Although Virgin Media has been providing some of the fastest speeds in the London area compared with the likes of Talk Talk, Sky, BT etc a new player entered the market back in 2020 in the form of G Network.
G Network Web Site Issues
The first thing you will notice when attempting to use the site is that if you aren’t using Google Chrome you will get errors. (I spoke to G.Networks tech support who are aware of this but have no knowledge of when it will be fixed).
One of the errors is “Unfortunately we can’t complete this request. Please call our Customer Service team on 0203 909 4555 and they’ll be able to discuss your needs. “
This is obviously a pain forcing users to use a browser they may not even have installed and also sets a pretty bad impression that a technology company (especially an ISP) has issues like this.
Wehn you are selling a product putting massive hurdles like this in place is just plain bad business practise. For a lesser technical person they would most likely give up tyring to use the website.
One thing to note is that there is a note on the site saying it is operated by “The Marketing Lounge Partnership on behalf of G.Network” so it appears it is outsourced.
Someone should be kicking someones ass to get this sorted.
Ironically, they also have another site linked to the main web site for refering friends. This also does not work with Google Chrome web browser either. You can tick the first two boxes but the form doesn’t appear unless you use Chrome. Again it is the same company that made th emain web site that created this one.
The site is pretty easy to navigate and once you have registered your account you can find your orders with a couple of clicks.
Placing An Order Online
Placing an order was very simple indeed. At the time of submitting my order there was an offer on for 6 months free on a 12 month contract.
Given that price for a 900/900 connection (once the offer period had finished) was the same as Virgin Media for just 560 up/35 down it seemed a no brainer.
If that doesn’t tempt you then there is also a 3 month guarantee on the connection.
Lead Times
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What To Expect at The Install
The engineer
Asked if they should take their shoes off
Let me know at the start it
Network Equipment
The standard piece of equipment priovisioned is a Nokia XS-2426G-A which has 4 ethernet ports built into it, Wifi 6 as well as WPA3 security so the latest security standards.
It looks fairly neat in a white colour so won’t stick out like a sore thumb if you need to place it on the side in visual range.
The device has physical buttons on it for WPS connectivity as well as enabling and disabling Wifi.
For administering it, there is a very plain web interface but lets be honest, how often after it is set up will you use that? There is the normal featrues like mac filtering as well as a limited firewall of off/medium/full. Also if you need to forward ports for things like VoIP then this is included.
I didn’t spend too much time playing with this but it does what is needed.
One thing no tote which I think will come in handy is that is supports mesh networking so you can other other mesh access points around your house if needed.
The wifi signal on it was full going from the base of a house through two floors to the top floor. It had to pass through plasterboard, a wooden cabinet as well as joists and finally get to a device sitting on a metal cabinet. There was full signal without any issues.
G Network Speed Test
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How to set your G Network modem into IP "passthrough" mode
If you currently or are looking to use other network equipment with your G Network fiber router then you will need to set the router into passthrough mode.
Should you not be a network geeek then simply put it means that the box that G Network provide acts solely as a way of terminating the connection into your property and doesn’t serve any other purpose.
Unlike other providers the ability to set the modem into IP passthrough mode is not available through the modem web interface. I spent some time searching the internet, G Networks limited support portal and looking at the product manual to no avail.
Unfortunately as you will find there is absolutely no info available. Cue me placing a call into G Network tech support.
At this point I need to say that the sales team put me through to the support line as there is no dedicated number on the contact page of their web site.
I had to wait on hold for 30 minutes before I got through to an engineer.
One thing to note, there is no hold music and only very infrequently does a message play saying your call is important so don’t worry you haven’t been cut off!
The very helpful engineer knew immedaitely what the issue was and explained that because they had so many people “playing” with this setting and then locking themselves out of the modem they had removed this function.
He was kind enough to take my info and then remotely adjust the modem and reboot it in about five minutes.
If you have a static IP address you will need to provide the MAC address of your equipment WAN port so they can associate them with each other on their system.
To contact G Network support all you need to do is call them on 0800 084 3737 or email [email protected]
Overall Verdict
My overall verdict is that even with the web site issues and the technical glitch of getting my own firewall and routers working, the experience was pleasant.
Communication was great and punctualtiy was spot on with the engineers.
I’ve yet to be billed so I will post an update once that has commenced but given all the above I would happily give G Network 8 out of 10.