FFTTP internet

[Mike8825]

I have had FFTTP installed and my speeds are much better but since having this I cannot get WiFi around my home. The new router could only be installed on an inside of an external wall because of the length of optical cable supplied by sky and now this is in the corner of my home and now sending WiFi signal around my home. I work from home and I finding myself using me mobile phone Vodafone hotspot to connect to the internet. Worst decision I made changing and I wish I kept my original sky broadband as this would never drop out!!...

[Chrisee]

@Mike8825 while the ONT unit has to be on an outside wall the Sky hub does not have to be in thecsame place. The two are connected by a standard Ethernet cable so you can replace the short one Sky supplied with a longer one which are easy to find for a few pounds. You do not need anything special a simple Cat5e cable is all you need. Ensure tge hub is on a surface not on the floor ideally above obstructions like radiators.

[Mike8825]

Thanks I will give this a go

[icesteelman]

@Mike8825 

If wires trailing in rooms is not helpful then other options (with a cost) are available.

Fibre comes into our bungalow at the front of the property and the standard routers (both TalkTalk and Sky) have never been able to cover the rooms at the back. So, rather than pay more to Sky for boosters or have cables running through doors/rooms I went with a Mesh wi-fi system (Amazon Eeros but there are other cheaper options available). Initially costs a bit depending how many Mesh devices you need but once installed to replace the routers wi-fi it has been superb, no black spots or drop outs and even covers our patio / garden !  The added bonus is that when/if I move away from Sky when my contract ends, my wi-fi is still all in place with no hassle, just change over to an alternative providers router.

I hope you get things sorted !

[Mike8825]

I did think about this, it's just the added cost after paying for a service from sky frustrates me. They contacted me sold me on the thought of having better faster internet, not explaining that my current set up would need to be relocated due to the length of optic cable they provided. I would of stayed with my normal internet's if I knew that after they moved my set up id have black spots, that meant I'd need to spend more money on extra tech to make there tech work. I feel like they should provide a mesh if their current routers don't covere the house.  
but thanks for the idea it is a good shout. 

[Chrisee]

@Mike8825 it is odd that companies don't point out the negatives when trying go sell a product isn't it? 

It is not the cable is shorter it is simply fibre is far harder to route than phone cable as it cannot be bent around tight corners etc. However once the optical signal is converted into an electrical signal  then things get easier but even Ethernet cables are not as flexible as phone cable however that can carry far more data.

[JimM1]

@Chrisee Think there are basically two factors in play from the OR side off the installation, that being the position ease off install for the Fibre Cable/ONT and the major off the Internal connection splice Protecting that part!

The third and final is the Telecoms Engineer's are that, although data is familure to them they ARE NOT wifi specialist's, expect the Hubs/Routers to magically cover the whole home from a NOW stupid position that is not Central to the home and creating all kinds of wireless wifi issues that were not present before because it was just so easy to run a internal copper extension cable and pop a socket right in the middle off the home, (not as easy to do so with a Ethernet Cable) as you rightly point out.....

I am going to put my hands up to this, my Router is NOT central but i KNOW this fact, it has to be were it is because that is were i need it, but the rest I HAVE taken care off with additional mesh units like yourself... My Original SR203/SE210 took care of about 80% off the coverage, still needed a little extra boosting to cover hard to reach, but on a FTTC 40/10 split was not a major for the Internet, on a FF500 that becomes a big problem the same requires in my case Two Asus XT8's and two Asus RP-AX58 all in Ai mesh wired/wireless backhaul's as WiFi 6 alone needs that helping hand to get up there, external speed of the FF500 is not the major factor and have seen the 500Mb/s sustained at just over the 200Mb/s speed but the OR/Sky External network was REAL busy that time so has to be expected, there was enough headroom at 200Mb/s to keep the whole home operating and NO ONE complaining because the throughput was down they never even noticed in the slightest!

Because the SR213 sky Max is a wifi6 (AX) device, i treat it as a lower pushed wifi operation just like the Asus, you go up the spec but you lose a little gains and losses!

[Chrisee]

@JimM1 I agree with you that once you understand how full fibre works just like most telephone master sockets the ONt are going to be fitted near where the service enters the home which is quite logical. Unlike copper phone lines fibre cables tare difficult to run cabling internally to the best position for a WiFi router which is.as central as possible.

As I posted running a longer ethernet cable is one solution my own home has a 15m flat cable running from the hub to my first WiFi unit. Flat cable is not ideal but that length has no impact on speed and is easy to hide under carpet and furniture so avoiding a trip hazard. This postioning gives a reasonable line of sight to the next level and the second WiFi unit.

The installation engineer is key most are friendly and helpful but they are working to a schedule and have limited time for eaxh job. However stories like the one the other day where the ONT and hub were installed near a kitchen sink makes me shudder. However whoever is supervising the install can say no at any point and has to have authority to make decisions. Having someone who can talk to the engineer and agree a suitable set up is key before holes are drilled is key. .

My main beef with the SR213/pod set up is the back channel uses a closed 5GHz signal which is great in openplan homes ot those with partition walls. Less good in my home with internal block walls, worse in older homes with brick walls and a total wash out in cottages with stone walls. Basic physics the higher the frequency the greater the attenuation when passing through solid objects. Older systems like the SR203 with Q boxes and boosters use both the 2.4GHz and 5GHx bands so can be faster. 

[JimM1]

@Chrisee The SR213 Chrisee, is there any way to see with the MySky app what the 5Ghz is channeling at band wise, and if you know does the hidden channel stick to the same as the main channel, have seen reports on the Forum that it jumps all the way up to Ch152 in the band, that is why i would never recommend a third party RE to anyone as LOTS will not work up there, i keep my Asus High speed at Ch100 although opened up to 160Mhz and 20miles airport away so DFS is not a serious issue, although did see one off the AP's do 20Mhz wide, stupid thing, reset power sorted that out the wonders of wifi networks! Netspot for me Android and wifi Analyzer on the PC lets me see everything i need!👍

[Chrisee]

@JimM1 you cannot see the channels used in the app but it is easy to find out by using a simple WiFinAnayzer app. When set up to work with a pod the hub starts up the third signal.  That is of course is better than using the two main signals for back haul assuming the range is ok. The hubs do use the higher range of 5GHz channels which again is great as less room for interference assuming devices can cope and the range issues. There is no manual control the channel selection is 100% automatic.

My understanding was if the router detects higher prority users on a frequency the DFS channels have to be switched off automatically (ie no manual control) was mandatory to meet UK licensing requirements.

[JimM1]

@Chrisee Thanks for the reply!