Will an Upgrade from FTTC to FTTP Improve Congestion?

flaneurs_lobster

I have 14 months to run on my BT Fibre 1 FTTC contract. Been happy with the service for the last 3 years but in the last month or so I've noticed slowing and occasional dropouts late afternoons/ evenings. Nothing has changed with my setup so I am assuming there's contention on the service.

I have FTTP available and BT would renew my term at same cost with a bit more Mbps. I've been putting it off since the installation is going to be disruptive.

Would a switch to FTTP make any difference to the (probable) contention issue or is it simply making the same scarce resource available down a different pipe?

Would a swap to another supplier (when out of minimum term) make any difference?

Thanks for opinions.

iniltous

Your supposition is likely to be wrong , if FTTC and FTTP are both available in your area , although you haven’t switched , some customers will have , and any new connections will be on FTTP , as it becomes the default network once it’s available, so rather that congestion being more likely on FTTC it’s increasingly less likely, because there will be less customers on it than before, so if you are experiencing problems it’s not likely to be congestion.

The FTTP and FTTC available to you are dissimilar enough so that a problem on one will not also be a problem on the other although it’s conceivable that at some point of aggregation ( deep in the network not on the access side ) there may be some convergence, but if there is a issue with your FTTC it’s not also going to affect the FTTP that’s available 

flaneurs_lobster

Thanks for that, your observations make perfect sense. 

Realising now that I'm only seeing slowdown/stops on Wifi connected devices (laptops/Firestick) but not hardwired (BT TV box). Wonder if I'm seeing Wi-fi channel overlap/interference, my nearest neighbour has installed FTTP in the last 3 months.

I've got the BT Smarthub 2, does it look to optimise channel choice itself or is it something I need to initiate manually?

Rodders53

Only your ISP can answer the question accurately: if one can get to a person who understands the question wrt to contention.

However I'd also strongly suspect this is not a contention issue and more likely something to do with unrelated works... cables, connections, heating/cooling, water ingress, signal crosstalk etc.,.

FTTP should be more immune to such issues than copper and aluminium cables.

MeteredOut

Your neighbour moving from FTTC to FTTP won't have changed any local WiFi interference in itself, but if, as part of that, their new router changed the channel they are using, that could be a cause.

You can download a free app such as NetSpot to help identify congestion.

According to this, your router does select the most optimal channel, but it might be worth changing it and seeing if it makes any difference.

https://business.bt.com/help/article/broadband-and-internet/bt-business-hubs/smart-hub-2-guide/smart-hub-2-using/changing-the-wireless-settings-on-smart-hub-2/

Alternatively, it could just be interference within your home. Do you see the same issue when standing next to the router with your device?

HaroldWhistler

flaneurs_lobster said:

I have 14 months to run on my BT Fibre 1 FTTC contract. Been happy with the service for the last 3 years but in the last month or so I've noticed slowing and occasional dropouts late afternoons/ evenings. Nothing has changed with my setup so I am assuming there's contention on the service.

I have FTTP available and BT would renew my term at same cost with a bit more Mbps. I've been putting it off since the installation is going to be disruptive.

Would a switch to FTTP make any difference to the (probable) contention issue or is it simply making the same scarce resource available down a different pipe?

Would a swap to another supplier (when out of minimum term) make any difference?

Thanks for opinions.

Likely yes. If I'm not mistaken, one of the reasons Openreach hasn't upgraded the national network to symmetrical FTTP services yet, is to ensure they have and can guarantee maximum capacity for Download speeds first, and they will upgrade the backhaul later to bring up capacity for higher Upload speeds. The ISPreview website has some interesting articles about that. Of course, one might question if it isn't just better to invest in building symmetrical to begin with, but that's how the bureaucrats have decided to do it. 

From what I understand, Openreach guarantee the speeds on FTTP packages which is why the Broadband providers selling their services (e.g. BT, Sky, Vodafone, IDNet, Aquiss, TalkTalk, A&A, EE, etc etc) usually list a "Guaranteed speed" in the details of a product. Depending on Broadband provider, this can also vary depending on their own backhaul. BT and some of the smaller networks like IDNet and Aquiss for instance from what I recall usually guaranteed a higher speed (e.g. something like 75% of the speed of your product) than the likes of Sky or Vodafone (who were about 50% of the stated speed) at the start, though this may have changed now. Usually the guaranteed speed these days is at least in the area of two thirds of your product speed. 

In most cases, when you pay for FTTP via Openreach, then you will get a full Download speed at all times. If there is congestion, then you will get your Guaranteed speed (as stated on your respective product's contract) at the very least. (As an example, for the FTTP Ultrafast 900Mbps product, I recall BT stating guaranteed speed was 750Mbps). It would depend upon the capacity on the nearest CBT serving you. That's the black claw like pod sitting on the nearest pole. Those are designed to serve multiple addresses. There may multiple others on that as well, or maybe just a few households depending on location. Given that the Broadband provider and Openreach are guaranteeing a certain speed, then any slowdown would likely be purely down to the Guaranteed speed at the most, short of Provider backhaul issue or any major nationwide outage on the whole Openreach network. 

The FTTP "pipe" to use the analogy would now deliver a constant pressure to the Exchange and the CBT from what I understand. Which in theory should deliver the full whack of speed to each house on the CBT. If there is significant demand, then FTTP will still deliver the guaranteed speed (or more) to the pipe coming into your home. Whereas with FTTC, the pipe itself is less reliable in terms of what it is made from, is not only subject to changes in demand, but also other factors like losing speed over distance, weather, requires more maintenance and has less capacity to begin with. 

Like for like, compared to FTTC, then FTTP should be better. Swapping providers would yield results comparing FTTP to FTTP if another provider had both a higher guaranteed speed and high customer service rating at delivering what they promise. 

flaneurs_lobster

@HaroldWhistler Thanks for your detailed reply, that all makes sense. 

In my particular case I checked Wifi channel utilisation around me using NetSpot (thanks @MeteredOut) and it indicated that there were several users on the same ones as me. Got Smarthub to auto retune and it's shifted 2.5 and 5.0 frquencies elsewhere.

I've not noticed any problems since - relief since an upgrade to FTTP (although inevitable eventually) is going to need a chunk of rewiring to replace the Victorian bell-wire that shifts the internet around my house currently.

HaroldWhistler

flaneurs_lobster said:

@HaroldWhistler Thanks for your detailed reply, that all makes sense. 

In my particular case I checked Wifi channel utilisation around me using NetSpot (thanks @MeteredOut) and it indicated that there were several users on the same ones as me. Got Smarthub to auto retune and it's shifted 2.5 and 5.0 frquencies elsewhere.

I've not noticed any problems since - relief since an upgrade to FTTP (although inevitable eventually) is going to need a chunk of rewiring to replace the Victorian bell-wire that shifts the internet around my house currently.

Most welcome. All the best!

Neil49

flaneurs_lobster said:

@HaroldWhistler Thanks for your detailed reply, that all makes sense. 

In my particular case I checked Wifi channel utilisation around me using NetSpot (thanks @MeteredOut) and it indicated that there were several users on the same ones as me. Got Smarthub to auto retune and it's shifted 2.5 and 5.0 frquencies elsewhere.

I've not noticed any problems since - relief since an upgrade to FTTP (although inevitable eventually) is going to need a chunk of rewiring to replace the Victorian bell-wire that shifts the internet around my house currently.

I think you may find that the termination point for your fttp installation will be close to the entry point into your house. 

flaneurs_lobster

Neil49 said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

@HaroldWhistler Thanks for your detailed reply, that all makes sense. 

In my particular case I checked Wifi channel utilisation around me using NetSpot (thanks @MeteredOut) and it indicated that there were several users on the same ones as me. Got Smarthub to auto retune and it's shifted 2.5 and 5.0 frquencies elsewhere.

I've not noticed any problems since - relief since an upgrade to FTTP (although inevitable eventually) is going to need a chunk of rewiring to replace the Victorian bell-wire that shifts the internet around my house currently.

I think you may find that the termination point for your fttp installation will be close to the entry point into your house. 

That will be the issue. Current copper comes from a pole to the point of ingress by the front door. That would be the obvious place to put the ONT since there's power and space. The old BT(GPO?) wiring then disappears under decades of refurb and decoration to re-emerge at the opposite corner of the house at a BT standard "Master" socket. 

There's a bunch of boxes in that corner (including BARB monitoring kit) that needs to be hard-wired into a router or (I guess) a switch so I'm thinking some CAT n cable will need to replace the old cable.

spenderdave

All that cabling will only be needed for the phone service if it is needed at all. They will install the ONT box where you need it, either where the outside line currently comes in or somewhere else where you want to have the router. The new VOIP. If you want the router in a different location to the ONT you, or possibly the installers if it is straightforward, will run a CAT6 cable from the ONT to the router. The now VOIP phone plugs into the back of the modem. If you  use a cordless phone you will not need any of that old wiring.