area. In this case Box cover south-Surrey and west Sussex, which is a
medium sized coverage area.
You could ask in uk.telecom.broadband although I've not seen anyone mention
them there - may just be too specific. Otherwise try asking in places local
to you.
> I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
> not to investigate.
price, but maybe they just need enough signups to meet some installation
target - or they get paid in government broadband vouchers and the cost to
the customer is immaterial.
It's down to whether you reckon they are a good outfit in your area, or
whether a different FTTP provider is also rolling out there too. In many
areas there's only a single FTTP provider installing - this gives them a
monopoly which can be potentially risky in terms of them jacking up prices
later. But if there's no prospect of anyone else coming along then it's
either monopoly or nothing.
I think many of these minnows are hoping to be snapped up by a bigger fish -
thus far that hasn't happened, but I imagine once everything is in the
ground the worst case would be they go bankrupt and the assets get bought up
by someone else as a going concern.
But for that price, maybe take the offer and run it in parallel with Zen to
see how it goes? If it works well enough after a few months, decide whether
to cancel the Zen? If not you're on the hook for maximum £240.
Assuming there's nothing lurking in the offer they didn't tell you about.
The 'hurry hurry hurry' thing does smack of sales tactics. Read the small
print carefully.
Theo
Chris
Sep 26, 2023, 4:41:40 PM9/26/23
to
Martin S Taylor <corresp...@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
customer base or more pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap.
Sorry this doesn't help with your decision making.
Martin S Taylor
Sep 27, 2023, 12:02:22 PM9/27/23
to
On 26 Sep 2023, Chris wrote
(in article <uevfm1$2m1ab$1...@dont-email.me>):
> > > Must be a loss leader and limited by region to a certain number. Otherwise
> > > I'd expect the service to be reduced in quality as the same source is
> > > spread thinner and thinner.
> >
> > It's certainly limited by time, which is why I need to make the decision
> > today, Tuesday.
>
> Only time will whether they're the genuine article trying to build a loyal
> customer base or more pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap.
>
> Sorry this doesn't help with your decision making.
Well, I've gone for it. Zen said it was a really good deal, which they
couldn't match, and said that, sadly, I should probably switch. If it all
goes pear-shaped I'll go back to Zen.
MST
(in article <uevfm1$2m1ab$1...@dont-email.me>):
> > > Must be a loss leader and limited by region to a certain number. Otherwise
> > > I'd expect the service to be reduced in quality as the same source is
> > > spread thinner and thinner.
> >
> > It's certainly limited by time, which is why I need to make the decision
> > today, Tuesday.
>
> Only time will whether they're the genuine article trying to build a loyal
> customer base or more pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap.
>
> Sorry this doesn't help with your decision making.
couldn't match, and said that, sadly, I should probably switch. If it all
goes pear-shaped I'll go back to Zen.
MST
Chris
Sep 27, 2023, 2:58:25 PM9/27/23
to
Martin S Taylor <corresp...@mRaErMtOiVnEsTtHaIySlor.com> wrote:
Theo
Sep 28, 2023, 7:46:02 AM9/28/23
to
Martin S Taylor <corresp...@mraermtoivnestthaiyslor.com> wrote:
> Well, I've gone for it. Zen said it was a really good deal, which they
> couldn't match, and said that, sadly, I should probably switch. If it all
> goes pear-shaped I'll go back to Zen.
Don't 'switch', run them in parallel for a bit. They'll be installing a new
> couldn't match, and said that, sadly, I should probably switch. If it all
> goes pear-shaped I'll go back to Zen.
fibre to your house anyway, so it doesn't cost anything beyond the time of
overlap to run them in parallel (assuming you're out of contract with Zen).
If it works out you can cancel the Zen once you're happy, if not the Zen is
still there as your backup.
Theo
Martin S Taylor
Sep 30, 2023, 5:31:27 AM9/30/23
to
On 28 Sep 2023, Theo wrote
(in article <9Gb*DN...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>):
> > Well, I've gone for it. Zen said it was a really good deal, which they
> > couldn't match, and said that, sadly, I should probably switch. If it all
> > goes pear-shaped I'll go back to Zen.
>
> Don't 'switch', run them in parallel for a bit. They'll be installing a new
> fibre to your house anyway, so it doesn't cost anything beyond the time of
> overlap to run them in parallel (assuming you're out of contract with Zen).
> If it works out you can cancel the Zen once you're happy, if not the Zen is
> still there as your backup.
That's what Zen recommended, and what I plan to do.
MST
(in article <9Gb*DN...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>):
> > Well, I've gone for it. Zen said it was a really good deal, which they
> > couldn't match, and said that, sadly, I should probably switch. If it all
> > goes pear-shaped I'll go back to Zen.
>
> Don't 'switch', run them in parallel for a bit. They'll be installing a new
> fibre to your house anyway, so it doesn't cost anything beyond the time of
> overlap to run them in parallel (assuming you're out of contract with Zen).
> If it works out you can cancel the Zen once you're happy, if not the Zen is
> still there as your backup.
MST
Martin S Taylor
Sep 30, 2023, 5:56:21 AM9/30/23
to
On 25 Sep 2023, Martin S Taylor wrote
(in article<0001HW.2AC18CE200...@news.eternal-september.org>):
> I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP high-speed
> broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How reliable are they?
Hmm...
Their sales team told me that technical support is 24/7. Having signed up for
them, I spoke to user support about the modem they'd be supplying. They
confirmed that user support is only 9-5 on weekdays.
Not impressed.
Also not impressed with their advice on the modem, either – even I knew
rather more than their tech guy.
I'll let y'all know how it's progressing in three weeks when the line is
installed.
MST
(in article<0001HW.2AC18CE200...@news.eternal-september.org>):
> I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP high-speed
> broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How reliable are they?
Their sales team told me that technical support is 24/7. Having signed up for
them, I spoke to user support about the modem they'd be supplying. They
confirmed that user support is only 9-5 on weekdays.
Not impressed.
Also not impressed with their advice on the modem, either – even I knew
rather more than their tech guy.
I'll let y'all know how it's progressing in three weeks when the line is
installed.
MST
Chris Evans
Feb 2, 2024, 5:45:47 PM2/2/24
to
Martin S Taylor
Feb 3, 2024, 1:12:48 PM2/3/24
to
On 2 Feb 2024, Chris Evans wrote
(in article<f2faf15e-bee9-4f3f...@googlegroups.com>):
> > I'll let y'all know how it's progressing in three weeks when the line is
> > installed.
> >
> > MST
> How did you get on? Are they OK?
Yes.
The following list is of all the problems I have had. I've listed them out of
openness, but consider them trivial quibbles, and I am, in general, very
happy with the service, particularly the very high upload speed.
1. I was told when I signed up that user support was available 24/7. This
seems not to be true, and I'm more miffed that I was misinformed than that
there is no 24/7 user support. As it is, I haven't needed it out of hours.
2. The engineers who fitted the line were competent and friendly, although
had less knowledge than I about how the modem could be configured
post-installation. It's a Nokia, and not a wonderful modem, but it does the
job. I did some research on line and worked out how to use it in modem-only
mode, using my old modem-router in router-only mode. The engineers told me it
was impossible to change the WiFi password; this was also incorrect.
3. After about six weeks the internet fell over one morning owing to a
hardware fault on the line. Box said they would fix it within 48 hours, which
I though a bit long to wait with no connection, but as it turned out they had
an engineer up the pole within a couple of hours and service was restored
forthwith.
No other problems, and I'm happy to endorse them based on my experience so
far.
MST
(in article<f2faf15e-bee9-4f3f...@googlegroups.com>):
> > I'll let y'all know how it's progressing in three weeks when the line is
> > installed.
> >
> > MST
> How did you get on? Are they OK?
The following list is of all the problems I have had. I've listed them out of
openness, but consider them trivial quibbles, and I am, in general, very
happy with the service, particularly the very high upload speed.
1. I was told when I signed up that user support was available 24/7. This
seems not to be true, and I'm more miffed that I was misinformed than that
there is no 24/7 user support. As it is, I haven't needed it out of hours.
2. The engineers who fitted the line were competent and friendly, although
had less knowledge than I about how the modem could be configured
post-installation. It's a Nokia, and not a wonderful modem, but it does the
job. I did some research on line and worked out how to use it in modem-only
mode, using my old modem-router in router-only mode. The engineers told me it
was impossible to change the WiFi password; this was also incorrect.
3. After about six weeks the internet fell over one morning owing to a
hardware fault on the line. Box said they would fix it within 48 hours, which
I though a bit long to wait with no connection, but as it turned out they had
an engineer up the pole within a couple of hours and service was restored
forthwith.
No other problems, and I'm happy to endorse them based on my experience so
far.
MST
David B.
Feb 4, 2024, 5:43:07 AM2/4/24
to
Will you please confirm that you have posted here through Google Groups?
Are you aware that Google will be terminating access to Usenet (where your
message is posted!) at the end of this month?
You will need to change your method of communicating with other folk here!
If you need help, please ask.
--
Kind regards,
David
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