new bb provider or router - rural area??

tammy73

Currently with talk talk(from tiscali) on a month by month contract, refused to sign up to new service.

Anyway fed up with the very regular drop outs and lack of decent bandwidth, its very unusual to be able to watch iplayer without interruptions.

I am in a rural area so choice of providers is limited, and from what i understand, these providers just hire the line from bt, so would it make any difference if i changed supplier or is it like changing gas/elec - same service, different bill?

I am using the router i got from tiscali, a thomson, which i assume is basic, would upgrading help? What should i look for, want to watch iplayer through wii (wirelessly) and use laptop upstairs (1960's building).

On a side note, neighbours have bt home hubs which often have a stronger signal than our router. I am tempted to go with bt but the price is prohibitive.

Any thoughts on this would be very welcome.

macman

Any LLU providers? Do an exchange search on https://www.samknows.com.
If none, then yes, all providers will be reselling the BT Wholesale service-but often better and cheaper.
The main determining factor in your speed is distance from the exchange. If your neighbours are getting acceptable speeds, then that indicates either a fault on your line, equipment, set up or internal wiring. Run a speed test from the BT test socket behind the split faceplate master socket.
Post your router stats and someone can have a look for you,

tammy73

Yes i do have one llu provider - will check them out later.

Did a speed test with old filter and a new one from a friend who got it with a bt home hub, the test came out exactly the same.

Download speed 6mbps, upload 0.4mbps here's the link;
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results/id/131615892747686229404.html

Any help gratefully received

macman

6MBps is not 'lack of decent bandwidth', especially on a rural exchange. That's more than adequate to use iPlayer. If you are getting dropouts. that must be another issue.
Which is why I suggested that you test from the test socket, but make sure this is done using ethernet. If it's then OK, it's a wireless issue, and you should start by changing your wireless channel, moving your router around, etc. You may need to use Homeplugs to get a decent signal though.
Changing your ISP will not help if it's wireless issue.
Who is your potential LLU supplier?

tammy73

Thanks for your help macman, i certainly need some, lol.

I did do the test via test socket - filter, dsl to router, ethernet to computer, that's right isn't it?

The dropouts are all computers including the one wired as above, so does that still mean it's a wireless issue.

Regarding the wireless issue, had a look at the router config., took a little time to find it and work out how to adjust config., lol, definate newbie where computer config. is concerned. Not sure where to start, do i just try channels 1 by 1? Do I do a speed test or what?

My llu provider is Rutland Telecom, who look like they provide a good service but it comes at a high price - £35/month, incl. line rental. It is a rolling contract so could cancel at any time but as i currently pay approx £15/month for bb & line rental it is quite a jump.

I wondered if upgrading the dsl & ethernet cables to high quality ones would help - seem to be quite cheap on amazon?

tammy73

Just did connectivity check on my router -dsl, atm, ppp & ip all fine, no internet but connectivity to gateway is ok, also no connection to dns server 1 or 2. This means nothing to me but i thought it might be useful to someone in the know, obviously i'm connected to internet via gateway.

The router is a old G router, is it beyond help.