Fibre v ADSL

I have standard ADSL, sync speed a constant 7616 and download speeds usually around 6.3 - 6.5meg. I do not stream video, watch TV, Netflix, iPlayer etc. Online activity is mainly browsing and emails.

Fibre is being installed past my home and I have been advised that for normal internet use such as detailed above, I will see no improvement with fibre. Is this advice correct?

Correct, for what you want ADSL will be fine.

Moving to VDSL/FTTC may offer a connection that gives 40, 50, 60 Mbps but nothing you do requires that. You might save 1/2 second on a mail download, or web-pages load 0.1 second faster but nothing noticeable.

However, do you upload large files? Photographs for example or send large emails with images attached? If you do, then VDSL will almost certainly offer a lot faster speeds in that direction. I know a couple of people whio have benefitted in that way.

Thank you for that! Save myself some money then

No, I don't often send large images but take your point. My ISP doesn't charge for uploads so speed in that regard is not important!

I stream about 150Gb a month using iPlayer, 4OD, Demand5, NOWTV and Netflix using Roku LT

My Plusnet ADSL connection, giving 7.8Mbps download speed, copes perfectly well with no buffering.

I could get fibre but don't see the need - might be different if there were more users in the house.

I'd rather keep the £10/month

In reply to a post by Andrew_W:

I have standard ADSL, sync speed a constant 7616 and download speeds usually around 6.3 - 6.5meg. I do not stream video, watch TV, Netflix, iPlayer etc. Online activity is mainly browsing and emails.

Fibre is being installed past my home and I have been advised that for normal internet use such as detailed above, I will see no improvement with fibre. Is this advice correct?

FTTC doesn't just offer speed (which I agree it sounds like you don't need) but it also offers reliability. It's not a guarantee but with shorter copper lengths between you and the DSLAM there is far less scope for things to go wrong.

In reply to a post by pcoventry76:

As above stick with what you have unless your habits change and you start to do anything you have mentioned. in fact dial up if it were still around would be fine for what you have suggested.

Some websites already exhibit the characteristics of dial-up! I might lack ambition but not that much!!!

A thought - I have an 'up to 16mb' ADSL2 LLU contract. I get around 4. Fibre 'is a comin'. What chance do I have of a fibre connection and a contract price delivering what I am 'contracted' to get? Possible and at what connection price? Presumably the actual bandwidth should not cost more.

The actual bandwidth cost will be the same, if your provider is charging you per GB. But as there is the additional monthly rental to pay for the FTTC kit in the street the price will go up.

Also be wary.

The fact that fibre goes past your house will not necessarily imply that you would gain any speed from it.

Fibre (shortly) will pass within about 3 metres of the nearest point of my house, to an FTTC Cabinet about 10 metres away, with the shortest distance from that FTTC Cabinet (already in position and possibly powered up) to the NTE under my stairs being about 25 metres.


However, the FTTC cabinet has to connect to the existing PCP (Green) Cabinet about 25 metres further away - so that much extra (lossy) copper in the circuit, from which the existing, 1967, wiring takes about another 225 metres to get in to my house and the NTE.


Some of the other houses on the estate, which conventionally are further away from both cabinets, are electrically in phone terms, closer to them, so potentially will have lower losses and higher speeds!


250 metres of copper wiring starts to show significant reductions in FTTC speeds

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I recommend that you try to locate your own Cabinet/s and wiring runs.

Edited by deleted (Mon 10-Mar-14 12:20:49)

It was a slightly whimsical post, Andrew, really. I am not charged 'per GB' the contract is 'unlimited' (I know) so in theory bandwidth should not increase. should it? Any idea what the increase is for an FTTC line?

I am on a loser in that regard straight off. I live on a small farm and the fibre will pass at least 400 meters away from my house. Better however than the 2.5Km I am from the exchange.

At the wholesale level they are charged £8 to £10 plus VAT depending on the speed you order.

With unlimited an ISP needs to consider your contribution to the 95th percentile billing for backhaul still.

Keep in mind that unless you are on an EO (straight to Exchange Only) line, that you may be fed from a PCP Cabinet which may be nearer; and that the Fibre may lead you to.

Also being on a farm, your phone cable may be overhead on poles; and may lead you towards that PCP Cabinet.


At present, if yours is an EO line, you are unlikely to get Fibre of any sort (for some years).

So hopefully, you are on a PCP line; and the PCP Cabinet to farm distance is significantly shorter.



In the meantime, you should ensure that the present arrangements are giving you the best-achievable service, by doing the Quiet Line Test etc.

Plug a phone directly in to the NTE (Network Terminating Equipment) Box, normally where the phone line enters the house. Preferably an older, simpler phone)

Dial 17070

Select Option 2 (Option 4 if SKY)

Listen carefully for any untoward noises, apart from possibly a very low hum.

If you hear "snap, crackle and pop", tones etc, report this to YOUR PHONE PROVIDER, without mentioning Broadband - you must concentrate on it interfering with the VOICE use of the line.

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If the line is quiet, then reconnect internally and re-do the test from an internal extension etc.

If you now hear untoward noises, disconnect your phones, faxes, modems etc progressively, to find out if any of those are the source/s.


There can be other noise sources such as microwaves, plasma TVs etc.

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Also if you use electric fencing.

In reply to a post by mikejp:

delivering what I am 'contracted' to get?

You already get what you are contracted for. 4 < 16 !

In reply to a post by Andrue:

In reply to a post by Andrew_W:

I have standard ADSL, sync speed a constant 7616 and download speeds usually around 6.3 - 6.5meg. I do not stream video, watch TV, Netflix, iPlayer etc. Online activity is mainly browsing and emails.

Fibre is being installed past my home and I have been advised that for normal internet use such as detailed above, I will see no improvement with fibre. Is this advice correct?

FTTC doesn't just offer speed (which I agree it sounds like you don't need) but it also offers reliability. It's not a guarantee but with shorter copper lengths between you and the DSLAM there is far less scope for things to go wrong.

However, repairing a DSLAM in an exchange is easier and quicker than one out on te road.

Rare to repair, usually just a case of slot out old and slot in new component - unless its a car that demolished the cabinet