Time for a re-think about PSTN/POTS?

I would expect mobile data to suffer from throttling at schoolkid peak usage times, far more than FTTC

The 49p offer is only for 3GB per month. Do you know how much data you use over a month? I'd guess it would be a lot more than that. Might get away with it if you're just doing email, but a bit risky with web pages, and any video will likely blast through the limit.

Theo

The fact is that *FTTP* is pretty much proof against throttling unless you are a mega bandwidth hog, or your neighbours are.

The thing that has changed most on the internet is that *backbone* speed is now relatively cheap. Once you get to a decent bit of fibre you should be able to access really fast speeds, and mine are currently

Fibre will *always* smash RF on raw speed, simply because you can have a

Optical fibre is pretty cheap.

Radio is for people who cant access fibre.

Believe me, I have, but they don't give a toss

No

Since my wife died, there is just me in the house.

Tried that and the device could not find any 4G signal. In fact, any signal.

OK, thanks.

I monitor my usage. The *average* is around 100kbs.

Day and night.

F*ck nose what that would cost. I bet its more than the £30 a month I spend on broadband.

And that's only a thousandth of what I *could* put down my fibre.

I'm currently on Virgin's fibre to the cabinet and co-ax to the house. Currently getting 275Mb/s download (should be up to 350, but there are other devices, including my work computer sharing the connection and it is a busy WFH time) and 34Mb/s upload. We could get faster, but we don't need it. The high upload speed is worth having to me, as it means that when I am away, I can access my home server and edit files, without having to have a separate download, edit, upload cycle for it all.

True, but that is only for Sims used for tests of the networks. I've been monitoring my usage for some time and it is about 2Gigabytes per day. The price per mobile GByte seems to be falling - and 50GByte, or even 100GByte per month - even some unlimited rates - will still cost quite a bit less than my latest Plusnet offer.

With my, nowadays, solitary lifestyle I do watch a fair amount of Youtube, via an android box Wifi'd in and HDMI'd to the TV, often watching films that I already have on Hard Disk. That's what you do when you are on "Unlimited"! That said, getting rid of the the pauses forced by the low FTTC speeds will, hopefully, be history.

Thanks for your comments. I suppose that I also should consider the effect upon the sale price of a house without a landline. Still, who cares? I expect that that will only become an issue when the smell of rotting PA becomes an issue with the neighbours!

PA

Exactly so, I have only 10Mbps upload, but its enough in an emergency via sshfs to access files, and allows me to watch TV when abroad (server has TV dongle and TVbackend).

No, I've done the speed tests between 1530 and 1830 and the like for like figures in those tests are 3 and 14 Mbps.

There's a slightly worse latency on the mobile - but I'm not a gamer.

PA

Make that "people who can't access FTTP" and we might, just for once, agree.

PA

When SoGEA was launched (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access - basically FTTC but without the line being terminated on the POTS equipment), it was touted in a way that suggested it would be so much cheaper since there was no need for line rental etc. The reality seems to be they have just lumped the line rental costs into the broadband price and it is rarely much cheaper. It can however access higher speeds in some cases.

which suggests you have a line fault of some description. Get PN to fix it. If they can't fix it then they will usually let you out of the contract.

Any kit that needs internet, but does not have wifi?

Have you tested how it hold up under shared load. Getting decent wifi speed to one device is one thing, but getting it to several while a TV is streaming video etc, can be quite another!

Or just get a basic router that will take a sim card directly, giving wired and wifi.

(having run the whole house from 4G as a matter of necessity, it is not something I would want to do voluntarily)

The router sees it, at about -90dBm ( direct measurement using a spectrum analyser) but the SNR is pretty poor.

The best indoor mobile signal, on Vodaphone: -108dBm; O2: -113dBm; Three: -120dBm. (The two S5s' "About" readings)

BTW I'm only majoring on 4G as that gives a better speed than FTTC. The

Even if it is a disaster, there is a way back!

Thanks for your interest.

PA

If the signal is so bad that a router can't see it, and a mobile phone has to be taken upstairs to get reasonable speed, I wouldn't want to be switching to 4G as my only connection ...

If you are on VDSL (FTTC) rather than ADSL , you should not be getting

If Plusnet don't give a f*ck try IDnet.

They have always given a f*ck with me.

Indeed.

To the O/P, poke your number in here

If your speed is below the downstream handback, then moan at plusnet, get plusnet to moan at bt/openreach, mention getting OFCOM to investigate why they're not reaching the "minimum guaranteed access line speed" that they promised you ...

Use an external 4g antenna if your 4g router has any sockets for esternal antenna

OK... if you can snag a deal for a sufficient amount of data for less than the broadband, then I'd be tempted to give it a try. Maybe keep the VDSL for a little while until you're happy with the 4G performance?

I don't think that really matters. Even if the line is cancelled it'll still be physically there, and if it isn't then you're still on a wired street so Openreach or somebody else can always fit a new line for ~£100. As long as you show on the broadband checker as being able to have service, that's what counts.

(Likely a few years your street will get FTTP, so the copper line will become redundant by then anyway)

Theo

I used to get a respectable and very usable 5.5Mbps. The FTTC down in the village probably wouldn't get me 9Mbps. Openretch decided we needed fibre and that was that. Robert became a relative.