Wildanet - Worth The Wait?
Background
Wildanet originally provided point-to point broadband to hard-to-reach areas by bouncing their signal off directional access points on high poles. Not always with the best of success or speed it must be said.
Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is an entirely different beast.
I’m sure that their install teams have annoyed us all at some point in the past few years digging up roads and pavements in the name of progress. However, has it been worth all the hassle? what does it do? and should you have it?
Fibre-to-the-premises has been around for some time, however it’s only recently made its way to us in Cornwall, like many other amenities such electricity and phone signal (don’t get me started on that one). Normal ADSL broadband, which we are all used to, uses a fibre optic line to connect to the green boxes we have scattered around (the ones with a big Open Reach sticker applied), it’s then carried to your home or business by the usual Copper wire that our landlines use. It was fabulous in the late 1990’s when we were all used to dial-up. However, in this day and age its speed is severely limited. It can be further reduced by the time of day, demand on the system as well as environmental and infrastructure concerns (ie. Storms, static, somebody hitting the pole with a Tractor etc.). It’s just a copper wire.
A Fibre access node on a telegraph pole
So should you? – Simply YES, absolutely.
Fibre to the premises is just that, the fibre optic cable comes straight into your house and terminates in a small box on the wall – requires power. This box then plugs into a new router which is supplied by Wildanet and will replace your existing box. So, no more BT men with an umbrella up messing in the green box when your Internet fails!
Now for the fun part – speed! The old copper line maxes out at around 80mb download and 15mb upload (only if you are in close proximity to the aforementioned green box, with ideal conditions) and subscribe to a Fibre 2 package with your current provider. The reality, in most circumstances, is nowhere near these speeds (nearer 30-50mb). Wildanet’ entry level package for comparison is 200mb download and 75mb upload. They also offer 500mb and 900mb packages! These figures are guaranteed and are not affected by the same problems as ADSL.
Install Questions & Experience
In some instances, your fibre will come from the telegraph pole via a Fibre ‘node’ (see image). In other instances, you will have an access panel at the front of your home where they have dug up and they will tap from there (look for a 10” square black plastic Wildanet plate).
I spent some time with the installers, and I must admit I gave them an awkward one, I also bombarded them with the questions I know you want the answers to. Here is what I found: They will install most places within reason, mine involved over a 30m run around the house and through a nasty new build wall with even nastier modern insulation. No problem. 2 guys both experienced installers. There are limits, however, and the install team will do their best to accommodate. With driveways, I was told that if there is existing conduit underneath your drive, they have permission to use this. Be honest with the sales team when you order. If they can’t do it or you are not happy with the install options, you have the obligatory 14-day cancellation period. Do not, however, cancel your existing service until you have working Fibre.
Fibre in West Cornwall is currently only available via Wildanet, BT or Vodafone, which varies by area. So, you will need to move providers if you wish to upgrade, although there is a time limit of around 2 years on this restriction, after which you should be able to migrate via your existing provider.
We found that their pricing made moving a no brainer, saving us £8 per month and providing a far faster service with all our calls (even to mobiles and some internationals) included as part of the package.
Whether we love or loathe the internet many parts of our lives are now intertwined with it; as we buy newer and more devices, our internet use increases and speed decreases. Most on-demand services for example now stream in 4K, so if you are watching House of The Dragon, the kids are on YouTube and the wife on Temu your internet with ADSL will be crawling.
In Summary
It’s only a matter of time before the entire Copper based system is turned off, this has already started with landlines moving to digital voice, something you may have already experienced. The full switch off has recently been postponed, but it’s on the horizon.
My experience was excellent, although I couldn’t warm to the door-to-door sales guy as I used to do that job, they say the worst person to sell to is a salesman! The follow up from their sales office was far more informative and twisted my, rather awkward arm, to make the upgrade. They really knew their stuff.
Don’t forget that we at iT-ology can work wonders with your wi-fi once you have FTTP installed, from whole home MESH systems to Outdoor access, it’s what we do!