Is this a broadband or modem Issue ?

Somerset

Background - we are with the Post Office for broadband who I believe use BT wholesale. Because we're in the sticks, our exchange only has ADSL so very limited choice. We've got the modem supplied by the PO which must be five years old.


I vaguely recall, the PO have switched from BT to (someone else?) about Sept but was told this wouldn't affect us - they had to stay with BT for customer's like us that had a limited exchange.


Issue - previously you could take a laptop into any room in the house and you would get a connection. Now, you can only get a connection if the laptop in in the same room as the modem. This applies to multiple laptops ie not just the one with this problem.


So question is :
1) Is it the modem ( wearing out or whatever ) that is the issue and we need to replace ?
2) Or is it the broadband supply that has somehow changed and could the PO shenanigan's have something to do with it ?


I'm confused as I would have thought that if 1) the modem would either work or not, not kind of reduce it's field of connectivity but 2) doesn't make sense either as the PO kept with BT wholesale so there should be no change there.


But as I said laptop's now have to be in the same room as the modem and this wasn't previously the case .... so something has changed.

zaax

BT Openreach (part of BT group) own and operate the wires and cables. ISP's buy the product from BT wholesale (another part) at about £8 for each house. The Post Office is just another ISP.

A router is of many parts and it sounds like it is on its way out. Call your ISP get get a new one, at the sametime threaten to leave to get your price down or leave anyway - though it may cost.

BTW County Broadband might be interested in using your local church for high speed broadband

Somerset

Cheers zaax


Just ordered a new router from the PO ( first time/no charge ) so hopefully that'll solve the problem when it arrives.

GunJack

either:

1. the wifi part of the router is on the way out,
2. the wifi card in the laptop is on the way out, or
3. someone close to you has a router operating on a wifi channel close enough to yours so it is causing interference to your wifi signal.

To check for 3, download & install inssider to your laptop, and run it with the lappy in various parts of the house to see if there is another network interfering with yours - if there is, change channel on your router to one that isn't getting hit.

http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/