Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 24, 2022 18:17:34 GMT
I know there's few of us on here and two are not even in the UK.... so a long shot to get an answer. To reduce monthly broadband/phone costs I have switched to Vodafone. Whilst I was working I considered the ultra stable/reliable BT Openreach service I had as worth it. Plus I used to get a discount by saying I'd move on. Anyway as plans to move to Greece are taking longer I decided I needed to do something but unfortunately we're now in a FTTP area so Vodafone couldn't just send me a new modem/router and plug it in. Of course that would have just worked.... no I had to get FTTP installed. So yesterday I got the new ugly grey box outside and FTTP which was working at the same time as my BT Infinity.... So both were basically the same speed as I've opted for a fast enough speed. BT turned off their Internet service last night. I thought for the price I'd have VOIP via the Vodafone 'router' (the same one that works for VDSL but I couldn't use that) but the landline is still active. Now wondering (and here's the question) if the landline will stay active.... makes the forced move to FTTP pointless. Okay I could pay another £30pm and get Gbit/s speeds but most devices are connecting over WiFi and there's not much that I have that needs such fast speeds.* * of course once we all had broadband, web pages got more complicated so what was a fast 512Kbps service I had over 20 years ago would be crap for even a mobile now  So I'm sure we'll soon need 500Mbps to just browse! |
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Post by bromptonaut on Nov 24, 2022 20:04:49 GMT
Mmmm,
We've just got fibre to the premises. Initially the company laying the cables tried to tempt us; months before the service went live.
Now it's actually connected I find my own provider, Plusnet, offer FTTP at various speeds/costs. Currently cogitating on whether, allowing that connections for mine and Mrs B's work PC's will be by wireless to a router in the hall rather than Cat5 to router in spare room. Is that going to work?
I spent a day routing Cat 5 from spare room to Mrs B's workspace in daughter's empty nest space to get her decent speeds for video conferences.
If Voda refuse to connect you to, otherwise adequate, VDSL will any other supplier?
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 24, 2022 20:18:18 GMT
Now realising the dial tone today is just that. But until last night the phone line was working as was both broadband routers (FTTP and FTTC).
I am missing the necessary BT phone adapter to RJ11 which they did not send. I could buy one and get tomorrow myself. DPD delivering the router were the worst though.
I have had the Openreach ONT put in the office so that is all wired. Plus power line Ethernet to the lounge but the new Sky Q won't need that.
It's been an interesting few days. Upgraded broadband (saves a lot) but all was needed was a new FTTC contract and had I acted a few months earlier that's what I'd have got. Then Sky Q upgrade also saves (I am not desperate for money) but then the neighbours loft conversion had scaffolding today... blocked the Sky dish's view of the satellite!
Note this is not Vodafone VDSL... it's Vodafone using Openreach FTTP. The broadband is working and has been since yesterday. The same achievable speed as the BT Infinity 2 VDSL service I had for up and download.
I have checked speeds eleshwhere via WiFi in the house and it still maxes out at 75MBps.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 24, 2022 20:20:02 GMT
And I am sure if I request it and willing to pay I will get the full 1GBps. And I also got the new upgraded ONT so I suspect when available we could get the 2Gbps. I pay for 75Mbps.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 24, 2022 20:22:07 GMT
I remember when working with the WAN link between two major offices of a UK bank being measured in the hundreds of kilobits/s! Year 2000 project. It was a big bank that then owned an ex UK government 'bank'. You can work it out but don't post the answer.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Nov 24, 2022 21:02:26 GMT
I'm not quite sure what your question is Rob. We had ADSL2 before FTTP, to make the phones talk to the new router I bought an adapter cable, plugged it in and that was it.
You mention you could buy a cable, maybe I missed if you did, and maybe that is the root of my confusion what you're asking.
75Mbps, if you're connecting wirelessly, will be the limit of some devices pointless having more especially if it's just you and Mrs Rob in the house.
Edit: having re-read your BT line will stay live for as long as you're paying BT. I've been out of the UK too long to know what the cancellation policy is. We were with Vodafone here before switching to Deutsche glasfaser.
Here you get tied in to 12 months rolling, FTTP was activated in August so we had VOIP with FTTP and ADSL2 line until January the following year.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 24, 2022 22:48:12 GMT
I assume I need an adapter but got nothing with the router. The old phone line was active until last night for sure but fooled we with dial tone this morning.
I have RJ11 to RJ11 from ADSL/VDSL but they only have two wires. I did look for an old dialup lead from say a laptop that would work but found none. Looks like I buy one or wait for the one to now arrive from Vodafone (should not have have had to request one for a service including VOIP).
And as for 75Mbps that is the paid for line speed and I see no point in paying for faster. 100Mbps is only £3pm more but pointless then the price starts to jump. Compared to my first broadband service speed of 512Kbps though even Gigabit is good value.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 24, 2022 23:35:48 GMT
Another pet hate though related to the Internet and IP addresses.... how they are locatable for bad guys. For broadband it would be possible with cooperation because they know the customers. But for mobile!!?!? We all probably know a mobile with Internet has a shared IP it uses (like you NAT router at home) so no you can't.
Brings me onto the bigger pet hate go GPS where they suggest a car's GPS (not a smart connected one) can be accessed to see where it was etc. Or worse to suggest you can locate something that is using GPS.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Nov 25, 2022 2:49:18 GMT
I assume I need an adapter but got nothing with the router. We did not get an adapter with our router, had to buy it separately. I'm guessing the logic is anyone going to VOIP has a VOIP phone or will know what is required to make their phone work with the router and cut down on waste as is happening with new mobile phones/tablets and charger supplies. Last year my wife and daughter both got new iPhones neither of which came with any form of charger. Edit: did I read correctly with FTTP you have the initial box on the outside of your property ? Everything is inside here, the spur off the backbone was tunneled under the driveway to the side of my house and a small, underground hole bored into the cellar for the fibre cable. This is then routed into my office above, where the two boxes are fixed to the wall indoors. More for heat and frost protection I think and to stop anyone tampering with the connection outside. Given how much rain you get in the NW I'm surprised any connection is outside. |
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 25, 2022 12:44:19 GMT
In the UK, digital voice means you plug in your old phone to the router into an RJ11 socket via an adapter. The routers handle the VOIP bit.
As for boxes - there is the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) in the house which is a small box. But the optical cable from that is spliced with the one from the telegraph pole inside the larger (ugly) grey box on the outside.
What I'd hoped was possible was to run the optical cable to the house the same way the phone cable comes in which is into the cellar and then up through the floor in the hall. I'd have had the ONT there and then run a Cat6 cable upstairs to replace the extension socket for VDSL.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2022 13:23:34 GMT
I have absolutely no idea about the technicalities, nor any interest to find out, but I had my BT broadband upgraded to a new Smart Hub 2 recently, and apparently we're also now Digital Voice also. This meant we got a new "landline" phone, the old DECT handset doesn't work on the new service. We're not yet FTTP because, even though the network is installed in our street, BT aren't yet offering Full Fibre services to us despite it being available at up to 900mbps from other suppliers. We're currently 75mb I think, which seems fine for us as it stands, 2x WFH, 2x teens plus streaming TV etc. BT say we'll get upgraded to 100mb fibre when available from them so I'm waiting for that, and I can't see we'll need to pay any more for anything over 100mbps. We're staying on BT because of the "Unbreakable" promise which we like for our WFH needs. Which means we've now also got an EE branded router thing next to our BT router which will kick in and give us 20mbps if the broadband ever goes down. Mrs A was severely embarrassed in the middle of a presentation to over 100 people (including CEO level folk) last year when we had an internet wobble. Don't want that to happen again.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 25, 2022 15:04:39 GMT
I had 75Mbps on the Openreach FTTC product and was fine with that. One thing you get from BT with their FTTP are some VOIP phones that connect to the hub (which sounds like you have) or you can also connect via an adapter old cabled phones.
I stuck with BT and paid a bit more (had a discount until recently) because it was reliable and I worked from home too. I'd stick with FTTC to avoid the ugly Openreach box and the need for a new hole to be drilled and another box to have plugged in (the ONT).
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Nov 25, 2022 17:24:08 GMT
Al, before FTTP we had a few wobbles with the home network, I set my mobile as a hotspot. Same idea as your EE box.
It'll be three years in February since I started full-time work from home, only since Easter have I been back one day/week.
I have the option to reduce network speed next summer, thinking of dropping to 400Mbps which will be half what I pay at the moment. Streaming TV is effectively discounted to zero, no one uses it, dust collector.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 25, 2022 21:55:52 GMT
When I moved in here there was a delay before I got broadband. Back then I didn't have any mobile data to use but would now and have plenty for a month of work from home. But at the time i also had a USB dongle for data and used that in the Mac.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 29, 2022 21:41:45 GMT
Last week I was promised they would send an adapter within 3 days. I spoke to someone yesterday who admitted they didn't have any but they suggested I buy one. I suggested they pay for it again and they agreed but I don't hold my breath. When I asked more they asked if I'd tried plugging my phone into the RJ11 socket on the router - they didn't seem to grasp the phone would have the standard BT plug on it. They also suggested trying the RJ11 cable in the box but these have pins 2 and 3 wired up for ADSL/VDSL via a micro filter or VDSL faceplate and a phone would use pins 1 and 4.
Ordered one on Amazon yesterday and it turned up. Plugged in and it just works - as expected/hoped. 1471 works as does 141 to withhold number.
I can only assume few people actually use Digital Voice with them because they have mobiles (as do I of course). But some relatives etc. call the landline.
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So I'm sure we'll soon need 500Mbps to just browse!
