Broadband and telephones

[aveatry]

All I know, is that my phone is still not working over the VoIP, despite being told to expect a temporary number, until my original number was ported.

This is my concern - I just know there is going to be some sort of kerfuffle when I am perfectly happy with my 65Mbs speed through copper and only 1 power socket needed.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This is my concern - I just know there is going to be some sort of kerfuffle when I am perfectly happy with my 65Mbs speed through copper and only 1 power socket needed.

I, too, was quite happy with my FTTC, there was just the rising cost, and the fact that copper would be ending in 2025 - better to jump voluntarily, than be pushed at the last minute.

I only have one socket, with a wireless/radio remote control plugged into it, then a four way adaptor. The wireless switch, allows me to force a full reboot of the router, should it ever become inaccessible, without tripping the MCB.

I was debating with myself, whether to bother keeping the landline phone at all, as we don't really use it these days at all. The number has been here since the 60's, when it was a four digit. YF, said I could keep it for the first month's payment of £3, and keeping would mean the Voip adaptor would have to be included, as part of the package. In fact the Voip adaptor, is included inside the router itself, in the model I got, the Arris nvg578lx. It's about double the size of my old Plusnet router, but it's far more capable, and very configurable. My only gripe, is that it only has three LAN ports on the back. I only need to take the phone for one month, then I can cancel without penalty, allowing me to see how it goes. The phone, is not part of the contract.

 

[aveatry]

I, too, was quite happy with my FTTC, there was just the rising cost, and the fact that copper would be ending in 2025 - better to jump voluntarily, than be pushed at the last minute.

I only have one socket, with a wireless/radio remote control plugged into it, then a four way adaptor. The wireless switch, allows me to force a full reboot of the router, should it ever become inaccessible, without tripping the MCB.

I was debating with myself, whether to bother keeping the landline phone at all, as we don't really use it these days at all. The number has been here since the 60's, when it was a four digit. YF, said I could keep it for the first month's payment of £3, and keeping would mean the Voip adaptor would have to be included, as part of the package. In fact the Voip adaptor, is included inside the router itself, in the model I got, the Arris nvg578lx. It's about double the size of my old Plusnet router, but it's far more capable, and very configurable. My only gripe, is that it only has three LAN ports on the back. I only need to take the phone for one month, then I can cancel without penalty, allowing me to see how it goes. The phone, is not part of the contract.

I have 4 ports on my current router and the replacement is the same only it has a phone socket as well.
I use all 4 ports as all of my fixed stuff that needs internet is hardwired. As wifi is is getting better and more and more tvs - boxes ect only have wifi, there will be a time when I cannot use my wired connections.
I would of thought your wifi being in the loft wold not work very well as I understood it the signal spread is more forward and up rather than down.

 

[pcaouolte]

I have 4 ports on my current router and the replacement is the same only it has a phone socket as well.
I use all 4 ports as all of my fixed stuff that needs internet is hardwired. As wifi is is getting better and more and more tvs - boxes ect only have wifi, there will be a time when I cannot use my wired connections.
I would of thought your wifi being in the loft wold not work very well as I understood it the signal spread is more forward and up rather than down.

Easy enough to run wired connections from the loft to strategic locations around the house and plug in extra WiFi access points where required. I have the router upstairs and an extra access point downstairs which is wired back to the router.

 

[Diver Fred]

I have 4 ports on my current router and the replacement is the same only it has a phone socket as well.
I use all 4 ports as all of my fixed stuff that needs internet is hardwired. As wifi is is getting better and more and more tvs - boxes ect only have wifi, there will be a time when I cannot use my wired connections.

It's really good you are using hardwired rather than WiFi for fixed stuff. Wish more people would! Sadly my new Router only has 3 ports rather than 4 but have managed to not use/need one connection.

I would have thought your wifi being in the loft wold not work very well as I understood it the signal spread is more forward and up rather than down.

From experience the router being high up solves many issues with WiFi connectivity and reduces the need for those (B*****d) WiFi repeaters (Mesh Discs) in house. Due to our neighbours WiFi and their 'Mesh network' the WiFi in our house is just about unusable in any room except the lounge and bits of the kitchen next to the domestic tools store room, underneath the stairs which is where the router is sited.

 

[aveatry]

Easy enough to run wired connections from the loft to strategic locations around the house and plug in extra WiFi access points where required. I have the router upstairs and an extra access point downstairs which is wired back to the router.

By access point do you mean like a wifi booster that is connected to the router via a cable.
So I have a hard wired computer at the back of the house and the router is at the front. Is there something I can use to boos the signal out into the garden. So I unplug the computer and instead plug the gadget in using the computers old cat 5 cable but then that wifi relay thing would also have a socket i can re plug the computer into

 

[aveatry]

It's really good you are using hardwired rather than WiFi for fixed stuff. Wish more people would! Sadly my new Router only has 3 ports rather than 4 but have managed to not use/need one connection.

From experience the router being high up solves many issues with WiFi connectivity and reduces the need for those (B*****d) WiFi repeaters (Mesh Discs) in house. Due to our neighbours WiFi and their 'Mesh network' the WiFi in our house is just about unusable in any room except the lounge and bits of the kitchen next to the domestic tools store room, underneath the stairs which is where the router is sited.

We had tv and other stuff hard wired but 4 wasn't enough - i needed 5 and didn't want a separately powered switch, so as a simple solution was. I put a short fly lead from the router that sat ontop of a unit which dropped below and I could swap and connect to the longer lead to the appliance with a simple adapter inside the cupboard. But since then the TV has lost all its catchups and has one by one become Dumb, so we used the +ones and catchups on the blue ray which have now been lost one by one so that is no longer "smart" we now use a now tv box so dont need the flylead solution.
One of these
https://www.screwfix.com/p/philex-cat-5e-rj45-coupler/10436?tc=FT4

 

[pcaouolte]

By access point do you mean like a wifi booster that is connected to the router via a cable.
So I have a hard wired computer at the back of the house and the router is at the front. Is there something I can use to boos the signal out into the garden. So I unplug the computer and instead plug the gadget in using the computers old cat 5 cable but then that wifi relay thing would also have a socket i can re plug the computer into

Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-MU-MIMO-Wireless-Gigabit-Outdoor would give you WiFi outside.

If you want more hard wired connections than you have sockets available then you plug a switch like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-SG108S-Ethernet-Lifetime-Warranty into your existing ethernet port and that gives you 7 more sockets to plug in whatever gadget you wish.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have 4 ports on my current router and the replacement is the same only it has a phone socket as well.
I use all 4 ports as all of my fixed stuff that needs internet is hardwired. As wifi is is getting better and more and more tvs - boxes ect only have wifi, there will be a time when I cannot use my wired connections.
I would of thought your wifi being in the loft wold not work very well as I understood it the signal spread is more forward and up rather than down.

I have the new router, sat vertically, on it's base, and all I can say is the signal is rock solid down to my new laptop, in the living room. Previous laptop, using the Plusnet router, it was marginal, which was why I added a second router in the living room.

I have a desktop, in the first floor small bedroom/office, which uses a wifi dongle. That has always struggled with wifi, despite only being 15feet from the router. That continues to struggle, so I'm assuming the dongle is faulty, and I've ordered a new one to try.

 

[aveatry]

I have the new router, sat vertically, on it's base, and all I can say is the signal is rock solid down to my new laptop, in the living room. Previous laptop, using the Plusnet router, it was marginal, which was why I added a second router in the living room.

I have a desktop, in the first floor small bedroom/office, which uses a wifi dongle. That has always struggled with wifi, despite only being 15feet from the router. That continues to struggle, so I'm assuming the dongle is faulty, and I've ordered a new one to try.

Maybe I got it wrong about how the signal spreads but I can not remember where I read it but it went up and forward more than down and backwards

 

[pcaouolte]

Maybe I got it wrong about how the signal spreads but I can not remember where I read it but it went up and forward more than down and backwards

It depends on the router and where it's (often internal) aerials are pointing. They can be designed to beam the signal horizontally, or they can be designed to attempt to cover a sphere. If they have external aerials then you can move the aerials about to try to get better coverage.