Does anybody have any recommendations for high speed broadband provider in Belfast area? Not interested in phone or satellite tv just t'internet.
All suggestions/advice appreciated.
Have you tried the neighbour's?
Yes, I have actually ;D No joy!
Lads,
Anyone taken out BT infinity 12 month contract with 40gb usage?
Would this be enough? Looking to get broadband sorted in the house where I live with two others.
I have BT infinity with unlimited usage, it really depends what everyone is using it for. I would be downloading large patches daily.
I'd prob take the unlimited but don't wanna be tied down to 18 months
Many in the north have sky broadband? What do ye make of it?
Anyone in the north have any dealing with Vodafone for broadband and landline calls. Had signed up for it as it seemed to be working out cheaper than BT but on reflection now i think it might have been a mistake. The fact that its 15p for a connection charge everytime u make a call is bugging me.
Has anyone ever tried out the Satellite broadband?
BT is poor and I have no line of site for Wireless.
I did Fionn. I let it go on through and so far so good. With BT i was only gettin 5MB but with vodafone it is 11MB so happy days.
Quote from: Fionntamhnach on May 25, 2016, 03:14:14 PM
Within Belfast, your main options are for either Virgin Media or via landline telephone. Despite all the talk of "fibre broadband" most of it is fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) with a copper line then delivering to your home. Only a small minority of places have actual fibre broadband to the premises.
Mobile broadband is an option, but is rather limited. EE are doing a deal right now for 4G broadband with 50GB data limit per month (which gets hard capped, so you don't get bill-shock) for around £30-35 IIRC, none of the other operators up here are touching that at present. More useful for those in places where FTTC services or ADSL in general isn't great, rather than in Belfast, or if you travel a lot and need large data amounts.
Don't consider satellite broadband unless it's an utter last resort.
The likes of Sky, TalkTalk & Vodafone use the same infrastructure as BT (Openreach) to deliver broadband & phone to your house from the exchange. Most providers will look to contract you for a minimum of 12 months at least. Plusnet & Zen offer rolling 30-day broadband contracts, but these are more expensive than those for 12 or 18 month contracts. Plusnet have some good offers on at present for their ADSL service which is only subject to a 12 month minimum term (£2.50 per month for the minimum 12 month term plus your line rental). You could get some cashback as well if you order it through Quidco or TopCashBack.
My own phone & broadband at present is with The Phone Co-Op, it uses TalkTalk's backhaul so you must be on an exchange that has TalkTalk's broadband equipment (I'm pretty sure all the exchanges in Belfast do). ADSL BB is £4 per month for the first 6 months, £8 pm after that, 12 month minimum contract only and I've prepaid my line rental of £150 for the year (eq. £12.50 per month) on sign up plus I get a £1 per month credit for using my own router. Happy enough with their service so far.
Cheers Fionn. I am in a border area with no 4G and patch enough mobile signal. This is what led to me querying Satellite.
Quote from: Fionntamhnach on May 26, 2016, 11:40:29 AM
Quote from: LeoMc on May 26, 2016, 08:31:39 AMCheers Fionn. I am in a border area with no 4G and patch enough mobile signal. This is what led to me querying Satellite.
Even EE's 3G mobile broadband isn't too bad if you have a good signal, and they tend to have pretty good outdoor coverage across the north now. I've been able to hit 10Mbps download speeds with them on 3G alone. A few people I've recommended EE too for general phone use have been all very happy with them.
I would be mainly looking to have broadband in my office. Is there any sort of ariel or receiver type device can be used to improve pick up of 3g to a fixed indoor point or router?
I do indeed get a good signal from Monaghan. Would I need PAYG rather than a fixed contract due to being on the wrong side of the border?
Is there any easy way to determine which network is providing the best signal before actually buying a dongle?
Quote from: LeoMc on May 26, 2016, 05:40:16 PM
I do indeed get a good signal from Monaghan. Would I need PAYG rather than a fixed contract due to being on the wrong side of the border?
Is there any easy way to determine which network is providing the best signal before actually buying a dongle?
You should be able to get a contract.
One way is to get an unlocked SIM free dongle and a try a few prepaid SIMS and see which works best.
But even an unlocked phone with 4G capability and a couple of SIMS would show something, or even a NI phone that can roam on these networks (not all can use all though).
Quote from: Hereiam on May 23, 2016, 12:06:11 PM
Anyone in the north have any dealing with Vodafone for broadband and landline calls. Had signed up for it as it seemed to be working out cheaper than BT but on reflection now i think it might have been a mistake. The fact that its 15p for a connection charge everytime u make a call is bugging me.
EE have a deal called 4GEE where you can get 50GB download monthly and you get a small device called an mini osprey 2 which has a sim in it for £27 a month. I use this at home and can stream films and all. Measuring up to 30MB speed and I live in the sticks and I mean really in the sticks but have good 4G service on EE luckily.
Quote from: parttimeexile on May 27, 2016, 08:06:50 AM
Quote from: Hereiam on May 23, 2016, 12:06:11 PM
Anyone in the north have any dealing with Vodafone for broadband and landline calls. Had signed up for it as it seemed to be working out cheaper than BT but on reflection now i think it might have been a mistake. The fact that its 15p for a connection charge everytime u make a call is bugging me.
EE have a deal called 4GEE where you can get 50GB download monthly and you get a small device called an mini osprey 2 which has a sim in it for £27 a month. I use this at home and can stream films and all. Measuring up to 30MB speed and I live in the sticks and I mean really in the sticks but have good 4G service on EE luckily.
Looks the biz. They also seem to have a 4G home broadband device.
http://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/gallery?bundleNo=-1&search=:topRated
What are the main advantages / disadvantages of each? The plans are not directly comparable, with differing contract lengths and data plans.
From what I can see the Osprey is more compact, doesn't require batteries and takes 10 devices (compared to the larger mains powered home device which takes 18.
Quote from: LeoMc on May 27, 2016, 01:36:31 PM
Quote from: parttimeexile on May 27, 2016, 08:06:50 AM
Looks the biz. They also seem to have a 4G home broadband device.
http://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/gallery?bundleNo=-1&search=:topRated
What are the main advantages / disadvantages of each? The plans are not directly comparable, with differing contract lengths and data plans.
LeoMc, you stated earlier "I am in a border area with no 4G and patch enough mobile signal" so this may not be for you, although it may be useful to Hereiam.
Quote from: armaghniac on May 27, 2016, 03:18:42 PM
Quote from: LeoMc on May 27, 2016, 01:36:31 PM
Quote from: parttimeexile on May 27, 2016, 08:06:50 AM
Looks the biz. They also seem to have a 4G home broadband device.
http://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/gallery?bundleNo=-1&search=:topRated
What are the main advantages / disadvantages of each? The plans are not directly comparable, with differing contract lengths and data plans.
LeoMc, you stated earlier "I am in a border area with no 4G and patch enough mobile signal" so this may not be for you, although it may be useful to Hereiam.
Sorry, i made the assumption about 4g based on my poor 3g EE signal and previous experience of non existent Vodafone signal.
It is worth walking round the house with a (borrowed) 4g device to find out before i go the road of satellite or O2 Ireland.
Quote from: LeoMc on May 27, 2016, 04:18:54 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on May 27, 2016, 03:18:42 PM
Quote from: LeoMc on May 27, 2016, 01:36:31 PM
Quote from: parttimeexile on May 27, 2016, 08:06:50 AM
Looks the biz. They also seem to have a 4G home broadband device.
http://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/gallery?bundleNo=-1&search=:topRated
What are the main advantages / disadvantages of each? The plans are not directly comparable, with differing contract lengths and data plans.
LeoMc, you stated earlier "I am in a border area with no 4G and patch enough mobile signal" so this may not be for you, although it may be useful to Hereiam.
Sorry, i made the assumption about 4g based on my poor 3g EE signal and previous experience of non existent Vodafone signal.
It is worth walking round the house with a (borrowed) 4g device to find out before i go the road of satellite or O2 Ireland.
OK, so I managed to borrow an Osprey and I can get an OK 4G signal in 2 upstairs rooms and I can get a decent wireless signal in those rooms, better than BT anyway. However, perhaps due to the house construction the WIFI signal cannot be picked up elsewhere in the house and EE's 4G Router does not have a LAN port. Are there any 4G wireless routers out there to which you can add a 4G sim card and plug into a LAN circuit to give both a wired and wireless network?
http://nibroadband.com/get-superfast (http://nibroadband.com/get-superfast)
Anyone like to recommend a superfast fibre broadband provider? Its just in the process of becoming available in our area and I've took a scunderin' dealing with BTs customer service end (left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing). Any positive experiences out there in terms of quality of & customer service?
I have been with Virgin, NTL whatever for 20 years and never had a major problem with them. get 100megs unlimited which does the job for me.
Quote from: theskull1 on August 23, 2017, 09:01:23 AM
http://nibroadband.com/get-superfast (http://nibroadband.com/get-superfast)
Anyone like to recommend a superfast fibre broadband provider? Its just in the process of becoming available in our area and I've took a scunderin' dealing with BTs customer service end (left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing). Any positive experiences out there in terms of quality of & customer service?
I had enough with BTs woeful customer service as well so I moved to Sky for my broadband and find them pretty good.
I'm aware that Eir are installing Fibre to the Premises FTTP in a number of rural areas. I am not clear on what is happening north of the border. I notice that BT have string some fibre along poles in God's own country in South Armagh. What are they at here, will they install a small cabinet or have they started actually FTTP nowadays?
Quote from: armaghniac on October 11, 2017, 01:45:48 PM
I'm aware that Eir are installing Fibre to the Premises FTTP in a number of rural areas. I am not clear on what is happening north of the border. I notice that BT have string some fibre along poles in God's own country in South Armagh. What are they at here, will they install a small cabinet or have they started actually FTTP nowadays?
Virgin media installing fibre to the premise in number of towns in north west Derry as well as in north Down & Greenisland & Carryduff with further build planned for next year, not entirely sure regarding BT but I thought it was fibre to the cabinet only (may be wrong) then existing line to the home
Quote from: lfdown2 on October 11, 2017, 02:56:32 PM
Virgin media installing fibre to the premise in number of towns in north west Derry as well as in north Down & Greenisland & Carryduff with further build planned for next year, not entirely sure regarding BT but I thought it was fibre to the cabinet only (may be wrong) then existing line to the home
my best guess would be a small cabinet, but I am uncertain whether they have been doing cabinets for 20 houses as distinct from 100 houses. On the other hand poking about on t'Interweb there seems to have been something like this in Pomeroy last year that was FTTP.
Oddly enough the location concerned, near Cross', has moderate broadband speeds unlike some other places further from the town that are completely crap.
Quote from: armaghniac on October 11, 2017, 06:24:50 PM
Quote from: lfdown2 on October 11, 2017, 02:56:32 PM
Virgin media installing fibre to the premise in number of towns in north west Derry as well as in north Down & Greenisland & Carryduff with further build planned for next year, not entirely sure regarding BT but I thought it was fibre to the cabinet only (may be wrong) then existing line to the home
my best guess would be a small cabinet, but I am uncertain whether they have been doing cabinets for 20 houses as distinct from 100 houses. On the other hand poking about on t'Interweb there seems to have been something like this in Pomeroy last year that was FTTP.
Oddly enough the location concerned, near Cross', has moderate broadband speeds unlike some other places further from the town that are completely crap.
The only time they would be going outside of the town (or any town) would be where it was government subsidised I would say
Quote from: lfdown2 on October 11, 2017, 09:12:04 PM
The only time they would be going outside of the town (or any town) would be where it was government subsidised I would say
Well Eir have run fibre through the Louth part of the parish, without subvention.
And it wouldn't be unknown for kit to become smaller and cheaper over time, BT have tested pole mounted "cabinets" with half a dozen connections in trials in Britain.
looking some advice - I purchased a mobile broadband router (O2) recently and as i had thought I am getting speeds 10x my BT broadband, only issue is the range within the house. Have any of you used a mobile router in a home/workplace that you could recommend?
Quote from: lfdown2 on February 15, 2018, 11:32:17 AM
looking some advice - I purchased a mobile broadband router (O2) recently and as i had thought I am getting speeds 10x my BT broadband, only issue is the range within the house. Have any of you used a mobile router in a home/workplace that you could recommend?
If the mobile router has an ethernet connection one possibility is a separate wireless hub, i.e get the best device for picking up the mobile signal and the best for wireless in the house and connect them together. Also you may be able to move the mobile device to somewhere which improves the wifi coverage e.g. roofspace.
Or just pick up a better wireless router and swap your sim into it .
This would be one of he better models :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06ZZL966Q?ref=emc_b_5_t
A prepaid Three mobile sim with the All You Can Eat data bundle you get by topping up by 20 Euro is the best value by a mile. Just put it in the most useless Android phone you have lying around. If you need more than a hotspot, get a regular router that allows you to plug in the phone as a 3G/4G modem. I know Asus' support this but I'm sure most modern ones do as well.
It's way better value (you still have the phone credit on the sim, which can be spent on a bunch of different things like a Spotify subscription or Android apps) and if you're technical enough not to be scared by the process you never have to worry about data caps.
Quote from: lfdown2 on February 15, 2018, 11:32:17 AM
looking some advice - I purchased a mobile broadband router (O2) recently and as i had thought I am getting speeds 10x my BT broadband, only issue is the range within the house. Have any of you used a mobile router in a home/workplace that you could recommend?
As others have said, get a decent 4G modem. However the wifi signal from a decent 4G modem can be crap. My first solution was to connect the 4G modem, via a long ethernet cable, to a modem wifi router placed somewhere more convenient in the house. A suitable 300Mbps wifi modem can be bought s/h online market or in charity shops, a dime a dozen.
I was in Ireland last sept and checked out the available options for 4G LTE broadband for a friend.
The best I came across was with Three
http://www.three.ie/online/data/contract/ (http://www.three.ie/online/data/contract/)
Huawei B525 - Modem free. with 3 broadband Two - 18 months contract
http://www.three.ie/online/data/contract/huawei-b525-black/priceplan/ (http://www.three.ie/online/data/contract/huawei-b525-black/priceplan/)
click on the line <3 broadband Two - 18 months> (not the select button)
and in the Java pop up page
3 broadband Two
monthly charge Eur 30
30gb - 750GB
I live outside Ireland and have to use 4G.
I have a 4G Huawei B315
When I got it first, I had no indoor or outdoor LTE antenna,
I had to place it in a room by a west facing window to get any decent connection.
The ethernet connected desktop got 70Mbps, wifi speed was similar in the room, but faded quickly around the house.
I chose to get an outdoor LTE antenna
a. I wanted to free up the 4G modem from having to be in that location
b. I wanted more speed
c. I wanted to be sure of more speed in rush hour. It's a capitalist type system, the guy with the biggest antenna goes to the top of the queue to suck the available 4G signal.
I bought a directional antenna with a 10m cable.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D1VXZ3E/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_3p_dp_1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D1VXZ3E/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_3p_dp_1)
It was dead simple to erect. Speed went up to 110 /120 Mbs, I assume that's the max I can get from the provider.
The 4G modem's wifi performance remained weak, even if it was now better located in the house.The wifi signal would drop off inside a bedroom some 10m away, with the door closed.
But I already had my broadband wifi router, in fact 2 of them, so it was easy to fix that issue.
Later I got the mini mobile Huawei 4G modem, it cost me about Eur5 p/m, to add it on to the same 300gb plan. I love it. I carry it around with me and can connect phone/ tablet/laptop online, anywhere in the service area.
I would not use the mobile device as a sole modem for home use, only unless there was no other.
Quote from: Fionntamhnach on February 16, 2018, 11:01:40 PM
3's current offer of 750GB of data a month for €30 is on the face of it a steal, but I wonder how good it is - from what I know 3's mobile network in the south is the slowest of the three in terms of data speeds compared to Vodafone & Eir. If a lot of people locally are using 3 for their home broadband with such a generous data allowance, I can see such connections getting chocked easily during peak times.
There is a paucity of information re 4G modem services on the provider websites in the south.I get the impression they won't offer the service if you live in a good broadband area.
From my basic experiments over a few days, the 4G signal strength varied from poor to moderate in Louth and Monaghan, that's why I'd regard an ext antenna as compulsory for home use.
Re Three's prices, I think the Eur30 is for the basic 30gb/month package and rises incrementally.
It would probably be expensive for anything over 300GB.
Mostly I don't stream live content as it would just eat into my 300GB quota. I just reserve live streaming for the special sport event, GAA games and the CL/El games and generally I'd download media content the old fashioned way.
QuoteWould agree that 4G home broadband should not be the first port of call if possible for most people. If you can get a decent speed/service from a landline provider through ADSL, VDSL, DOCSIS (Virgin Media) or Fibre to the Home/Building then they should be more preferable.
I meant that if you have to use 4G, then get the proper 4G modem and not to depend on the limited mobile 4G modem for home use.
Quote from: Fionntamhnach on February 17, 2018, 01:04:03 AM
Unless I've read it wrong, the €30 a month package is now on a 750GB data limit, no longer 30GB.
^750GB promotion applicable to customers who signed up or upgraded on or after 15/01/18 on 18 month minimum term only.
You're spot on Fionn, you're obviously well used to disseminating the subtleties in the extra fine print ;D
The 750gb offer to new customers is alluringly good but it's callous towards old customers. If I had signed up sometime before 15th jan, I would be truly pissed at that new offer and complaining like mad.
Great, cheers all - plenty of info!
I'm in an area with no broadband available through the landline
Was looking at Bluebox but reports are that he service is down quite a bit
There is 4G O2 available but not throughout the house
Anyone experience of O2 broadband via 4G?
How would I go about distributing it through the house- I am wired for Cat 6, but is there a router with 4G broadband
What's the typical prices and is there download limits?
Thanks for the detailed response- much appreciated
Got the voucher through this morning so must look at those providers
Does anyone have any good recommendations for a reasonable 4-5 port unmanned switch which can support 3 x POE WIFI boosters.
Recommendations for Ceiling mounted POE WIFI boosters also gratefully accepted.
Hi,
Has anyone experience of Vodafone broadband in rural area. Moving into farm house in Laois and the local broadband spots are unreliable. Seeing Vodafone has decent coverage just want to know what they're like and is it worth 18 month contract. Cheers
Have had enough of shite broadband in the house in the North.
What is the best way to get it into the house?
Have been told fibre optic will be in by the end of next year but cant wait.
Is it better to get a SIM card and put an aerial up?
Is there any way to check before actually buying something?
Does anyone have or know anything about Fibrus broadband. They will be coming to my locality soon, and my contract with Sky is up soon.
Sky was cheap and suited my needs ok but is now going up from £18 to £35 a month so i will be switching but need to find out about Fibrus.
Quote from: extra time on October 09, 2020, 09:27:30 AM
Does anyone have or know anything about Fibrus broadband. They will be coming to my locality soon, and my contract with Sky is up soon.
Sky was cheap and suited my needs ok but is now going up from £18 to £35 a month so i will be switching but need to find out about Fibrus.
Not 100% sure as they aren't in my area - but I think they won a big government contract to roll true fibre broadband out to different towns and areas in the north ahead of Openreach, which is welcome IMO.
From what I hear and read, you should be able to get 1GB speeds right to your home, and possibly a 50% discount on your first year's billing?
Quote from: Fionntamhnach on October 09, 2020, 01:04:06 PM
Quote from: JohnDenver on October 09, 2020, 10:03:39 AM
Not 100% sure as they aren't in my area - but I think they won a big government contract to roll true fibre broadband out to different towns and areas in the north ahead of Openreach, which is welcome IMO.
That's Project Stratum, which is intended to help fund the last 50k to 100k premises in NI that are identified as being the most difficult/costly to roll out FTTP to. Openreach are already claiming that they can now supply 50% of premises in d'north (residential & business) with an FTTP connection.
So is the suggestion that every premises in NI will have FTTP?
I ask as I am the last house in an exchange area and so have miles of copper to my property!!
Quote from: Fionntamhnach on October 09, 2020, 01:04:06 PM
Quote from: JohnDenver on October 09, 2020, 10:03:39 AM
Not 100% sure as they aren't in my area - but I think they won a big government contract to roll true fibre broadband out to different towns and areas in the north ahead of Openreach, which is welcome IMO.
That's Project Stratum, which is intended to help fund the last 50k to 100k premises in NI that are identified as being the most difficult/costly to roll out FTTP to. Openreach are already claiming that they can now supply 50% of premises in d'north (residential & business) with an FTTP connection.
Compared to the south, you rarely see fibre on poles in NI rural areas, and usually in near to town areas. I did post here before about some arriving on the outskirts of Cross' but it didn't get much further. There is a great need for improvement.
FTTP really makes a difference, I was visiting a friend who retired to his previous holiday home in West Kerry and he has 500Gb speed and a view of the Blasket islands, it is a life changer. if Peig had that she'd have written a different book.
Have checked Fibrus and Openreach and none in the area yet.
Going to have to try a Sim of some sort.
Any advice on the best deal for this?
Quote from: Taylor on October 09, 2020, 06:34:57 PM
Have checked Fibrus and Openreach and none in the area yet.
Going to have to try a Sim of some sort.
Any advice on the best deal for this?
I'd start with the fastest speed as measured at your precise location and worry about the deal afterwards.
Quote from: armaghniac on October 09, 2020, 06:35:55 PM
Quote from: Taylor on October 09, 2020, 06:34:57 PM
Have checked Fibrus and Openreach and none in the area yet.
Going to have to try a Sim of some sort.
Any advice on the best deal for this?
I'd start with the fastest speed as measured at your precise location and worry about the deal afterwards.
There is one/two bars of 3G/4G on the phone depending on where you stand in the house ::)
Fionntamhnach, I have both an O2 and Vodafone mobile at home.
From walking around the house I can get just 1 bar on 3G on both of those networks.
On that basis do you think mobile broadband would be a practical option for me?
EDIT - I looked at the decibel reading on my iPhone and it is -123 with 2 bars of reception on O2 when I am outside.
Further EDIT - I can hang out an upstairs bedroom and get 2 bars on 4G, but running a speed test on my phone shows a download speed of just 3.21mbps. Would I have not expected better than that from 4G?
Quote from: Smokin Joe on October 10, 2020, 10:25:01 AM
Further EDIT - I can hang out an upstairs bedroom and get 2 bars on 4G, but running a speed test on my phone shows a download speed of just 3.21mbps. Would I have not expected better than that from 4G?
the speed will vary constantly, so check it several times.
maybe get an unlocked mobile broadband wifi router with a max aerial on it and put it in the roof space or wherever, the try different sims for a period.
Get less than 1Mbps with BT, so got a 3 unlimited data sim about three years ago and put an antenna on the roof to boost the signal. Got max of around 10Mbps with 3.
Recently changed to EE, it's a bit pricier but speeds offpeak about 30Mbps and can drop on to 7-8 Mbps on the odd occasion at peak times
On the mobile 3G/4G non existent indoors, sometimes phone signal is even non-existent. Antenna on roof makes a big difference
It is worth noting that there are wimax providers with signal in some parts, I know nothing about them, perhaps Fionntamhnach does, but I'd check them out if other options are not great.
No doubt you'll find info on these, and comments good and bad, online.
e.g. https://www.bluebox.network/coverage/
https://www.beaconbroadband.co.uk/coverage
Wimax is designed to have an aerial outside, pointing at the mast, connected to a router.
What's the thoughts on Fibrus and Project Stratum https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/news/ps165m-broadband-improvement-contract-awarded-fibrus-networks-ltd
Will Fibrus be providing fibre to the premises for each of these 76,000 premises?
Given that's it the DUP dealing with this I'm sure they have been well taken care of by Fibrus.
Has there been any publication of likely installation dates by postcode / area?
Quote from: Smokin Joe on November 18, 2020, 02:56:12 PM
Has there been any publication of likely installation dates by postcode / area?
Red areas first (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Religion_Or_Religion_Brought_Up_In_Northern_Ireland_Census_2011.png/770px-Religion_Or_Religion_Brought_Up_In_Northern_Ireland_Census_2011.png)
Where is that image from?
Any links?
That map looks suspiciously like a map of the Potestant proportion of the population, which is no doubt what Dodds would prefer.
However, the main partners in the this venture are Taigs.
Funny how Fivemiletown is red, wonder what the connection is there.... :o
Quote from: armaghniac on November 18, 2020, 06:05:46 PM
That map looks suspiciously like a map of the Potestant proportion of the population, which is no doubt what Dodds would prefer.
However, the main partners in the this venture are Taigs.
Rumbled. It's a distribution by religion map from Wiki.
Quote from: Tony Baloney on November 20, 2020, 12:01:14 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on November 18, 2020, 06:05:46 PM
That map looks suspiciously like a map of the Potestant proportion of the population, which is no doubt what Dodds would prefer.
However, the main partners in the this venture are Taigs.
Rumbled. It's a distribution by religion map from Wiki.
Ha, ha,
you're both ends of a bollox Tony.
Like it though. ;D
Quote from: Tony Baloney on November 20, 2020, 12:01:14 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on November 18, 2020, 06:05:46 PM
That map looks suspiciously like a map of the Potestant proportion of the population, which is no doubt what Dodds would prefer.
However, the main partners in the this venture are Taigs.
Rumbled. It's a distribution by religion map from Wiki.
Must try harder. You should have used the Covid map!
However, the broadband thing is a bit unclear
https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/consultations/extending-broadband-across-northern-ireland-project-stratum
the list of postcodes includes one at the Forestside shopping centre in Belfast.
Anyone moved to Sky broadband from BT mid contract? Currently have rolling Sky contract for basic tv and took a 18/24 month contract with BT for the broadband about a year ago I think. Wanted to incorporate the broadband into the sky ages ago but for some reason the network was only accessible to BT when I bought my house. Sky saying they can take ownership of the broadband but conscious how it works with cancelling the BT? Assume there would be cancellation charge also?
Give them a call there is usually a cancellation fee . You could also tell sky you are in a contract with bt for broadband you never know they might give you a better deal to move which will make up the cost of the cancellation fee
Looking about a new Broadband deal but when I went to select an upgrade they pretty much said my line is rubbish and won't hold a better quality fibre. Anything that can be done about that??
Quote from: bennydorano on January 31, 2021, 07:00:57 PM
Looking about a new Broadband deal but when I went to select an upgrade they pretty much said my line is rubbish and won't hold a better quality fibre. Anything that can be done about that??
What is your current download speed?
Up to 38mb
Quote from: bennydorano on January 31, 2021, 07:45:33 PM
Up to 38mb
Until your cable can be upgraded,
if that's 38 megabits, then you could consider 4G modem with an ext antenna if necessary. It uses the same card as your phone.
One subscription, unlimited download with 2 sim cards usually works out very reasonable.
4G modem speeds could /should be around 100megabits/sec.
Quote from: Main Street on January 31, 2021, 08:10:47 PM
Quote from: bennydorano on January 31, 2021, 07:45:33 PM
Up to 38mb
Until your cable can be upgraded,
if that's 38 megabits, then you could consider 4G modem with an ext antenna if necessary. It uses the same card as your phone.
One subscription, unlimited download with 2 sim cards usually works out very reasonable.
4G modem speeds could /should be around 100megabits/sec.
Cheers, bearing in mind I'm clueless here is that a self-sort situation or is there a package from a provider? Last time I changed provider I wanted Virgin wireless and it wasn't compatible with my set up either.
Quote from: bennydorano on January 31, 2021, 08:18:46 PM
Quote from: Main Street on January 31, 2021, 08:10:47 PM
Quote from: bennydorano on January 31, 2021, 07:45:33 PM
Up to 38mb
Until your cable can be upgraded,
if that's 38 megabits, then you could consider 4G modem with an ext antenna if necessary. It uses the same card as your phone.
One subscription, unlimited download with 2 sim cards usually works out very reasonable.
4G modem speeds could /should be around 100megabits/sec.
Cheers, bearing in mind I'm clueless here is that a self-sort situation or is there a package from a provider? Last time I changed provider I wanted Virgin wireless and it wasn't compatible with my set up either.
Vodafone have what they call a GigaCube 4G/5G modem. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/gigacube/ (https://www.vodafone.co.uk/gigacube/) But I don't know what they charge for a 2nd sim card A sim card is inserted into the 4G modem, turn it on and it automatically connects to the nearest cell tower. Your computing devices connect to the 4g modem in the same manner as with any modem, by ethernet cable - automatically, by WIFI - with WIFI code input.
But 4G coverage may not be good where you live, just talk with the saleperson for advice. https://www.4g.co.uk/home-broadband/ (https://www.4g.co.uk/home-broadband/)
In house, the 4G modem is usually located in the best reception location (by a window?). I test for the best location with my mobile phone connected by wifi to the 4G modem and do speed tests on the phone. A uni-directional external antenna with a 5m cable could make a big speed difference and allow more flexibility in locating the modem in a more suitable plce in the the house.
Thank you, much appreciated.
What are the real world advantages of download speeds above 38Mb in a domestic setting? My line is up to about 24Mb and since the wains have been at home we usually have 2 laptops, a PS4 and more than likely a couple of phones on the go simultaneously, with no issues.
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
A mesh network makes a massive difference. (I guess it also depends on where in the house you are looking to get signal reception).
At the start of lockdown it was only me working from home whereas now it's me and the wife. I was really struggling in video conferencing calls as it kept dropping out. I got a mesh network(BT whole home) and I've never had any issues since and there is the two of us with her flat out on zoom calls all day.
I have zwift going no bother off this too.
(Initally my broadband was 29 and I'd no bother from this - there must have been some work done somewhere as it's now up to ~36).
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 09:20:45 AM
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
People often complain about Virgin but I find them great. I have 500mb broadband with them.
Runs Zwift no problem but as you know with Zwift it's more about the hardware you run it on but the broadband will of course help.
Quote from: Tony Baloney on February 01, 2021, 09:03:32 AM
What are the real world advantages of download speeds above 38Mb in a domestic setting? My line is up to about 24Mb and since the wains have been at home we usually have 2 laptops, a PS4 and more than likely a couple of phones on the go simultaneously, with no issues.
It's about having enough bandwidth for the household usage including the heavy duty - teens, tv streaming. We get 80 - 100Mbs with 4G and after a while you get comfortably used to waiting 5 seconds for a download and not 5 minutes.
Quote from: laoislad on February 01, 2021, 09:34:54 AM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 09:20:45 AM
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
People often complain about Virgin but I find them great. I have 500mb broadband with them.
Runs Zwift no problem but as you know with Zwift it's more about the hardware you run it on but the broadband will of course help.
My Zwift has good days & bad, my 3 year old run of the mill Laptop ain't helping, it's for an upgrade soon as well.
Quote from: Tony Baloney on February 01, 2021, 09:03:32 AM
What are the real world advantages of download speeds above 38Mb in a domestic setting? My line is up to about 24Mb and since the wains have been at home we usually have 2 laptops, a PS4 and more than likely a couple of phones on the go simultaneously, with no issues.
Any 4K streaming?
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 11:14:59 AM
Quote from: laoislad on February 01, 2021, 09:34:54 AM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 09:20:45 AM
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
People often complain about Virgin but I find them great. I have 500mb broadband with them.
Runs Zwift no problem but as you know with Zwift it's more about the hardware you run it on but the broadband will of course help.
My Zwift has good days & bad, my 3 year old run of the mill Laptop ain't helping, it's for an upgrade soon as well.
In what way? I find zwift very intensive on battery from my ipad but that is mainly bluetooth.
Quote from: imtommygunn on February 01, 2021, 01:34:32 PM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 11:14:59 AM
Quote from: laoislad on February 01, 2021, 09:34:54 AM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 09:20:45 AM
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
People often complain about Virgin but I find them great. I have 500mb broadband with them.
Runs Zwift no problem but as you know with Zwift it's more about the hardware you run it on but the broadband will of course help.
My Zwift has good days & bad, my 3 year old run of the mill Laptop ain't helping, it's for an upgrade soon as well.
In what way? I find zwift very intensive on battery from my ipad but that is mainly bluetooth.
I dunno tbh, I always try and use it when the Internet is not being hogged by kids. I definitely find with Zwift if I do a race the performance is much better than a free ride round Watopia. I've just been assuming that it must be zoned off IT wise and there's only maybe 100 odd in the race rather than the 15k knocking about Watopia??
I'm cycling in a converted garage behind a concrete wall as well come to think of it.
try a speed test behind that concrete wall if you haven't and see what you get.
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 11:14:59 AM
Quote from: laoislad on February 01, 2021, 09:34:54 AM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 09:20:45 AM
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
People often complain about Virgin but I find them great. I have 500mb broadband with them.
Runs Zwift no problem but as you know with Zwift it's more about the hardware you run it on but the broadband will of course help.
My Zwift has good days & bad, my 3 year old run of the mill Laptop ain't helping, it's for an upgrade soon as well.
I bought an Apple TV box and it works great, payed €90 for it on eBay. Have a wifi extender plugged into a socket in the shed where I use it and never get any drop outs.
Youse on these fancy smart bikes or on a turbo trainer? I could get on okay with cycling if it was indoors and I wasn't out annoying motorists like the rest of you.
Quote from: Tony Baloney on February 01, 2021, 05:24:07 PM
Youse on these fancy smart bikes or on a turbo trainer? I could get on okay with cycling if it was indoors and I wasn't out annoying motorists like the rest of you.
I'm on a treadmill :D
Quote from: laoislad on February 01, 2021, 05:11:48 PM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 11:14:59 AM
Quote from: laoislad on February 01, 2021, 09:34:54 AM
Quote from: bennydorano on February 01, 2021, 09:20:45 AM
I would say mine is never anywhere near 38mb tbh, pretty similar to your own at around 24 and we have way too many teenagers and devices on the go. I'm being totally self interested about an upgrade as I want it for Zwift (indoor interactive cycling) which is a power hungry hoor.
I found out I can get Virgin (assume cabled) as they were making a mess around here last year. There's an offer for 100mb download speeds, broadand only for £28 pm for 18mths with no set up fees.
People often complain about Virgin but I find them great. I have 500mb broadband with them.
Runs Zwift no problem but as you know with Zwift it's more about the hardware you run it on but the broadband will of course help.
My Zwift has good days & bad, my 3 year old run of the mill Laptop ain't helping, it's for an upgrade soon as well.
I bought an Apple TV box and it works great, payed €90 for it on eBay. Have a wifi extender plugged into a socket in the shed where I use it and never get any drop outs.
Yeah I would imagine it's signal strength not bandwidth is the issue.
Switched to Virgin Broadband recently, our speeds are now up to 100mbs, yet all the kids think its rubbish, it really doesn't seem any better than the Talk Talk we previously had with speeds of 30mbs. Can anybody offer any reason for this??
Quote from: bennydorano on April 05, 2021, 08:11:03 PM
Switched to Virgin Broadband recently, our speeds are now up to 100mbs, yet all the kids think its rubbish, it really doesn't seem any better than the Talk Talk we previously had with speeds of 30mbs. Can anybody offer any reason for this??
How far are they from the router in the house?
It all just seems a bit poor, like downloading from Sky for example is poor and it's like 3ft from the router.
Set up a mesh network- e.g. bt wholehome - if you haven't already. It helps with loads of devices contending for bandwidth.
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 05, 2021, 08:23:35 PM
Set up a mesh network- e.g. bt wholehome - if you haven't already. It helps with loads of devices contending for bandwidth.
Cheers, I'd say we're well into double digits for devices, and all left lying at their asses mid stream when not in use. Any non £200+ option? :)
Bt whole home 3 disc is 199.99 ;D
The google nest stuff looks a bit dearer. For me I could have barely worked from home myself without never mind two of us and we have devices strewn all round the house and it has been night and day difference.
Bt has worked well for me.
Have Sky TV and Broadband with BT. No issues except cost. With my Sky TV contract up, I enquired about BT TV and they offered me an overall package which was competitively priced. Rang up Sky and they outdid them, albeit by a few pound and will buy me out of my BT contract. I'm reluctant to lose BT Broadband, so just asking the question if anyone has any experiences of Sky broadband before I switch.
I switch after every 18mth contract is up, I've found no difference in any of them tbh for speeds of up to 34mbs in Armagh area (had Sky). As can be read above I moved to Virgin with alleged speeds of up to100mbs - found there was very little improvement tbh, but on the advice of tommygunn I invested in a Mesh Network and the difference is very noticeable, feels like 100mbs now.
Sky are 100%
Thanks Benny.
Quote from: bennydorano on May 26, 2021, 10:00:29 PM
I switch after every 18mth contract is up, I've found no difference in any of them tbh for speeds of up to 34mbs in Armagh area (had Sky). As can be read above I moved to Virgin with alleged speeds of up to100mbs - found there was very little improvement tbh, but on the advice of tommygunn I invested in a Mesh Network and the difference is very noticeable, feels like 100mbs now.
Sky are 100%
Everyone barring Virgin use the same cable/fibre infrastructure for your broadband so switching between any of them should have no material difference on the service.
Openreach are meant to be independent of BT but not it good ole Norn Iron.
Quote from: johnnycool on May 27, 2021, 08:34:42 AM
Quote from: bennydorano on May 26, 2021, 10:00:29 PM
I switch after every 18mth contract is up, I've found no difference in any of them tbh for speeds of up to 34mbs in Armagh area (had Sky). As can be read above I moved to Virgin with alleged speeds of up to100mbs - found there was very little improvement tbh, but on the advice of tommygunn I invested in a Mesh Network and the difference is very noticeable, feels like 100mbs now.
Sky are 100%
Everyone barring Virgin use the same cable/fibre infrastructure for your broadband so switching between any of them should have no material difference on the service.
Openreach are meant to be independent of BT but not it good ole Norn Iron.
Phone lines have a technical capacity based on the distance from the cabinet or exchange and there isn't much you can do about that speed once you have a modern modem
https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL
However, a supplier might have congestion at some times of the day preventing you reaching that maximum, so changing might help that.
But as discussed, the speed is often sufficient, once people sort their wifi.
Has anyone any experience of Fibrus yet? They are due to upgrade my area shortly. I'm joining a Hyperfast NI update event via teams this evening, anything I should look out for? Currently I have approx 17mbps download speed and 1mbps upload.
Quote from: Harold Disgracey on August 03, 2021, 05:12:11 PM
Has anyone any experience of Fibrus yet? They are due to upgrade my area shortly. I'm joining a Hyperfast NI update event via teams this evening, anything I should look out for? Currently I have approx 17mbps download speed and 1mbps upload.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/northern-ireland-government-dfe-dup-conservative-party-b2016471.html
Anyone get Fibrus yet, What's it like?
Bit of criticism here over their pricing structure
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
Now you are really Smokin' Joe.
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
What sort of cost was it Joe?
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
Any issues with latency, on conference calls and the likes?
I likely said this before.... If you have issues look at a mesh network. I went from barely being able to be on calls on my own to both me and the wife being on calls most of the day with no bother at all for either of us.
Quote from: imtommygunn on February 24, 2022, 09:12:02 AM
I likely said this before.... If you have issues look at a mesh network. I went from barely being able to be on calls on my own to both me and the wife being on calls most of the day with no bother at all for either of us.
Explain the mesh network to someone who has no clue (I mean absolutely no clue) on all this type of stuff. Please
At a basic level a mesh network effectively extends coverage of broadband round your house and stops, or slows down, your signal weakening. You get things mini routers you turn on and they all connect to each other to strengthen signal. So I have BT whole home which is something like 3 "discs". You plug each of these in(as many or as few as you want) at various points round your house. I have one on my desk here and my laptop essentially connects to it.
I would swear by them and I know people extending signal to garage etc would swear by them. They're very easy to setup.
Bought a Tenda PH5 AV1000 Power line adapter kit to extend the broadband to the wife's WFH area at the other end of the house. Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Its plug n play and a seriously good piece of kit for the price, £35. I've a garage / shed about 25m from the house, 80mb broadband off the Wi-Fi antenna when the Tenda is plugged in there.
Quote from: Taylor on February 24, 2022, 08:23:23 AM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
What sort of cost was it Joe?
It's expensive. Something like £450 for the kit and £89 per month. It's not targetted as a replacement for those in urban areas that have good internet.
Quote from: johnnycool on February 24, 2022, 09:02:51 AM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
Any issues with latency, on conference calls and the likes?
I haven't used it for calls, but the ping is pretty good at 30ms (it's low orbit satellite) so I'm assuming it should be OK.
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 24, 2022, 02:29:42 PM
Quote from: Taylor on February 24, 2022, 08:23:23 AM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
What sort of cost was it Joe?
It's expensive. Something like £450 for the kit and £89 per month. It's not targetted as a replacement for those in urban areas that have good internet.
Ah ok - does it give you internet as good as fibre?
Gaming etc ok for it?
Quote from: Taylor on February 24, 2022, 03:02:20 PM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 24, 2022, 02:29:42 PM
Quote from: Taylor on February 24, 2022, 08:23:23 AM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
What sort of cost was it Joe?
It's expensive. Something like £450 for the kit and £89 per month. It's not targetted as a replacement for those in urban areas that have good internet.
Ah ok - does it give you internet as good as fibre?
Gaming etc ok for it?
Never had fibre, so dunno. If I had fibre I wouldn't be spending this money on low orbit satellite.
Son was gaming last night and was good. At 30 ping and d/l of > 60mb and u/l of 20mb I assume it's got to be good for gaming.
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 24, 2022, 04:51:51 PM
Quote from: Taylor on February 24, 2022, 03:02:20 PM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 24, 2022, 02:29:42 PM
Quote from: Taylor on February 24, 2022, 08:23:23 AM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on February 23, 2022, 09:27:22 PM
I'm just outside Armagh, the last house on the BT exchance and I can only get 8MB d/l speed from BT.
After being on the waiting list for a year my Starlink beta came today.
I'm getting d/l speeds of between 50MB and 160MB and u/l of 24 MB.
Happy with that.
What sort of cost was it Joe?
It's expensive. Something like £450 for the kit and £89 per month. It's not targetted as a replacement for those in urban areas that have good internet.
Ah ok - does it give you internet as good as fibre?
Gaming etc ok for it?
Never had fibre, so dunno. If I had fibre I wouldn't be spending this money on low orbit satellite.
Son was gaming last night and was good. At 30 ping and d/l of > 60mb and u/l of 20mb I assume it's got to be good for gaming.
Thought perhaps you had it in a previous house.
Those numbers are pretty decent and I assume it is unlimited?
The way things are going I can see other broadband providers upping their costs and using various excuses to justify it
Quote from: bennydorano on May 26, 2021, 10:00:29 PM
I switch after every 18mth contract is up, I've found no difference in any of them tbh for speeds of up to 34mbs in Armagh area (had Sky). As can be read above I moved to Virgin with alleged speeds of up to100mbs - found there was very little improvement tbh, but on the advice of tommygunn I invested in a Mesh Network and the difference is very noticeable, feels like 100mbs now.
Sky are 100%
Isn't it so that the Mesh network just distributes your bandwidth better around your property, it doesn't increase the bandwidth that arrives from your provider?
Quote from: Main Street on February 24, 2022, 08:07:36 PM
Quote from: bennydorano on May 26, 2021, 10:00:29 PM
I switch after every 18mth contract is up, I've found no difference in any of them tbh for speeds of up to 34mbs in Armagh area (had Sky). As can be read above I moved to Virgin with alleged speeds of up to100mbs - found there was very little improvement tbh, but on the advice of tommygunn I invested in a Mesh Network and the difference is very noticeable, feels like 100mbs now.
Sky are 100%
Isn't it so that the Mesh network just distributes your bandwidth better around your property, it doesn't increase the bandwidth that arrives from your provider?
yeah the basic idea is the signal hops off the nearest Mesh repeater device rather tha go back to the original Router (access point ) each timebt whole home worked great for me , where as a more expensive orbi with a higher spec is a lot slower. must be something im doing
I am in the final throes of a new build, during which I installed CAT6 cabling throughout the house - do I plug a router into each socket where I wish to have wifi (obviously I can use the hard connection in certain circumstances)...I hadn't thought that far ahead.
Quote from: Harold Disgracey on August 03, 2021, 05:12:11 PM
Has anyone any experience of Fibrus yet? They are due to upgrade my area shortly. I'm joining a Hyperfast NI update event via teams this evening, anything I should look out for? Currently I have approx 17mbps download speed and 1mbps upload.
I've signed up, not installed yet - £24.99 for 300MB is better than I'm currently paying for 17MB
Have a site visit from them on Sunday morning
On thre topic of Wi-Fi boosters - I see they can provide one for £5per month! I don't know why you'd pay that rather than just buy one
Quote from: lfdown2 on April 06, 2022, 11:34:12 AM
I am in the final throes of a new build, during which I installed CAT6 cabling throughout the house - do I plug a router into each socket where I wish to have wifi (obviously I can use the hard connection in certain circumstances)...I hadn't thought that far ahead.
If I were doing it, I'd only have CAT6 going from Smart TVs back to the router & then maybe a Network Hard drive back at the router so you can access media on it from all the TVs.
Building a nice new tidy house, and then having WI-FI extenders plugged into power sockets, patched into CAT6 points doesn't make sense to me. I'd use sockets with built in WI-FI extenders
Any other smart devices you're likely to have will have built in WI-FI and have no advantage of being connected to ethernet
EDIT: exception being gaming computers - so 1 CAT6 for the computer & 1 for the Smart TV
Quote from: WeeDonns on April 06, 2022, 11:36:22 AM
Quote from: Harold Disgracey on August 03, 2021, 05:12:11 PM
Has anyone any experience of Fibrus yet? They are due to upgrade my area shortly. I'm joining a Hyperfast NI update event via teams this evening, anything I should look out for? Currently I have approx 17mbps download speed and 1mbps upload.
I've signed up, not installed yet - £24.99 for 300MB is better than I'm currently paying for 17MB
Have a site visit from them on Sunday morning
On thre topic of Wi-Fi boosters - I see they can provide one for £5per month! I don't know why you'd pay that rather than just buy one
I've signed up for 300MB with Fibrus as well, paying double what you're paying as I'm well out in the sticks unfortunately. Had a site visit this morning and waiting on an installation date. I bought my own Wi-Fi boosters.
would you think the same regarding Mesh
Quote from: WeeDonns on April 06, 2022, 11:47:46 AM
Quote from: lfdown2 on April 06, 2022, 11:34:12 AM
I am in the final throes of a new build, during which I installed CAT6 cabling throughout the house - do I plug a router into each socket where I wish to have wifi (obviously I can use the hard connection in certain circumstances)...I hadn't thought that far ahead.
If I were doing it, I'd only have CAT6 going from Smart TVs back to the router & then maybe a Network Hard drive back at the router so you can access media on it from all the TVs.
Building a nice new tidy house, and then having WI-FI extenders plugged into power sockets, patched into CAT6 points doesn't make sense to me. I'd use sockets with built in WI-FI extenders
Any other smart devices you're likely to have will have built in WI-FI and have no advantage of being connected to ethernet
EDIT: exception being gaming computers - so 1 CAT6 for the computer & 1 for the Smart TV
I ran CAT 6 to every TV point where I was always going to put a desk for the kids homework but is now my office now that I'm WFH.
It mightn't be a bad idea to leave some CAT 6 into the ceilings as you may need to include WIFI extenders, proper ones in the ceiling anyway for mobile phones, tablets etc etc
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Lite-Access-Point/dp/B08T6CKG5B/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3M36JZEQHFV5X&keywords=ubiquiti+access+points&qid=1649328342&sprefix=ubi%2Caps%2C268&sr=8-3 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Lite-Access-Point/dp/B08T6CKG5B/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3M36JZEQHFV5X&keywords=ubiquiti+access+points&qid=1649328342&sprefix=ubi%2Caps%2C268&sr=8-3)
Link everything back to the one spot where the phone line/fibre is going to come in and make sure you've a few power points.
Mines was under the stairs, so out of sight most of the time.
I wish I'd run a CAT 6 into the attic as our BB is dung and would have liked to put an 4G antenna outside on the Gable wall to help with that.
Quote from: WeeDonns on April 06, 2022, 11:47:46 AM
Quote from: lfdown2 on April 06, 2022, 11:34:12 AM
I am in the final throes of a new build, during which I installed CAT6 cabling throughout the house - do I plug a router into each socket where I wish to have wifi (obviously I can use the hard connection in certain circumstances)...I hadn't thought that far ahead.
If I were doing it, I'd only have CAT6 going from Smart TVs back to the router & then maybe a Network Hard drive back at the router so you can access media on it from all the TVs.
Building a nice new tidy house, and then having WI-FI extenders plugged into power sockets, patched into CAT6 points doesn't make sense to me. I'd use sockets with built in WI-FI extenders
Any other smart devices you're likely to have will have built in WI-FI and have no advantage of being connected to ethernet
EDIT: exception being gaming computers - so 1 CAT6 for the computer & 1 for the Smart TV
Depending on how much steel and concrete is in your house you may find you need a few wifi extenders. Look at the wall or ceiling mounted POE extenders. No visible wires and no need for a power socket.
Quote from: WeeDonns on April 06, 2022, 11:36:22 AM
Quote from: Harold Disgracey on August 03, 2021, 05:12:11 PM
Has anyone any experience of Fibrus yet? They are due to upgrade my area shortly. I'm joining a Hyperfast NI update event via teams this evening, anything I should look out for? Currently I have approx 17mbps download speed and 1mbps upload.
I've signed up, not installed yet - £24.99 for 300MB is better than I'm currently paying for 17MB
Have a site visit from them on Sunday morning
On thre topic of Wi-Fi boosters - I see they can provide one for £5per month! I don't know why you'd pay that rather than just buy one
Anyone move to Fibrus lately? Is their pricing still similar to the above?
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Sat broadband is a last resort, only if needs must. Needs are defined by being out of range of broadband and 4G.
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Go for Starlink. I have it about 6 months it and just got an email that sub price is being reduced to £75. I had no other options for decent internet. It's great.
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
I'm currently using Three Mobile Broadband (plug in and it works) until the fibrus roll out is completed in my area (Autumn 2022)
its giving me Approx 15mb/s for 14 quid a month - whilst its not what i want its better than the current available bt line (1-2mb/s)
Quote from: Smokin Joe on August 25, 2022, 07:17:10 AM
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Go for Starlink. I have it about 6 months it and just got an email that sub price is being reduced to £75. I had no other options for decent internet. It's great.
I heard that today and apparently the price of the hardware has dropped to under £500. What speeds are you getting? Would it be reliable enough at peak times and for working from home?
Quote from: the onion bag on August 25, 2022, 11:30:44 AM
Quote from: Smokin Joe on August 25, 2022, 07:17:10 AM
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Go for Starlink. I have it about 6 months it and just got an email that sub price is being reduced to £75. I had no other options for decent internet. It's great.
I heard that today and apparently the price of the hardware has dropped to under £500. What speeds are you getting? Would it be reliable enough at peak times and for working from home?
I get between 60 - 150MB d/l and15 - 25MB u/l speeds. It's great for WFH during the day.
Sat broadband has certainly improved a lot, both in pricing and speed, since I last looked at it.
Quote from: Main Street on August 25, 2022, 02:35:19 AM
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Sat broadband is a last resort, only if needs must. Needs are defined by being out of range of broadband and 4G.
Is this still the case? I'm looking in to it here, as we have Vodafone and only get around 5mb, probably lower on average. Its starting to be a real pain with 3 kids with them all watching down thing different between YouTube and Netflix. Paying 50 quid a month for that shit service anyway. I'm just wondering would the satellite broadband be much of an upgrade, and allow me to stream the football and that with minimal buffering?
Anyone here in south using imagine broadband. The folks have an old landline connected and when someone calls they can't see the callers number. I think it's cos it's an old handset. Anyone using a handset with imagine that doesn't have that issue. Make and model would be great to know.
Quote from: HiMucker on October 15, 2022, 01:54:09 PM
Quote from: Main Street on August 25, 2022, 02:35:19 AM
Quote from: Mad Mentor on August 25, 2022, 12:58:07 AM
Has anyone experience of satellite broadband. Currently looking at it but the data packages seem quite small. 150Gb max.
Sat broadband is a last resort, only if needs must. Needs are defined by being out of range of broadband and 4G.
Is this still the case? I'm looking in to it here, as we have Vodafone and only get around 5mb, probably lower on average. Its starting to be a real pain with 3 kids with them all watching down thing different between YouTube and Netflix. Paying 50 quid a month for that shit service anyway. I'm just wondering would the satellite broadband be much of an upgrade, and allow me to stream the football and that with minimal buffering?
One question is when is proper landline broadband coming to your area? If there is fibre-optic coming down your road it might be better just to wait.
Has anyone got a 4G system out in to use for their WiFi?? We've been on to Fibrus and the local MLA but no progress about Fibre Optic coming down our lane (a few houses down it with bad connection)
Tempted to get the 4G system in place but not sure how good it would be if anyone has an experience off it and it's good I'm tempted it to go for it - Have BT atm and 1mbs up and 10mbs down just doesn't cut it
Quote from: Mourne Red on December 29, 2022, 09:25:34 AM
Has anyone got a 4G system out in to use for their WiFi?? We've been on to Fibrus and the local MLA but no progress about Fibre Optic coming down our lane (a few houses down it with bad connection)
Tempted to get the 4G system in place but not sure how good it would be if anyone has an experience off it and it's good I'm tempted it to go for it - Have BT atm and 1mbs up and 10mbs down just doesn't cut it
And if you want ridiculous speeds you could use the Starlink satellite WiFi. 224 download speeds. 90 a month though
Getting up the upgrade at the moment and it would seem my original BT cable across a neighbours field was not ducted. Openreach will need to therefore lay a duct to pull the new cable through, I am awaiting for them to quote for this. Has anyone any experience of a similar situation and did it cost much?
Quote from: LC on January 05, 2023, 10:42:14 AM
Getting up the upgrade at the moment and it would seem my original BT cable across a neighbours field was not ducted. Openreach will need to therefore lay a duct to pull the new cable through, I am awaiting for them to quote for this. Has anyone any experience of a similar situation and did it cost much?
Openreach Engineer that was out with me told me it would be cheaper to get the duct laid myself. In my case it was only 30m from the edge of my property and he said BT would start at £1000. Got someone I knew with a small digger to do it for alot less.
Openreach did ftp for me 3 years ago - laid cable and duct up the driveway of about 40 yards, came across the garden another 10 yards or so, dug up and then relayed pavers of another 8ft or so from garden to house. All free gratis (ignoring the line rental that has followed every month since!)
Folks I seen starlink mentioned on this thread before and I was considering getting it, but didn't bite the bullet. I wish I acted sooner, have it in a few days now and it has been truly live changing lol. Speeds well over 100mbps. Crap Internet was the only thing that would have made me consider moving house. 9mbps was the best we ever got before hand, and that was a real rarity. It was 4 or 5 on a good day. Loads of buffering even on Netflix. 3 wanes all plugged in, nightmare. If anyone else is the same boat with no access to superfast fibre optic broadband, just get it. It will change your world!
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:18:31 AM
Folks I seen starlink mentioned on this thread before and I was considering getting it, but didn't bite the bullet. I wish I acted sooner, have it in a few days now and it has been truly live changing lol. Speeds well over 100mbps. Crap Internet was the only thing that would have made me consider moving house. 9mbps was the best we ever got before hand, and that was a real rarity. It was 4 or 5 on a good day. Loads of buffering even on Netflix. 3 wanes all plugged in, nightmare. If anyone else is the same boat with no access to superfast fibre optic broadband, just get it. It will change your world!
Whats it costing you?
Quote from: Cavan19 on February 10, 2023, 08:23:24 AM
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:18:31 AM
Folks I seen starlink mentioned on this thread before and I was considering getting it, but didn't bite the bullet. I wish I acted sooner, have it in a few days now and it has been truly live changing lol. Speeds well over 100mbps. Crap Internet was the only thing that would have made me consider moving house. 9mbps was the best we ever got before hand, and that was a real rarity. It was 4 or 5 on a good day. Loads of buffering even on Netflix. 3 wanes all plugged in, nightmare. If anyone else is the same boat with no access to superfast fibre optic broadband, just get it. It will change your world!
Whats it costing you?
450 euro for the hardware, and 80 euro a month. Its expensive, but needs must. I'm paying 50 a month to vodafone for absolutely muck broadband, which obviously I'll be telling them to shove up their hole now. So the difference, for the benefit it gives the house, stuff I can do at home instead of having to do at work, and the bonus that I can take it to the caravan as well is neglible IMO.
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:39:17 AM
Quote from: Cavan19 on February 10, 2023, 08:23:24 AM
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:18:31 AM
Folks I seen starlink mentioned on this thread before and I was considering getting it, but didn't bite the bullet. I wish I acted sooner, have it in a few days now and it has been truly live changing lol. Speeds well over 100mbps. Crap Internet was the only thing that would have made me consider moving house. 9mbps was the best we ever got before hand, and that was a real rarity. It was 4 or 5 on a good day. Loads of buffering even on Netflix. 3 wanes all plugged in, nightmare. If anyone else is the same boat with no access to superfast fibre optic broadband, just get it. It will change your world!
Whats it costing you?
450 euro for the hardware, and 80 euro a month. Its expensive, but needs must. I'm paying 50 a month to vodafone for absolutely muck broadband, which obviously I'll be telling them to shove up their hole now. So the difference, for the benefit it gives the house, stuff I can do at home instead of having to do at work, and the bonus that I can take it to the caravan as well is neglible IMO.
I'm lucky to have decent enough broadband it's good enough for my needs and everyone else in the house but i would absolutely pay that if it was my only option.
Yeah realistically 20 or 30mbps would have been all I needed but couldn't even get that. Bluebox and beacon broadband were looked at, but we are in a bit of a hollow so wasn't an option.
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:48:43 AM
Yeah realistically 20 or 30mbps would have been all I needed but couldn't even get that. Bluebox and beacon broadband were looked at, but we are in a bit of a hollow so wasn't an option.
It was torture when the kids were in the house and the internet was on a go slow!! Easily pay that just to stop the moaning!!
Anyone have any experience of Fibrus? I see they are 'in my locality' now!
Quote from: Norf Tyrone on February 15, 2023, 08:12:14 AM
Anyone have any experience of Fibrus? I see they are 'in my locality' now!
There is a Fibrus user group on Facebook worth joining
Plenty of good and bad reviews
Private group called: Fibrus User Group
Ulster Farmers Union membership gets you a discount of their offers
Quote from: giveherlong on February 15, 2023, 08:51:34 AM
Quote from: Norf Tyrone on February 15, 2023, 08:12:14 AM
Anyone have any experience of Fibrus? I see they are 'in my locality' now!
There is a Fibrus user group on Facebook worth joining
Plenty of good and bad reviews
Private group called: Fibrus User Group
Ulster Farmers Union membership gets you a discount of their offers
Good job- Thanks
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:18:31 AM
Folks I seen starlink mentioned on this thread before and I was considering getting it, but didn't bite the bullet. I wish I acted sooner, have it in a few days now and it has been truly live changing lol. Speeds well over 100mbps. Crap Internet was the only thing that would have made me consider moving house. 9mbps was the best we ever got before hand, and that was a real rarity. It was 4 or 5 on a good day. Loads of buffering even on Netflix. 3 wanes all plugged in, nightmare. If anyone else is the same boat with no access to superfast fibre optic broadband, just get it. It will change your world!
Just ordered it there a couple of days ago myself, can't do anything if fiance is on a zoom call or I am when WFH or even sending video on WhatsApp.. currently 9 Down and 0.8mb up so hoping Elon does the busines- Shipping times are a bit slow so 2 weeks before dish arrives.
How did you wire it into the house HiMucker? Thinking of feeding it through attic myself
Quote from: Mourne Red on May 11, 2023, 09:38:11 PM
Quote from: HiMucker on February 10, 2023, 08:18:31 AM
Folks I seen starlink mentioned on this thread before and I was considering getting it, but didn't bite the bullet. I wish I acted sooner, have it in a few days now and it has been truly live changing lol. Speeds well over 100mbps. Crap Internet was the only thing that would have made me consider moving house. 9mbps was the best we ever got before hand, and that was a real rarity. It was 4 or 5 on a good day. Loads of buffering even on Netflix. 3 wanes all plugged in, nightmare. If anyone else is the same boat with no access to superfast fibre optic broadband, just get it. It will change your world!
Just ordered it there a couple of days ago myself, can't do anything if fiance is on a zoom call or I am when WFH or even sending video on WhatsApp.. currently 9 Down and 0.8mb up so hoping Elon does the busines- Shipping times are a bit slow so 2 weeks before dish arrives.
How did you wire it into the house HiMucker? Thinking of feeding it through attic myself
Ah, funny you should mention this, I hadn't bothered my balls doing anything and it was just sitting on the lawn, kept putting it off. Actually had to get a new cable the other week as a young lad drove over it cutting the grass lol. Internet down for two days. Guy was out today looking at where to get it mounted permanently. Going to just drill a hole in the living room wall and bring it in there. Got a couple of boosters as well, as the starlink router doesn't have great range. Tbh it was just as good as the last router, but I obviously wasn't that interested in getting shit Internet in all the rooms.
Since that last storm on Sunday night my Fibrus connection is still down and lying by the roadside less than a mile from my home.
Absolute shít show and TBH with them being so small of an outfit, kinda expected by very disappointing
Quote from: johnnycool on January 29, 2024, 12:10:59 PMSince that last storm on Sunday night my Fibrus connection is still down and lying by the roadside less than a mile from my home.
Absolute shít show and TBH with them being so small of an outfit, kinda expected by very disappointing
Redundancies coming with them now too as well
I am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
Quote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
Almost certain they don't share the lines. Which is fairly stupid especially in rural areas
Quote from: Kidder81 on January 29, 2024, 12:36:26 PMQuote from: johnnycool on January 29, 2024, 12:10:59 PMSince that last storm on Sunday night my Fibrus connection is still down and lying by the roadside less than a mile from my home.
Absolute shít show and TBH with them being so small of an outfit, kinda expected by very disappointing
Redundancies coming with them now too as well
The firm that fitted out the broadband are a Tyrone based company that Fibrus acquired to do the work, they have done the work so would obviously have to let go of staff as work is done, couldn't expect them to keep workers on to fit out when there is nothing to fit.
The problem is maintaining the lines, Johnny wouldn't be on his own after that storm a week is a long time in a house with kids and no broadband! Good luck lol
Quote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
What do you want from BT? Fibrus offer a phone service for a small add on. All phones will be over the Internet from the near future in any case, even if you have a copper line,
Quote from: armaghniac on January 29, 2024, 02:12:44 PMQuote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
What do you want from BT? Fibrus offer a phone service for a small add on. All phones will be over the Internet from the near future in any case, even if you have a copper line,
The old Openreach PSTN (copper) network is scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2025. Most broadband providers are already forcing people to switch over to getting voice calls over their broadband if they want a phone number. Your phone plugs into the router.
Be interesting to see how this works for older people in particular who may not have a mobile and who do not have broadband.
Quote from: 93-DY-SAM on January 29, 2024, 02:41:49 PMQuote from: armaghniac on January 29, 2024, 02:12:44 PMQuote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
What do you want from BT? Fibrus offer a phone service for a small add on. All phones will be over the Internet from the near future in any case, even if you have a copper line,
The old Openreach PSTN (copper) network is scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2025. Most broadband providers are already forcing people to switch over to getting voice calls over their broadband if they want a phone number. Your phone plugs into the router.
Be interesting to see how this works for older people in particular who may not have a mobile and who do not have broadband.
I think everyone will be provided with a basic model m if they only have PSTN in order to allow the phone be plugged in However this will need power etc, so changes will be needed.
Quote from: armaghniac on January 29, 2024, 02:12:44 PMQuote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
What do you want from BT? Fibrus offer a phone service for a small add on. All phones will be over the Internet from the near future in any case, even if you have a copper line,
Dont want anything from BT as such, certainly not a phoneline. What I mean is that that before Fibrus put fibre on my road, the BT copper line was my only option for broadband. If i decided to move from Fibrus when my contract is up, I dont know if other broadband providers can offer fibre as they would need to use Fibrus wires.
Folks - the parents are looking to sharpen up the budget a little bit and are interested in this EE internet as opposed to the BT they currently have. 49quid vs 27quid. 24 month contract with EE and they have a statement that the prices will go up every year in March by an amount equal to CPI (about 3.9%)
Any experience or red flags with the EE group? Would use it for the odd bit of streaming, general wifi around the house for the phones and maybe paying the bills online. No gaming or downloading needed.
Quote from: Puckoon on January 29, 2024, 09:12:24 PMFolks - the parents are looking to sharpen up the budget a little bit and are interested in this EE internet as opposed to the BT they currently have. 49quid vs 27quid. 24 month contract with EE and they have a statement that the prices will go up every year in March by an amount equal to CPI (about 3.9%)
Any experience or red flags with the EE group? Would use it for the odd bit of streaming, general wifi around the house for the phones and maybe paying the bills online. No gaming or downloading needed.
BT and EE are the same thing. They merged a while ago and BT are in the process of rebranding everything under the EE name.
Why are they offering different prices?
Quote from: Puckoon on January 29, 2024, 09:16:14 PMWhy are they offering different prices?
No idea. But 100% they are two cheeks of the same arse. Ask them.
Quote from: Puckoon on January 29, 2024, 09:16:14 PMWhy are they offering different prices?
New deals to gather customers are often cheaper.
This link https://www.bt.com/broadband suggests broadband from from £27.99 a month at BT
Thanks both.
Quote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 04:07:09 PMQuote from: armaghniac on January 29, 2024, 02:12:44 PMQuote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
What do you want from BT? Fibrus offer a phone service for a small add on. All phones will be over the Internet from the near future in any case, even if you have a copper line,
Dont want anything from BT as such, certainly not a phoneline. What I mean is that that before Fibrus put fibre on my road, the BT copper line was my only option for broadband. If i decided to move from Fibrus when my contract is up, I dont know if other broadband providers can offer fibre as they would need to use Fibrus wires.
It seems that other providers can offer services over the Fibrus cable, but at present they charge more for such access than Openreach do and everyone on Fibrus has an introductory deal, so nobody else does offer a service. I expect this will change in the future.
By way of contrast, Fibrus' cousin in the 26 counties, National Broadband, does not sell service at all and there are many options for service from Eir, Vodafone etc.
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on January 29, 2024, 01:44:31 PMQuote from: Kidder81 on January 29, 2024, 12:36:26 PMQuote from: johnnycool on January 29, 2024, 12:10:59 PMSince that last storm on Sunday night my Fibrus connection is still down and lying by the roadside less than a mile from my home.
Absolute shít show and TBH with them being so small of an outfit, kinda expected by very disappointing
Redundancies coming with them now too as well
The firm that fitted out the broadband are a Tyrone based company that Fibrus acquired to do the work, they have done the work so would obviously have to let go of staff as work is done, couldn't expect them to keep workers on to fit out when there is nothing to fit.
The problem is maintaining the lines, Johnny wouldn't be on his own after that storm a week is a long time in a house with kids and no broadband! Good luck lol
Feckin nightmare.
My biggest problem at the minute is the lack of information from Fibrus.
I'm using their whatsapp thingy which in itself isn't bad but get a different story from whoever I finally get through to, twice a day, every day.
I was told I'd be reconnected last Wednesday, it come and went and nothing, whatsapped them again, it will definitely be the weekend, Saturday or Sunday. Once again it came and went. Yesterday I was told it would definitely be today, but being the sneaky bollox I am, I called viberoptix directly and they told me they weren't scheduled by Fibrus to go out here today, but did inform me that they are scheduled to be out tomorrow, but Fibrus may change that at any time...
Fibrus were offered a huge contract to put the infrastructure in place, especially in rural areas with poor coverage. This infrastructure will be open to any provider to offer broadband services using the fibre that fibrus installed.
Problem (if you want to look at it this way) for Fibrus is, once they have installed all the infrastructure the contract is done and as an entity they have worked themselves out of work essentially.
The way for them to remain in business is to act then as provider like all the rest of the companies in the market.
This is not to say that those running the company won't have made a sh*t tonne of cash from a public contract. So if they are smart enough they will have made enough not to be overly caring once the contract ends.
Has anyone bought a home wifi extender/booster recently and have any recommendations? We would have a very weak or non existent signal in some of our rooms. I've searched and read about a few of the products out there but it seems like a bit of a minefield.
Quote from: lurganblue on February 08, 2024, 12:36:45 PMHas anyone bought a home wifi extender/booster recently and have any recommendations? We would have a very weak or non existent signal in some of our rooms. I've searched and read about a few of the products out there but it seems like a bit of a minefield.
Be interested in that also, as the eldest girl will be moving back after the summer and I can't arsed hearing about the poor Wi-Fi!
Invest in a "mesh network". 300 odd quid but you'll extend your network and have no issues with connectivity further out in your house.
Quote from: imtommygunn on February 08, 2024, 02:50:39 PMInvest in a "mesh network". 300 odd quid but you'll extend your network and have no issues with connectivity further out in your house.
I'm piggybacking from a neighbouring house using the TP-Link Deco E4 AC1200 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2009542) from Argos as Fibrus wouldn't install us yet as we're a new build not listed in Project Stratum. It does a great job with less than a 5mb drop in max speed over a fair distance as long as there is a clear line of sight. I can't imagine there would be any issue using them in a house over shorter distances.
Quote from: the onion bag on February 08, 2024, 03:57:21 PMQuote from: imtommygunn on February 08, 2024, 02:50:39 PMInvest in a "mesh network". 300 odd quid but you'll extend your network and have no issues with connectivity further out in your house.
I'm piggybacking from a neighbouring house using the TP-Link Deco E4 AC1200 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2009542) from Argos as Fibrus wouldn't install us yet as we're a new build not listed in Project Stratum. It does a great job with less than a 5mb drop in max speed over a fair distance as long as there is a clear line of sight. I can't imagine there would be any issue using them in a house over shorter distances.
That might be the ticket. Cheers. I dont like the idea of the 300 odd quid option ;D
I'm with Sky and I read somewhere online that if you complain, they might send you a booster, depending on your deal. I will maybe investigate that option too. I think I likely already know the answer though.
Some of the mesh systems are a little bit tricky compatability wise with Sky Q etc. Worth looking at prior to purchasing, Google it.
Phoned sky and told them the problem. They said they could supply a booster box for 6 quid a month.
After a few more discussions the lad said that our router is over 5 years old so they'll send a new one and see if that improves things first.
Sounds like a racket.
Has anyone heard of Inspire Telecom?