UseNetServer Review
UseNetServer (UNS) offers unlimited newsgroups access for € 13,30 a month. Couple this with 280 days binary retention, 99%+ completion rate, free SSL and global search tool.
Binary Retention – UseNetServer provides 280 days of binary retention and over 85,000 newsgroups. This is low compared to competitors.
Speed – we tested using a UseNetServer UNS Hi-Speed Plus account and maxed out a 6 Mbps connection with SSL enabled. Connections ranged from 4-6 Mbps during header downloads. Binary file downloads ran consistently at 6 Mbps. While we didn’t need it UNS also offers a routing tool to optimize connection speeds.
The UNS Hi-Speed Plus plan includes 20 connections versus the standard 10. If you want maximum speed pay the extra € 2,22 a month and go with the Hi-Speed plus plan.
Alternate Ports – UseNetServer supports alternate ports to avoid bandwidth throttling. For normal access you can use ports 119 (default), 23, 25, 1720, 3128 or 8080. For secure SSL access choose between port 443, 563 and 8080. This can make a huge speed difference with some ISP’s that limit traffic based on port.
Security / Privacy – UseNetServer offers free 256 bit SSL access to all customers. We always run secure and had no problems. Note – if you start out connecting to the news.usenetserver.com server an then enable SSL make sure to change your server address to secure.usenetserver.com.
Usenet Search – the UseNetServer global search tool provides a nice online interface for searching newsgroups. It offers a number of filters to narrow down search results. Our initial Ubuntu search netted 598 results. Narrowing the search to a specific newsgroup cut the results in half. We then used the global search tool to easily create the NZB file. This method will save you time over downloading headers.
Pricing – UseNetServer pricing is simple. They offer two unlimited download plans. We recommend the UNS Hi-Speed Plus plan which includes 20 connections for € 13,30 a month. They also offer a monthly 10 connection plan for € 11,08 a month.
UseNetServer $10 Special - UNS is currently offering unlimited Usenet access for $10 a month. This includes their top premium account with 280 days binary retention, 20 conenctions, SSL, UNS global search and more. Visit the UseNetServer $10 special page for more details.
Support –UseNetServer has fallen short as of late in reliability and support. Search online forums for more details.
Bottom Line – UseNetServer has been around a long time. They recently launched a new site design and upgraded services including 280 days retention spooling to 400 days. Take advantage of their $10 special and enjoy unlimited Usenet access at a great price.
