Ngroups highlights:
- 1500 days binary retention
- 1095 days text retention
- US & European servers
- Up to 20 connections
- Free SSL encryption
- Special: $9.99 unlimited
We’ve been following the progress of Ngroups for a long time now. Especially since they added free unlimited storage in the Fall of 2010. Since then the Usenet service has continued to grow and is now a member of our “Top 10 Usenet Providers” list.
In October 2010 Ngroups increased binary retention and added free online storage for unlimited subscribers. Ngroups now offers 1,500 days of binaries and continues to spool daily. Along with 1,095 days of text posts. With the number of simultaneous connections ranging between 30 and 60 depending on which plan you choose. NGR tip: 30 is plenty. We easily maxed a 25 Mbps connection with 15.
Testing the new Ngroups offering and free unlimited storage was fun. We had previous tried services with online storage but not with all the bells and whistles of Ngroups. They partnered with Livedrive to offer the new online backup service. Along with storing files online you can also push them to wireless devices including iPhone and iPad. Quite a value considering Livedrive subscriptions are $7.95 a month.
As with any online storage service you are constrained by your ISP’s upload speed. In our case around 1 mbps. We downloaded Livedrive’s iPad app and were impressed with the features and ease of use.
As for Usenet access Ngroups is very solid. With excellent completion. We were able to max out 25 Mbps with 15 connections. Probably could have used less. So unless you’re sitting on a huge Internet connection the Unlimited Eco plan (NGR $9.99 special) is plenty fast.
Ngroups includes free SSL encryption with their plans along with access to news servers in the United States and Europe. We found completion levels to be very good. Downloading a Ubuntu distro around 850 days old without need for any PAR files.
Ngroups news server information:
– US server farm – us.Ngroups.net
– European server farm – eu.Ngroups.net
They offer the following port settings:
– Secure ports: 563, 80, 81
– Standard ports: 119, 20, 23, 53, 443, 2000, 8080, 9000, 9001, 9002
Ngroups is currently offering our visitors a NewsgroupReviews special including unlimited Usenet access plus unlimited online storage for $9.99 a month. See our Ngroups special page for more details.
Here’s a listing of all the Ngroups accounts:
– Unlimited Eco (30 connections + storage) – $9.99 NGR special
– Unlimited Extra (60 connections + storage) – $19.99 a month
– Light (10 GB/mo, 30 connections) – $5.99 a month
The Unlimited Eco account is by far the most popular plan. With unlimited Usenet access (30 connections is plenty) and free Livedrive online storage for $10.99. NewsgroupReviews visitors can save $1 a month with the $9.99 offer.
For those who would like to test the Ngroups service before signing up they offer a 3 day, 5 GB free trial. That basically means you can use Ngroups for 3 days or up to 5 gigs of downloads free of charge to test.
If you haven’t had the chance to try Ngroups yet then you definitely should give them a try. We suggest the $9.99 Unlimited Eco special. Don’t forget to take advantage of the Livedrive online storage with mobile support.
