FTTP worth it?
Discussion
My current broadband deal runs out next month and I am on 80/20.
Currently pay £23 a month and BT want £35 a month to keep my current service.
Looking around I can get one of the lower speed FTTP deals for about the same cost.
I have a good network (Velop for wifi) so can handle the speed and have gigabit switch for the LAN stuff.
Will I notice any difference?
Things like browsing, NEST camera loading times, netflix buffering etc?
Currently pay £23 a month and BT want £35 a month to keep my current service.
Looking around I can get one of the lower speed FTTP deals for about the same cost.
I have a good network (Velop for wifi) so can handle the speed and have gigabit switch for the LAN stuff.
Will I notice any difference?
Things like browsing, NEST camera loading times, netflix buffering etc?
Depending on what speed you opt for, yes, you might notice, and exactly the things you've mentioned, buffering etc.
For me the bigger difference with FTTP has been the lack of "outages". FTTC wasn't bad as such, but occasional rainy days and the like meant I'd have a few outtages each year. I can't remember the last one I had on FTTP. It just works.
For me the bigger difference with FTTP has been the lack of "outages". FTTC wasn't bad as such, but occasional rainy days and the like meant I'd have a few outtages each year. I can't remember the last one I had on FTTP. It just works.
I got offered this recently and the question I asked myself was "what problem am I trying to solve?"
In the end I decided it wasn't worth paying more for FTTP when my current FTTC connection is around 78/20 and I have absolutely zero problems in doing anything I want to involving the internet. That includes browsing, streaming, working from home and downloading files, often with multiple users (like little ones watching Netflix at the same as I do on another screen).
BT did offer me FTTC at £25pm for another two years (but with increase each spring so actually costing more overall) but I shopped around and signed up with Now at £20pm for a year and with £110 total cashback. Point is, FTTC will always be cheaper than FTTP.
In the end I decided it wasn't worth paying more for FTTP when my current FTTC connection is around 78/20 and I have absolutely zero problems in doing anything I want to involving the internet. That includes browsing, streaming, working from home and downloading files, often with multiple users (like little ones watching Netflix at the same as I do on another screen).
BT did offer me FTTC at £25pm for another two years (but with increase each spring so actually costing more overall) but I shopped around and signed up with Now at £20pm for a year and with £110 total cashback. Point is, FTTC will always be cheaper than FTTP.
You'll probably notice the difference on laptops and phones but many hardwired devices still shockingly come with 10/100mbps network cards rather than 1gig.
TV's/Consoles/CCTV/SmartHome Hubs/Freeview boxes - Just some examples of devices on my home LAN that are 100mbps. The Hive hub is 10mbps! It doesn't matter for IoT stuff but if you're looking to stream HDR content from your freeview box/TV, check the speed as you may actually be better of with WiFi rather than Ethernet due to low speed NIC's.
TV's/Consoles/CCTV/SmartHome Hubs/Freeview boxes - Just some examples of devices on my home LAN that are 100mbps. The Hive hub is 10mbps! It doesn't matter for IoT stuff but if you're looking to stream HDR content from your freeview box/TV, check the speed as you may actually be better of with WiFi rather than Ethernet due to low speed NIC's.
HantsRat said:
You'll probably notice the difference on laptops and phones but many hardwired devices still shockingly come with 10/100mbps network cards rather than 1gig.
TV's/Consoles/CCTV/SmartHome Hubs/Freeview boxes - Just some examples of devices on my home LAN that are 100mbps. The Hive hub is 10mbps! It doesn't matter for IoT stuff but if you're looking to stream HDR content from your freeview box/TV, check the speed as you may actually be better of with WiFi rather than Ethernet due to low speed NIC's.
4K hdr streams at 20-30mbps non-issueTV's/Consoles/CCTV/SmartHome Hubs/Freeview boxes - Just some examples of devices on my home LAN that are 100mbps. The Hive hub is 10mbps! It doesn't matter for IoT stuff but if you're looking to stream HDR content from your freeview box/TV, check the speed as you may actually be better of with WiFi rather than Ethernet due to low speed NIC's.
I've had FTTP for years, we were one of the first areas to get it in the trial period. We then got the gigacity lines installed. I have 900mbps up and down. With 4 of us streaming, browsing, plenty of IoT etc we never get any buffering or waiting or anything. As someone mentioned above the reliability has been excellent. I reckon it must be nearly 8 years since we have had it and in that time probably had about 1 hour of downtime.
At that speed what I often find is the limiting factor is what's serving you, not your connection
At that speed what I often find is the limiting factor is what's serving you, not your connection
When we moved into our new home there wasn't even a phone line, it was a new barn conversion in the middle of nowhere, Openreach had to do multiple surveys gain access to farm land to run copper over fields to the mast around 50 metres from the front of the house. By the time these surveys had been done one OR engineer spotted that the same mast had fibre running to it, but BT didn't have this on their database.
Long story short, copper was offered by was quoted at best 6mps, around 6 months start to finish before I had FTTP running at 300mbps (fastest at the time). Did I need that speed, probably not but BT offered it at the same ££ as 150mbps, plus about £500 credit due to the time to connect.
I'm now out of contract and all they want to seem to do (BT) is upgrade my speed for no additional cost, whereas I want cheaper BB, and I'd happy go down to 150mbps. So I'm moving to Sky for my sins, weirdly faster again 500mbps but around £35 per month less than BT.
Long story short, copper was offered by was quoted at best 6mps, around 6 months start to finish before I had FTTP running at 300mbps (fastest at the time). Did I need that speed, probably not but BT offered it at the same ££ as 150mbps, plus about £500 credit due to the time to connect.
I'm now out of contract and all they want to seem to do (BT) is upgrade my speed for no additional cost, whereas I want cheaper BB, and I'd happy go down to 150mbps. So I'm moving to Sky for my sins, weirdly faster again 500mbps but around £35 per month less than BT.
C G said:
I got offered this recently and the question I asked myself was "what problem am I trying to solve?"
In the end I decided it wasn't worth paying more for FTTP when my current FTTC connection is around 78/20 and I have absolutely zero problems in doing anything I want to involving the internet. That includes browsing, streaming, working from home and downloading files, often with multiple users (like little ones watching Netflix at the same as I do on another screen).
BT did offer me FTTC at £25pm for another two years (but with increase each spring so actually costing more overall) but I shopped around and signed up with Now at £20pm for a year and with £110 total cashback. Point is, FTTC will always be cheaper than FTTP.
Yeah, I'm in pretty much the same position. Quite happy with my FTTC broadband but I believe at some point, that tech will be phased out by BT in areas where FTTP is available.In the end I decided it wasn't worth paying more for FTTP when my current FTTC connection is around 78/20 and I have absolutely zero problems in doing anything I want to involving the internet. That includes browsing, streaming, working from home and downloading files, often with multiple users (like little ones watching Netflix at the same as I do on another screen).
BT did offer me FTTC at £25pm for another two years (but with increase each spring so actually costing more overall) but I shopped around and signed up with Now at £20pm for a year and with £110 total cashback. Point is, FTTC will always be cheaper than FTTP.
Until I see a really good deal (or the service is dropped), I'll be sticking with what I have.
gotoPzero said:
Cheers - whats the install process like?
This was -years- ago. I'm afraid. It took OpenReach about 2 years to "plan" the install. Once they'd sorted it, they did all the work closing pavements and roads, doing what was needed, and one day turned up. They'd blown the fibre through the duct to the outside of the house. Turned up with a fusion splicer, where they splice the incoming cable with a long premade one they have. They tacked that to round to where we wanted it, popped it into the house through a hole they drilled, and put the terminating equipment the otherside an plugged it in.
So from my point of view the install was great, didn't take too long, they put it where I wanted it (1st floor, not ground floor). But total time was a couple of years.
Definitely worth it for a family of 4. The additional bandwidth and low latency are a significant improvement over our old Sky standard Fibre. When you have two teenagers simultaneously online gaming and watching YouTube while the wife is watching Netflix it can really mess up your COD ping. FTTP solved that 1st world problem. Install was a bit of a PITA for me as BT had to run a cable down the side of our garden and then run a trench across the lawn to my study.
Bobajobbob said:
Definitely worth it for a family of 4. The additional bandwidth and low latency are a significant improvement over our old Sky standard Fibre. When you have two teenagers simultaneously online gaming and watching YouTube while the wife is watching Netflix it can really mess up your COD ping. FTTP solved that 1st world problem. Install was a bit of a PITA for me as BT had to run a cable down the side of our garden and then run a trench across the lawn to my study.
I was about to post the same thing. The lovely thing about FTTP is it doesn't matter what anyone else in the house is doing, it doesn't have any effect on what you're doing.The bit thats worrying me with the install is if they send the fibre through the wall where the BT line comes in they will end up putting the modem on the other side but there is no power there.
Here is the layout. The BT line (dotted line) comes under the front garden.
Enters the house next to the front door (comes up from under ground duct).
Then once in the house its inside the walls and runs into the middle of the study where the master socket is next to a double mains socket.
If they put it where the arrow is I have no easy way to get power to it.
There is no easy way to get a cable to that back wall in the study?
Here is the layout. The BT line (dotted line) comes under the front garden.
Enters the house next to the front door (comes up from under ground duct).
Then once in the house its inside the walls and runs into the middle of the study where the master socket is next to a double mains socket.
If they put it where the arrow is I have no easy way to get power to it.
There is no easy way to get a cable to that back wall in the study?
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