Hi Clive, > Recently we had a visit of workers who were starting to install Fibre > cables to replace the overhead coppers. They said it was going to be > Gigabit capable and it would be cheaper to install the new broadband > connection at the same time. > > Question is what router would I need (no game playing & little > streaming) and if it affects the telephones?
You need to determine what's on offer and from whom, whether it's optional to switch or mandatory, and if optional whether you want to. A few terms and definitions which might help with your research. I think you use to work for the G.P.O. so it's only the new stuff you need find out about. :-) - ADSL was copper wire all the way from the telephone exchange, through the green ‘junction’ cabinet on the pavements, to the house's master socket. - FttC, fibre to the cabinet, replaced the first leg of copper from telephone exchange to the green cabinet. No change to the house's wiring is needed to upgrade to this but a router which understands FttC is required; an old ADSL router will not do. - FttP, fibre to the premises, takes FttC and replaces the remaining stretch of copper from the green cabinet to the house's master socket. This means the engineer must alter the house. Either by replacing the existing master socket, or putting a new one in alongside or elsewhere if you prefer or don't object to what's easier for him. Again, a router which handles FttP is needed. And unlike FttC, an ordinary POTS telephone no longer fits or works in the new master socket. You either need to upgrade to compatible phones or use a POTS socket provided by the FttC router. Lastly, no power is supplied over fibre, unlike copper, so the connection stops working in a power cut. If you have ‘care alarm’ hardware or similar then I think the supplier has to provide a battery back-up solution if they're forcing your to move to FttP. Because FttP is faster, your monthly rental may be more. That may be one reason to put off the upgrade. Having the hassle of a site visit and equipment incompatibility is another. I think the Government has set a target of 2025 to move everything to FttP. ‘Choosing a landline provider’ at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/switch-broadband-phone-or-tv-provider/ and Ofcom's https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls may be helpful. -- Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2024-01-02 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk
