r/UKBroadband

I fully appreciate that this is difficult to answer conclusively but I just wanted to gauge people’s experiences of similar situations.

There’s Full Fibre installed in our street, it’s above ground (telegraph poles).
I’d like to get it installed but I have questions.

We live in a three-story mid terrace.
The poles are out the front.
Our living room and current router location are at the rear, on the middle floor.

Ideally, I’d like to keep the router where it is, so I could hardwire to my PS4 and a laptop.

Do you think they’d have to route cables internally, through from the front of the house to the back or would they go as far as running them over the roof? Being three stories, our roof is pretty high!

I tried asking VM via chat but, after about 15 minutes of waiting, they basically said that an engineer could come out and look.

As I said, I know that nobody can say for sure but this can’t be a unique situation, so hopefully some of you have experienced similar.

I never really thought about router placement before because in my old house, the router was already set up where it was and everything worked perfectly. In my new place, I asked them to fit it where there was some spare space, but the connection just doesn’t feel as smooth now. It works, but some rooms seem weaker, and things randomly feel slower than they should. I remember hearing someone mention router placement making a difference before, so now I’m wondering if that actually matters or if I’m just blaming the wrong thing.

This is particularly useful for smaller homes where range isn't an issue.

When I was using the default settings on my router with merged SSIDs, my speeds were terrible and I was getting nowhere near my 500/70mbps speed, due to most devices simply not being smart enough to choose the best frequency.

For people who don't have a clue:

• 2.4ghz - Slower, better range.
• 5ghz - Much faster, shorter range.

I then split my SSIDs into 2.4 and 5ghz, and connected all devices that support 5ghz to the latter. It made a big difference to my internet speed, and I got the full 500/70mbps.

For context I live in a 3 bed new build house, and I get 5 bars everywhere in the home using 5ghz. So your mileage may vary depending on how large your home is. But try it!

BT/Openreach are installing full-fibre next week. I wasn't asked about this - they just told me they would be turning up. Their plan is to install full-fibre to ensure I get Digital Voice. From digging around online it seems there are two ways to get Digital Voice.

1. Move to full-fibre (FTTP) and then my landline phone plugs into my router that connects to the Openreach ONT. or ...
2. Get a Digital Voice adaptor. Plug it into a power socket and pair it with the router. Once paired, plug the adaptor in anywhere in the house, plug my phone into the adaptor, turn on VoIP in the router settings and then all calls are made via VoIP.

I'm pretty annoyed that I have not been offered option 2. Not even mentioned. Not even discussed.

My questions are, are the following true?

1. PSTN shuts down at the end of January 2027 and all analogue landlines stop working. If you want to keep your landline you must transfer to Digital Voice.
2. Broadband keeps on working after January 2027 because all customers not on FTTP (and that's currently 62% of UK homes) will be moved to SoGEA and SoGEA will be available until at least 2030. SoGEA is FTTC and is the current copper infrastructure with the voice calls removed and all data is digital only.

It seems like BT/Openreach are offering a complex solution and ignoring the possibility of the simple solution (if that is indeed possible).

Does everything I've written make sense. What am I missing?

============

Edit to update ...

I phoned BT and spoke to a person who clarified everything. The Email from Openreach said they were going to be installing fibre to upgrade me to Digital Voice. That was wrong - they are not installing fibre at all. What they are going to do is change the connection (from my current FTTC) that carries the analogue phone signal and broadband, to SoGEA (that only carries broadband - and that will be done at a street cabinet) and then enabling Digital Voice, coming to my house and plugging the phone into the router and turning on VoIP. It appears I get the simple solution after all.

Many thanks to everyone who replied with useful info.

Wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction..... I just checked my dad's BT bill and he is paying the out of contract monthly fee of 88£ (!) for his halo 3 500. I phoned customer service and unfortunately they don't offer a downgrade from that particular package to one that's less than 60£ a month. Therefore we've agreed it's best for him to just switch providers altogether rather than settle for that 60£ option, which is still extortionate. What other providers can provide the same sort of speeds at a much lower cost? I have done some research but am just overwhelmed by the options and thought it would be best to ask here to narrow things down a bit. He uses the internet mainly for streaming via the TV, and also for uploading videos to YouTube, as well as casual browsing.

Feel like Ive tried every single option under the sun now

1. I can't get FTTP as our flat isn't connected - Theres nothing from property manager on when this will be installed

2. FTTC only has long contracts available at my flat, No monthly rolling which is ideally what I need.

3. Tried a 4G Dongle with my Three Unlimited Sim, Not strong enough pulled about 5 Mbps.

4. Tried a Starlink Router but signal was blocked most of the day and night because the location is unsuitable

5. Spent £100 on a second hand HH70C EE 5G Router, With 1pmobile, However the SIM has been cut off due to going over the 500GB Fair usage policy by 50GB. ( Due to downloading games )

-------------------------

Feels like Im totally shit out of luck

I have debated getting a second SIM on unlimited as a back up, But i have no idea what mobile network that piggybacks off EE would be like, Its just insane that I spent money for an "unlimited" SIM and yet its not unlimited as claimed.

I understand not everyone goes past the usage limit, But like theres people like me who are having to rely on mobile broadband due to FTTC not being fast enough for my job, and the FTTP network still not being available to 100% of UK population due to buildings having bad infrastructure.

2 options feels like, FTTC and just deal with the cost if I do end up leaving this flat which early contract end could cost a lot

Or move out which is unhinged.

Just not sure what to do at this point

I’ve been looking at broadband packages and I keep wondering whether paying extra for the faster speeds actually makes much difference if there are only one or two people in the house. Part of me feels like I’d barely notice it day to day, but then I’m not sure if I’d regret going cheaper later on, as both of us work from home and require internet all the time.

Moved into new home.

Ordered full fibre over EE web-chat, I ask to confirm I can definitely get full fibre as I live in a fairly remote village. The agent says yes definitely.

Engineer comes to install a week later. Says we cant get it and that the street behind seems to have it but we can’t siphon from their outlet as it has to be per street. He puts a note to Openreach/EE to say he couldn’t install. Recommends I contact EE to let them know what happened.

I put in a complaint with EE that I was basically missold a service I couldn’t receive and that my wife who works from home really needs some sort of WIFI to work, which has now been delayed.

Complaints team call me back saying ‘Openreach are removing all the copper in the country so they wont install ‘old broadband’ any more. They then send out another engineer to double check we definitely can’t get fibre.

Second engineer comes, confirms again that we can’t get fibre and that he doesn’t even think the street over from us has it either as the previous engineer seemed to imply. He says it doesn’t make sense as the Openreach checker does say we can get it. He tries phoning somebody to get that changed n the checker - to no avail.

EE Complaints phone me back a few days later to see if the case got resolved, I said no, they just said try mobile broadband. I’ve now tried that with 2 different sims form ID and EE with really slow speeds, so not ideal. - we also had to buy a third party device for £40 and a unlimited sim card for £35

We tried that for a few weeks more but its not workable for my wife’s work.

I find a way to contact Openreach myself and tell them the fibre checker is incorrect, they say they will update it. That was about a month ago. Still hasn’t been updated.

I give one final try and phone EE again requesting specifically that I order FTTC (part fibre) or copper broadband. Salesperson is resistant as all she can see on the checker is that I can get fibre. After explaining multiple times that I’ve had 2 engineers confirm that I can’t get full fibre. She says she can order my a part fibre package at 73mbps. FINALLY. I go through with the order.

I receive a confirmation email. Thanks for your FULL FIBRE order. Engineer is coming on Tuesday. 

I do live in a village, but not a hut in the woods, getting broadband shouldn’t be this difficult. I don't have high hopes for our third engineer.

What shall I do if this (likely) fails? Im at my wits end.

I applied for BT broadband via USwitch but my contract didn't get activated. They asked for higher fees than displayed on BT's website and discarded the 65 GBP bonus. So I have not agreed to new contract with higher fees.

But I am still able to use EE wifi with same login credentials. What happens in this case? I should not have been able to use the EE Wifi.

The reason I am concerned with the access is will they be able to charge for 2 years of full contract price without agreement on increased broadband price.

I was out of contract with now for a couple of months and was then told that they don't really exist anymore and would have to go with sky.

I have taken on the sky 300 plan with landline and ad free netflix for 41 p/m. They told me I would need a new landline number and would have to have fttp installed (I'm in a rental but this should not be a problem.

I've looked into 5g router/sim options and we have EE on 5g where I live but this is 25 p/m and when you add netflix it comes out at almost 40 quid anyway.

I'm not a heavy user so I don't need vast amounts of data, however my partner uses teams WFH so would feel more comfortable to have unlimited.

Is the sky offer better?

Our house sale has sped up and is now going to happen quicker than our purchase (if we delay we will lose the buyer and we've been on the market for 2 years) so we're moving into air bnb temporarily

We've broadband with Vodafone, spoke with them today, explained the situation, offered to keep paying each month and then reconnect in our new property once we move in

Their only solutions are

- Pay a disconnection fee / rest of contract (c£400)

- Get the buyers to promise not to disconnect the Internet once they move in and us pay for it

Wondering what everyone's thoughts are, we surely can't be the only people the the country who have gaps between properties given the market at the moment and I'm sure everyone isn't just coughing up hundreds to their broadband provider?

Hi,

I had the My Fritz! App setup on my iPhone to give me access to my 7350 AX when outside the home.

I have change ISP and now I can't access it from outside. It works ok when directly connected to the home WiFi, just not externally anymore.

Any ideas as to why? All settings checked and it says "Access from the internet allowed".

TIA

I've been with Rebel Internet for nearly 2 years now, and my contract was only 12 months - so I'm currently just on a rolling monthly contract. Unfortunately, it's quite pricey for what they offer, and they haven't been able to budge on any pricing after a few conversations with them.

I am currently paying £45 per month for:

• 115mbps speed
• 2 x superpods (these are an additional £5 per month)

As a note, I was always surprised that I needed 2 superpods in a relatively small 2 bedroom flat, but it was impossible to get any WiFi in the lounge without them, which is where I work so it's quite important. I would also like to go up to Gigabit broadband if possible.

So if you had a clean slate and were out of contract right now - where would you be looking for the best experience and service at £30-£50 per month?

I’d honestly take slightly slower broadband that stays stable over huge advertised speeds with random outages. Do you feel the same or still prioritise maximum speed above everything else?

Hi all,

Having a nightmare with finding broadband?! Just want WiFi for occasional wfh days and streaming. Don’t really want to be locked in to a contract but Virgin don’t cover my upcoming postcode. I could push to a 12 month contract. I’ve checked Now/Sky but they seem to only offer 24 month contracts. Any ideas? Preferably reasonable customer service (if that’s possible).

It feels like a lot of providers end up blaming Openreach whenever repairs or installations take ages. Makes me wonder how much of the UK broadband experience still depends on Openreach, regardless of who you actually pay each month.

I can only get part fibre still where I live currently up to 67mbps but Vodafone on the 5g hub can offer up to 150mbps but I'm wondering if it's worth it as it's sacrificing speed for a stable connection, what's your opinion on 5g mobile hubs and if it's just worth sticking to a lower speed for the stable connection

IT guy set up a link from my laptop, so I can access my work PC from anywhere (mainly home, when I occasionally need it on weekends), but the office IP address isn’t static.

It’s easy to find and change the new IP address, but only if I’m in the office, ten miles from home, which kinda defeats the object.

Can I just ask BT to set a static IP, or do I need to go through the IT guy? I can’t ask him on the weekend, and I pay him adhoc, not on a contract, so if I can avoid a visit and an invoice it would be good.