Kitz Forum
Broadband Related => Broadband Technology => Topic started by: Alex Atkin UK on October 26, 2019, 12:15:28 AM
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Not sure where on the forum to post this but I was just looking at https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=40178&postcodeloc=12666&cabinet=P12 and was confused at the result.
I know of at least two other PCPs in the area this is claiming 100% coverage of. How does that work? At least one of those PCPs has its own FTTC box too. So how can P12 have 100% coverage of those areas?
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The first sentence of the sixth paragraph below the example (https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=40178&postcodeloc=12666&cabinet=P12), to which you have provided a link, states --
The percentage is the proportion of properties in each Post Code served from the Cabinet.
So cabinet P12 covers 21% of the post code area S14 1AP, . . . , cabinet P12 covers 44% of the post code area S14 1BT, . . . , cabinet P12 covers 3% of the post code area S8 8BG. (Using the first, twelfth and last entries in the table.)
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Yes, it was just curious because there is a cabinet on Constable Road which doesn't serve that road at all. https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=40178&postcodeloc=12666&cabinet=P45
Infrastructure is such a weird beast. I guess the houses this serves must have been built later and capacity had run out.
I'm most curious about the PCP I know of which doesn't have a FTTC twin, I wonder how that works? Sadly I don't recall its cabinet number.
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Using Google Map's Street View (images dated May 2019) I can see SLIN_P45 & it's ECI equipped twin (https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3405439,-1.4489114,3a,37.5y,184.72h,78.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ssRZ_7CjBqLExBu-8-5C_nA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en) in Constable Road, near the junction with Blackstock Drive.
Travelling to the eastern end of Constable Road, I can see SLIN_P12 & it's ECI equipped twin (https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3413863,-1.4425158,3a,30y,101.62h,84.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqgDzV9jN0C1C8PR4PIXofg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en) in Raeburn Road.
Unless a new primary cross-connection point has been installed since May 2019, I am uncertain where the mystery is located.
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Apologies, its more that I'm thinking out loud based on what I know of how the estate was built so it doesn't translate well to what little I posted.
I think some of the confusion is the road names they are listing for the post code areas aren't 100% reliable. Its showing S14 1DF as Sandby Croft but its actually Sandby Drive (confirmed on Post Office website) so that could explain a lot if its a common mistake.
There is also this cabinet (https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3390386,-1.4446616,3a,75y,63.84h,71.6t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIgaCRbQmO6C9O1dXLhyS1Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DIgaCRbQmO6C9O1dXLhyS1Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D130.76575%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656) which I think is P62 (https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=40614&postcodeloc=12666&cabinet=P62) based on which areas it covers. It doesn't help streetview is grossly out of date on some of these roads, this particular spot has had a Digital Region cabinet and obviously now an ECI, since this image was taken. I think it was re-shelled for the latter.
So I guess it answers my question, its probably mostly accurate to the post code (we know from experience there are always outliers when it comes to the Openreach database) but the road name may not be.
Again, sorry if I wasted your time, I'm just fascinated with infrastructure. I once spent hours mapping out the national grid wiring for the local area on Google Maps. ;) Plus I'm killing time as I got overly excited when this appeared.
(https://csdprojects.co.uk/forums/Intake%20Cabinet%2012.jpg)
Also https://one.network/?115301631 which may be completely unrelated (there a cell tower at this location for smart meters), but its curious timing.
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I got overly excited when this appeared.
There's a lot of those showing up around here too over the past few months. Absolutely zero going on though for the DSL/Fibre side of things that I'm aware of :/
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There's a lot of those showing up around here too over the past few months. Absolutely zero going on though for the DSL/Fibre side of things that I'm aware of :/
The thing is, the cell tower has been up and I assume operational a few years now, so I can't think why they would be re-doing more ducting so soon in that spot. I mean this tower is JUST for smart meters I believe, hardly a bandwidth hog. So I was wondering if maybe they were making this a FTTP aggregation point?
Pure speculation, but as its an island with the park on one side and woods the other, its very accessible and kinda central to the area. (presumably why they put a tower there)
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Why would the cell tower be just for smart meters, as far as I know they use the same cell towers that everyone else does, it would be ludicrous to build a cell tower network just for smart meters.
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The old SMETS 1 smart meters used 3G.
Not their own masts though.
The newer SMET 2 meters are much more advanced, including Zigbee to mesh through other smart meters.
https://www.smartme.co.uk/technical.html
The cell tower is very unlikely to be a smart meter tower. I've never even heard of such a thing.
Cell towers are fed by fibre.
Bandwidth usage increases and capacity increases are needed.
MNO's are constantly having to increase capacity at cell towers and duct clearing is part of that.
Definitely not an Aggregation Point.
If you have FTTC you already have 1 of them as your FTTC cabinet is connected to it.
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The cell tower is very unlikely to be a smart meter tower. I've never even heard of such a thing.
We live in a Mobile not-spot. Arqiva have recently installed a tower at the entrance of the village purely for smart-meter signals.
You can see the details of the Planning Application at https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=P3QAJEQS0KB00&activeTab=summary (https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=P3QAJEQS0KB00&activeTab=summary). The preamble includes " Proposed installation of electronic communications Smart Metering apparatus".
If I can find the time, I'll try and pop out later to get a pic.
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Well that is very surprising, and does seem a complete waste of bill payers money, this document (https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online-applications/files/754B0E0D960A1F118C8541B21BD00A9B/pdf/18_00479_MAST-STATEMENT_IN_SUPPORT_INCORPORATING_DESIGN_AND_ACCESS-1024246.pdf) clearly states they are building a network of cell towers purely for Smart Meters, although these cell towers are normally sited on existing towers. Begs the question why not use existing 2G/3G/4G transmitters/receivers, and if like Craster you need to build one, why not also use it for mobiles phones signals as well, obviously charge mobile operators a suitable fee. Interestingly the planning documents states it will have a GPS receiver, as the mast is not going be moving I wonder if that is for some timing system?? See also https://www.arqiva.com/smart-metering/
I did notice an AIO cabinet opposite Craster quarry car park.
EDT. It seems they are building a secure network - https://www.arqiva.com/news/company/one-millionth-smart-meter-connects-to-britains-secure-network/ obviously normal cell towers are not secure enough.
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The location of this tower potentially would have line of sight across a HUGE chunk of Sheffield as its on one of the hills, so maybe a reason for its location? https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3424818,-1.4410861,3a,75y,343.79h,100t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHhrVpRf-ZFRJT8wSEdPyPw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Still doesn't explain why they need more ducting so soon though.
EDT. It seems they are building a secure network - https://www.arqiva.com/news/company/one-millionth-smart-meter-connects-to-britains-secure-network/ obviously normal cell towers are not secure enough.
Smart meter deployment is a great example of the power of technology enabling consumers and society as a whole to use energy in a more sustainable way.
I wonder if installing these towers completely offsets the tiny saving most people make? Although I guess it saves someone driving to each property to read the meter (some poor sod losing their job notwithstanding).
You can be sure of one thing, this was NEVER about the consumer saving money. The only good thing our smart meter has allowed is for us to switch to an electric cooker and use the meter to determine when the oven has reached temperature.
The whole PR spin of being able to tell if you left a light on, considering the number of devices in the house constantly changing current, fridge/freezer going on/off, its IMPOSSIBLE to determine if you've left anything on or not, unless its a huge consumer.
It was sobering to see the house sucking up a minimum of 150-200W 24/7 though. But then with so much network kit and my server on 24/7, I don't honestly think that's too bad.
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I did notice an AIO cabinet opposite Craster quarry car park.
We got that a couple of years ago funded by iNorthumberland. It is Cab. 5 on Embleton exchange (NEEN). Prior to that we were on Cab. 1 at the West End of Dunstan village so a considerable distance away. At the closest end of the village to Dunstan, we were getting about 13 or 14Mbps download; at the other end of the village it was in single figures (although even that was considerably better than the 1 to 1.5Mbps we got before the Cab. 1 got its FTTC twin).
We see about 250,000 visitors a year because we are on the Coastal Walk and have the English Heritage Dunstanburgh Castle on our doorstep. The outcrop of rock surrounding the back of the village means that mobile reception is very difficult with some phones occasionally getting an O2 signal but no other networks connecting at all. None of the networks will fund a mast as they all claim there is no demand. It is suspected that the real reason is nothing to do with the demand (which is most definitely there) but to the fact that a new mast would cost but bring very little additional revenue; as most people are on contracts, the phone companies will get the same revenue whether the user can make a call from Craster or not.
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It is suspected that the real reason is nothing to do with the demand (which is most definitely there) but to the fact that a new mast would cost but bring very little additional revenue; as most people are on contracts, the phone companies will get the same revenue whether the user can make a call from Craster or not.
I suspect so, in fact if they put a mast in they would then need to carry the calls and data adding furthers operating costs they wouldn't otherwise incur.
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We live in a Mobile not-spot. Arqiva have recently installed a tower at the entrance of the village purely for smart-meter signals.
You can see the details of the Planning Application at https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=P3QAJEQS0KB00&activeTab=summary (https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=P3QAJEQS0KB00&activeTab=summary). The preamble includes " Proposed installation of electronic communications Smart Metering apparatus".
If I can find the time, I'll try and pop out later to get a pic.
Eventually got the pics: