Options for Domestic Wired Networking / Broadband

Try a single cable across the top of the skirting board. White cable, white skirting. A small blob of glue gun, pull it tight and stick it down. Keep some tension up till it sets.
Been there, done that (alarm wiring), but nonetheless worth flagging up.
 
I don't think I could place much trust in that site. I have just checked my own home. It says that I cannot get FTTC. I know that I can. I work for Openreach!!
 
I don't understand the "Invalid or non-BT" bit - it is BT.
We pay BT for the line but the site came back with Phone number matched but possible non BT Line. Then, by road, we are sitting on the exchange but also 800m away. (We are 800m+ away - so that bit is right). I agree with Wallace, the accuracy of the information is debatable.
 
I don't think I could place much trust in that site.
Apart from not displaying the road distance and misinterpreting my line as "non-BT", everything else shown confirms knowledge from other research and is a good match for my own measurements. I therefore interpret it as agreeing that 3Mbps is the best I can reasonably expect from my voice circuit, and BT is only willing to guarantee 1Mbps.

I looked at that before I found kitz, but couldn't make it work.

All of which is just a side issue, prompted by prpr's incredulity at my broadband lack-of-speed (which I thought everyone knew about - I've made no secret of it).
 
prompted by prpr's incredulity at my broadband lack-of-speed (which I thought everyone knew about - I've made no secret of it).
I knew about your line speed, but it's the terrible amount of loss on such an apparently short length of cable that surprises me.
Even with 43dB loss, the speed is about half what I would expect.
For comparison purposes, these are the figures on the two lines I have access to:
2.7 km/37 dB/13.5 Mbps
1.7 km/27 dB/19 Mbps
both running at about 3 dB SNR margin.

You haven't got lots of that flat (unbalanced) extension cable have you? MW pickup is a factor for me, and probably is for you too. Line imbalance makes it worse.

Useful reference: https://www.increasebroadbandspeed.co.uk/2012/graph-ADSL-speed-versus-distance
 
Last edited:
Yes, I saw that chart too.

I have disconnected all the extension cables that were, and have the modem/router plugged into the microfilter on a socket no more than 9' (cable run) from the junction box. Nonetheless, surely house wiring is no worse than the wire coming from the exchange?

What I don't have is a BT master socket or I-Plate (which reading suggests could improve things), but I say again: I am not predicted to get more than 3-5Mbps anyway... so is there any point? (If somebody can supply me an I-Plate on the side, I'll happily fit it.)

My ADSL2+ (or whatever) line rate isn't the problem. The immediate problem is the occasional complete loss of service, and the longer term problem is that I am not predicted to have fibre to cabinet available any time soon.

When broadband drops out, I fall back to my phone hot-spot... which is faster, but my 4G coverage at home isn't great either (if I want a reliable phone call on the mobile, I have to go upstairs)!
 
When broadband drops out, I fall back to my phone hot-spot... which is faster, but my 4G coverage at home isn't great either (if I want a reliable phone call on the mobile, I have to go upstairs)!
Have you considered mobile broadband with a 4G modem/router and a fixed directional aerial?
 
That's certainly an option... but is it reliable?

Also, it may seem strange to the younger tribe, but I have an inclination to maintain a wired voice circuit - and if that comes at a subsidised cost as included in a package, so much the better! (Apart from the disaster readiness, I have callers who expect to get me on a land line.)
 
OK, so we know about HomePlugs (powerline networking - and I have to say they're just about OK and definitely not great)
A few years back I'd have agreed with you, but recently a mismatched pair of a Devolo dLAN® 1200+ WiFi ac adapter and a Netgear Powerline AV200 Nano fell into my hands.

I've just plugged them in to recheck the figures. With the Netgear connected to the router on a power strip next to two SMPSUs and the Devolo in the garage on a separate CU, the link speed is reported as 129Mbps.
 
It's not so much the 3Mbps (1.2km to the exchange...
1.2km? Try being on the end of 6.5km of copper to the exchange and <500kbps download last time I looked.

For a bit Virgin was the only game in town, starting with 2Mbps back in 2007. Thank goodness FTTC and >30Mbps came along in 2010/11.
 
I'd say that was to the premises. POTS is not like VDSL/FTTC - the wire runs all the way from exchange to property and they do know the line length.
The checker in post #27 seems to only have info. on the street cabinet position, I am aware that POTS is copper from exchange to home, but as you only need to supply a telephone number with no address details they are going find it difficult to calculate total line length
 
That's certainly an option... but is it reliable?
I can only quote my daughters experience (in a remote location) where so far (touch wood) it has been totally reliable and more than an order of magnitude faster than the predicted ADSL speed; They have a package with EE that costs £40 a month for 100GB of data (cheaper if your mobile phone is with EE) and the fixed aerial cost (including installation) was less than £100. 200GB of data is £50 a month. See https://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/4gee-router/details#
 
Back
Top