Buy another BT line or not?

Hi,
We have 4 seperate BT lines in our house for various old reasons and although we no longer need 4 numbers, we still have 4 lines.

This is because - everyone only knows 1 number as our home number, so it's just convenient. Another number has the fastest broadband speed available on it. Another number as we are often on the phone and two lines is useful and one final number for an alarm system which the company insists cannot be used with broadband or anything else, though we do pay BT for it.

Now at the moment, the line I get the broadband on is shown as being able to receive a max of 512 on the availability checkers but in reality I get about 2.4~ on an up to 8Mb line.

The number with the alarm system on shows it can receive 2.5 on the availability checkers so I assume in reality, it can receive more (based on the above). The other two lines used to show 256 but just these past few months have begun showing 1.0.

Now I'm somewhat uncertain. Should I try ordering another new line for the broadband to see if I can get some significantly better speeds or try swapping broadband over to one of the other lines to see if I get an improvement?

It's seems a pit pot luck as to what speeds you get on each line which is odd. Next door have one of the first lines installed and get 1.5Mbps.

What is your opinion?

Sorry for a long post!

Cheers

Chris

How many lines do you want to keep?

At a guess two - if so, keep the number everyone knows and the "fastest" broadband line. Have the alarm moved onto the voice only line although there is no reason why it cannot be on the broadband line with an appropriate filter.

If you want to reduce to one - keep the fastest broadband line with its number and have the alarm moved there too. Then, have the main number that everyone knows also moved onto that line - you can have several numbers directed to one line although, obviously, only one voice call at any time. It will have a different ring cadence and outgoing will look as though they come from the primary number.

If you get another line installed to see how fast it can go - you could end up with a slow one again! Chances are that the "alarm" line will probably be similar to the Broadband line for speed - or any increment may be marginal but you cannot tell until it is enabled and also the other two, may turn out to be just as fast or as te checker says - abysmal. It really will be pot luck to find the fastes

Hmm I suspected that would be the opinion - just wanted to verify my own thoughts really. Guess I'll keep the broadband line and use that as a 2nd line and keep the main line. Scrap the rest. It's a pain because BT installed the sockets in different parts of the house and some sockets they merged with other lines so they don't even have a master socket as such.

It's horrible being on such a "slow" line though significantly better than a few years ago when we didn't even have it. We have an apartment in Spain with a Telefonica line, well known for its appalling installation time, service, speeds etc. I get 7 meg out there and was installed in 2 weeks. Oh well!