Tag Archive for: broadband

Virgin Media, Marvel's Avengers

Marvel’s Avengers Exclusive Virgin Media Skins

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Are you a Virgin Media customer? Are you a gamer? If you answered yes to both of those questions, then have we got some good news for you! All Virgin Media customers are eligible to get timed exclusive Marvel’s Avengers skins! They’re applicable to all six of the Marvel’s Avengers main characters and are exclusive to Virgin Media in the UK. Better yet, Virgin Media Customers will also be given early beta access to the game this weekend Friday 14th – Sunday 16th August.

The outfits are only available to Virgin Media customers and are inspired by developer Crystal Dynamics’ favourite comic book looks. While the outfits feature the iconic Virgin Media red and can be added to all of the main characters. They’re exclusive to Virgin Media customers and cannot be worn by anyone else at the time of launch.

Marvel’s Avengers allows players to personalise the attire of their favourite Heroes and even customise their abilities and moves to suit how players play the game.

The exclusive outfits (Virgin Media customers will have 90 days to claim the outfits) include:

  • Hulk:  Ascendancy Outfit
  • Black Widow: Lucent Shadow Outfit
  • Captain America: Burning Might Outfit
  • Iron Man: Jet Stream Armor Outfit
  • Ms. Marvel: Event Horizon  Outfit
  • Thor: Light Breaker Outfit

Virgin Media, Marvel's Avengers

Virgin Media customers should also keep a keen eye on social media and streaming platforms! Why? As there are more suprises and exclusive content to come from the partnership between Virgin Media and Marvel’s Avengers!

Virgin Media customers to get early access to Marvel’s Avengers beta

Beta Access is also available to Virgin Media customers. As they have thousands of beta codes to give away to their customers (Xbox or PC) when entering online.

The access is only available to gamers who have pre-ordered the game on Xbox or PC, though with Virgin Media’s offering to it’s customers, it now means that anyone can download and play the beta.

The beta allows players to get hands on with the game before it’s full launch on September 4th. Players will get the chance to experience single player or co-op War Zone missions where players can connect and join forces with friends online. All whilst playing their favourite Avengers character.

Ahead of the beta launching, Virgin Media teamed with with Arekkz Gaming to give Virgin Media customers a run down of what to expect. Check out the video above for more!

“There is no better time to be a gamer, a fan of Marvel’s Avengers and, of course, a Virgin Media customer. Not only are we giving our customers incredibly stylish and exclusive skins, we are also giving them early beta access to assemble with friends online and play as their favourite Super Heroes.” Cilesta Van Doorn, Director of Brand and Marketing at Virgin Media

“We’re so excited to be partnering with Virgin Media across the entire Marvel’s Avengers campaign.  We’re delighted to be able to offer Virgin Media customers the opportunity to jump in and experience what’s it’s like to be an Avenger ahead of the game’s official release on September 4th. As we close in on launch, we’re delighted to be coming together to offer their customers something unique and creative. These skins are all about taking things to another level.” Karl Stewart, Head of Worldwide Strategic Partnerships for Square Enix

Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel’s Avengers is a story-driven, third-person action-adventure game. Players reassemble and rebuild their Avengers roster in an original, cinematic single-player campaign, then battle solo or online alongside friends as part of the Avengers Initiative, with new missions around the globe. In Marvel’s Avengers, gamers can customize Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and then harness their unique powers to defend the world from escalating threats for years to come.

Virgin Media skins

The exclusive suite of Virgin Media skins will be available for 90 days from September 4. More information will be shared soon on how Virgin Media customers can redeem the skins.

Virgin Media beta

To access the beta, those interested will need to redeem the Virgin Media code via the Square Enix website:

  1. Visit virginmedia.com/beta
  2. Fill in customer details on the registration form and click enter
  3. You will receive an automated email with a unique beta code
  4. Visit playavengers.com/redeem
  5. Log in using your Square Enix Members account. If you do not have a Square Enix Members account, you can create one from this page
  6. Enter your pre-order code in the box provided
  7. Select your preferred platform
  8. Click on Submit
  9. You will then be redirected to the confirmation page. If the Beta Code is available, it will be displayed on the page, and you will receive it via email too. If your code is not available yet, you will receive an email containing your code when it is ready, and it will be available on the website

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Tips To Help Improve Broadband Speed!

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USwitch want to help with solving the UK’s Top Broadband Issue – Slow Speed! USwitch’s own broadband expert Nick Baker decided to share his top tips on how to solve this very issue.  

Thinking ” where are the best Internet providers in my area?”, well we are too.

Tips to Help Improve Broadband Speed

There’s a number of reasons as to why your broadband connection may be slow. One of the reasons could by multiple devices using the same network in your area. Or a large number of devices on your home connection.

See below USwitch’s best tips!

1. Carry out a broadband speed test so you can see just what speeds you’re getting. Also, try doing this at different times during the day and take a screenshot or a note of the result.

2. Check and see if your browser software is up to date. Having the latest version of your browser can really help speed up the way web pages load.

3. Is your router next to any other wireless devices? Anything from a wireless doorbell to fairy lights can have an impact on the speeds you’re getting. So, my tip would be to place your router on a small side table away from any other devices (rather than on the floor) and keep it switched on at all times.

4. Ensure you have a strong password protecting your Wi-Fi network to make sure nobody else is using it. As this is particularly important if you live in a flat or apartment.

5. Is your router firmware up to date? So, your router should update automatically, but you can force a reset (check the back of the device for instructions) and this can help with broadband speed.

Even more tips!

6. Have you tried using a cable? Routers usually have an Ethernet cable socket in the back of the device so you can connect directly to them. Try using this and running the speed test again to see if you get faster results. Again, keep a note of these speeds.

7. Have you checked for interference on your phone line? Purchase some microfilters or get them from your provider. Plug them into every phone socket in your house as they split the broadband and phone signals so they don’t interfere with one another.

8. Are you using a phone line extension cable? These (especially if they are long) can impact the speed of your broadband. If you need to use one, make sure it’s high quality and as short as possible and not tangled up.

9. Plug your router directly into the main phone socket. These sockets usually have a line running across the front of them. Also, make sure your router is connected to this socket then try running the speed test again.

10. Contact your broadband provider.  So, if all else fails and you’re still struggling, then it’s worth getting in touch with your broadband provider. You can share your speed test results and they will work through a series of diagnostic tests to isolate the issue and get you back up to speed in no time.

(USwitch)

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Britain’s Biggest Bandwidth Hogs

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So how has the UK spent lockdown? It seems as though Britain has hit the sofa to stream more content than ever before! Official figures from the ONS highlight how much bandwidth Britain has used in comparison to 2015.

The ONS Study found that the most popular activity was to stream video content. The survey determined that it took up 2 hours and 53 minutes each day. USwitch also discovered that the UK Broadband usage had increased by almost a third overall (29%). That’s A LOT of bandwidth usage!

However, a recent poll by YouGov discovered that 35% of broadband users in the UK have slower than normal speeds during lockdown! So the question is, how much bandwidth is the UK using and how is it affecting the quality of our connections?

Revealing the UK’s Top Broadband Issues

During the lockdown there has been an increase in the usage of UK broadband connections. Which will in effect take up a lot of bandwidth. 1 in 5 households (21%) have suffered with dropped connections. Including buffering or slow connections.

So therefore our friends over at USwitch took to Reddit to research:

  • What the most common complaints were when it comes to broadband connections

  • How often the UK searches Google for a solution to these issues

  • Where in the country suffers the most with internet problems

Technical complaints toppled the list of broadband issues that people had. While Broadband speed was the top issue affecting those in Norwich. Googling for a speedy solution more than anywhere else in the UK. Improving latency was the top issue in Cambridge. As they were fed up with having to wait for their connections to respond.

USwitch discovered a number of customer service related complaints such as Switch Broadband Provider and Cancel Broadband was the most prevalent in Glasgow!

Top 10 Bandwidth Hungry Apps Revealed

Bandwidth is a hot commodity and a lot of your apps take up a lot of it! Netflix even applied restrictions on streaming quality to reduce the amount of bandwidth used in order to help video run smoothly. USwitch discovered that Netflix used around 1GB of bandwidth data at standard definition, per hour!

Furthermore Google Stadia and NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW used LOADS of bandwidth! With Google Stadia raking in 4.5gb of bandwidth per hour!

What is cloud gaming and why does it use so much bandwidth?

Cloud gaming requires gamers to play games which are streamed via the cloud. This is done via a data centre which provides the computing power. Every single thing a gamer does is communicated between them and the data center. Therefore this is why so much bandwidth is required and used during play.

Where do the UK’s Biggest Bandwidth Users Live?

The study by USwitch discovered that Southampton was the location that saw the biggest surge in broadband usage. Jumping 49% to 44 hours 36mins a week during lockdown. While which area in the UK uses the most bandwidth hungry apps?

Our study named Southampton as the UK location experiencing the biggest surge in broadband use – jumping 49% to 44 hours and 36 minutes a week during lockdown, but which area in the UK is using the most bandwidth-hungry apps?

The UK’s Most Used Apps During Lockdown

The average household has 8 devices which connect to the internet. USwitch discovered how much bandwidth do our most used apps eat up per hour?

Revealed: The Winners and Losers of Lockdown Entertainment

Video Calls Winner — Zoom

Video calling has a had a HUGE surge in popularity. 2/3’s of consumers 68% have said that they used the tech since the lockdown began. With Zoom being the biggest app with the highest search increase in the UK.

Plus it only uses 0.54gb’s per hour. Making it one of the least bandwidth hungry video calling apps. With Google Hangouts using the most at 0.70gb’s

Films and Box Sets Winner — Hulu

Suprisingly Hulu is the most popular video streaming service. 49% of searches for it since the lockdown. While Hulu isn’t available in the UK yet, it seems many could still access the content. Apple TV was a close second with 44% of people tuning in. Suprisingly Disney+ and Netflix were much further down the list! As they only had a third more searches than usual.

Amazon Prime hits bottom spot with 0.1% increase in searches. Maybe this is because many of us have those services anyway? Or maybe we’ve watched everything and are looking for new sources.

Catch-up TV Winner — My5

My5 tops the list when it comes to streaming catch up tv! With 100% more people searching for the service than before lockdown. Coming in 2nd was All4 with 46% more searches and BBC iPlayer had 19% more.

Music Streaming Winner — Apple Music

Apple Music had a 40% more increase in searches. The streaming quality could have knocked Spotify off the top spot. Streaming Spotify has 0.04gbs of data per hour of usage. With Apple Music uses 1gb of data as it’s a higher standard.

(USwitch)

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