Get the most from broadband in Spaldwick!

Question: I’m not sure I’m getting the maximum speed I should with my broadband service. What should I be getting?

Answer: A lot depends on the quality of the line from your home to the BT exchange, which is situated in Woolley. With a good line, many people in Spaldwick should be getting peak download speeds of 3 to 5 Mbit/s. To test the speed of your connection, try the site www.mybroadbandspeed.co.uk. 

Question: If my speeds are poor, is there anything I can do?

Answer: Absolutely! Firstly, make sure that you have your broadband filters in place (even on Sky boxes). Even with filters in place, internal wiring in your home can play havoc with the broadband signal. If you have a BT master socket in your home (older houses may not have this), then I recommend that you purchase a filtered faceplate, such as this one www.adslnation.com/products/xte2005.php. This is perfectly legal and is allowed by BT. It fits over the BT master socket and cleverly isolates the broadband signal from the telephone wires around your house. In many cases, this will substantially improve your broadband speeds. I’ve often seen speeds double with this. 

Question: When is BT going to introduce new, faster technology?

You may have heard on the news that, in some areas of the country, new technologies are being introduced (using optical fibre) to deliver speeds of up to 100Mbit/s. Bad news I’m afraid. As we are a rural area, the only thing that we’ll see for the foreseeable future is the introduction of a technology called ADSL2+, which is being rolled out as part of BT’s major 21CN upgrade programme. We currently have ADSL. Unfortunately, while it was initially planned for our exchange to be upgraded to ASDL2+ in the second half of 2009, we are currently waiting for BT to announce a revised date. ADSL2+ will improve speeds, but not in a dramatic way, and the improvement will be related to the speed you get now. The higher the speed you can get now, the better the improvement with ADSL2+. If you currently get a speed of about 4Mbit/s, you may get 5Mbit/s with ADSL2+. A handy increase, but nothing earth shattering! 

Question: What is Local Loop Unbundling and will we get it?

I wouldn’t hold your breath! Local Loop Unbundling is where other companies (such as Sky) put their own equipment in BT exchanges. In areas where it is available (our closest unbundled exchange is Buckden), you can get very cheap deals. For example, Sky offers a base broadband package to Sky subscribers absolutely free. We may eventually get unbundling, but many companies are focusing on more populated areas first. 

Question: My friend gets high-speed broadband with his cable service. Will we ever get that in Spaldwick?

Unfortunately no. It’s just not financially viable for cable companies to install cables in Spaldwick. 

Question: Is it easy to change ISPs and what is the best ISP?

Absolutely, and I strongly recommend that you look for a better deal. It’s really easy to move and generally hassle free. You just ask your current ISP for what’s called a MAC code, and give this to your new ISP. The process should happen automatically with a minimum of disruption. I’m often asked to recommend an ISP. Currently, you cannot really go wrong with Zen Internet (www.zen.co.uk) or Naims (www.naims.co.uk). These are very well regarded, and you’ll never be put through to a call centre in India, or have to wait long periods of time to get through. Don’t just stay with your ISP due to apathy, or believe that BT is the best. 

Question: What about mobile broadband? Is it any good?

Yes and no. Mobile phone companies, such as Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and 3, have started offering mobile broadband services. With these you connect a small USB dongle to your PC or laptop. However, one of the challenges in Spaldwick is the lack of 3G coverage. Acceptable mobile broadband performance requires good 3G coverage and, currently, only 3 offers that. Luckily, 3 offers the best value-for-money mobile broadband service in the UK. You can find more information on the website www.three.co.uk. Prices are very competitive compared with ‘normal’ broadband. Prices are £15 per month (for a 5GB usage allowance) or £20 (for a 15GB usage allowance). Performance is surprising good (typically offering 1–1.5Mbit/s download speeds in Spaldwick). However, compared with a good ADSL broadband connection, performance can be variable. Watch this space though, as there are major enhancement coming to cellular networks, in the shape of technologies called HSPA+ and LTE, which will start to be deployed next year. These promise significant improvements in speeds, but I will leave those for another day! 

If you have any questions or would like advice, please email Mark at mark.heath@spaldwick.com