If I connect the BT Hub at the other socket, I get no wifi at the other end of the house, but if it did work, I would have to move my entire office. Where the hub is now, it is central on the ground floor.
If you get a faster broadband speed by using the master socket and you need to use one of the WiFi extender solutions discussed above it doesn’t really matter where your router is.
Thanks for the info, The BT external cable connects into the standard BT external connector box and the 'extension' is piggy backed on the same terminals. therefore the 'extension' means it is just a longer external cable. It isn't like an internal extension socket. Thus both sockets are ADSL. I have tested broadband speeds on both sockets and they are as near as dammit the same.....still on copper wire here. Unfortunately the relevant electric sockets are on completely different circuits. The circuit where the Hub is connected is on a ring main fed from a distribution box which in turn is supplied from the main distribution board via a sub main. The other circuit which would be used to supply another router etc, is on a completely different ring main from the main distribution board. The electricity distribution is caused by the very long house which was developed over a number of years and access to deal with it would be almost impossible without a huge amount of disruption. (The same problem applies with an electric shower on a single cable via a trip.....I need to fit an electric water heater near the shower, but the cable is too small for another appliance.....getting another cable in would again be nearly impossible) AL
Ok so that makes the location of the router a moot point. How fast is your internet connection? Powerline networking is still likely to work even through different sub mains but it isn’t going to be fast given the distances involved. It works by transmitting a signal that isn’t too different from WiFi so as long as that signal can get through then you will get a connection. You only need a good enough connection to match your incoming broadband if you are only using WiFi for internet so maximum speed isn’t your issue.
On the water heater front - can you replace the shower with a unit pumped fro the water heater? Then use the existing cable for the water heater? The total draw of the water heater and pump would have to be within the spec of the cable but as electric showers are usually pretty high wattage it should be possible.
Broadband Speed is debatable depending on which tester I use, but say 14 average download and 1 average upload. I only use the wifi for my Android phone. Broadband via ethernet cable is just to my PC. By the way phone signals 3G or 4G are the best I can get here.........the BT Hub is dual channel which says it is 5G and something less....2.7 I think. Although fibre broadband is nearby, it is on the other side of the road and they won't dig the road up (plus the incoming socket would be on the wrong side of the house) so they would have to cross the road using a duct which already carries the copper connection to an existing JB23 in my rear garden (which they may not want to do as it is about 8 metres inside the boundary) and then it runs along the rear of the house to the connection point. That would mean approx 30 metres of copper wire which I reckon defeats the case for fibre.
Yes, I have been investigating that solution. The cable is OK for 8 kw. What I was considering as well, is the fact that if someone uses the shower, they won't want to use the water heater at the same time (and vice versa). So what I thought was to use a changeover switch after the isolater switch. The changeover switch could then be wired to either supply the shower or the water heater, but not both together.
Your broadband speeds are very low if you have fibre in the area. There’s a big difference between FTTP (fibre to the premise) and FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) - from what you have said you aren’t even getting FTTC speeds. If you are on a FTTC connection then that still uses the Copper wires coming to your house from the cabinet - if your cabinet is within a reasonable distance you should be getting a much faster connection speed than you are without needing FTTP. I am too rural to get a good BT speed so I use 4G which is still far faster than your connection so you have options. Let me know if you need and further details or help with setup. As @hyperdildo has surmised - I’m an IT geek!
Thanks, Not on fibre at all.......still all copper wire, 1 mile from the exchange, but I am probably more rural than you (only 4 houses on my postcode), a country lane 4.0 metres wide and fields for as far as the eye can see. Although FTTP duct is 5 metres from my house, it is very unlikely if I can get it as they will not cross the road. FTTC is possible if they hook the fibre to my copper in the big junction box over the road, but then it would still mean 40 metres of copper to the house where I would need the entry point.
Hehe, I’ll compete with you in the more rural thing! See pics! 14mb download over copper - that would be a dream! Hasn’t your local cab been upgraded to FFTC? If so you should simply be able upgrade your connection? A 40 metre run of copper is nothing - you would get the fastest FTTC speeds on offer. If that isn’t an option and you can get a 4G signal then your next best option is EE 4G home broadband. https://shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-monthly-mobile-broadband/4gee-router/details# The data plan prices are now pretty good - I just cancelled my BT home phone to offset the cost as I use my mobile. I just ran a test and got 44.4 down and 27.6 up. And that with the router just sat on a window sill with 2 bars of signal. You can get an external antenna fitted if you are struggling for signal strength.
I think we’ll call it a draw! Do you have a crazy Farmer as a neighbour too? “By the way phone signals 3G or 4G are the best I can get here.........the BT Hub is dual channel which says it is 5G and something less....2.7 I think.” On this front your router is unrelated to the mobile signal. 3G and 4G refers to the generation of the mobile network - 5G has just been released but isn’t widespread also of yet. Your router provides local WiFi on 2 different wavelengths - 2.4ghz and 5ghz. These are effectively 2 different networks broadcast by the same router. 2.4ghz is slower but has a greater range through barriers such as walls because the lower frequencies have greater penetration. It is also more compatible with older devices. Microwaves tend to give off radio waves on this frequency so interfere with 2.4ghz WiFi. 5ghz is faster and is used by the newer WiFi standards. The higher frequencies don’t penetrate walls and tend to bounce around - MIMO uses this to its advantage to increase bandwidth but this is only possible if things don’t get in the way. By default BT routers tend to come with the 5ghz and 2.4ghz channels configured on the same SSID (name of network) what should happen is that devices that are capable of 5ghz will automatically choose the fastest frequency. However this isn’t always the case and some devices struggle. You have the option of changing the SSID of your WiFi networks to differentiate between 5ghz and 2.4ghz eg just change the SSID’s to “homewifi5ghz” and “homewifi2.4ghz”. This gives you the option to manually choose which frequency to use so if you are struggling for signal on 5ghz and your device is still hanging in to it you can force it to use 2.4ghz instead and get greater range.
I will study what you have told me tomorrow and I am also planning to have a chat with a contact at BT if I can locate her, about fibre.
I recently changed my master socket this BT Openreach Telephone Master Socket NTE5c MK2 & VDSL/ADSL Faceplate MK4 Cost me £13 quid on Amazon. Wired it all in myself. Incoming drop wire from BT goes into the main base plate terminals (these are simply a snaplock fitting now, no tools required) and connected the extension wire to the data connection terminals as opposed to the phone extension terminals, on the front detachable plate. This results in an unfiltered data only extension, which meant I could relocate the BT router upstairs in the study, as opposed to in the kitchen where the master socket is. The existing telephone extension wire upstairs, I routed through the wall of my daughters bedroom into the study. As the VDSL master socket has a filter built, I didn't need to plug a separate one in to the study wall socket which I changed to an RJ11 wall socket (ditched the old BT extension wall socket) and rewired using pins 3 &4 (most extensions for voice use pins 2 & 5) as this is what the BT router to socket wire uses. Since I am not using a phone on this 'data' line, it does not need a filter. I get the same speed as if the router was plugged diectly into the master socket. The other advantage being that I can connect the PC directly to the router now using an ethernet cable, as previously I had to use WiFi. The VDSL faceplate is designed for fibre connections but is perfectly compatible with ADSL as is the case with our BT incoming line which is the old copper wire system. Having changed to the new faceplate from the old one, my download speed went from 7Mbps to 15Mbps, so well worth £13 quid. OK its not fibre speed territory but its a 100% improvement and I didn't fork out £125 for BT to come and fit it. Plenty of videos online explain how to fit one. Might help improve your speed, wherever you end up locating your router or powerline adaptor solutions.
Sorry, Alan, I have been a bit remiss in thanking you for the offer. So, OK.......How would I use these? How do they 'hook up' to the wifi signal my Smart Hub provides? I understand that I would locate them near to where my wifi is weak. AL
Topolino......thanks for your input. I think I may have some of the equipment you mention in a huge batch of stuff that an Open Reach (or BT) engineer gave me. It is somewhere among all the unused computer and monitor leads I seem to have collected, which are all in boxes with things like hard drives, memory sticks, fans etc etc. I will have to get my hunting gear on, load the shotgun (in case of spiders) and go looking for it all.
No worries, it’s certainly not an ideal ‘plug and play’ solution. Basically plug one in near the BT hub and connect it with an Ethernet lead. Plug the other one in where you want WiFi signal, connect its Ethernet to your other hub and configure that as a ‘switch’ so it basically repeats your existing connection. Hopefully someone can give better details, I’m not good at explaining it.
LiveFast..........thanks again..........yes, I do have a moronic farmer nearby........his fields are immediately behind and opposite my house. There is also another one nearby but more helpful, apart from the fact that they have organised shoots and my dog has suddenly become gunshot shy. I think I may be able to persuade my BT contact to look again at my Broadband deal and see what they can offer without upping the cost too much.
