FTTP being installed at home shortly, how to take advantage?

Spit · 28 May 2018 at 12:14

I am just waiting on an install of 500/250 FTTP at home, should be in about a month. I currently have 80/20 Sky Fibre. I currently use an ASUS AC88U router for WiFi.

House is quite big at 2000 sq/ft so WiFi isn't great at the moment but with FTTP I would like to take advantage better.

Sky Q is on WiFi and is always dropping out. PS4 Pro is currently connected to WiFi.

Should I just put powerline adapters everywhere? Or WiFi boosters?

House is ten years old so the internal electrics should be good.

It's not an option to route cables everywhere as the house was recently decorated.

The current router is on the ground floor in the corner of the house, excuse the poor image but I have put a red dot where it is. I could run an external cable to the loft from the router and put a 1.3 Gbps Ubiquiti WiFi unit in the loft (central), would that cover everything? Then run powerline adapters to the Sky Q/PS4 Pro?

Caracus2k · 28 May 2018 at 14:00

A centralised access point in the loft wouldn't be a bad shout and might be enough on its own as you house is likely just timber construction with plasterboard walls internally that should not interfere as much with wireless signals as brick walls would. You may still struggle to fully 'max out' you connection over wireless links however and personally I have always found powerline adaptors rather disappointing (but I accept mileage may vary wildly here depending on the condition and configuration of the electrical wiring in the premises in question)

Spit · 28 May 2018 at 14:37

Thanks

So with a ubiquiti you turn off the WiFi on the router and just use that? The ubiquiti just plugs into the router?

DIABLO · 28 May 2018 at 16:00

Yes and yes. To be fair though which ever option you choose besides Ethernet won't max out your connection.

Sparx · 28 May 2018 at 18:58

With those FTTP speeds, I would try hard-wire your house with Ethernet so everything can reap the benefits.

Power lines will not achieve anywhere near max speeds. WiFi boosters will be shoddy as well, especially with lots of walls and a 2000 sq/ft house.

Spit · 28 May 2018 at 20:19

Can’t see the missus letting me wire up the house with Ethernet

Sparx · 28 May 2018 at 21:11

If ethernet is truly not an option, you better hope your internal electrical wiring is up to scratch.

Look at some decent AV2 power line plugs then and hope to god you get full speeds

My suggestion would be the TP-Link TL-PA9020PKIT

EDIT: If they suck, just return them

But then you have to ethernet instead

Caged · 28 May 2018 at 22:22

I wired up a ~2002 build by going up in the loft and having a look around - turns out that the soil stack ran the full height of the house and you could cable rod right from the loft to the ground floor, past two other floors on the way. Same for the other side of the house, where the heating pipes ran between the boiler, water cylinder, bathrooms and radiators.

Being able to position sockets on either side of the house and then run them via the loft made the whole thing really straightforward. I could have a socket right next to the master phone outlet, and a switch and router in the cupboard under the stairs.

Spit · 23 Jun 2018 at 20:20

Got my install date of 13th July. They have brought the fibre to the house now. Speaking to the guys they had brought the fibre 650m to my house, I have a single cable all to myself lol.

xtremedetailz · 23 Jun 2018 at 22:11

who did you get you fttp off if you dont mind me asking ?

them speeds seem unusual

Spit · 23 Jun 2018 at 22:53

It’s KCOM as I am near Hull. I work from home so got the gigabit voucher scheme which has paid for the install.

xtremedetailz · 23 Jun 2018 at 23:24

What is that fttpod? How much do you pay

Spit · 23 Jun 2018 at 23:31

Yeah as there isn’t fibre down my street so they had to bring it 650 metres to my house. I will pay £85 a month on a 24 month contract.

Cool thing is that no one else will be using it!

Sparx · 23 Jun 2018 at 23:46

It still goes to the same shared backbone network

xtremedetailz · 23 Jun 2018 at 23:56

Spit said:
Yeah as there isn’t fibre down my street so they had to bring it 650 metres to my house. I will pay £85 a month on a 24 month contract.

Cool thing is that no one else will be using it!

I’m trying to get fibre done at mine and the cheapest I could get was 36 months at 220 plus vat with no install cost. How are you getting it so cheap and do you have to pay install costs ?

Caged · 23 Jun 2018 at 23:59

It's with KCOM. It's ultimately like comparing the prices that you're quoted by Openreach with Hyperoptic, B4rn, Gigaclear etc. - meaningless unless you're living in one of the areas they cover.

Spit · 24 Jun 2018 at 07:35

Yeah as Caged said it’s with KCOM, they have their own network here. I’m on the edge of their area which means I have the choice of BT or KCOM. If you live in Hull you cannot get BT, KCOM have the monopoly.

It would have been around a £2k install cost but I used this to get it for free: https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/

They brought the fibre to the bottom of my drive...

Then went underground and brought it to the house...

They are coming back on the 13th July for the final install.

Spit · 13 Jul 2018 at 14:18

Just been installed, very happy.

On my phone...

stellasuppa · 13 Jul 2018 at 17:57

oh that upload bet your chuffed now its all installed ?

Spit · 13 Jul 2018 at 18:50

Yeah really chuffed. I think I need a ubiquiti system though.