Broadband/TV for place stuck in the last century
Discussion
Could anyone offer me a few solutions for getting my house half up-to-date with broadband and TV, please? But it's not as easy as it sounds.
We live on a remote-ish farm in Lincolnshire, and currently have broadband supplied through poles. Fibre doesn't reach our nearest cabinet, apparently. Our broadband speeds are 4MB at best, although online speed checkers sometimes register negative figures (no idea how that can happen).
We're currently with TalkTalk, paying £40-odd per month for phone line and intermittent broadband. Unfortunately, when trying to register with new providers, many say our speeds are too low to offer us a service - including TalkTalk.
We occasionally used to watch streamed TV through home plugs, but that dropped off so often that I gave up. The house is a listed building with thick walls and decor I don't want to disturb, so satellite dish is out of the question.
I've also checked 4G, and it's not available here.
I'm thinking about switching to BT with its whole-house wi-fi setup, so was wondering if there are any alternatives?
We live on a remote-ish farm in Lincolnshire, and currently have broadband supplied through poles. Fibre doesn't reach our nearest cabinet, apparently. Our broadband speeds are 4MB at best, although online speed checkers sometimes register negative figures (no idea how that can happen).
We're currently with TalkTalk, paying £40-odd per month for phone line and intermittent broadband. Unfortunately, when trying to register with new providers, many say our speeds are too low to offer us a service - including TalkTalk.
We occasionally used to watch streamed TV through home plugs, but that dropped off so often that I gave up. The house is a listed building with thick walls and decor I don't want to disturb, so satellite dish is out of the question.
I've also checked 4G, and it's not available here.
I'm thinking about switching to BT with its whole-house wi-fi setup, so was wondering if there are any alternatives?
As I understand it you have two issues
1) Getting a decent speed connection to your house
2) Getting that connection around your house
I can't help much with 1), but there's a thread on here about weapons grade wi-fi that may be of use to you for 2). For what it's worth, I've got a TP-Link Deco S4(3-pack) mesh system that is effectively what the BT system is and it works really well in getting wi-fi to all corners of the house, certainly more reliable than the powerlink adaptors I used to use. But I'm in a 25 year old house so don't have the thick walls that you may have.
1) Getting a decent speed connection to your house
2) Getting that connection around your house
I can't help much with 1), but there's a thread on here about weapons grade wi-fi that may be of use to you for 2). For what it's worth, I've got a TP-Link Deco S4(3-pack) mesh system that is effectively what the BT system is and it works really well in getting wi-fi to all corners of the house, certainly more reliable than the powerlink adaptors I used to use. But I'm in a 25 year old house so don't have the thick walls that you may have.
Spoonman said:
Yes, it's two issues but I was hoping for a single solution.
Having said that, the mesh setup looks like a good answer.
Starlink isn't available in my area.
Are you sure, it's a satellite based service? Have you checked using the Plus Code option on their sign up screen to give the co-ordinates of your house?Having said that, the mesh setup looks like a good answer.
Starlink isn't available in my area.
Edited by Spoonman on Wednesday 17th February 16:53
I just did based on my UK address and could sign up today for an initial £89.
Probably not cheapest, but depends on whether you want speed or cheap.
P.S. you can dick around with mesh systems in the house all you like, but if you're cable in is only running at 4MB max, that's all you're ever going to get regardless of what you do in the house itself.
Piersman2 said:
Are you sure, it's a satellite based service? Have you checked using the Plus Code option on their sign up screen to give the co-ordinates of your house?
I just did based on my UK address and could sign up today for an initial £89.
Probably not cheapest, but depends on whether you want speed or cheap.
P.S. you can dick around with mesh systems in the house all you like, but if you're cable in is only running at 4MB max, that's all you're ever going to get regardless of what you do in the house itself.
Yeah, it would let me sign up for £89, but said it might arrive at the end of 2021. It sounds like something to keep an eye on for the future, but at the moment I just want to ditch lousy TalkTalk.I just did based on my UK address and could sign up today for an initial £89.
Probably not cheapest, but depends on whether you want speed or cheap.
P.S. you can dick around with mesh systems in the house all you like, but if you're cable in is only running at 4MB max, that's all you're ever going to get regardless of what you do in the house itself.
Spoonman said:
Yeah, it would let me sign up for £89, but said it might arrive at the end of 2021. It sounds like something to keep an eye on for the future, but at the moment I just want to ditch lousy TalkTalk.
Well, yes TalkTalk would be the last provider of choice for most I think, although it doesn't sound like anyone else will be able to provide much more speed. In which case BT would probably be easiest, as you can get them to do the full house coverage with what little speed you have.Interesting to see the Starlink options myself though, my lad mentioned it to me earlier. Being stuck in the situation you're in with rural location and just s
te connections available does make moving away from where I am with 1GB broadband look like a move back to Victorian times! 
Steampunk internet connections.
Spoonman said:
I've also checked 4G, and it's not available here.
Have you actually tried all providers? O2, Voda, Three & EE? Our broadband is provided by EE at (today) 50Mbps down, 33Mbps up. Brilliant solution given our otherwise dreadful Openreach-choked 3Mbps copper pile of junk.Buy a £0.99 PAYG SIM for each and stick them in your phone if you haven't done so already. Best way to check what you can actually get.
But you probably know all this already.
w1bbles said:
Have you actually tried all providers? O2, Voda, Three & EE? Our broadband is provided by EE at (today) 50Mbps down, 33Mbps up. Brilliant solution given our otherwise dreadful Openreach-choked 3Mbps copper pile of junk.
Buy a £0.99 PAYG SIM for each and stick them in your phone if you haven't done so already. Best way to check what you can actually get.
But you probably know all this already.
No, I only tried 3 and EE (I think). I assumed they were all the same.Buy a £0.99 PAYG SIM for each and stick them in your phone if you haven't done so already. Best way to check what you can actually get.
But you probably know all this already.
I hadn't thought of testing with a PAYG SIM. That's a good idea.
Piersman2 said:
Well, yes TalkTalk would be the last provider of choice for most I think, although it doesn't sound like anyone else will be able to provide much more speed. In which case BT would probably be easiest, as you can get them to do the full house coverage with what little speed you have.
Interesting to see the Starlink options myself though, my lad mentioned it to me earlier. Being stuck in the situation you're in with rural location and just ste connections available does make moving away from where I am with 1GB broadband look like a move back to Victorian times!
Steampunk internet connections.
It's looking more likely that BT will be the way to go. Interesting to see the Starlink options myself though, my lad mentioned it to me earlier. Being stuck in the situation you're in with rural location and just s
te connections available does make moving away from where I am with 1GB broadband look like a move back to Victorian times! Steampunk internet connections.
Speed matters, but at the moment I just want reliability. We've honestly spent days shouting at our computers that they were faster in dial-up days - at least then it was slow and you could see progress. Sometimes here it just doesn't work.
Spoonman said:
Piersman2 said:
Well, yes TalkTalk would be the last provider of choice for most I think, although it doesn't sound like anyone else will be able to provide much more speed. In which case BT would probably be easiest, as you can get them to do the full house coverage with what little speed you have.
Interesting to see the Starlink options myself though, my lad mentioned it to me earlier. Being stuck in the situation you're in with rural location and just ste connections available does make moving away from where I am with 1GB broadband look like a move back to Victorian times!
Steampunk internet connections.
It's looking more likely that BT will be the way to go. Interesting to see the Starlink options myself though, my lad mentioned it to me earlier. Being stuck in the situation you're in with rural location and just s
te connections available does make moving away from where I am with 1GB broadband look like a move back to Victorian times! Steampunk internet connections.
Speed matters, but at the moment I just want reliability. We've honestly spent days shouting at our computers that they were faster in dial-up days - at least then it was slow and you could see progress. Sometimes here it just doesn't work.
megaphone said:
I doubt any provider will be an improvement, they will all use the same crappy phoneline, you need to look at other options. No WISP provider where you live?
I do need a landline, so maybe I can separate it from broadband.Never heard of WISP in anything other than Willo-The- form, so I'll check it out.
The guy above has given you good advice on payg Sims. Stick your postcode in here https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-inter... and it will tell you theoretical coverage so you know who to start with. If you can get good 4g signal outside you can install an aerial to bring the signal in to the house and then use mesh WiFi to beam it about. We can advise on that side if you keep the thread updated.
The samknows website should tell you who is operating in your area - including wireless options.
The samknows website should tell you who is operating in your area - including wireless options.
Spoonman said:
No, I only tried 3 and EE (I think). I assumed they were all the same.
I hadn't thought of testing with a PAYG SIM. That's a good idea.
Don’t just rely on the strength of signal received by a mobile phone. I get one or two bars of 4G on my phone (EE) in some parts of the garden but only 3G in the house. However, fitting a directional antenna/modem on the roof gives me pretty reasonable broadband - varies between 15 and 35 mbps, sometimes more.I hadn't thought of testing with a PAYG SIM. That's a good idea.
Find yourself a local specialist contractor and seek advice.
Spoonman said:
Yes, it's two issues but I was hoping for a single solution.
Having said that, the mesh setup looks like a good answer.
Starlink isn't available in my area.
Apologies but I couldn't help but smile at "Starlink isn't available in my area". Having said that, the mesh setup looks like a good answer.
Starlink isn't available in my area.
Edited by Spoonman on Wednesday 17th February 16:53
Spoonman said:
Tim O said:
fitting a directional antenna/modem on the roof
Sorry if I'm being thick. But is that antenna hard-wired to something inside the house?There isn't going to be a solution that gives materially better performance and doesn't involve some degree of running a cable or two.
Spoonman said:
Sorry if I'm being thick. But is that antenna hard-wired to something inside the house?
Yes, combined antenna/modem on the roof with an EE SIM card in the modem. Antenna pointed at the nearest telephone mast, line of sight if possible. Cat 5 cable down and through wall into sitting room where it connects to my WiFi router. Power to the modem, known as PoE (Power over Ethernet), is supplied by the router, up the Cat 5 to the router, so the modem does not need its own power supply.I’ve got a TP-Link MESH network running off the router to spread WiFi through the house.
Don’t have a landline, so no line rental charge. I’m paying £34/month for unlimited data, could probably get cheaper now, but it’s been reliable so letting sleeping dogs lie.
Edited by Tim O on Thursday 18th February 05:01
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