BT Hardware

Thinking of moving to BT Infinity from Plusnet ADSL as my monthly cost has doubled from £4.99 to £9.99 so cost differential is much less with the current £20 pcm offer.

However I will need to have the hardware in the hall at the main socket rather than on an extension in the study as presently.

What does the BT Infinity hardware consist of? I don't want my hall looking like a telephone exchange!

BT Retail supply the Home Hub 5 which is a combined VDSL2 router and modem.

The best location is at the master socket with a VDSL2 filter faceplate fitted rather than microfilters But you can just use an extension and the microfilters supplied with the modem, it will work, but may cost you some speed depending on the state of the wiring in the home.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

BT Retail supply the Home Hub 5 which is a combined VDSL2 router and modem.

The best location is at the master socket with a VDSL2 filter faceplate fitted rather than microfilters But you can just use an extension and the microfilters supplied with the modem, it will work, but may cost you some speed depending on the state of the wiring in the home.

Thanks Andrew

Does that mean that the BT Engineer would come and fit the faceplate and plug the Home Hub in there, but I could subsequently move it into the study with microfilters?

Hi Michealh

BT will come and you should be able to ask them to move the master socket from the hall into the study...

AIUI all Infinity installations are now self-install unless you order a Data Extension Cable, which Openreach call the Home Wiring Solution. You don't normally get the filtered faceplate any more, but with the HWS you would.

With the VDSL2 faceplate at the master the extensions will not get a broadband signal, unless the engineer wires a particular extension as unfiltered and with a dedicated VDSL2 socket at the extension end.

Majority of installs are self install these days for BT customers

An engineer will not come to your house or change the sockets (this is rare nowadays).

They will just post out a Homehub 5 to you. You connect it in the same way you currently connect your router ie socket - microfilter - router

You can use an extension, it may cause slower speeds and some disconnections. This is the same as with standard ADSL.

There is certainly no NEED to use the main socket, it will work elsewhere... As I say, it may be slower / less reliable. So you can use it in the study if you don't mind the compromise.

It is one router. No extra devices.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Fri 10-Apr-15 21:59:15)

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

An engineer will not come to your house or change the sockets (this is rare nowadays).

They will just post out a Homehub 5 to you. You connect it in the same way you currently connect your router ie socket - microfilter - router

You can use an extension, it may cause slower speeds and some disconnections. This is the same as with standard ADSL.

There is certainly no NEED to use the main socket, it will work elsewhere... As I say, it may be slower / less reliable. So you can use it in the study if you don't mind the compromise.

It is one router. No extra devices.

Thanks - thats very helpful.

When I moved over to BT Infinity I ran a cat5 extension from the master socket in my hall to the back bedroom where my PC is located. The OR engineer thanked me for saving him a job.
The extension is around 40ft long and I get a rock solid 74mb down and 18mb up throughout the day, this drops slightly during peak times.