Businesses, Broadband and Private Networks

[Ship called Dignity]

What do local businesses use?

Do you just have a normal broadband connection?

Or does anyone have a private dedicated network? Whether it is to the internet or another office, building etc

If the latter who do you use? Seems like BT have a monopoly in the area when it comes to these kind of services and annual charges are extortionate.

Anyone offer any help - we need to upgrade and our existing option is to upgrade with BT - but it ain't cheap!

[GarySutherland]

We just have a single BT Business Broadband internet connection coming into the house to which is connected an ADSL Router/Switch. This provides up to eight connections for PCs on a LAN.

Any of the PCs on the network then has a direct connection to the internet as well as being able to connect to a local POP3 mailserver for email.

Advantages are you only pay for a 'single PC' internet connection. In addition the ADSL router has a built-in firewall with port, url and content blocking facilities.

Althought the BT Business Broadband isn't as cheap as many other internet providers it does have the advantage of being an unmetered connection so there's no risk of exceeding your quota.

Cheers
Gary

[Ship called Dignity]

Cheers Gary,

What does this cost a month?

Sounds ideal for accessing the internet. Don't know if this would work on a point to point basis. I suppose we could use Virtual Private Networks but again not really been tried and tested in our environment.

David

[DMS Graphics]

Gary did you get your broadband router from BT ?

I signed up with BT Broadband and wanted to use my own router, but can't get it set up. BT haven't been much help, their answer is buy their router and I will get a set up disc to configure it.

I used to have broadband through the power lines and it was easy to set up and network. Downside was the cost.

[GarySutherland]

No, the router is a Draytek Vigor 2600i and we bought it a year or more ago when we had the ISDN lines put in. I did all my own setup and it worked first-time when BT activated the ADSL.

What router do you have? Take it to private mail if you like.

BT supplied a diddy little Speedtouch 330 ADSL/USB modem which hasn't been out of the box.

Cheers
Gary

[GarySutherland]

What does this cost a month?

Sounds ideal for accessing the internet. Don't know if this would work on a point to point basis. I suppose we could use Virtual Private Networks but again not really been tried and tested in our environment.

I think its costing us about £26+VAT per month but I see there's an offer on with a startup discounted price of £20+vat/month.

Aren't your PCs already networked then?

Cheers
Gary

[Ship called Dignity]

Gary,

Yes - its for the office in fact.

We currently have a 1MB private circuit from Campbeltown to Dumbarton but we need to upgrade this to access a new system we are installing.

The prices BT quoted are crazy!

Just wondered if anyone had any alternatives.

David

[GarySutherland]

Ah, I see. Is this solely to join the two LANs or other purposes as well?

Depending upon the volume of data you need it to handle you may well find that a 1MB or 2MB ADSL connection between two routers with a VPN will do just fine.

Cheers
Gary