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Broadband Frequently Asked Questions
| Q: What is the minimum term for a Proweb ADSL contract?
A: The minimum term for a Proweb ADSL contract is 12 months.
Q: What if I move location?
A: Your contract will continue as normal, but you will need to pay an additional £50 + VAT one off cost to reactivate the connection at your new address.
Q: Do I still have to pay line rental on top of my subscription?
A: Yes. You have to pay BT for the rental of your telephone service and any call charges or other charges associated with it. To subscribe to Proweb ADSL the customer must have a BT telephone line and account.
Q: Can my Proweb ADSL bill be included with my normal telephone bill or debited directly from my bank account?
A: No, for regulatory reasons your Proweb ADSL bill will be separated from the bill for your normal telephone line.
Q: What is the cost of cancelling a contract?
A: The customer will be charged for the remaining term of the minimum period as detailed in their Proweb ADSL Contract. The current minimum term contract is 12 months from the date the customer is installed/activated. See also the question on What happens to my connection if I move location?
Q: How do I pay for Proweb ADSL?
A: Invoices are raised monthly in advance and can be paid either by direct debit or credit/debit card. Annual payments are also accepted.
Q: Can I choose my activation date?
A: Yes, you can choose your activation date and with no engineer visit, there is no need to be your home or premises. The activation will be done on or before 6pm, on the agreed day.
Q: What is the difference between ADSL and an ordinary phone line?
A: The actual line is identical, which means you can get ADSL without digging holes in the street. All you need is a "microfilter" to separate the voice and data, and an ADSL modem or network adaptor.
Q: Will an engineer need to install it?
A: Not necessarily, Proweb provides "plug and play" ADSL routers/modems to allow you to install your connection yourself. However, on the Network Connect Broadband Packages, we provide a FREE (subject to geographical location) installation service.
Q: Can I keep an existing telephone number?
A: Most customers will be able to keep their existing telephone number. If you use another telephone service provider you will have to have a BT line installed, however this line will still be subject to survey.
Q: Will I need new computer systems to cope?
A: No. ADSL is simply a faster, more efficient alternative to dial-up modems.
Q: How do I choose the service that is right for me?
A: There are two factors you must get right: speed and contention. Speeds range from 500kbs to 2,000kbs. 500kbs is fine for a small office using the internet for e-mail and some light surfing. If heavy traffic is expected, for example when designers are exchanging big graphics files, buy as much speed as you can afford.
Q: What is contention?
A: Data packets are sent down the wire in sequence, so when traffic is heavy they must queue up or contend for entry to the highway. Normally this is not a problem, but heavy users who cannot tolerate delay, such as operators of websites where customers may be waiting for a response, can buy lines with guaranteed speeds - at extra cost.
Q: Does having ADSL open my system to hackers?
A: Because it is always on, hackers have much more opportunity to try to break into your system, so good security is essential. This ranges from setting strong passwords (it is astonishing how many firms leave the default passwords unchanged) to installing and maintaining effective firewalls and anti-virus software.
Q: What is wireless ADSL?
A: Wireless networks can be connected to a ADSL socket allowing users to take their laptops to meeting rooms, labs or warehouses without having to find a network socket and plug in - the laptop has a radio built in or on a PC card. So-called WiFi (technically, 802.11b) links will also be available at convenient locations in towns and cities soon, allowing subscribers to use the web and e-mail in coffee shops, station buffets, and so on.
Q: Can I use a palmtop on ADSL links?
A: Anything with a browser that can surf the web, or an e-mail client, will experience a huge speed boost on ADSL. Such portable devices may not have the speed to take full advantage of this.
Q: Can I convert my ISDN/Home Highway to ADSL?
A: You can now arrange for your ISDN2/ISDN service to be converted back to a standard telephone line - suitable for ADSL. If the standard telephone line passes the necessary tests for ADSL installation, you will retain just one line for your voice and ADSL service. All other numbers associated with your current ISDN service will be ceased. You will need to advise us which number you wish to retain.
Q: Can I have ADSL if my standard telephone line is over fibre optic cable?
A: Unfortunately, ADSL can only be provided on a standard copper telephone wire that connects your telephone to the exchange. It is not possible to convert your line to standard copper where optical fibre is used between your telephone and the exchange.
Q: Can I have a standard telephone line from any other telephone company?
A: You will need to have either: a BT standard line and account, billed directly by BT or a "Calls and Access line". These lines are provided by BT, but will be billed by another operator. If you are unsure whether your line is in this category or not you should contact the operator that bills you for this line.
Please note:
Speeds may be reduced by: usage during peak times, line quality and exchange distance. We may manage traffic and prioritise applications to ensure the best possible service for all of our customers. A minority of customers may at times experience slower service on certain applications.
A note about ADSL splitters, also called filters or microfilters.
We are getting calls everyday expressing confusion about splitters for wires-only ADSL services. The following may help:
The ADSL service is carried as a high-frequency signal on your ordinary phone line. This high-frequency signal is incompatible with your ordinary telephone and so a filter is required to keep the phone and ADSL signal apart.
It is possible to fit just one filter at the point where the phone line comes into your building, to do this you will need to wire in the Face Plate Splitter. This may not be the best option for you if you computer is not near to the main phone point as all of your extensions will be filtered.
An alternative strategy is to use a filter at each point where a phone is connected. Note that you don't need a splitter at the point where your modem is connected. The modem can live quite happily with the low-frequency telephone signal. In fact the wires in the splitters American Style ADSL connection are just connected directly to the BT plug that goes into the wall. This means that if you don't have a phone plugged into the same point as your modem, you could save some money and just use a lead with a BT plug on the end to connect your modem.
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