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Broadband for macs?
- Thread starter hal
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Hello there!
I would recommend either Telewest or NTL. Depending on which one is in your area. In my experiense, a cable broadband us much more reliable and will give you a constant speed, as it doesn't depend on living near a BT exchange etc.. But be warned. NTL customer service is s**t! Once installed you are good to go.
Good luck!
iCol
I would recommend either Telewest or NTL. Depending on which one is in your area. In my experiense, a cable broadband us much more reliable and will give you a constant speed, as it doesn't depend on living near a BT exchange etc.. But be warned. NTL customer service is s**t! Once installed you are good to go.
Good luck!
iCol
You'll be able to use most ISPs - although they won't all give you decent support.
The key thing that you'll want is an ISP that provides a modem/wireless router that has an ethernet port rather than just USB ones. The USB drivers can be a little temperamental particularly if there's an OS X update. If your ISP doesn't provide an ethernet based modem/router, you could still sign up and just buy one that does.
The key thing that you'll want is an ISP that provides a modem/wireless router that has an ethernet port rather than just USB ones. The USB drivers can be a little temperamental particularly if there's an OS X update. If your ISP doesn't provide an ethernet based modem/router, you could still sign up and just buy one that does.
hal said:Hi,
I'm new so I wasn't sure where to post this question.
I live in the uk, and just received my first mac the shiny 20" imac, i'm on dialup on my old p.c. and want to now get broadband for the mac any?
Do you want cable or ADSL?
Off the top of my head virtually all ISP's work with a Mac, including Orange, Demon and NTL. If you buy a router you should have no problems, though the supplied equipment will probably work fine, ask the company before you order to confirm.
I agree with Applespider. Make sure it's Ethernet. I use NTL's Ethernet modem through my Airport Base Station and have had no problems. I previously had the same set up through Telewest, but that was at another address.
iCol said:
I use Telewest and couldnt be more happier. There are cheaper alternatives but ALL of them are capped and require a BT phone. 2 things I dont agree with. Im on 4mb line and last night was reaching over 2mb downloads from ITMS lastnight. Took about 5 minutes to download 18 tracks. It comes with ethernet jacks instead of stupid USB crap too.
As far as I'm aware, AOL won't work as they use their own software which only works with Macs on dial-up. Any other ISP is fine, but like the other posters have said, make sure you specify that you want either an ethernet, or wireless modem.
Once you have that you're fine, there are no drivers to worry about so whoever you go for will work.
If you go to www.adslguide.org you will find a list of the broadband companies in the UK and what their prices are. You can also see on that site what the aftersales are like for the various companies.
Good luck.
Once you have that you're fine, there are no drivers to worry about so whoever you go for will work.
If you go to www.adslguide.org you will find a list of the broadband companies in the UK and what their prices are. You can also see on that site what the aftersales are like for the various companies.
Good luck.
Tiscali
Tiscali works well, although their ability to keep you updated (or know their own timetable) when you change address or have Broadband first set up can be annoying - this doesn't mean its slow you just won't know until you've actually got it when you're going to have it.
hal said:Hi,
I'm new so I wasn't sure where to post this question.
I live in the uk, and just received my first mac the shiny 20" imac, i'm on dialup on my old p.c. and want to now get broadband for the mac any
Tiscali works well, although their ability to keep you updated (or know their own timetable) when you change address or have Broadband first set up can be annoying - this doesn't mean its slow you just won't know until you've actually got it when you're going to have it.
My £0.02:
I just ended a contract with Pipex, and switched to Demon. Pipex were great, but too expensive. When I cancelled the contract (after the 12month period had expired), they charged me almost £200 pounds without warning or explanation. I have yet to get it back after 10 weeks, and they have been singularly awful at replying to emails and discussing this over the phone. I'm now having to pursue them through the independent arbitrators.
As much as can be expected, Demon have been helpful in the matter, and the Internet provision with them is just as good, but almost half the price I was paying with Pipex
Moral of the story:
1)I advise against going with Pipex
2)Pay by direct debit - this gives YOU far more control at the end: When you cancel your contract, cancel the direct debit, and instruct your bank that they shouldn't allow the ISP to take money from your account without your explicit authorisation.
Also, bandwidth limited services should be a last resort...
EDIT: Both Demon and Pipex supposedly offer support for Mac Users, but I've never had a need to test this. I've always found it more reliable to use a router with a modem built in than a USB modem, especially on a Mac. Takes all the business of connecting to the net out of the hands of the Mac / PC
I just ended a contract with Pipex, and switched to Demon. Pipex were great, but too expensive. When I cancelled the contract (after the 12month period had expired), they charged me almost £200 pounds without warning or explanation. I have yet to get it back after 10 weeks, and they have been singularly awful at replying to emails and discussing this over the phone. I'm now having to pursue them through the independent arbitrators.
As much as can be expected, Demon have been helpful in the matter, and the Internet provision with them is just as good, but almost half the price I was paying with Pipex
Moral of the story:
1)I advise against going with Pipex
2)Pay by direct debit - this gives YOU far more control at the end: When you cancel your contract, cancel the direct debit, and instruct your bank that they shouldn't allow the ISP to take money from your account without your explicit authorisation.
Also, bandwidth limited services should be a last resort...
EDIT: Both Demon and Pipex supposedly offer support for Mac Users, but I've never had a need to test this. I've always found it more reliable to use a router with a modem built in than a USB modem, especially on a Mac. Takes all the business of connecting to the net out of the hands of the Mac / PC