Seemingly trivial things that elicit an emotional response of some kind

[Ian H]

Hope you’ve remembered what Charlie said?

I’ve certainly always avoided trying to get my frisbee back when it gets stuck in an HV transformers. We could do with the Green Cross Code man back though as stop, look and listen has been replaced with walk straight across while listening to music and messing about on your phone.

The onus should always be on the driver/rider to avoid the pedestrian.

 

[Pblakeney]

I've just tried calling BT to get a new offer. They quoted me 40 a month for more speed than I need and less phone, and 80 a month for the speed I currently have. The person on the phone didn't know what equipment I could get, or how much that would cost. Or the cost or number of devices for the steaming services I didn't want.

After 30 minutes mostly on hold, I gave up.

Exasperation.

I could be wrong here (again) but I thought BT were moving over to EE anyway?
My BT contract is up soon so I'll find out for sure soon enough.

 

[First Aspect]

I could be wrong here (again) but I thought BT were moving over to EE anyway?
My BT contract is up soon so I'll find out for sure soon enough.

They seem to be still pretending to compete with one another. In reality the deals are structured in a way that is so blatantly intended to prevent comparisons of their relative value that even the poor sods on the phone can't clarify what's actually in them.

I wanted something with and without a mesh, for comparison. They couldn't give me any deals with a mesh until my existing deal ends. However she did confirm what I could have three nodes but only one at a time. Meaning you have to try one node and then call up when you want another one of your three and persuade them why.

Since it wasn't clear if a mesh would cost me more than just going to Currys, they could give me Netflix, but for an unknown number of devices.

A mesh and streaming services aren't quite the same thing. But they do share the same property of being an unknown service for an unknown price that I can't compare to any other option.

I'm going to try go compare.

 

[briantrumpet]

They seem to be still pretending to compete with one another. In reality the deals are structured in a way that is so blatantly intended to prevent comparisons of their relative value that even the poor sods on the phone can't clarify what's actually in them.

I wanted something with and without a mesh, for comparison. They couldn't give me any deals with a mesh until my existing deal ends. However she did confirm what I could have three nodes but only one at a time. Meaning you have to try one node and then call up when you want another one of your three and persuade them why.

Since it wasn't clear if a mesh would cost me more than just going to Currys, they could give me Netflix, but for an unknown number of devices.

A mesh and streaming services aren't quite the same thing. But they do share the same property of being an unknown service for an unknown price that I can't compare to any other option.

I'm going to try go compare.

On a much more basic level, I'm going to wait till my Talktalk broadband contract ends in a couple of weeks to see if I can get a discount for giving up the VoIP aspect. They said they couldn't offer that at my address, but 'strangely' they can offer it just around the corner, when I go via their website.

 

[PurplePenguin]

They seem to be still pretending to compete with one another. In reality the deals are structured in a way that is so blatantly intended to prevent comparisons of their relative value that even the poor sods on the phone can't clarify what's actually in them.

I wanted something with and without a mesh, for comparison. They couldn't give me any deals with a mesh until my existing deal ends. However she did confirm what I could have three nodes but only one at a time. Meaning you have to try one node and then call up when you want another one of your three and persuade them why.

Since it wasn't clear if a mesh would cost me more than just going to Currys, they could give me Netflix, but for an unknown number of devices.

A mesh and streaming services aren't quite the same thing. But they do share the same property of being an unknown service for an unknown price that I can't compare to any other option.

I'm going to try go compare.

I can't help on the pricing side, but getting your own mesh is great. That way all your devices connect to that (and work) and you just swap the router whenever the latest provider annoys you.

Also a decent mesh is much more important than fast speeds.

 

[First Aspect]

I can't help on the pricing side, but getting your own mesh is great. That way all your devices connect to that (and work) and you just swap the router whenever the latest provider annoys you.

Also a decent mesh is much more important than fast speeds.

Yep. We have not too bad issues with dead spots in the house but I am hoping that judiciously positioned nodes of a mesh might enable us to cover more of the garage and garden without constantly switching between booster signals. It is irritating when devices hang on to weak signals when you are close to a strong one.

Do you recommend any particular product?

 

[PurplePenguin]

Yep. We have not too bad issues with dead spots in the house but I am hoping that judiciously positioned nodes of a mesh might enable us to cover more of the garage and garden without constantly switching between booster signals. It is irritating when devices hang on to weak signals when you are close to a strong one.

Do you recommend any particular product?

That's the point of a mesh - it drops the weak signal and automatically switches to the better one. Ours just works and it solves all the previous problems.

In terms of products, I haven't looked for several years, but there was a vast range in pricing. At the top end, they have multiple bands, so the nodes talk to each other on a different frequency to the one you use, so there is no interference. There is also wifi 6.

The real geeks get the whole house wired, so there are a bunch of cables going from your router to your loft, then they power nodes in the ceilings of all the rooms. Those sort people usually use Ubiquiti.

I went for the complete other end of the spectrum and bought 3 Tenda Nova (MW5) nodes for £70. They're not triband. They don't do wifi 6. They have limited slots for plugging in wired stuff. They don't really do high speeds. My 1000 MB connection is only 70 MB at the furthest point, but that's plenty and it always works and never drops, and therefore does the job for me, so I'm happy.

In your case, I would wire the house if it is trivial to do so as that is the best solution. I wouldn't worry about triband as your levels of interference are probably minimal. Wifi 6 might be worth it as more devices get it. Also think about what you might want to plug in and where.

 

[Bazzer]

Yep. We have not too bad issues with dead spots in the house but I am hoping that judiciously positioned nodes of a mesh might enable us to cover more of the garage and garden without constantly switching between booster signals. It is irritating when devices hang on to weak signals when you are close to a strong one.

Do you recommend any particular product?

Apologies for butting in, but our internal walls are made with engineering bricks. They wreck drill bits as well as wifi.
We use a TP link deco mesh comprising a master and two extensions. Between them they provide coverage for the house and part of the garden.
Just make sure you have plug sockets where you want any extensions to go to.

 

[Psamathe]

Yep. We have not too bad issues with dead spots in the house but I am hoping that judiciously positioned nodes of a mesh might enable us to cover more of the garage and garden without constantly switching between booster signals. It is irritating when devices hang on to weak signals when you are close to a strong one.

Do you recommend any particular product?

I just use multiple Access Points. All cabled and using PoE. Network cable is not expensive and sorts power (PoE) and data and isn't hard to install and maintains performance.

I need loads in my house/garden as the walls use the alu film insulation which has a bad effect with dead spots and transmission between rooms.

I have a reasonable size garden wanted coverage outside as I don't have a landline and don't have mobile signal coverage so an dependent on Wi-Fi Calling) and with the house alu wall insulation not much signal leaks into outside. So added a couple of external Access Points. Got goos quality ones and they seem to survive the weather fine.

Several years ago I used to use the PowerLink devices rather than proper network cable but they seemed to have an "issue" with then Apple AirPort devices - they'd work fine for a few days they just stop passing data though still have a good connection to its opposite number. Not tried them on more recent Access Points as cabled properly.

I use and am very happy with TP-Link's range of Access Points but I use them as seperate Access Points. I believe they do support a Mesh configuration but can't comment on that having not used it.

 

[laurentian]

Yep. We have not too bad issues with dead spots in the house but I am hoping that judiciously positioned nodes of a mesh might enable us to cover more of the garage and garden without constantly switching between booster signals. It is irritating when devices hang on to weak signals when you are close to a strong one.

Do you recommend any particular product?

We have used TalkTalk for ages - every time its up for renewal, we seem to get a better product for less money. Most recently switched to full fibre.

This involved them taking up my block paved drive to install a conduit for the fibre from the BT manhole thing at the end of the drive, then another connection from the manhole thing to one over the road (about 40m away) all of this including reinstating the block paving supply of VOIP handset and connector thing to router cost nothing (I found this quite surprising).

The router that came with the deal is an Amazon eero (pro 6 I think). Worked OK over most of the house but thought I'd see if I could improve by buying an extender*. Just one of these in the living room seems to have improved wifi all over the house . . . and they really are a piece of piss to set up.

*I actually bought another "router" rather than an extender. They are exactly the same in terms of creating the "mesh" and boosting signal but the advantage of a router used as an extender is that you can also attach LAN cable directly into it (which scratched a Hi-Fi wankery itch that I had)

No experience of anything else but the Eero system works well for me.

 

[briantrumpet]

We have used TalkTalk for ages - every time its up for renewal, we seem to get a better product for less money. Most recently switched to full fibre.

This involved them taking up my block paved drive to install a conduit for the fibre from the BT manhole thing at the end of the drive, then another connection from the manhole thing to one over the road (about 40m away) all of this including reinstating the block paving supply of VOIP handset and connector thing to router cost nothing (I found this quite surprising).

The router that came with the deal is an Amazon eero (pro 6 I think). Worked OK over most of the house but thought I'd see if I could improve by buying an extender*. Just one of these in the living room seems to have improved wifi all over the house . . . and they really are a piece of piss to set up.

*I actually bought another "router" rather than an extender. They are exactly the same in terms of creating the "mesh" and boosting signal but the advantage of a router used as an extender is that you can also attach LAN cable directly into it (which scratched a Hi-Fi wankery itch that I had)

No experience of anything else but the Eero system works well for me.

Yeah, happy with the TT-supplied Eero. VoIP is a waste of time though with mobile wifi calling, as they still charge for 'landline' calls, despite them going along exactly the same fibre.

I had three BT Openreach vans to install my fibre.

 

[First Aspect]

Fark me those eero mesh systems are expensive. The seem to be about £300 for a three node system, compared to about £70 for a TP Link deco.

I'm going to try the latter and see whether 2 node hops via wireless actually gives any useful speed.

I need to be able to stream the world cup next year to a projector down by the swimming pool, you see. 🧐