Home Broadband FAQ

Home Broadband

Q. I already have broadband – how do I switch?

A. It’s really easy to switch to Eclipse (we like to make a good impression from the start!) so all you need to do is to get a MAC code. This is your unique code which allows you to switch provider without a break in your broadband connection.

All you have to do to get it is to call your current broadband provider and ask them for one. By law, they have to give you a MAC code within 5 days. When you’ve done this, you can order your Eclipse broadband package through here or, if you prefer, call us to place your order, on 0845 1224 111. And there’s another way – if you’re impatient to make your order, please go ahead. You can always call us with the MAC code as soon as you have it.

Once we receive the order plus the MAC code, it’ll take around 6 working days and your broadband will be seamlessly switched to your new Eclipse service.

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Q. Do I need to cancel my current provider?

A. No, that’s all taken care of when you ask for a MAC code. You enter this code when you order your Eclipse broadband and your old providers’ service will cease when we transfer you to Eclipse.
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Q. Will I have any broadband downtime?

A. No, the idea of a MAC code transfer is that your broadband services will switch seamlessly.
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Q. How will I know it’s all happened?

A. We’ll send you a welcome letter and email when your connection is ready. These will have your username details which will help you manage your connection through My Eclipse – your unique online portal which gives you control over your broadband service.
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Q. What is My Eclipse and what can I do with it?

A. My Eclipse is your own unique online portal in which you can manage your connection. You log in through our website, and you’ll be able to change your details, upgrade your connection, order new services from Eclipse and use your Connection Manager.

The Connection Manager helps you get the best from your broadband. Simply move the sliders to prioritise or de-prioritise certain types of traffic across your connection. You can use this to make sure you’re getting maximum performance from your line in order to do the most important things you use the internet for. You might use it if you’ve got several internet users in your family and you want to make sure your essential emails are getting through despite online gaming use by your children, for instance. To get more advice on managing your connection, you can always call our team of experts on 0845 1224 111.
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Q. What happens if I don’t have a connection at the moment?

A. If you are setting up a new broadband connection, or have already cancelled your old service, you need to have a BT phone line in place and active before you can order your Eclipse broadband. Once the line is connected, you can simply order through our website, or, if you prefer, give our team a call on 0845 1224 111.
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Q. What if I’m moving house?

A. Our HouseMove service will help you get the connections in your new house up and running in time for you to move in. All you have to do is order a BT phone line into your new property, then call us with the reference number. We’ll then do the tricky bit and liaise with BT to make sure your phone line and broadband service both go live at the same time.

Q. How much do I pay to switch to Eclipse?

A. If you’re moving house, or have a MAC code, it’s absolutely free to switch to our services. If you’re setting up a new broadband connection altogether, the charges vary.

Contract	1 Month Contract	12 Month
Home Lite	N/A	£33.67
Home Select	£50.50	No Charge
Home Pro	£50.50	No Charge

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Q. Do I still have to pay line rental?

A. Yes, you pay a monthly line rental to the company that supplies your BT landline and the monthly tariff for your broadband package to Eclipse. That’s traditionally how most broadband providers have operated.

Q. How fast will my broadband connection be?

A. This is the million dollar question! The biggest hurdle all broadband providers face is that it’s impossible to predict totally accurate speeds for each individual connection. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot we can do to advise you on our best guess, what to expect, and how to get the best from your line.

Here goes:

• 1. Start with the Speedchecker. Just put in your phone number and we’ll tell you what speed of line serves your home. It’ll tell you you possible connection speed or even if you can access Fibre broadband at home. This is your starting point. But it’s important to know that the up to speed is not an indication of how fast your broadband will work. It’s an industry-standard way of rating the type of line going into your property. It also gives you an idea of its potential speed - but the first thing we need to tell you is that no broadband user will get the top speed. Your own personal broadband speed is dependent on a number of factors. (And this is true no matter which provider you choose for your broadband – it’s just that some don’t spell it out as honestly) These are:
  • i. The distance of your house from the exchange (the “hub” where the internet comes into your town or city)
  • ii. The quality of the copper lines going into your house (and you can’t do much about this – they’re owned by BT)
  • iii. The way you’ve set up your broadband, inside your house (and guess what – here, you can make a difference – and we can help you!) So the next step towards getting the best estimation of speed you can get is to ring us on 0845 1224. Our team of experts will look at your specific address and give you a more accurate “guess-timate” of the sort of speed you can expect. They’ll also be able to advise you on how to set up your broadband in order to make the most of the available performance.
  
  
  It’s a frustrating truth that broadband speeds vary from property to property – and that it’s hard to predict. At Eclipse, we do everything we can to give you the best estimation of speed possible, prior to sign up. If, once your connection is installed, you feel you’re still getting way below your expected speeds, give us a call. Our technical teams will help you troubleshoot any other potential problems to get to the bottom of the issue.
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Q. What is a contention ratio and what ratio can I expect with Eclipse?

A. Contention ratios used to be used by BT to give you an idea of how many people would be using a single connection (essentially, how crowded it would be). However, newer ADSL+ lines don’t work on contention ratios – and even on the older network, BT don’t work on contention ratios any more.

The main reason for this is that contention ratios aren’t so relevant any more. As speeds have increased across all broadband connections, the number of users hasn’t had such an impact because there’s more “room to share”, if you like. One important factor that does make a different here though, is whether your provider has bought a big enough pipe to accommodate all its customers. As Eclipse is a business-focussed provider, we’ve invested heavily in our network to make sure every customer is well catered for. Secondly, we also provide top level priority to all our connections so you know you’re getting the best performance possible from your broadband. It’s worth asking your provider for information on this, rather than worrying about contention ratios these days.
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Q. Do I have to pay for static IPs?

A. No, we actually offer free static IPs with all our broadband connections. All you have to do is request one – and we may ask you to fill in a RIPE form in order to be allocated static IPs on your behalf. Then we’ll provide them absolutely free. You might want a static IP if you are hosting a website yourself, or want other web users to be able to find information you are offering.

Q. Do I have to use all the features of my broadband package?

A. Absolutely not. We’re happy we can offer some key extra features which come for free as part of Eclipse’s premium broadband service – but we won’t make you take them! If you’re not sure you’ll use any of the free features, you don’t have to – but rest assured that if you change your mind, you can activate them at any time during your contract.
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Q. What’s the contract length?

A. We offer 12 month contracts across all our broadband packages. On all but our cheapest option, you can choose to take out a rolling one month contract – although this does come at an additional cost. See our pricing table for more information.
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Q. Why should I come to Eclipse?

A. Our business-focussed network prioritises reliability and performance. Lots of our Home Broadband customers come to us because they want those same priorities at home, as well as in the office.
Secondly we pride ourselves on truly great customer service. It’s not just us saying that – we’ve won awards for it too! Eclipse has been in business since the start of broadband which means some of our technical experts are truly the best around. If you’re a home broadband customer, you get the same access to their expertise as our business customers – and that means one-on-one help and advice if things go wrong.
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Q. My current broadband provider isn’t performing well – will you be better?

A. Whilst all providers deliver broadband across the same network, it’s true to say that some can do it better. And of course, we think we’re one of them! But let us explain why. You’re paying for a premium broadband service, and we know there are cheaper home broadband packages out there. But you’re not paying above the odds, for no return – the reason our rates are a little higher than others is because we don’t cram users onto overcrowded networks. We make sure we have enough capacity for all our customers to get the best performance from their broadband connection possible, working towards giving you consistent performance. If you want to know more about how we do this, check out our performance section or give our team a call on 0845 1224 111.
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