Fibre optic versus standard broadband?

Pincher

espresso wrote: »

That is the old way, self install fibre is now commonplace and used by several ISP's including EE who supply a Bright box 2 VDSL 802ac router.

Set up info here and a Bright box 2 review here

I just meant that if the OP really wanted a wired connection for the PC, he doesn't have to trip over loose cables because the flat cable can be laid under the carpet.


The Brightbox 2 is arranged like a Virgin SuperHub, with modem and router in one unit. With cable TV, the main wall socket is usually in the lounge, whereas the main PC is in a study or a bedroom, so the design allows you to run an Ethernet cable to the main router if you want it somewhere else. The SuperHub has a mode where it pretends to be a modem only, so only one Ethernet port works. I expect the single Gigabit port on the Brightbox 2 has the same idea.


With a combined modem/router, it's still possible to run an Ethernet cable from the Brightbox 2 to where the PC is, but if more wired connections are needed, somebody has to buy a switch. With a separate router, it would have been free. My BT Infinity set up has a separate HomeHub 5 router, and I love the flexibility on location compared to the Virgin SuperHub combined set up I had previously.


If only you could get flat co-ax cables, then I could have relocated the SuperHub as well.

Inner_Zone

espresso wrote: »

That is the old way, self install fibre is now commonplace and used by several ISP's including EE who supply a Bright box 2 VDSL 802ac router.

Set up info here and a Bright box 2 review here

It may be the old way but I had TalkTalk fibre installed last Friday as an upgrade and it was an engineers visit and a separate modem (which he bought along) and new router (which had been posted to me). Silly really as once the engineer had reconfigured the exchange end I could have easily connected it all up.

espresso

I don't see how either of these posts actually help the OP.

Pincher wrote: »

I just meant that if the OP really wanted a wired connection for the PC............

They don't, which you would know if you had read this thread!

Inner_Zone wrote: »

It may be the old way but I had TalkTalk fibre installed last Friday as an upgrade and it was an engineers visit and a separate modem (which he bought along) and new router (which had been posted to me).

Well the OP has already been supplied with an EE Bright Box 2 router containing a VDSL modem, so a separate modem will not be required.

Inner_Zone

espresso wrote: »

I don't see how either of these posts actually help the OP.

In this case I agree does not help he OP. I was responding to your post about separate modems, they are currently being used by some ISP's, so it's not the old way just yet!

Pincher

espresso wrote: »

I don't see how either of these posts actually help the OP.



They don't, which you would know if you had read this thread!



Well the OP has already been supplied with an EE Bright Box 2 router containing a VDSL modem, so a separate modem will not be required.

Dollardog wrote: »

I'm hoping its going to improve the signal, I won't be able to plug it in to have a wired connection as I can't get to the back of my pc so it will only be able to work wirelessly, apparently it has a wider range though than the Livebox.

To me, this says the PC is getting a poor signal wirelessly, and if the current position of the Livebox is not very good, then the Bright 2 box can suffer from the same limitations. There are two obvious approaches:

1. Wired connection

2. Relocate the Wi-Fi access point.

If the ISP supplied kit had a separate Wi-Fi router, it would have been easy to try option 2 by using a long-ish ethernet cable.

Since the Brightbox 2 is 802.11ac, a third option is to upgrade the PC hardware to match. I don't understand the can't get to the back of the PC thing either, but a 11ac USB Wi-Fi dongle can be plugged in from the front.

m5rcc

Bright Box 2 is a horrible, horrible router. Completely inferior and its long-range signal is atrocious, given its 2x2 antenna array.

Anyone else encountering such problems?