FTTP Broadband Question.

[Iota]

After a bit of back and forth with the BT executive office, they got OpenReach to come out on the Saturday just gone to install the line. Have to give them some credit as you can't actually book a Saturday appointment, but I really couldn't take more time off work as my holiday year runs August > July.

Getting ~520 down / ~75 up on the 500 package. Just got to wait for my electrician to come out this week to install another Ethernet socket and change the face plate on another one to dual port, the OpenReach engineer was obliging and installed both the CSP and ONT internally into the garage (attached to my bungalow) so I'm currently running an odd layout mesh network without a backbone. My old connection came directly into the lounge, with an Ethernet cable running from a socket there, into the loft, and down into another room (Modem > Router > Ethernet backbone to another Router layout for great WiFi coverage).

BT owe me automatic compensation as well, so I guess my account is going to be in credit for a while. Pretty happy with the outcome.

[MrJim]

BT owe me automatic compensation as well, so I guess my account is going to be in credit for a while. Pretty happy with the outcome.

I've just had a bit of a nightmare time with BT myself. For the past two years I've been on their 900Mb/s service, but decided I really didn't need that speed, as there're only two people in the house. As usual with ISPs, as an existing customer, BT wouldn't give me the same deal as a new customer (I wanted to move to the 500Mb/s service too). So I thought I'd try being a bit sneaky, & set up a new BT account, & apply online for the full fibre service as if I were a new customer. The other incentive for doing so, is that Quidco were offering £80 for a new BT customer, which of course I couldn't get had I just continued the BT service.

Anyway, setting up second BT account unfortunately resulted in a huge amount of confusion at their end. Meanwhile I pleaded ignorance, saying that I thought I had to have a new account in order to change service! As it happens though, Openreach were the real source of the problem. When BT went to switch me over to the slower service, Openreach didn't have a record of my ever having had FTTP. I was told that an Openreach engineer would have to come out & check my full fibre installation, despite my observation that I'd already been using it for the past two years! So the engineer duly came out, found that I did indeed have the full fibre connection, and went away again.

A couple of weeks went by, & BT ended my 900Mb/s service on the date previously arranged. BT insisted that another Openreach engineer would have to come out a second time to do the switch-over...and they failed to turn up. Which meant that I was left without any internet service (except a very limited connection through my tethered mobile). Many, many phone calls to BT later, they confirmed that the problem was with Openreach's records, & after contacting them once again, they said that the problem would take five working days to correct. I was far from happy. To BT's credit, they did send me an EE mobile internet wifi gadget, which did improve on my internet speed (and didn't cost me my mobile phone data). After an entire week without the full fibre service, BT decided to send out yet another Openreach engineer. The engineer did actually turn up this time, but once again, didn't know that I already the full-fibre connection! As before, they came in & checked the wall socket, & were surprised to find that I did indeed have the correct socket etc! This time, they said they would need to change the wall socket, which they did...& finally, the service was working!

Like Iota, I've been told that I'll be entitled to compensation (both for the missed Openreach visit, & the week without the service), but my goodness, what a ridiculous rigmarole to have to go through! I suppose I should accept some of the blame for setting up the new account, but Openreach are a complete disaster!

[Output]

Glad to hear things turned out well in the end, but I certainly don't envy either of you for having had to deal with all the hassle.

But I guess the automatic compensation is at least some consolation, even if it would have obviously been preferable for it to go as it should have at the start.

[Iota]

I suppose I should accept some of the blame for setting up the new account, but Openreach are a complete disaster!

Sheeeeesh, that sounds even worse than what I've had to deal with! I don't think any of the blame lays with you though, BT should have a system similar to Virgin / SKY etc where you can also get the same deals as a new customer. As for OpenReach? It definitely seems like a management problem, the engineers themselves seem quite willing and able to complete the work, but as usual someone sat in an office... need I say more?

Glad to hear things turned out well in the end, but I certainly don't envy either of you for having had to deal with all the hassle.

But I guess the automatic compensation is at least some consolation, even if it would have obviously been preferable for it to go as it should have at the start.

Thanks, I'd rather have had it go right from the beginning, instead of having all of the mess to deal with. Compensation doesn't really compensate for the frustration of trying to get BT to talk to OpenReach and get them to do their job properly and actually turn up when they are booked for originally. On the plus side, free internet for a while doesn't hurt.

[Hoonigan]

Hi guys, getting some weird behaviour from a ThinkBroadband quality checker. I'm not experiencing any real issues, so if no-one can explain it then it's no big issue, but can anyone explain what is going on here please?



As you can see, my speeds are fine, and my browsing behaviour is perfect, no problems at all.

[MrJim]

That does seem to be a lot of dropped packets. Is there any other software you could use to verify the results?

[Jonj1611]

Last time I had something like that it was a Virgin line. The speed was correct but the actual throughput was all over the place so a speed check didn't actually prove anything. Turned out the port in the box across the street was burning out. Changed it to a new port and all was fine again.

[Iota]

Hi guys, getting some weird behaviour from a ThinkBroadband quality checker. I'm not experiencing any real issues, so if no-one can explain it then it's no big issue, but can anyone explain what is going on here please?

I used to get a ton of dropped packets from using powerline adapters, but nowhere near that type of packet loss. Also never had any effect on browsing or gaming or streaming anything like that. I'd take a wild guess that somewhere there is something off with wiring or the connection, but it could be at any point, not just in the home.

[Kanoe]

I was trying to get FTTP installed at the property after the end of my current FTTC contract and had scaffolding up at the property as other work was going on. Openreach turned up to install and went away again 5 mins later cause they couldn't put up their shaky ladder up to reach the line as the scaffolding was in the way.

Had suggested that using the scaffolding would be the quickest and safest install they had ever done but they declined to use it.

At that point I still had my old connection and could have possible arranged something else that would have resulted in no period without service (like going with another ISP on the current FTTC line or VM) but to cancel the contract they wanted 50 install fee and the 12 month contract paid upfront to get out of it.

Then had to wait to for the scaffolding to be removed before I could book them in again at which point they realised that they couldn't get to it on the ladder as there was a porch roof in the way of where the ladder would need to be.

So engineer booked again with picker this time that is due back next week.

I'm just waiting for them to not be able to get the picker up the steep drive and say they need scaffolding to get to it and then my hell is complete.

Using a mobile to cover the gap in line service is not going too bad at the moment but with 2 people working at home 3 days a week don't really want to rely on it for too long.

[cptwhite_uk]

Kanoe, in case you need it:

£18 unlimited data, unlimited teethering, 1 month contract:

https://smarty.co.uk/plans/unlimited-data-only

Uses Three network, I've just switched from EE and it's been a great experience so far.

[jimbouk]

After going round in circles with EE who don't seem to know what they offer on their own website, we're now booked in to 'upgrade' to FTTP at exactly the same speeds after out FTTC contract just expired. TBH I wasn't going to bother as we have a solid 80/20 connection which is fine for calls + streaming + remote working but yeah, that's where we ended up after a confusing phone call. Don't want to be on the expensive non-contract rate for too long, install due on the 20th and kit in theory should be on it's way... Wish me luck!

[Kanoe]

Good luck!!

Thanks for the link cptwhite_uk but my normal phone contract is unlimited data and tether so am just using that. Apart from the latency being appalling it's actually the same speed as the FTTC line we had.

[Iota]

install due on the 20th and kit in theory should be on it's way... Wish me luck!

I wish you luck and hope it's much smoother than my experience!

On the plus side my account just got credited ~£200 today. Guess I've got free internet for a while.

[jimbouk]

Well it's in, a painless and fairly quick process. My speed is now... maybe slightly slower than it was before Due to the proximity to the nearest box our 76MB FTTC was actually 80/20 and now a speed test gives 76/19 - I guess they've capped it specifically at what we paid for. Never mind we were never short of bandwidth.

Didn't check upload latency before - apparently 180ms which was good for a 56k modem... what's everyone else's showing at?

[Jonj1611]

I have Virgin so can't compare with you but my latency is 19ms and 2.62ms jitter

[jimbouk]

Download latency was 20ms which was fine yeah, just never clocked upstream before