Kitz Forum
Broadband Related => FTTC and FTTP Issues => Topic started by: sheddyian on March 15, 2018, 08:27:14 PM
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So, I've started the process of buying a house in Wales. I didn't rush blindly into it, I checked the mobile signal, the radio & tv reception, and, using the option on the Rightmove website listing for the house, confirmed that the house was an a fibre area (it suggested VodaFone Fibre unlimited, giving me "up to 76 mb". So I was happy.
Now I look into it a bit further, I'm a bit less happy. Putting the postcode into the Kitz checker gives me this :
Exchange: Ferndale BT Code: SWFBX
Location: Wood Street, CF43 4HG
Distance:- Direct: 3.14 km
(appx)* By Road: 4.2 km
Status
ADSL enabled: December 10, 2003
DSL Max enabled: March 31, 2006
21CN WBC (ADSL2+) Enabled
21CN due : (PSTN) Info N/A
FTTC Some areas
SDSL enabled : Not Enabled
Broadband Access Market Broadband Access† Market 3
BT price band BTw Pricing Band Band C
ADSL Broadband Other Broadband Technology & LLU Providers
Fixed ADSL: 1000 kbps (1 Mb)
DSL Max: 1000 kbps (1 Mb)
ADSL 2+ : 2000 kbps (2 Mb)
YUK :o :o :o
FTTC (Fibre)
FTTC is available in your area.
Speed Max Min
DownStream No info No info
UpStream No info No info
No line speed data available.
Ah, ok that's not so bad :D But why no info?
I then went to Talktalk, put in the postcode, and it offered me only ADSL, which it thought I might get 3mb speed. :o BT also said the same on their retail page. Neither TalkTalk nor BT offered me FTTC from a postcode search :o
And although the rightmove website claimed 76mb from Vodafone in that area, when I go to the Vodafone site and put in the postcode, it tells me they can't offer me ANYTHING at that address :(
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Ian
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Go back to the estate agent and ask them to prove the FTTC claim. If they can't ask them to drop the price.
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Ah. now the BT Broadband availability checker via Kitz has this to say :
BT BROADBAND AVAILABILITY CHECKER
High Low High Low
VDSL Range A (Clean) 61.3 42.4 15.8 10.1 39.6 Waiting list --
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 51.9 32.4 13.6 7.1 27.3 Waiting list --
Featured Products
So... the area is covered, but the cabinet is full?
Ian
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It would appear so.
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Go back to the estate agent and ask them to prove the FTTC claim. If they can't ask them to drop the price.
It's certainly something I'm going to take up, though it's not in the Estate Agent's info, it's a sponsored extra on the Rightmove web site (where you can also search for nearby schools and the like).
Ian
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It would appear so.
This explanation, when I type the postcode into the Welsh government broadband checker https://beta.gov.wales/can-i-get-it (https://beta.gov.wales/can-i-get-it), is a bit more helpful.
"According to data from BT your area is enabled for fibre but demand is high on your cabinet right now. This means you can't order fibre today but BT are working to increase capacity as soon as possible."
I read that to mean there'll be another cabinet at some point.
Ian *waits*
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If you can provide the exchange and cabinet number I can check if there's plans to add capacity.
Sometimes they need a whole new cabinet, other cabinets can receive a high density extension.
Not every cabinet that's at full capacity will get more added unfortunately. If fast broadband is essential and the quoted ADSL speeds don't meet your needs then I would pause and think hard before proceeding.
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Now I look into it a bit further, I'm a bit less happy. Putting the postcode into the Kitz checker gives me this :
The bit in bold was where you was going wrong, a postcode will not give you full information, it does state in the results
Phone No not entered!
Possible reduced accuracy for some results
If you don't know the phone number for the address then try this one, just enter the postcode then click submit and then select the address. However doubt it will tell you any more than you have now worked out.
http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.AddressOutput
As others have said, it may just require another line card, or more tie cables, or the cab could be completely full.
I'm not sure what John's source is, but there is a forum member on TBB who can look up directly what's needed if you post the cab number and exchange.
PS. Perhaps our very own Black Sheep could take a peep if you give him the required info ;)
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. . . using the option on the Rightmove website listing for the house, confirmed that the house was an a fibre area (it suggested VodaFone Fibre unlimited, giving me "up to 76 mb".
I'm really surprised that you thought the "Rightmove website" would provide sensible information about a broadband service for Internet access. :o
Its rather like me asking the Girl Guides (or whatever is their current name) for information about domestic plumbing. ::)
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And although the rightmove website claimed 76mb from Vodafone in that area, when I go to the Vodafone site and put in the postcode, it tells me they can't offer me ANYTHING at that address :(
They can't be trusted?
Every single property that I looked at near here or near my parents said the the following.
Top broadband speed within this postcode Up to 76Mb provided by Vodafone Broadband*
Including one which I damn well knew which was ~1km walking distance from the cab. The BTw checker said
VDSL Range A (Clean) 24.1 15 4.7 2.7 12.7 Available --
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 17.9 7.9 4.2 1.2 6 Available -
I think it just goes to show that the info on RightMove is totally unreliable. Me thinks that they must be on some sort of commission with Vodafone. IMHO it is false advertising and it should not be allowed. :rant:
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I'm really surprised that you thought the "Rightmove website" would provide sensible information about a broadband service for Internet access. :o
Its rather like me asking the Girl Guides (or whatever is their current name) for information about domestic plumbing. ::)
I am ashamed I didn't look into it a bit further. However I've been looking at a lot of houses across a range of areas recently : Wales - Liverpool - West Yorkshire. And the broadband checker link from Rightmove was showing differing rates for different areas, so it seemed plausible. I saw much lower rates.
And, given the current / theoretical status of where I'm hoping to move to, the figure of 76mb was (broadly) correct, providing there was spare capacity.
I suspect it's showing a speed based on the theoretical top bandwidth of the package for that area : Virgin serviced areas were showing as 300mb, for example. The Welsh house is showing as 76 because that's the top speed for that fibre package in that area (were the cabinets not full).
I'd have been happier knowing all this in advance though, not realising it this evening!
Ian
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They can't be trusted?
Every single property that I looked at near here or near my parents said the the following.
Including one which I damn well knew which was ~1km walking distance from the cab. The BTw checker said
I think it just goes to show that the info on RightMove is totally unreliable. Me thinks that they must be on some sort of commission with Vodafone. IMHO it is false advertising and it should not be allowed. :rant:
From what I've realised this evening, I no longer trust the figures given via Rightmove. (theory above : it's package theoretical speeds, not actual speeds). But, moving around different areas, I did see Rightmove recommend different companies (including Virgin). Clicking on the Rightmove link for Vodafone took me to comparethemarket , so perhaps the data / recommendations are coming from there?
Ian
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The bit in bold was where you was going wrong, a postcode will not give you full information, it does state in the results
If you don't know the phone number for the address then try this one, just enter the postcode then click submit and then select the address. However doubt it will tell you any more than you have now worked out.
http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.AddressOutput
As others have said, it may just require another line card, or more tie cables, or the cab could be completely full.
I'm not sure what John's source is, but there is a forum member on TBB who can look up directly what's needed if you post the cab number and exchange.
PS. Perhaps our very own Black Sheep could take a peep if you give him the required info ;)
Thanks for reply. I wasn't going purely on postcode, I gave exact address, although I don't know the phone number of the house in question. I've tried the BTW link that you gave; I suspect the welsh government website uses the same database although it phrases the outcomes a little better - that's where I ended up with the my assumption of the cabinet being full but BT will fit another one at some point. Let's see. I won't be moving for a couple of months, so maybe the broadband will all be sorted out by then? And the sun will be shining and I will have infinity + 1 sheds to enjoy.
Ian
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PS. Perhaps our very own Black Sheep could take a peep if you give him the required info ;)
Ian now has a PM with some relevant info. :)
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Ian now has a PM with some relevant info. :)
Thank you for your help BlackSheep I am indebted to you. And reassured that at least the infrastructure is there, even if maybe capacity is somewhat lacking right now.
Ian
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:)
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Thank you for your help BlackSheep I am indebted to you. And reassured that at least the infrastructure is there, even if maybe capacity is somewhat lacking right now.
Ian
Not a problem at all, Ian. :)
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:)
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although I don't know the phone number of the house in question.
Easy.
Use https://www.thephonebook.bt.com/person/
Put a * in the name space.
Then put CF43 4HG in the post code space.
Search that should give you an idea of a non ex directory number for that area.
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I just tried the above on my own postcode, and I wasn't in the result. Perhaps I'm just a figment of my own imagination. ;D
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I just tried the above on my own postcode, and I wasn't in the result. Perhaps I'm just a figment of my own imagination. ;D
;D
or you are ex-directory ;)
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No, I'm not. :)
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Easy.
Use https://www.thephonebook.bt.com/person/
Put a * in the name space.
Then put CF43 4HG in the post code space.
Search that should give you an idea of a non ex directory number for that area.
I just tried this on my postcode and it worked. I could see my number and those of some of my neighbours.
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So the curious cat tried that experiment, using the postcode which Ian had shown in his opening post. Four entries were returned, so I checked them randomly . . . and eventually I discovered that --
Telephone Number 01443733836 on Exchange FERNDALE is served by Cabinet 20
The data for that circuit was very respectable for a G.993.2 service and the output also showed that FTTPoD could be ordered.
Working with the address which is associated with the above telephone number then gave me the means to locate (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6627244,-3.45176,3a,75y,237.27h,90.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVvgsIGmRK6ZJHDgq3QVSiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) the serving telephony exchange. The "fibre twin" to PCP20 appears to be located (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6627131,-3.4499665,3a,30y,271.47h,82.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJQ-lIiyUoF9nhUPF5TJSbQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) at the junction of Lake Street and Strand, outside the Ferndale Boys Club. (Unfortunately it is, indeed, equipped with an ECI Hi-FOCuS Mini-Shelf M41. :( )
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So the curious cat tried that experiment, using the postcode which Ian had shown in his opening post. Four entries were returned, so I checked them randomly . . . and eventually I discovered that --
The data for that circuit was very respectable for a G.993.2 service and the output also showed that FTTPoD could be ordered.
Working with the address which is associated with the above telephone number then gave me the means to locate (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6627244,-3.45176,3a,75y,237.27h,90.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVvgsIGmRK6ZJHDgq3QVSiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) the serving telephony exchange. The "fibre twin" to PCP20 appears to be located (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6627131,-3.4499665,3a,30y,271.47h,82.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJQ-lIiyUoF9nhUPF5TJSbQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) at the junction of Lake Street and Strand, outside the Ferndale Boys Club. (Unfortunately it is, indeed, equipped with an ECI Hi-FOCuS Mini-Shelf M41. :( )
This is all fascinating and great fun, but 1) I don't really want to publicly give out my address and cabinet etc before I've even moved into the house :) and 2) I don't think the house in question is on PCP20 - I've confirmation from 2 different sources that it's a different one.
I haven't yet Google street view driven my way around the local area, but I did recognise the street you linked to as one I drove along when driving out of the area. I must have more of a look around !
Ian
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@burakkucat
The only postcode I can see in the opening post is the postcode of the exchange so I'm not sure what your lookup achieved!
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So the curious cat tried that experiment, using the postcode which Ian had shown in his opening post. Four entries were returned, so I checked them randomly . . . and eventually I discovered that --
The data for that circuit was very respectable for a G.993.2 service and the output also showed that FTTPoD could be ordered.
Working with the address which is associated with the above telephone number then gave me the means to locate (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6627244,-3.45176,3a,75y,237.27h,90.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVvgsIGmRK6ZJHDgq3QVSiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) the serving telephony exchange. The "fibre twin" to PCP20 appears to be located (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6627131,-3.4499665,3a,30y,271.47h,82.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJQ-lIiyUoF9nhUPF5TJSbQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) at the junction of Lake Street and Strand, outside the Ferndale Boys Club. (Unfortunately it is, indeed, equipped with an ECI Hi-FOCuS Mini-Shelf M41. :( )
Ian has been very polite in saying .... the results are absolute s£$%. :) :)
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I just tried this on my postcode and it worked. I could see my number and those of some of my neighbours.
Didn't work for my own postcode of 12 flats but does work for the street we are on! Interesting.
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Did it give you a page 2 to look at?
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So the curious cat tried that experiment, using the postcode which Ian had shown in his opening post.
I understood Ian's opening post to be giving the postcode of the local exchange, not the site of his proposed new shed! :)
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The only postcode I can see in the opening post is the postcode of the exchange so I'm not sure what your lookup achieved!
I understood Ian's opening post to be giving the postcode of the local exchange, not the site of his proposed new shed! :)
"D'oh!" :paperbag:
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"D'oh!" :paperbag:
It's ok, I was doubting myself that maybe I had (accidentally) given away the postcode of my prospective house!
Ian
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And there was b*cat thinking that not only could you have a camera in the shed, giving a view of the garden, but also a camera mounted on the chimney stack, giving a view of the telephone exchange! ::)
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And there was b*cat thinking that not only could you have a camera in the shed, giving a view of the garden, but also a camera mounted on the chimney stack, giving a view of the telephone exchange! ::)
That'd probably breach the Official Secrets act! :-X
If the move all goes ahead, and once I get some time (!!) I've already thought of a few extra things that could be monitored. There's several interesting looking drains that seem to channel water from the hillside, and I've idly wondered about diverting a little of this water for watering garden and grey water use in the house. I could also have a sensor to show the level on a web page...
Ian
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That'd probably breach the Official Secrets act! :-X
It would have been pre-October 1969, when the organisation responsible was the GPO, part of the Civil Service. ;)
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I've idly wondered about diverting a little of this water for watering garden and grey water use in the house.
Shhh. Don't tell Dwr Cymru, or they might come after you for an extraction licence! :-X
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Shhh. Don't tell Dwr Cymru, or they might come after you for an extraction licence! :-X
What's Welsh for "Flood prevention measure" ? ;D
Seriously tho, I'd better learn a little bit of Welsh over the coming weeks :-[
Ian
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The only Welsh I know is iechyd da. :drink:
Here's a Welsh phrase book (https://wikitravel.org/en/Welsh_phrasebook) that might be useful.
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The only Welsh I know is iechyd da. :drink:
Here's a Welsh phrase book (https://wikitravel.org/en/Welsh_phrasebook) that might be useful.
Consecutively, in the guide you linked to :
"
I can't speak Welsh [well].
Alla i ddim siarad Cymraeg [yn dda]. (Alh'a ee thim SHARad kym-RYE-g [uhn tha])
Do you speak English?
Ydych chi'n siarad Saesneg? (UD-ich ch'een SHARad SAYES-neg?)
Is there someone here who speaks English?
Oes rhywun yma sy'n siarad Saesneg? (Oyss RHEEW-in UMma seen SHARad SAYES-neg?)
Help!
Help! (Help)
"
:-\
Nos da
Ian
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[Off Topic]
In the Rhondda Fach I don't think you'll find anyone who can't speak English. :)
(A friend of mine who is in his 50's, and I think grew up around there, learned to speak Welsh only a few years ago!)
If you want to start to learn the language before you go, I recommend this course. (https://www.saysomethingin.com/welsh/course1) ;D :graduate:
[/Off Topic]