Telephone/internet

we are looking for help and advice on the best way to go for internet and telephone supply. we purchased a property near Lalinde last year. At present we are still living in the UK but managing to get over every 6 to 8 weeks and should be moving out permanently in about 18 months.


Personally I avoid Orange like the plague since they mis sold a mobile package to my now ex English neighbours - they told the girl that they were selling up and just wanted a basic mobile for 6 months to a year, the time it took to sell. She signed them into a 2 yr contract and when I was trying to sort out the paperwork to cancel their landline and mobile they wanted over 500E to cancel said mobile. I ran back and forth sending the papers to exempt them from this charge (as they had left the country and could no longer use the service, including letter from his UK GP referring to hospital for tests, attestation of hebergement as they were at their daughters) I got hussier letters for them, threats of hussier coming and taking MY belongings, they even at one point phoned me pretending to be La Poste sorting office wanting another address.

I'm a FREE gal myself, just switched box as we are now in a degroupment zone to receive faster service (it's not the fibre but we get as much debit as if it was) so get my fixed line, tv and internet for 36€ and they throw in the basic € mobile deal for free

Thanks Peter, Not bothering with TV and Mobile until we move out to France within next 2 years. we are currently with Three Mobile and can use it in France for calls and internet on the phone as part of the tariff, the only thing it does not allow us to do is tether it to our laptop for the internet otherwise i would just make do with that until we are living out there.

will probably end up going with the 36,99 for now.

Dave

Hi Dave, I have the Oraange package at 36.99€ pm with the Livebox plus unlimited international calls plus Orange TV plus my mobile phone thrown in for 56€pm - I've have it for six months and everything is working well and it seems much less complicated to have everything with one company.

Wikipedia is the place to find out about the technologies, and how warm you should feel inside knowing that your exchange supports them.

The most important thing at this stage is to get Orange to survey/test your line to get a more precise idea of what you can expect, and whether you're above the 0.5-2mbit range. Orange should at least be able to tell you how far away your property is from the exchange.

If you want an easy life, by all means say yes to Orange.

If you want to hunt around for bargains (often involving mobile) then do some web research, e.g.

http://www.sfr.fr

http://www.free.fr

http://www.sosh.fr

I cannot think of an occasion when I've wished I'd never replied (in over two decades of posting to forums).

Thats great, you've been a real help. thank you very much

Yes, I was wondering if it was more like 'Properties connected to your exchange typically enjoy speeds of around 10-15', than 'from a line test, your property should enjoy 10-15'.

However, given 33€99+3€ LiveBox (plus VAT no doubt) is the cheapest option in any case, it doesn't matter too much (just don't be too hasty to go for the premium options).

The problem is, if your property is 5km or more away from the exchange and you end up in the 0.5-2mbit range - in which case I'd go for the more expensive 'avec ligne fixe' option.

on the package i was looking at on web page it states the following.

broadband ADSL or debit boosted by VDSL2

what is the difference and which is best.

I bet you're wishing you had never replied to my post now, LOL

he said he couldn't find the property listed and said that speeds of 10 to 15 are available in the area. he was initially quoting €47 per month, He was a bit pushy to be honest, wanting me to sign up today. when i told him i would look at the website to decide what package i wanted and phone them back he said he would phone me in an hour or two. I got the impression he must be on commission.

Well, "10 to 15 MBs" bandwidth is pretty good. However, be careful about any implicit caveats or small print. It's no good getting a high bandwidth package and LiveBox if it turns out that your phone line only ends up able to support ADSL of 4mbps.

Did Orange say those figures were those of your nearest exchange or your property? Perhaps even obtained from a line test to your property?

just spoken to orange and he said they can offer internet of 10 to 15 MBs. with livebox at €36.99 per month

There are many providers to choose from, some with very good deals, especially if you add mobile phone contracts into the package.

If we stick with Orange for sake of example (similar deals & methods exist for the many others), then given their packages at: http://maboutique-internet.orange.fr/residentiel/offres-internet-ADSL-VDSL2.aspx the choice comes down to whether you want a classic analogue line (that works in a power cut) plus ADSL/Internet 'avec ligne fixe', or whether you're happy to save 13€ per month by opting for a pure ADSL/VoIP package (assuming your ADSL signal/bandwidth is good enough) 'sans ligne fixe'.

The first step is probably to find out from Orange what kind of bandwidth you can get at your property. If less than 2mbit then I'd recommend the 'avec ligne fixe' options in any case.

After that, and given oodles of bandwidth, it's the premium options for cheaper International/mobile calls and/or TV channels (via DSL and/or a terrestrial/satellite antenna).

Sorry, that was my terminology that has confused things, what i meant was the best way to go for a novice just setting up in france for phone and internet

Dave, unless you are a techie, it's probably best to stick to a non-techie 'plug-in & go' package provided by Orange or SFR (who name their ADSL/VoIP modems LiveBox & NeufBox respectively).

You can arrange everything (contract, direct debit, installation, delivery, etc.) via Orange's website and/or their English support line (even before you move in).

One company for phone, Internet, wifi (and TV if you let them persuade you).

It all depends what you mean by 'best'.

wow that all sounds a bit complicated, guess we've been spoilt over here just contacting a supplier and everything coming as one.

what is live box ? ive just looked at that link, im not very tech minded so please bear with me,

when we subscribe to orange do we get the phone line and internet access and pay monthly line rental. but have to buy a seperate router which is the Cisco one in the link.

we then have to subscribe to another company for the internet.

im i on the right track so far

My pleasure, Dave.

Incidentally, if you want to know the BEST way to go for telephone & Internet (not the cheapest, nor the simplest), it's as follows:

1) Get an Orange landline/number + ADSL package, with ZERO extras, not even a LiveBox (except perhaps caller ID, which is quite useful).

2) Get an all-in-one VoIP/DECT/ADSL modem/router such as the Cisco SPA232D (http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/products/14927-cisco-smb-spa232d-g7/)

3) Subscribe to an independent VoIP provider such as Nomado.eu

Then use the landline for incoming calls only (but outgoing as backup, e.g. during a power cut, or ADSL failure), and the VoIP provider's budget package for outgoing calls only.

Thanks for you help with this, all these little things are helping us to adapt to the French way of doing things

If you know the precise address you can also find out.

See http://abonnez-vous.orange.fr/residentiel/aboexpress/TestLigne.aspx?ADR=1

we dont know the number, the property had been empty for about 18mths when we bought it

If you know the current telephone number you can find out ADSL availability immediately (on Orange's website).