Low latency ISP - UK

[Deleted]

So I got my own flat yesterday And am looking at local ISPs. I really don't care about download speed, 8mb+ is fine for me.
I want the lowest latency possible, I know the go-to choice is BT but maybe other providers offer lower latency, I don't have the means to try them all out.
At my old house we had Pipex broadband which was absolutely terrible, switching to BT reduced my latency a lot, so I know different ISPs will yield different latencies.

Any advice?

Local ISPs are
BT / Virgin (no cable internet available aka fiber?) /Sky / EE / TalkTalk / Plusnet / BE / Eclipse / Post Office

[Aqua]

They will all provide the same 'latency' (if they dont than the person providing to you is using dodgy services and cable tapping likely). It's downtime and stability that is the problem and that can AGAIN vary where you live.

Some places are really good for Virgin, some Great for Sky, others BT... you can't really tell unless you ask neighbors. Which would be much more effective than asking here.

That said I am hearing good things from people using TalkTalk in my area. Again. MY AREA. Where are you? I might be able to give you more advice that way. If you're too paranoid to divulge said info, ask your neighbors.

[Deleted]

im with talktalk and ive never had any dc's and im in wow right now and my MS is 49ms home 50ms world and talktalk are way cheaper than the others

---------- Post added 2013-06-22 at 04:38 PM ----------

the only 3 you should consider is sky,talktalk and virgin

[Eezagoode]

ive had talktalk for years and no downtime / issues with latency etc. As per above, i expect this depends on location / specific phone exchange

[Deleted]

apparently I can get 65mb internet from BT
Surely that would yield low latency.

[Deleted]

Do Orange do internet in your area? I'm with them and get around 28ms in game, on wireless.. shame their packages are a bit shite though.

apparently I can get 65mb internet from BT
Surely that would yield low latency.

Not necessarily.

[Deleted]

fast speed doesnt = low latency

[-Skye]

This is from Virgin, we never have downtime and they have great customer support and deals.

[durrtygoodz]

o2 is pretty nice in my area (ELDN, Stratford), I've never had downtime in 2 years and I have 20-30ms in WoW.

[Deleted]

Not necessarily.

fast speed doesnt = low latency

I know, but usually higher speed connections are better quality, this is BT fiber, and fiber is lower ping.

[Deleted]

I had Virgin Media for a bit and I got very different quality. For a week it was fine and then I got random disconnects for another week, for example. The speed wasn't quite what promised either, but I know that's like it with most of the companies. So, all in all, I would not recommend Virgin Media from my own experience at least.

[Deleted]

Im using BT infinity in Manchester and I have no problems what so ever. My ping in WoW is usually around 28-30 and I can't remember the last time I dc'd or had downtime from my provider. I cant speak highly enough of BT and if your interested in football you get the added bonus of free Premier League games next season (worth £13.00 per month).

My speed is currently at 70 mbps and it's completely unlimited with no slowing of speeds during prime hours.

[Deleted]

Around 90% of the infrastructure is BT's and your ping and speed is mostly dictated by how far you are from the exchange (for asdl at least). I have been with BT for 8 years and never had any problems they did not fix the very same day.

[traen]

ADSL = guaranteed bad quality, low speed and high latency.

Look for a fiber optics provider. BT is not a bad choice usually. Others may vary significantly depending on your area, so no one but your neighbours know for sure.

---------- Post added 2013-06-22 at 06:26 PM ----------

apparently I can get 65mb internet from BT
Surely that would yield low latency.

Yeah, that's probably the best choice.

[hiragana]

try BT fibre if you can afford it, using a lan cable my speeds are always excellent and i never have any lag.

[Jacus]

I have been using virgin media for the last 6 years. I had a few issues during that time but they were dealt with quickly. I am on 60mb and have around 30ms in wow.

[Deleted]

i wouldnt trust sky, they randomly disconnect you for maintenance and dont even notify you. i heard similar with BT but im with them currently for the fibre optics haven't had such problems. best just to avoid these two based on rumours and what not.

[Yohassakura]

Are you sure that you can't get FTTC with virgin media? I'd understand if you couldn't get FTTH.

I get 20-24ms in game, with the main servers in London being over 150 miles away.



It's a little out-dated but most of the stuff is still relevant: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/...broadband.html

try BT fibre if you can afford it, using a lan cable my speeds are always excellent and i never have any lag.

You mean an Ethernet / Cat5 / Cat5e cable.

[serenka]

i'd stick with BT or Virgin tbh. i wouldn't touch talktalk with a 10ft pole anymore, never had to deal with such a useless company.

internet was disconnecting around 10times a day for nearly a year, (stuck in a contract ) and their phone and tech support is no good what soever. for a very long time they would not even believe us it was disconnecting, just saying "no it's not, it might just be going slow" gah, never again with that company. been with BT for 2years now, excellent, never had a single problem on their fibre, getting like 10mp/s faster speed than what they advertised, so all good


obviously other peoples experiences will be different, but thats mine with talktalk, would never even consider joining them again.

[Shakari]

ADSL = guaranteed bad quality, low speed and high latency.

Look for a fiber optics provider. BT is not a bad choice usually. Others may vary significantly depending on your area, so no one but your neighbours know for sure.

---------- Post added 2013-06-22 at 06:26 PM ----------



Yeah, that's probably the best choice.

Dunno how you figure "ADSL = guaranteed bad quality, low speed and high latency" Its not low speed in most areas and I have a latency of 26-30 ms which is good. Compared to fibre its slower but no game in existance actually uses all of a 20 Mb connection like ADSL so fibre is even more reduntant. And ADSL can stream films and audio with no issues.

Fibre is really just an e-peen thing for 99% of users

Depends on your area and who your with for your latency with ADSL which can be annoying. Fibre isn't available in all area's yet either