FAQ: Index

We’ve prepared answers to some of the most common questions people ask about our services. If you are an existing customer, visit our help and support section in Bulldog Lounge.

» General questions about Bulldog services
» Broadband (all services): General questions
» Broadband: Pay-As-You-Go
» Broadband: Anytime
» Broadband: Unlimited
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: General questions
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: Speed
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: Equipment
» DoubleSpeed Broadband: Existing customers
» Bulldog Line
» Bulldog second phone line
» Billing
» Technical requirements
» Installation and Equipment

Broadband (all services): General Questions

• How can you tell whether my phone line can support Bulldog broadband services?
• What happens if my phone line cannot support an up to 8 or up to 16 meg service?
• What is the difference between downstream and upstream speed?
• Are there any other factors which affect speed?
• Are there any data limits or time restrictions with the broadband services?
• What is the difference between a dynamic and static IP address?
• How many computers can I connect to a Bulldog broadband service at the same time?
• What is the 0845 dial access back-up service?
• Can I keep my existing email address?
• Do you provide any email accounts and what will my email address be?
• Can I access my Bulldog email remotely?
• Do you provide any space for hosting personal web pages?
• What is the online storage service?

How can you tell whether my phone line can support Bulldog broadband services?

• When you type your phone number and postcode into the online availability checker, an initial line check is performed. This determines what speed your phone line can support based on the quality of the line and its distance from your local public (phone) exchange.

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What happens if my phone line cannot support an up to 8 meg or up to 16 meg service?

• We endeavour to provide the fastest service that your line can support, up to 8 meg or up to 16 meg depending on the service you selected. If your line cannot support our superfast up to 8 or up to 16 meg services, we may be able to offer you our up to 2 meg AllTime services as an alternative. To find out the options available to you, enter your phone number and postcode into our online availability checker.

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What is the difference between downstream and upstream speed?

• Information passes between your computer and the internet in two directions: upstream and downstream. Typically, more information is passed downstream from the internet to your computer e.g. downloading a music track (and not out to the internet from your computer), that's why a superfast up to 8 or up to 16 meg broadband service is such a massive advantage.
• Bulldog also offers the highest upstream speeds in the residential ADSL (broadband) market - a huge up to 1 meg on our DoubleSpeed options.

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Are there any other factors which affect speed?

• Yes. The bandwidths we quote - in common with other service providers - are those available over our own network. When you go onto the internet, the actual speed at which you can download is also dependent on the site you're accessing. The site's traffic capacity, the number of users accessing it and congestion on the internet pathway between you and the site will all have an impact on the speed at which you're able to download.

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Are there any data limits or time restrictions with the broadband services?

• We place no data restrictions or caps on our Unlimited or Unlimited Plus services. With Pay-As-You-Go you simply pay for the time you are online, whilst Anytime and Anytime Plus are provided with a monthly data usage allowance (or 'cap') of 1 gig. Anytime users can use data beyond the monthly allowance on a pay-per-use basis.

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What is the difference between a dynamic and static IP address?

• By default you are assigned a new IP address to identify your PC each time you connect to the internet.
• A static IP address offers a permanent IP address dedicated to your PC as opposed to a dynamic one which changes each new session that you connect to the internet. This makes a static IP ideal for accessing your PC remotely.

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How many computers can I connect to a Bulldog broadband broadband service at the same time?

• Bulldog’s up to 8 and up to 16 meg broadband services are ideal for supporting several computers at the same time. As a very approximate guide, we would suggest anything between 1 to 15 computers (or users) can be supported. In fact, if you are operating a wireless environment, there is technically no limit to the number of devices you can connect. What you need to bear in mind is that that the speed will deteriorate the more users you add, since you will be sharing the same bandwidth.

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What is the 0845 dial access back-up service?

• This is provided with all Bulldog broadband services. It is extremely unlikely that you will lose your broadband connection, but in the rare event that you do, this is a back-up service which offers a simple, low cost (BT local call rate) solution if you face any downtime.
• All you need is an analogue dial-up modem as well as the standard voice service on your telephone line. You can then connect to the internet (via dial-up on 0845 123 2400) through Bulldog's back-up service until your broadband service is returned.

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Can I keep my existing email address?

Do you provide any email accounts and what will my email address be?

• Yes. In most cases (where you have a POP3 email account) you should be able to continue to use your current email address. We also provide all combined broadband and phone customers with a Bulldog email address too, which you may decide to use instead.

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Do you provide any email accounts / services and what will my address be?

• Yes. As a combined broadband and phone customer you’ll enjoy four Bulldog email accounts, enough for your friends and family, all including anti-spam and anti-virus protection at no extra cost. Each account also comes complete with 20MB of storage space too. Plus you can access your email at anytime, anywhere through our webmail service in the Bulldog Lounge.
• Each email account will take the format of 'xxxxx@bulldoghome.com'. Details of how to set up and access your email are provided in your welcome letter.

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Can I access my Bulldog email from any computer?

• Yes. We provide all Bulldog email users with access to their email from any computer connected to the Internet. You access our webmail service through the Bulldog Lounge.

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Do you provide any space for hosting personal web pages ?

• Yes. All combined broadband and phone customers gets 20MB of web space. You can access your web space through the Bulldog Lounge.

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What is the online storage service?

• This is an online facility to enable the uploading and management of online documents. You can also encrypt your files for extra security. All combined broadband and phone customers enjoy this service for free and each account comes with capacity of 20 MB as standard. You can access this service through the Bulldog Lounge.

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