Upgrading to fibre optic broadband

[Barnaby WildeParticipant @barnabywilde70941]

How many Model Engineers does it take to change a lightbulb ???

[Maurice TaylorParticipant @mauricetaylor82093]

The multiplier K M G T is always a capital letter when it is used in front of B for bytes or b for bits.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mark Rand on 01/08/2019 19:20:09:

Just to be pedantic:- It shouldn't have been mB or MB. In data bandwidth terms, a capitalized multiplier implies base 16 terms and lower case implies base 10 terms. Also, bandwidth is referred to as bits/S (small b) not bytes/S (large B).

So the abreviation, in this case is mb/S.

.

Someone should inform BT

**LINK**

https://www.bt.com/broadband/deals/

MichaelG.

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Thanks for replies – quite a lot to read through.

From what's been said it seems I'm unlikely to see any life-changing improvement by going FFTC – I should have said that there's just the two of us, my wife has a wireless laptop and I have a desktop with direct ethernet connection to my router – it was using that machine I measured the 20 Megabit/second download speed. We both use our machines mainly for web browsing and youtube audio streaming. We typically download around 100 Gigabytes monthly.

I think my best plan is to stay with ADSL and try to find a cheaper and more 'amenable' ISP – maybe I could renegotiate with TalkTalk but after my last experience with their customer service I really don't want anything to do with them if it can be avoided.

I was going to ask a followup question along the lines of "given I'm so close to the exchange (25 metres in fact) and the exchange is close to my nearest cabinet (230 metres) how can the maximum of 230 metres of fibre instead of copper almost double my speed?" I think Bazyle has answered that by pointing out that it's not just the physical infrastructure which affects speed, but also software settings controlling contention priority and maximum speeds.

I don't think anyone responded to Circlip's question 'are routers ISP dependent?' . All I can say (if you're still there Ian!) is that my 20 year old Netgear router has migrated between AOL, BT, and now TalkTalk without problems. I have no idea if routers supplied as part of ISP packages are locked in some way. I wouldn't be surprised if they are.

Norfolk Boy, I didn't have any problem with understanding your useful post – it never occurred to me that you might be talking in milliBytes! Context was enough!

Robin

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Robin Graham on 01/08/2019 23:45:13:

…

I think my best plan is to stay with ADSL and try to find a cheaper and more 'amenable' ISP – maybe I could renegotiate with TalkTalk but after my last experience with their customer service I really don't want anything to do with them if it can be avoided.

…

Robin

That was exactly my view of them – apart from an intermittent and/or very slow service on lots of occasions. They were simply not the best service (since demonstrated by our new ISP). But until then, we had no idea of how good, or bad, other ISPs were in comparison.

My view was that you usually hear of the horror stories but the ‘run of the mill’ satisfied customers vastly out-number those, but never get heard from. With that lot the service was definitely poor. I found them similar to my previous energy supplier – always after more money monthly (even when well in credit already) without any improvement in service.

On a separate note, we still get umpteen spam calls about out service being stopped unless we do something quick (like give out our bank details?). My wife puts that down to their loss of customer data to hackers back-when.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Yep, still here Robin, thanks for your and Howi's reply confirming the router question. Yes trying to Talk to Talk Talk makes you feel like slashing your wrists after the first twenty minutes of jumping through hoops confirming who you are. Seriously thinking of letting the present contract lapse and then becoming a "New" customer. Had a slight problem initially with broadband dropping out when landline was used but that down to plug and socket problem I sorted. Latest occurred a couple of days ago when we had an instantaneous flash and bang (thunder storm) which seems to have screwed the telephone output from their "Micro Filter" and also the telephone connected to it but NOT the DSL to the router?

 

Regards Ian.

Edited By Circlip on 02/08/2019 09:46:38

[AdrianRParticipant @adrianr18614]

Well today my rural broadband is really bad, my normal 2.5Mb over the last week or so has dropped to 1Mb.

Even talktalk's online tester says it is not working right, but I really could not be bothered to contact talktalk's customer services so went to look at switching to Zen.

Zen checker said I could get fibre, so I checked BT, it also says fibre, oddly talktalk says adsl.

I just rang Zen to double check, they are sure I can get fibre so I have just signed up. The monthly fibre price is the same as my current adsl broadband.

Looks like the villages fibre cabinet has been provisioned and no one has been told.

Adrian

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Talktalk has a members forum, check it out as it works for me. You can talk to them or us messages system. They do follow do follow up. As I am phone deaf it is ideal for me with the message system.

You need a Nom de Plume and there are several experts available for problems, it has a fault page as well showing which exchanges have problems.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Robin Graham on 01/08/2019 23:45:13:

…

I don't think anyone responded to Circlip's question 'are routers ISP dependent?' . All I can say (if you're still there Ian!) is that my 20 year old Netgear router has migrated between AOL, BT, and now TalkTalk without problems. I have no idea if routers supplied as part of ISP packages are locked in some way. I wouldn't be surprised if they are.

…

Robin

As far as I know the routers supplied by ISPs aren't locked. They all implement standard open communications protocols. Where they differ is which set of protocols (ADSL, ADSL2, TCP/IP etc), and which versions of them. Later versions are usually much faster. The advantage of getting a new router when changing ISP is that it will match the best available today.

Retaining a 20 year old router isn't a good idea. Not just because it might be getting unreliable but because old routers can only manage obsolescent transfer rates. Your computer and ISP might both be able to communicate at 2019 speeds, hurrah, but not if they both have to slow down to match a 1999 router. You wouldn't buy a performance car and fit a SatNav so out-of-date it doesn't know about motorways!

Dave

[FatWelshBoyParticipant @fatwelshboy]

I sign with the cheapest provider that gives me 68Mbps and I don't care about what router they provide as I turn its wireless function off. I bought a mesh wifi system and it's been superb, can't imagine life without mesh now.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I live in a densely populated suburb of the second biggest town in Somerset and only get 8mB. Three years ago it was 13mB, I think that restrictions are deliberate, the nearest cabinet with fibre is 50 yards away.

Old routers may not be as secure as up to date models.

Edited By old mart on 02/08/2019 20:49:54

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Posted by Circlip on 02/08/2019 09:45:10:

…

Had a slight problem initially with broadband dropping out when landline was used but that down to plug and socket problem I sorted.

…

Regards Ian.

 

I have that too! I've just been living with it. Is it a simple fix? I have an old master socket (the type with an encircled T symbol in the top righthand corner) if that's relevant.

Dave / SoD – "Retaining a 20 year old router isn't a good idea. Not just because it might be getting unreliable but because old routers can only manage obsolescent transfer rates."

Point about 20 year old router taken, but given that the thing seems capable of delivering 20 megabits / second, which seems better than some are getting with ADSL and (presumably) newer routers, it can't be that bad. Seems pretty reliable too, despite having slaved away pretty much 24/7 over that time. Ee, they used to make proper routers in them days

You're right though, I should probably upgrade. Security is certainly an issue. No doubt I'll get a new one whichever way I jump – I've really had it with TalkTalk – maybe their user forum is better, but it has been impossible for me to communicate with their CS in any meaningful way – they just read from a script and ignore anything they're not programmed to answer. Not even a 'Kernel panic core dumped'*. Just round and round the same loop.

Robin.

* Apologies to those who don't use Unix if that's obscure – it's what  Unix comes up with when it can't resolve an internal problem.

Edited By Robin Graham on 03/08/2019 00:04:57

Edited By Robin Graham on 03/08/2019 00:06:00

Edited By Robin Graham on 03/08/2019 00:14:10

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Problem was generated by TT's "Installer" not putting BT socket where required. Connection to modem had to be from new BT supply socket via an extension cable that had originally supplied an extension phone in the opposite direction. Initial problem was that the TT "Micro filter" had to be plugged in DIRECT to supply socket as ANY telephones had to be supplied from micro filter output, or if you connect a double adaptor to the BT socket and then connect a phone to one and the MF to the other, (MF then connected via ASDL cable to router), incoming telephone calls then kill broadband. When call ended, router resets itself and broadband resumes.

Complication occurred because BT socket is in an upstairs room with modem/router in a downstairs room and this is because I want to be able to see the four lights on the router which I can't if the router is connected in t'other room. Original installation by Yorkshire cable/Telewest/Virgin had telephone socket in downstairs room which fed downstairs phone and upstairs phone via extension cable. Modem/router fed from co-ax connection. Problem with TT is not having local technicians, everything is "Solved" or not Via technicians in Karachi/Mongolia or Afghanistan and a local would cost to send out.

Hopefully will use TT again cos it's cheap (Yorkshire frugality.)

Edit. Reason for router question was that neither the Virgin or TT routers give the same signal strength as my Netgear one did to the locations in the house of other computers with same router location. 

 

Regards Ian.

Edited By Circlip on 03/08/2019 10:50:25

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Thanks for the explanation Ian. My setup is simpler, just the master socket -> microfilter -> master wireless phone base and modem/router. Maybe I can fix the problem with a new master socket with inbuilt filter.

Re routers I've had a similar experience with a router supplied by BT as part of a package – despite being advertised as 'market leading' it didn't have the wireless range of of my venerable Netgear.

Robin.

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