A question... or two

[#1]

Firstly, congrats on you on winning the ISP service award!
We're looking for a new ISP. Currently I'm recieving (according to speedtest.net) 2931 Kbps download speed and the router page tells me i'm on 5,888 Kbps.
I live about 2 miles from the exchange.
Would I see an increase in speed?

Also, could somebody please take a screenshot of Plus.net's email interface. I know it's a silly detail but some of the people in the house will be using it and if they don't like it all hell would break loose - yes. I live with freaks. 
Thanks.

[#2]

Hi there,
Thanks for the congrats, much appreciated.
Regarding your speeds, that throughput looks a little low for your sync speed, this could be contention at the exchange, on your ISP network, or an incorrectly assigned IP profile amongst other things.
What does the BT speedtest give you for your line? This will help determine why your speed is so much lower than the sync rate.
There is a screenshot of the webmail interface here.
If you have any more questions give us a shout.

[#3]

Hey Andie,
Great to see some more fresh blood on our site here!
I've written a comprehensive guide on Broadband Speeds, which you may find of interest.  Please do give me a shout if you don't understand any of it!
http://community.plus.net/comms/2007/07/02/broadband-speed-faults-how-to-diagnose/

[#4]

Wow, an ISP which actually answers my questions! 
You can expect a call from us later wanting to order 

[#5]

We're wanting to get rid of our current ISP as soon as possible, I noticed it takes 10 days to transfer to you.
During this 10 days will we still have internet access?
Also, is there a chance it can be less than 10 days?

[#6]

It takes around 10 days to action a migration, however when you give us your MAC code you can request that the migration take place ASAP, we will then try and get it transferred for you at the earliest possible date.

[#7]

Sorry for asking so many questions, just want to get everything ready in my head before we switch.
What happens in the 10 days we're switching to you? Do we still get broadband from current provider?
Is it we wait until the 10 days until we cancel our service with the other?

[#8]

Hi Andie,
It's a seamless transition.  During the migration process, your existing service will continue to work.  Once the migration has completed, you'll then just need to change to the username and password for your PlusNet service and then you'll be connected to us.
It's nice and simple!

[#9]

Okay, and would my contract with BT Yahoo! then be cancelled automatically, or do I tell them to cancel

[#10]

It depends on their rules tbh.
Getting a MAC indicates your intention to move away, some providers cancel your account after 30 days (as this is how long a MAC is valid for), whilst others (such as us) leave the account open until confirmation of the migration is received.

[#11]

BTWholesale should tell them the migration has gone through, but that doesn't always happen so it's best to get in touch once the migration has completed to let them know.

[#12]

Make sure you don't tell them to cancel your account.  Ask them for a MAC Code, otherwise they may cease your broadband service.
Once you have moved onto the greener side of the grass (here, obviously!) give them a ring to confirm that you have sucessfully migrated away from them and that they should stop billing you.

[#13]

It has to be said, that even the smoothest migration will leave a few hours where your broadband doesn't work at all. To be fair, this is to be expected as minions in BT move the 1/4" jack over from one ISP to another. Compared to places like AOL, who in the past I have seen take 6 weeks (no joke!), this is a minor inconvenience.

[#14]

Quote

It has to be said, that even the smoothest migration will leave a few hours where your broadband doesn't work at all.

That's not technically true.  It's normally momentary, unless you bring LLU into the equation, but normally it is a very swift handover when BT flick the switch.

[#15]

To better help you predict my speed, here are the stats from my router
Noise Margin
Upstream: 23 dB
Downstream: 4 dB
Attenuation
Upstream: 54 dB
Downstream: 44 dB

As I said I live 2 miles from the exchange and my download speed at this time of writing is: 2916kbps