Virgin Business Broadband

[PAH]

The major benefit i can see on business accounts is being able to resell your bandwidth to make money.

You mean like providing WiFi to neighbours, or customers if you have a public house or camp site of some sort?

[d000hg]

I expect they don't give any guarantees on download limits before throttling, instead just saying it's down to fair use.

My home ADSL tells you what the limit is... or rather the limit when they might start to think about caring, if you do it too much.

[TheFaQQer]

What are the general benefits of getting business class broadband when it's essentially the same connection as for home use?

Less restrictions on download limits?
Better upload speed?
'Free' static IP address?
Better contention ratio?
SLA, so compensated if it goes down for any length of time?

Business traffic is prioritised over home traffic.
24/7 support service.
Significantly better SLA

Don't see the point of a 100mb connection (or anything over the more usual up to 20mb connection) if you're still capped after only a few GB per day during peak hours. Just means you'll hit the capping quicker.

I agree. Traffic on the Virgin 100Mb connection are unlimited, apart from file-sharing. During peak times (week 4pm-6pm and weekends 10-10), P2P and newsgroups are slowed, while VOIP, gaming, streaming is prioritised.

I expect they don't give any guarantees on download limits before throttling, instead just saying it's down to fair use.

There's quite a bit of detail on the VM website about it.

I've also just seen that I get 100 free photo prints every month, plus unlimited cloud storage now.

[TheFaQQer]

Nice!!

Was that pricey? they quoted me £11pm extra just for 50meg.

It's an extra £13 more than I was paying for a 20Mbps connection.

They also upgraded the TV for free for the next 3 months, and by getting a Tivo instead of a V+ box, it saves a couple of quid a month.

[wim121]

You mean like providing WiFi to neighbours, or customers if you have a public house or camp site of some sort?

Yes, I asked them outright, am I allowed to resell my bandwith (as it is the only way I can justify the cost) and they said yes without umming or ahhhing. You could go even further by providing wi-fi among your town. Ive weighed up the cost and the figures would make me money as well as a free connection personally. I could be the cheapest wi-fi provider in town with no caps to customers.

But it is a gamble, an £8k pa gamble!

Business traffic is prioritised over home traffic.
24/7 support service.
Significantly better SLA

Indeed, something that tempts me. Over the week before xmas, our speed was terribly erratic since most people were off work/school and at home. Was unusable/unreliable for several days. First time we've had a problem in two years.

Traffic on the Virgin 100Mb connection are unlimited, apart from file-sharing. During peak times (week 4pm-6pm and weekends 10-10), P2P and newsgroups are slowed, while VOIP, gaming, streaming is prioritised.

Yes but as I said earlier, no-one should be file sharing in the conventional sense. If your ISP throttles P2P, you owe them a big wet sloppy kiss.

All P2P must be done through a VPN at the very least. That way your traffic isnt shaped based on your activity.

Their current limits for all virgin's here:


Im on L and have to monitor and tweak traffic at my end to avoid hitting the cap.

plus unlimited cloud storage now.

I fail to see any use for anyone at all to use cloud storage.

It is the single most retarded innovation I have seen this century.

It's an extra £13 more than I was paying for a 20Mbps connection.

They also upgraded the TV for free for the next 3 months, and by getting a Tivo instead of a V+ box, it saves a couple of quid a month.

That's actually a good price, that's like £18 for me from the 10meg. Both the unrestricted limits on 50meg and 100meg looks appealing.

BTW, you can usually get 3months free TV every year. Phone up and complain to disconnections when you're nearing/out of contract and they will give you freebies to keep you, or you can ask for the same deal, like 3 months free tv they are offering new customers.

After speaking to a family member, it reminds me why I prefer cable to charlatans like Sky. This family member has multiple boxes, phone and broadband, paying quite a bit every month and their remote was quite new, but turned out to be a dud. They charged him £25 for a new one! The scoundrels!

I have heard other complaints, from people having to buy new digiboxes off sky. On the virgin side, at least the equipment is rented, which is handy as a couple of times Ive had to call them and ask them to come and replace my digibox.

[d000hg]

I fail to see any use for anyone at all to use cloud storage.
It is the single most retarded innovation I have seen this century.

Easy:

1. Automatic syncronisation of data across multiple devices
2. Backup

In both cases I am specifically talking about personal use, where proper infrastructure is unrealistic.
I am glad the days of burning a DVD and hiding it in the glovebox of my car are over, for fear of losing my accounts.

[stek]

Easy:

1. Automatic syncronisation of data across multiple devices
2. Backup

In both cases I am specifically talking about personal use, where proper infrastructure is unrealistic.
I am glad the days of burning a DVD and hiding it in the glovebox of my car are over, for fear of losing my accounts.

Crashplan! Currently backing up my entire NAS (Several TB's) of accumulated stuff (Linux Distros of course) all for bait $5.00 a month. Taking AGES to rysnc tho....

[wim121]

Easy:

1. Automatic syncronisation of data across multiple devices
2. Backup

In both cases I am specifically talking about personal use, where proper infrastructure is unrealistic.
I am glad the days of burning a DVD and hiding it in the glovebox of my car are over, for fear of losing my accounts.

So what do you back up?

Illegal files such as downloaded music?

Your personal information such as your CV or financial records?




That is a massive security risk, entrusting your privacy and data to providers that have either built their business selling on peoples digital/financial profiles or ones where you cannot guarantee the security.

[wim121]

Crashplan! Currently backing up my entire NAS (Several TB's) of accumulated stuff (Linux Distros of course) all for bait $5.00 a month. Taking AGES to rysnc tho....

I tape backup one HDD with personal files and then have a directory list of my "media" drive backed up.

That way, I can "acquire" all the media I had before and never lose personal files. My tapes are archived properly and kept at a relatives home as an off site secure solution in case of a household disaster like a fire.

Mehhh, when HDD's get to cheaper levels like before the floods, I might set up raid on my media drive, but all that stuff can be replaced unlike personal files.

I might get a firesafe/bombproof safe at some point though.


Why backup linux distros you can download again in the future?

[stek]

Why backup linux distros you can download again in the future?

I hate Linux!!

Actually I'm backing up my old Brit telly stuff - in case it ever goes off line - right now watching "My Summer With Des" - lovely stuff.

Actually tho where can you find Sun Directory Server 5.2 for AIX now - Oracle killed it, I have it, and RHEL for pSeries, I have 'em, disappeared online...

I'd rather have them to hand...