Hello and could I have some help

[Cptnstevez]

Hi guys I'm extremely new to this forum but I need some help with networking. I don't know if this is the correct place to post and my questions are partially about uk ISPs as well.thanks for any responses and if this is the wrong place to post let me know and I'll move it.

[Guest]

What is it you need help with?

[19_blackie_73]

22 minutes ago, Cptnstevez said:

Hi guys I'm extremely new to this forum but I need some help with networking. I don't know if this is the correct place to post and my questions are partially about uk ISPs as well.thanks for any responses and if this is the wrong place to post let me know and I'll move it.

Welcome  

just use the network section in this forum and post your questions

[LogicalDrm]

You could have just posted your question here and mod would have moved it to correct section.

[Cptnstevez]

12 hours ago, HydraGaming said:

What is it you need help with?

Homage so basically I'm about to move house and have been doing research about networks and components like a lot of people I grew up with no knowledge or say in our home networking stuff but I saw the new house as a way to start from the ground up. there was a few things I needed to know:

 

1- do any uk isps restrict use of 3rd party routers and if so then who

 

2- BT have all uk ISPs by the balls and there is a box that comes with I think fiber connections throughout the uk called a BT open reach modem and I wanted to know what it does because I know modems can be used to modulate and demodulate but I thought that was only old copper wires not fiber. 

 

Any help would be great as I've been doing my research but haven't had much luck

[Cptnstevez]

12 hours ago, 19_blackie_73 said:

Welcome  

just use the network section in this forum and post your questions

Thanks mate  I didn't see it before and from now on I will thanks again

[Rammix]

OK, first of all the best ISP in the UK is zen Internet. They are a little more expensive then the rest but as with everything you get what you pay for. 

 

Unless you're lucky the best "fibre" internet you'll be able to get is what's called FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) this is a fibre line to your nearest Street cabinet, using the old copper wire for the last few meters. This currently supports up to 80mb down and around 20mb up depending on how far the copper run is. 

 

You'll be provided with a modem that bt openreach own and then you'll need a router that supports wan over ethernet. In simple terms phone line into modem, modem into router and away you go. 

[Cptnstevez]

33 minutes ago, Rammix said:

OK, first of all the best ISP in the UK is zen Internet. They are a little more expensive then the rest but as with everything you get what you pay for. 

 

Unless you're lucky the best "fibre" internet you'll be able to get is what's called FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) this is a fibre line to your nearest Street cabinet, using the old copper wire for the last few meters. This currently supports up to 80mb down and around 20mb up depending on how far the copper run is. 

 

You'll be provided with a modem that bt openreach own and then you'll need a router that supports wan over ethernet. In simple terms phone line into modem, modem into router and away you go. 

Oh my god you don't realise how helpful you have just been so I wasnt going mad when I though it weird that a fiver connection had a modem it's because fiber is used for fast transport around the place but because they don't want to yet they have left copper in the streets leading up to each house because it does a "good enough" job for them and dosent validate spending all that money on individual fiber connection for each house they do it for an area. Pls tell me if this on the right track this is me trying to understand it it takes me a while and thank you very much for your help so far. Also could you tell me a little more about Zen I haven't heard of them before 

[Rammix]

Yes you're on the right track. The copper is just about good enough for what bt calls the final mile, but in reality it'll be much less than mile. It's a cheap way to get faster speed to the majority of the UK population quickly. The next upgrade bt are rolling out is g.fast. This will start with speeds up to 350mb down rising to 500mb down eventually. This will still use the copper to connect to your house but will allow for "booster" boxes ether down a man hole or on a pole close to the premises so you won't get the drop off in speed over distance. As with everything in the UK and especially bt don't hold you're breath however.

 

Zen Internet are a UK based ISP although not a very big company they are the very best. I've been using them for at least 9years. You'll get a truly unlimited service (unlike the others who say unlimited but that only applys at certain times of day like virgin media). You'll also receive your full speed all day long as they employ no traffic management like bt (the ISP) do.  I downloaded over a tb in a single month before with no complaints from zen. Their Privacy policy is also second to none. Also the customer service is brilliant, you'll get through to someone in the UK and who knows their stuff. The only downside is the customer service department are only open till 8pm but in 9 years I've only needed them twice.  

 

I know it looks like I work for zen but I don't, just one of the few companies I can't say enough good things about but like a said, they are expensive but as with everything in this world you get what you pay for. 

[Cptnstevez]

2 hours ago, Rammix said:

Yes you're on the right track. The copper is just about good enough for what bt calls the final mile, but in reality it'll be much less than mile. It's a cheap way to get faster speed to the majority of the UK population quickly. The next upgrade bt are rolling out is g.fast. This will start with speeds up to 350mb down rising to 500mb down eventually. This will still use the copper to connect to your house but will allow for "booster" boxes ether down a man hole or on a pole close to the premises so you won't get the drop off in speed over distance. As with everything in the UK and especially bt don't hold you're breath however.

 

Zen Internet are a UK based ISP although not a very big company they are the very best. I've been using them for at least 9years. You'll get a truly unlimited service (unlike the others who say unlimited but that only applys at certain times of day like virgin media). You'll also receive your full speed all day long as they employ no traffic management like bt (the ISP) do.  I downloaded over a tb in a single month before with no complaints from zen. Their Privacy policy is also second to none. Also the customer service is brilliant, you'll get through to someone in the UK and who knows their stuff. The only downside is the customer service department are only open till 8pm but in 9 years I've only needed them twice.  

 

I know it looks like I work for zen but I don't, just one of the few companies I can't say enough good things about but like a said, they are expensive but as with everything in this world you get what you pay for. 

Dude you have been super helpfull are you okay to answer a few more questions please.

[Rammix]

Of course, although I'm about to drive home from work and collect my children so I might me a bit late with a reply. 

[Cptnstevez]

1 minute ago, Rammix said:

Of course, although I'm about to drive home from work and collect my children so I might me a bit late with a reply. 

dude that cool no problem at all im more than willing to wait as you have been super helpful and you have answered questions that i couldn't find answered after hours of

research.

[Cptnstevez]

so do you work in networking or something then btw - just wondered where you get all your knowledge

[Rammix]

1 hour ago, Cptnstevez said:

so do you work in networking or something then btw - just wondered where you get all your knowledge

Nope, I'm a construction plant instructor. I'm not that knowledgeable to be fair but I do have a keen interest in home networking.      

[Cptnstevez]

Ah fair enough its the same for me i have no employment related to networking but as i said above i am very interested in it and going to a new house seems like a good oppertunity to start from scratch

[Rammix]

2 minutes ago, Cptnstevez said:

Ah fair enough its the same for me i have no employment related to networking but as i said above i am very interested in it and going to a new house seems like a good oppertunity to start from scratch

Seems like a strange question I know but is the house built yet? I bought my house "off the plans" so I paid the electrician £50 to run cat 5 to every room in the house. He also put the BT master socket in the cupboard under the stairs so that has become my "server room" along side the ironing board  

[Cptnstevez]

4 minutes ago, Rammix said:

Nope, I'm a construction plant instructor. I'm not that knowledgeable to be fair but I do have a keen interest in home networking.      

okay so here is my problem looking at the most basic thing being finding a new and better router than the standard one supplied at the moment being BTs home hub 4 (i think its definitely not 3) and so i have found a couple router could you explain the differences between a few routers for me please.i got them all from the same place for consistency

 

so here being the first one a really expensive router - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/network-routers-and-switches/routers/netgear-nighthawk-x8-r8500-wireless-modem-router-10144171-pdt.html

 

compaired to a super cheap router - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/network-routers-and-switches/routers/asus-rt-ac51u-wireless-cable-fibre-router-10137898-pdt.html

 

 

[Cptnstevez]

5 minutes ago, Rammix said:

Seems like a strange question I know but is the house built yet? I bought my house "off the plans" so I paid the electrician £50 to run cat 5 to every room in the house. He also put the BT master socket in the cupboard under the stairs so that has become my "server room" along side the ironing board  

well basically ive just turned 18 and so still live with my mum because her ex left he this year so we have been forced to move but trying to make something good out of it i gave myself a little project to find out about and because of the lack of manpower ie me and mum i think we will be moving into a new house that was built last year.

[Cptnstevez]

1 minute ago, Cptnstevez said:

well basically ive just turned 18 and so still live with my mum because her ex left he this year so we have been forced to move but trying to make something good out of it i gave myself a little project to find out about and because of the lack of manpower ie me and mum i think we will be moving into a new house that was built last year.

also what is the differance between:

cat 5

cat5e

cat 6
 

im sorry about asking a lot of questions but you answer very quickly and make it so i can understand and saves me some time reading lots and lots

[Rammix]

Wow that netgear one is a bit on the pricey side! The asus one will work fine, it'll connect to the supplied modem with a standard ethernet cable. I have this Asus router but I think it needed a firmware update to support WAN over ethernet.

 

If you need to run cable round your new place Linus has just done a video about that!

 

 

 As for the cables 

 

 

[Cptnstevez]

20 minutes ago, Rammix said:

Wow that netgear one is a bit on the pricey side! The asus one will work fine, it'll connect to the supplied modem with a standard ethernet cable. I have this Asus router but I think it needed a firmware update to support WAN over ethernet.

 

If you need to run cable round your new place Linus has just done a video about that!

 

 

 As for the cables 

 

 

Okay thats really helpful thanks mate. i still have some more questions is that okay but these should be quick if thast okay

[Rammix]

Yeah man, shoot

[Cptnstevez]

36 minutes ago, Rammix said:

Yeah man, shoot

okay sooo waht is dual badn - as oppesed to i asssume single band

[Rammix]

Dual band WiFi means it transmits in both 2.4GHz (good for range) and 5GHz (good for speed) simultaneously. There's a bit more to it than that but in layman's terms that's it.   

[Cptnstevez]

soooo dual band means it can do both at the same time or just both if that makes sense because i just swapped my phone to 5ghz last night and it seems to travel much further and faster and ideas ?