G Network or Community Fibre? Broadband options in Brixton

[nemoanonemo]

Dunno what particularly you mean there. The internet connection probably is cheaper, but then there's land line rental plus call charges.
I currently rely on my landline phone as I don't have a mobile. So what I feel I need is internet plus phone in the traditional way.
The issue for me on G Network, Community Fibre etc is they are internet only.
Also I use POP3 email mainly - tied in to Force 9 since 1994. I guess if I sacked PlusNet I would lose my email address which is precious to me.

So my reasons for not acting are not typical for 99% of users. And I'm a bit worried about the 2024 cessation of copper actually - looks like they will turn off the copper connection and supply a new fibre router incorporating 2 rechargeable wireless handsets which I won't be able to hear properly (DEAF).
Or so I hear.

One important reform needed for everyone is some sort of regulation of supply contracts. Nowadays contratcs seem to be on "starter" rates which can then increase, even double. And you get in-contract price hikes as well. It's all being run a bit like Network Rail or British Gas - hardly surprising considering who created the utility system to benefit shareholders.

I moved my broadband and fixed line to Community Fibre last year. The Calls service is an add-on (£10 a month for me). All calls to UK fixed lines and mobiles are included without charge. You can't make outgoing international or premium rate calls. You get an adapter box with a phone socket that plugs into the router and you plug your existing phones into that.

I've not had any problems so far - but I've got a mobile that I can use for any international or premium rate calls.

https://communityfibre.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/360004941357-Community-Fibre-Calls-Service

 

[Gramsci]

Dunno what particularly you mean there. The internet connection probably is cheaper, but then there's land line rental plus call charges.
I currently rely on my landline phone as I don't have a mobile. So what I feel I need is internet plus phone in the traditional way.
The issue for me on G Network, Community Fibre etc is they are internet only.
Also I use POP3 email mainly - tied in to Force 9 since 1994. I guess if I sacked PlusNet I would lose my email address which is precious to me.

So my reasons for not acting are not typical for 99% of users. And I'm a bit worried about the 2024 cessation of copper actually - looks like they will turn off the copper connection and supply a new fibre router incorporating 2 rechargeable wireless handsets which I won't be able to hear properly (DEAF).
Or so I hear.

One important reform needed for everyone is some sort of regulation of supply contracts. Nowadays contratcs seem to be on "starter" rates which can then increase, even double. And you get in-contract price hikes as well. It's all being run a bit like Network Rail or British Gas - hardly surprising considering who created the utility system to benefit shareholders.

Can u say more on the cessation of copper in 2024?

Does that mean BT Openreach will have to get off their arses and replace all the copper cables across country?

My experience of BT Openreach is that they think ones connection however poor, old and slow is all your going to get. So stop moaning.

Im not sure where my line rental has gone all these years I've paid it.

My internet provider is not the problem. BT Openreach is.

 

[alex_]

Can u say more on the cessation of copper in 2024?

Does that mean BT Openreach will have to get off their arses and replace all the copper cables across country?

My experience of BT Openreach is that they think ones connection however poor, old and slow is all your going to get. So stop moaning.

Im not sure where my line rental has gone all these years I've paid it.

My internet provider is not the problem. BT Openreach is.

The short version is that once an exchange reaches 75% of premises who could buy a bt fibre service, they stop selling copper based services to people who can get bt fibre services.

 

[Gramsci]

The short version is that once an exchange reaches 75% of premises who could buy a bt fibre service, they stop selling copper based services to people who can get bt fibre services.

Yes. But is that full fibre?

My problem isn't the exchange. As one BT engineer told me. But the decrepit copper wire that goes outside my house.

G network is full fibre. It's under my road and when they put it in its directly into my flat

Fibre up to the exchange won't cut it unless BT put in full fibre from exchange to local streets

 

[alex_]

Yes. But is that full fibre?

My problem isn't the exchange. As one BT engineer told me. But the decrepit copper wire that goes outside my house.

G network is full fibre. It's under my road and when they put it in its directly into my flat

Fibre up to the exchange won't cut it unless BT put in full fibre from exchange to local streets

It’s 75% full fibre, bt are also announcing areas where this applies - here is a recent summary Openreach Add 51 UK Areas for Copper Phone to Fibre Switch - Tranche 11

 

[CH1]

Can u say more on the cessation of copper in 2024?

Does that mean BT Openreach will have to get off their arses and replace all the copper cables across country?

My experience of BT Openreach is that they think ones connection however poor, old and slow is all your going to get. So stop moaning.

Im not sure where my line rental has gone all these years I've paid it.

My internet provider is not the problem. BT Openreach is.

Retiring the copper network

We'll be retiring the old analogue phone network at the end of 2025. By then everyone in the UK will need to have moved to a Digital Phone Line. Find out what this means for you.

www.openreach.com

All in there I think. BT and all the other suppliers are migrating all customers to Full Fibre (Ultrafast broadband etc etc)
I expect BT will have something similar to the Community Fibre device/app cited by nemoanonemo
This will have the disadvantage that if there is a power cut you will not be able to dial 999.
I can recall one occasion when this might have been an issue - the hurricane in 1987. All power went off about 4 am.
The phone still worked -and the Sunstar/Loco 24 hr shop at Loughborough Junction they barricaded themselves in - just when I need to buy a battery for the torch and the transistor!

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/great-storm-1987-when-the-power-networks-were-wrecked-838923

 

[Gramsci]

I got email from G Network saying that as Lambeth Council are freeholder of the property I can't get G Network yet.

As they haven't signed a wayleave. Which G Network say is permission for them to sell. They say this is unlikely to happen for at least another year.

Anyone make any sense of this?

 

[alex_]

I got email from G Network saying that as Lambeth Council are freeholder of the property I can't get G Network yet.

As they haven't signed a wayleave. Which G Network say is permission for them to sell. They say this is unlikely to happen for at least another year.

Anyone make any sense of this?

Because Lambeth own the building, g.network need their permission to install wires aka “a wayleave”. Because Lambeth are shit, this will take ages.

 

[editor]

It's just been installed in my flat now and it looks a bit of a kludge compared to my previous slick BT installation (it requires a separate fugly modem as well as a router and there's only one ethernet socket instead of three).

I'll report back when I've checked it out.

 

[DaphneM]

Because Lambeth own the building, g.network need their permission to install wires aka “a wayleave”. Because Lambeth are shit, this will take ages.

Probably a year tbh

 

[Hollis]

I had a flyer though the door saying Community Fiber was in my area now... a couple days later , surprise surpirse, got an amail offer from Virgin offering a 20% reduction in price.. That would still make it £20 a month more that CF.

The only thing currently stopping me is the TV - I understand with CF you need to have an arial - I have bad memories of internal arials and flickering TV screens.. though I don't know if this has changed in 20+ years.

 

[ash]

I had a flyer though the door saying Community Fiber was in my area now... a couple days later , surprise surpirse, got an amail offer from Virgin offering a 20% reduction in price.. That would still make it £20 a month that CF.

The only thing currently stopping me is the TV - I understand with CF you need to have an arial - I have bad memories of internal arials and flickering TV screens.. though I don't know if this has changed in 20+ years.

No Ariel required for CF as far as I know. We’ve got it and it doesn’t seem to be linked to an Ariel?

 

[Hollis]

 

[CH1]

View attachment 385002

I would have thought that in Brixton which is after all only 3 miles from Crystal Palace transmitter that this is the type of thing required for Freeview via antenna.

Mercury Indoor UHF HDTV Set Top TV Aerial Digital Terrestrial TV signals | eBay

1 x UHF wideband indoor aerial. Aerials performance will differ based on distance from local transmission tower, weather and obstructions. • Cable length1.2m. • Frequency range : UHF470 - 862MHz. MORE INFORMATION.

www.ebay.co.uk

As far as I can see nothing like this is now sold in Argos or Currys. Maybe this is testimony to the fact that electrical stores sell what suppliers and company buyers agree to sell.
It is possible some of the fancy amplified aerials in Currys and Argos work well - do your own research!

I would say if your TV is a new smart tv say less than a year old it probably has a Freeview app enabling operation via the internet without an aerial.
If the TV is older or not a smart tv you can get a Roku stick for example - but it would mean accessing BBC/ITVx etc independently on the internet - but not via the "handy" Freeview channel list.

 

[2hats]

Or (assuming they are available - most are), you could just stream the TV channel(s) in question over your fancy new FTTP link and forget about DVB-T reception.

 

[Hollis]

I would have thought that in Brixton which is after all only 3 miles from Crystal Palace transmitter that this is the type of thing required for Freeview via antenna.

Mercury Indoor UHF HDTV Set Top TV Aerial Digital Terrestrial TV signals | eBay

1 x UHF wideband indoor aerial. Aerials performance will differ based on distance from local transmission tower, weather and obstructions. • Cable length1.2m. • Frequency range : UHF470 - 862MHz. MORE INFORMATION.

www.ebay.co.uk

As far as I can see nothing like this is now sold in Argos or Currys. Maybe this is testimony to the fact that electrical stores sell what suppliers and company buyers agree to sell.
It is possible some of the fancy amplified aerials in Currys and Argos work well - do your own research!

I would say if your TV is a new smart tv say less than a year old it probably has a Freeview app enabling operation via the internet without an aerial.
If the TV is older or not a smart tv you can get a Roku stick for example - but it would mean accessing BBC/ITVx etc independently on the internet - but not via the "handy" Freeview channel list.

My TV's 13 years old and not HD ready.. err, so I'm kind of guess even a Roku stick may not work.

Could be time to buy a new TV i guess.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

My TV's 13 years old and not HD ready.. err, so I'm kind of guess even a Roku stick may not work.

Could be time to buy a new TV i guess.

Does it have an HDMI port is the main thing.

 

[CH1]

My TV's 13 years old and not HD ready.. err, so I'm kind of guess even a Roku stick may not work.

Could be time to buy a new TV i guess.

I know one shouldn't advertise, but mine is an older version of this. Probably costs less than the one you current have did 13 years ago!

 

[Hollis]

It has HDMI ports!

 

[CH1]

Hollis A word of caution about upgrading. New TVs don't have Scarts. Could be a problem for using legacy things like VHS players.
I have also found no way of connecting the bloody Hisense TV to my 100w/channel power amp - which is probably a mercy for next door as I'm going deaf!
Allegedly you can use a "sound bar" (whatever that is).

 

[Hollis]

It's okay... I don't have any other old stuff! But I also don't want to have to use my laptop for streaming to TV, as I want to be able to use it for surfing with TV on in background.. . TVs are abit off a mystery to me!

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Hollis A word of caution about upgrading. New TVs don't have Scarts. Could be a problem for using legacy things like VHS players.
I have also found no way of connecting the bloody Hisense TV to my 100w/channel power amp - which is probably a mercy for next door as I'm going deaf!
Allegedly you can use a "sound bar" (whatever that is).

No headphone port?

 

[Hollis]

Other thing to note is if you change with uSwitch £150 Amazon voucher is on offer...I guess that could pay for the TV.

 

[ash]

View attachment 385002

Ok we don’t use it for TV just broadband

 

[Hollis]

Err, so am I right in thinking if you have a Smart TV - then you can watch iPlayer, itvx etc all without needing an arial? Err, if so, then I don't see why you need an arial - as you can watch all the live stuff on the iPlayer etc. apps?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Err, so am I right in thinking if you have a Smart TV - then you can watch iPlayer, itvx etc all without needing an arial? Err, if so, then I don't see why you need an arial - as you can watch all the live stuff on the iPlayer etc. apps?

Exactly. You only need an ariel for live TV. I've not had one for many years.

 

[CH1]

No headphone port?

On my model there is a headphone port hole - but it does not provide a signal - confirmed in the instructions and online.
As the set was an unexpected gift I can't complain - but if I buy another TV I'll check for this feature being available.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

On my model there is a headphone port hole - but it does not provide a signal - confirmed in the instructions and online.
As the set was an unexpected gift I can't complain - but if I buy another TV I'll check for this feature being available.

That's some pretty extreme penny pinching.

 

[CH1]

That's some pretty extreme penny pinching.

Could be more sinister that that. The set has VIDAA TV fitted, which allegedly gathers data like what ads you watch and what channels - by monitoring the sound.
Obviously if you put an earphone in and cut off the sound you would cut off their data!

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

It has HDMI ports!

roku stick fits in the hdmi and gets tv off your broadband connection