Web browsing remains one of the most popular uses of a broadband connection, and many broadband users judge the performance of their broadband connection by the responsiveness and speed of browsing. Many people assume that web browsing performance is simply determined by the speed of a broadband connection. However, this is not the case. In this [Continue Reading]
Setting Up the Billion 8800NL and 8800AXL For BT TV (Multicast)
Our favourite modem routers - the Billion 8800NL and the enhanced Billion 8800AXL - provide superb performance and represent great upgrades for broadband users using either conventional ADSL broadband or fibre broadband. For fibre broadband users, they are also fully compatible with G.INP, which is an enhancement implemented on BT's fibre network to improve error [Continue Reading]
Online Speed Tests: how to use them and which are the best
I’ve lost count of the number of people that have told me that their broadband connection is not working properly because an online speed test has reported low or highly variable speeds. You need to be very cautious with online speed tests as they may indicate that your broadband connection is performing much worse than [Continue Reading]
WiFi Optimisation Guide - how to improve your WiFi connection and speeds
Within the last four months, most households in my local community have migrated from conventional broadband services (delivering download speeds of between 0.5 and 4 Mbps) to fibre broadband. While feedback about fibre broadband has generally been very positive, I've been really surprised by the number of people reporting problems after migration, including measured speeds [Continue Reading]
Fibre Broadband (FTTC) Self Install and the Risks to Broadband Speeds Without a VDSL Faceplate Filter
The accountants seem to have been actively working in BT recently, with a number interesting, financially-motivated decisions taken. These revolve around optimising BT's services to better reflect the practical costs of installation of fibre-optic cables for FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) on Demand and FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) equipment in residential and business premises. [Continue Reading]
Chart of BT Fibre Broadband FTTC (VDSL2) Speed Versus Distance From the Cabinet
FTTC fibre broadband (e.g. BT Infinity) still makes use of copper wires between you and the street cabinet. While a new technology called VDSL2 is used to carry the broadband signals over the copper wires (which can deliver much faster rates than ADSL2+ and ADSL), speeds do drop off the further you are located from [Continue Reading]
Chart of ADSL and ADSL2+ Speed Versus Distance
While ISPs often advertise ADSL2+ and ADSL services as having maximum downlink connection speeds of 24 Mbps and 8 Mbps, respectively, very few broadband users can expect to achieve such speeds. As shown in the figure below, a broadband signal generally has to travel considerable distances along the copper cable from the exchange to the [Continue Reading]
Chart of ADSL and ADSL2+ Speed Versus Line Loss
While ISPs often advertise ADSL2+ and ADSL services as having maximum downlink connection speeds of 24 Mbps and 8 Mbps, respectively, few broadband users will achieve such speeds. Broadband signals from the exchange suffer attenuation as they travels along the cable from the exchange to your broadband modem, reducing the speeds that can be delivered. [Continue Reading]
Quick and Free Way to Test if a Filtered Faceplate Will Improve Your Broadband
Before spending any money, here is a quick, painless and completely free method to determine if a filtered faceplate will improve your broadband connection. First, you should baseline your broadband connection, and determine the connection speed of your link. This is not the same as the speed shown by online speed tests. Read your modem [Continue Reading]