Rural Internet........ or lack of!

[beeboybee]

Having moved to somerset, i feel like its 1998 with slooooooow internet.....
the house we have moved into has a BT HomeHub3 via ADSl
I have a few problems...
1. The week wireless signal wont reach most parts of the house
2 it also is sending out two other wireless signals... BTFON and a BT Hotspot... Not much use to anyone round here unless the sheep have bought IPads recently.
3. it also drops out of connection with the internet, so i have a signal to the Homehub but that does not seem to be always connected to the internet.

any suggestion to resloving any of the above?
i have tried connecting a Netgear Hub to the ADSL filter but it wont connect is this because if your a BT user you can only use there stuff?

thanks all

 

[pargyle]

Having moved to somerset, i feel like its 1998 with slooooooow internet.....
the house we have moved into has a BT HomeHub2 via ADSl
I have a few problems...
1. The week wireless signal wont reach most parts of the house
2 it also is sending out two other wireless signals... BTFON and a BT Hotspot... Not much use to anyone round here unless the sheep have bought IPads recently.
3. it also drops out of connection with the internet, so i have a signal to the Homehub but that does not seem to be always connected to the internet.

any suggestion to resloving any of the above?
i have tried connecting a Netgear Hub to the ADSL filter but it wont connect is this because if your a BT user you can only use there stuff?

thanks all

Are you sure the BT Hotspot is coming from your router - there are BT Hotspots all over the country but I didn't think that they were emananting from domestic personal routers ?

I think the BTFON is also something to do with WiFi accessibility for the public - using the spare capacity of your router signal to provide Wifi access for people on the move:

Have a look at this:

http://www.btfon.com/

It sounds to me that your router dropping out is either as a result of someone else using the capacity of your router or you have a dodgy internet connection down the line. You should get in touch with BT and get them, initially, t0 check the phone line as this will then indicate whether it's that or a problem with your router.

You should have a dashboard to control the functions of your router and you may be able to switch off BTFON and the Hotspot Wifi if they are indeed coming from your router. You will need the password to get into the dashboard - hopefully the previous occupiers will have left this for you. Generally, BT Homehub is pretty reliable (but expensive unless you get it as a bundle with other services) so complain if it is not.

 

[beeboybee]

Thanks for some info,
Yep no one will have access to Hotspot or FON as we are only surrounded by fields,

 

[BeeJayBee]

I don't know if this site can help you http://www.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_availability

 

[Beanwood]

Having moved to somerset, i feel like its 1998 with slooooooow internet.....
the house we have moved into has a BT HomeHub3 via ADSl
I have a few problems...
1. The week wireless signal wont reach most parts of the house
2 it also is sending out two other wireless signals... BTFON and a BT Hotspot... Not much use to anyone round here unless the sheep have bought IPads recently.
3. it also drops out of connection with the internet, so i have a signal to the Homehub but that does not seem to be always connected to the internet.

any suggestion to resloving any of the above?
i have tried connecting a Netgear Hub to the ADSL filter but it wont connect is this because if your a BT user you can only use there stuff?

thanks all

BTFON is coming from your router - and it shouldn't affect your bandwidth (Apparently) It does mean you can use hotspots elsewhere though.

For the line speed - what do you call slow ? I think it's http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ that BT will use when you phone to complain. You are using BT aren't you? We had awful trouble with Sky blaming BT previously - put it all on one provider (Line and ISP) and they just have to get on with it.

It was only last year that we got to just over 1Mb - the BT response being that you're so far from the exchange...

Best of luck.

 

[beeboybee]

well i just achieved 2 Mbps........... i am used to 12!!!!!!!!!
ah the joys of rural life......
what sort of Modem/router did you use? i want to get rid off the Homehub3 i think when we are getting such a slow service i don't wan any wasted on other signals....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Broadband................sigh
Can't even use iplayer on the laptop and have to install updates when I visit my daughter in The Smoke

 

[enrico]

I use a dlink repeater on my home hub 3. Google it, it plugs in to a plug socket. Press the wps key on your hub and it automatically connects. It has fixed my weak area of reception in my lounge. My problem is 1 foot thick walls!
I also live in the sticks but fortunately I get 7 mbs here. Only used to get 1.5 in Surrey!
My broadband drops out frequently but we have to live with it as bt can't ind the problem. Don't worry about the bt fon stuff, it doesn't make anything work less well but it is useful for downloading stuff if you are near your gb limit on your account!
Hope this helps....I am afraid it is unlikely to get better until you get a better line. Satellite is the answer but it is expensive.
Best of luck
E

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Welcome to the club, that's what happens when you live in the sticks....

 

[beeboybee]

as much as the internet is frustrating, a quick half hour chopping wood for the fire completely make sup for it... oh and building a home apiary helps!

 

[MuswellMetro]

well i just achieved 2 Mbps........... i am used to 12!!!!!!!!!
ah the joys of rural life......
what sort of Modem/router did you use? i want to get rid off the Homehub3 i think when we are getting such a slow service i don't wan any wasted on other signals....

optic fibre 48Mps ...and a free upgrade to 96mps next month

 

[beeboybee]

ha thanks for that..............

 

[alanf]

the house we have moved into has a BT HomeHub3 via ADSl I have a few problems...
1. The week wireless signal wont reach most parts of the house

Some routers are better than others, but no wifi avoids thick walls and long distances. Work out where you need the wifi and position the router for that. Sometimes repositioning to avoid being behind a fridge is all that's needed. Use a wired connection or a "homeplug" connection elsewhere, or more than one wifi hub connected together by cable. It's also possible that there is some equipment broadcasting radio interference: cordless phones, baby monitors, microwave ovens, media streamers are some examples. Disconnect or turn off everything before testing.

2 it also is sending out two other wireless signals... BTFON and a BT Hotspot...

A public BT hotspot suggests this might have been a commercial line at some point. It's not really a problem, but turn it off if you like - you'll need the manual and password for the router. Fon is part of the deal that gets you BT hotspot access elsewhere, your choice whether you want that deal.

3. it also drops out of connection with the internet, so i have a signal to the Homehub but that does not seem to be always connected to the internet.

You need a wired connection to the hub to be sure it's the ADSL line at fault. One symptom to look for is that the IP address the router uses, something like http://whatismyipaddress.com/ can show if that keeps resetting. Most routers keep logs that should show something. If the address keeps changing, it could be the line or a failing router, even a mis-plugged or failing ADSL filter (easy to replace). Again, some routers are better than others but if you're all BT get them to sort it out.

any suggestion to resloving any of the above?
i have tried connecting a Netgear Hub to the ADSL filter but it wont connect is this because if your a BT user you can only use there stuff?

You can use any working router/ADSL modem, Netgear, Dlink, Belkin or many other makes. It would need to be the right sort of kit for an ADSL line and it will need configuring. While a 'packaged' router won't be top of the range, an alternative needs some time and knowledge. If you're paying for BT to provide a working router that's the least they can do, it's when you find out what the customer service is like in practice.

Slow connection speeds are not only found in rural areas. There are plenty of urban areas where being between exchanges, tortuous routing and old wiring mean the speed is poor. At least in urban areas there should be alternatives such as cable or optical upgrades. If you're stuck with a distant BT exchange there's not much you can do to move it closer. There are satellite options for the really isolated but even a slow service is cheaper and less complicated.

 

[theeggman]

For us in rural Devon we have the choice of satellite or dial-up.
Our Sat. service supplies better than 6Mbs and is pretty reliable.
The downside is £25 per month but without another option and probably none on the horizon we're stuck with it.
Tim

 

[theeggman]

Just as a P.S.
When we lose our landline ( 2-3 times a year) we still have our internet connection.
With the current deal the dish 'beeps at you' when it's aligned and ready to go so it was simple to set up and get going.
We've stayed as a business customer with BT since we ceased trading because the fault repair service is great for business customers, the last fault we reported at 9.30am was sorted by 3.00pm. Local residential customers can wait days/weeks. It probably costs us a few pounds but we do get BT jumping thru' hoops.
Tim

 

[alanf]

For us in rural Devon we have the choice of satellite or dial-up.
Our Sat. service supplies better than 6Mbs and is pretty reliable.
The downside is £25 per month but without another option and probably none on the horizon we're stuck with it.
Tim

There's no doubt satellite internet has improved enormously in the past couple of years. Previous strategies included options such as a hybrid dial-up upload and satellite download which multiplies the failure possibilities. At least now there are providers with a reasonable satellite service at a price not far above the range of ADSL plus line rental. The downside is that it's a substantial bit of kit to get started, a few hundred for installation and you need somewhere to fix a dish - could be problem when renting or in national parks and other visually sensitive areas. Another difference is the increased latency, the round trip time for any message. That's a function of the long trip to a satellite and back, so it's not going to improve and it makes some functions like online gaming difficult. The usual saving on net costs is to ditch the landline and use skype/voip for voice calls, which brings another set of compromises.

 

[beeboybee]

well, i have been keeping a close eye on the internet averaging 1.7mbs now!!
the other issue with the BThome hub 3 continues.... the wirless signal just goes from full signal (laptop is right next to Hub for testing) to nothing regularly, then when it comes back its always BT wifi thats the better signal for a few minuets, thinking of changing the HUB.... any suggestions.
also looking into better micro filters to improve things?

 

[dn170221]

If there are dropouts of the Internet you may see from logs on the router what the problem is.
Usually you can browse to the routers IP and login with admin (passwd should be in documentation).
As for wireless it is dependant as others have said on what the signal has to penetrate in terms of walls etc and possibly on interference, could also be the router is misbehaving!

2Mb should be enough for regular browsing and youtube type surfing. It does make bigger downloads a problem especially if it drops out halfway!

Not sure if any of that helps, if you can see anything in the logs it might give you something to report to BT.
D

 

[alanf]

...the internet averaging 1.7mbs now!! the other issue with the BThome hub 3 continues.... the wirless signal just goes from full signal (laptop is right next to Hub for testing) to nothing regularly, then when it comes back its always BT wifi thats the better signal for a few minuets, thinking of changing the HUB.... any suggestions.

Too many variables, you cannot tell whether the adsl line, the router hardware, the wifi or any combination is a problem. Start by checking if there are any clues in the router logs and get a cat 6 ethernet cable to join PC direct to router.

 

[beeboybee]

how do i find the router logs?
the software with the home hub does not look like it has it?
already done the cable trick........ still averaging about 2mbs