Fibre broadband for dummies

RumRat

Browntoa said:

I thought fttp still required an engineer visit , although they were looking at self install .

Currently openreach have suspended customer premises installation unless you are vulnerable

Correct, however FTTC doesn't require an engineer.

JJ_Egan

OP i would be checking improving current wifi first .

Norman_Castle

DoaM said:

Have you tried unplugging everything, removing the faceplate from the master socket, and plugging in a corded, analogue phone into the test socket? The line should be silent (you may need to dial 0 or something first) ... any pops, squeaks or crackles and there's a fault on the line (that online testers tend not to detect).

Quiet line test, dial 17070 option 2

Info from Zen but the tests the same regardless of supplier.

https://support.zen.co.uk/kb/Knowledgebase/Performing-a-Quiet-Line-Test

onomatopoeia99

bouicca21 said:

 I rely on online access.

If you rely on it, pick a reliable supplier, rather than a cheap one.  
Wifi just adds an extra potential failure point and bottleneck (so do "homeplugs"), so use a LAN cable if you can.  All routers that provide wifi have a strict limit on their transmission power so one won't be "more powerful" than any other, no matter what BT claim in advertising.  Even if one was illegally transmitting with too much power, your device still has to transmit back to the router and that will still be at the same power level. 

Le_Kirk

Browntoa said:

I thought fttp still required an engineer visit , although they were looking at self install.
Currently openreach have suspended customer premises installation unless you are vulnerable

Yes, to get to the main incoming box (Master Socket) in the house but if they (Open reach or whoever supplied the cable) have suspended home visits that is a moot point.

JJ_Egan

FTTP is an engineer to drill walls and run optical cable with little bending .My FTTP install was about three hours .

Le_Kirk

JJ_Egan said:

FTTP is an engineer to drill walls and run optical cable with little bending .My FTTP install was about three hours .

Not having had it I didn't realise they installed a complete new set-up not using the existing Master Socket.

bouicca21

Norman_Castle said:

Quiet line test, dial 17070 option 2

I don't have a corded phone,  when I dial that number it tells that 'this circuit is defined as [gives my number]' twice then stops. No menu options. But in  ordinary use there is no crackling, pops or whatever, it is actually beautifully clear.

DoaM

Norman_Castle said:

DoaM said:

Have you tried unplugging everything, removing the faceplate from the master socket, and plugging in a corded, analogue phone into the test socket? The line should be silent (you may need to dial 0 or something first) ... any pops, squeaks or crackles and there's a fault on the line (that online testers tend not to detect). 

Quiet line test, dial 17070 option 2

Info from Zen but the tests the same regardless of supplier.

https://support.zen.co.uk/kb/Knowledgebase/Performing-a-Quiet-Line-Test

bouicca21 said:

Norman_Castle said:

Quiet line test, dial 17070 option 2

I don't have a corded phone,  when I dial that number it tells that 'this circuit is defined as [gives my number]' twice then stops. No menu options. But in  ordinary use there is no crackling, pops or whatever, it is actually beautifully clear.

OP says he's with TalkTalk ... they don't offer the full options for 17070. That's why I said to dial 0. The idea is to get rid of the dial tone so you can hear the line itself - or rather not hear it.

bouicca21

Thanks DoaM, dialled 0 and the line is clear.  The drop outs actually aren’t consistent.  For about an hour yesterday they were continuous (drop, reconnect, drop etc every few minutes) then the connection stabilised until the very late evening when the same thing happened again.   It is the router itself going off, I think, as when it tries to reconnect it can’t see the network name, and the lights for the net on the router go off.

I'm puzzled because if it is a question of usage then you would expect it persist more or less all day.  Also the brief period of reconnection is sometimes long enough to do a speed test and the speed is normal.