To BB or not to BB, that is the question?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

thinking of going broadband, big step.

Anybody any idea what kinda length of cable is provided?

My computer sits about 13ft/4m from phone point, though the extension cable I'm

using just now is 17ft/5m, will the cable provided be long enough, or can I put the

microfilter on end of existing extension, and just shift phone.

Thinking of going for Plusnet £9.99 deal, as have been using NetMeter for a few

months now and have only twice went over the 1GB download, though I would then

download overnight, as I don't do music/video, mostly updates.

I'm less than a mile from exchange, so speed should be good?

Would've gone for O2 £7.50 package, as already O2 mobile customer, though not

available in my area, and no date for it yet.

Thanks for any replies.

Danyúl_II

I don't think the standard cables are particularly long (shorter than 1 metre I would say).

[Deleted User]

Hi,

thanks for the reply.

Would be better going wireless then, though that would be more expensive.

£$&*"($£&(

You can put the filter on the end of the extension. I do this although I am wireless - I have no power points near the phone point.

mdbarber

Seriously?, you managed to download 1gb on dial-up?,, wow, anyway at least triple that to allow for more usage.
The slow speed of dial up will put you off doing a lot and having bb will mean that is no longer a barrier so make sure you can upgrade and you're not tied in to one pack for too long.
ps i once tied a 10m extension and it worked fine, was a decent quality cable tho

Stompa

grahawk wrote: »

You can put the filter on the end of the extension.

Yes, I do that too. If I've understood your layout correctly, you could also use a second filter with the phone and so not need to relocate it.

penrhyn

Hi Frugal one, have a look at this link, tells you all you need to know about phone wiring for broadband.
http://www.dslzoneuk.net/socket.php

Poor internal phone wiring is one of the biggest causes of poor connection speeds.

Be aware that if your ISP supplies you with a router then your PC will need an Ethernet port (LAN connector). If you go wireless then you will need a wireless adapter for your PC (assuming it hasn't got one).

IMHO the best solution is to stay wired as its more reliable, you could locate the router near your master phone socket and then use a long Ethernet cable to your PC.

isofa

Also good ADSL filters/faceplates can also make a difference, those from ADSL Nation are very good, I replaced all our faceplates with these.

Leopard

Penrhyn is absolutely right.

Definitely do not attach a broadband router to the end of an extension lead: broadband is very sensitive to electronic interference and will degrade if you run it through a conventional extension lead.

Use the master socket in your house if that's possible, but whatever socket you plug it into, use shielded cable and keep the lead from the socket to the modem as short as possible.

Once the signal has been decoded by the modem, you can then use as long an Ethernet cable as you like to connect it to the computer.

Wireless works, but an Ethernet lead is always better.

PlusNet is good, if you can't get an LLU ("unbundled") connection. With luck, you'll get maybe 6 mbs if the wiring to your exchange is modern.

Also, if you opt for a monthly account on PlusNet you can leave at any time by giving 30 days notice when a faster service does become available to you, without having to see out a year of contract.

You'll almost certainly use a lot more bandwidth with broadband than you have been doing with dial-up, so consider going for PlusNet's Option 2 at £15 a month instead. Option 1 is pretty much a PAYG facility at a headline price and will probably work out more expensive in reality.

All of this is best discussed in the Internet Forum on MSE, though!

[Deleted User]

Hi,

thanks for all the replies and info, just back in from a wee 5 mile walk, so cup of coffee

and I will have another read through.

mdbarber, that was over a month.

Will decide this weekend, as I want to cancel my Tesco dial up, before the next DD

due, or should I have the BB up and running first?

chunter

Leopard wrote: »

Penrhyn is absolutely right.

Definitely do not attach a broadband router to the end of an extension lead: broadband is very sensitive to electronic interference and will degrade if you run it through a conventional extension lead.

Use the master socket in your house if that's possible, but whatever socket you plug it into, use shielded cable and keep the lead from the socket to the modem as short as possible.

I've been using a huge length of a telephone extension which is at least 20 metres long for the last 5 years and my broadband's absolutely fine.
If I'd tried to use a wireless connection I'd have to go theough about 10 walls.

There are ideal conditions for "perfect broadband" but run the extension lead and try it before wasting time and money on idealistic objectives.
If you have a slight drop in speed because of degreadation so what? You're used to dial-up. Your broadband is still going to be 10s of times faster.