This comment, or a variation of it, is a frequent one and I must admit I was sceptical about the effect of an extension lead myself until I started doing broadband troubleshooting.
One of the most common causes of failure of broadband services is internal wiring which is why TalkTalk ask members to test in their test socket. If an engineer is sent out and the fault is internal wiring then there can be a substantial charge which has to be passed on.
Enough of the background, lets look at a real world example that was dealt with on these forums as it shows the dramatic improvement that can be gained by removing something as simple as a telephone extension lead.
A TalkTalk member was unlucky enough to be experiencing disconnections and slow speeds intermittently and posted a request for help. It was quickly established that he was connected via a telephone extension lead as the master socket was in an inconvenient place. As part of the standard trouble shooting we asked him to do a quick test with the modem plugged directly into the master socket and these were the results before and after.
I have included all the information for the more techie amongst us but highlighted the two most important figures which are the up and down broadband speeds.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
|
Channel Mode Interleaved |
Channel Mode Interleaved Downstream Channel Bit Swap Enable Upstream Channel Bit Swap Enable Trellis Mode Enable Standard in Port Training G992.1-Annex A Downstream Channel Rate 6208 Kbps Downstream Max Attainable Rate 6936 Kbps Downstream Channel SNR Margin 14.5 dB Downstream Interleaved Channel Delay ms Downstream Channel Attenuation 22.5 dB Downstream Total Output Power 19.1 dBm Upstream Channel Rate 448 Kbps Upstream Max Attainable Rate 908 Kbps Upstream Channel SNR Margin 24.0 dB Upstream Interleaved Channel Delay ms Upstream Channel Attenuation 12.0 dB Upstream Total Output Power 11.9 dBm |
By simply removing the extension lead the customer achieved 3 times the broadband speed for downloads and seven times the speed for upload. A huge increase which left them more than happy. Their connection also became stable.
There are a few options available if you want to scrap your telephone extension lead.
If you were happy with the telephone extension lead running to your PC then try this cheap alternative configuration. Remove your extension lead and plug the modem directly into the telephone socket. Then purchase a longer network cable and run that to your PC.
Anther option is to use a wireless router such as the TalkTalk Echolife HG520s and plug the router directly into your telephone socket. Use wireless on your laptop to connect to the router.
Yet another option is to plug your router into the test socket and run the network through the mains ring in your house using a special "HomePlug". See our article Homeplug Networking - 240V Broadband
It is possible to discretely mount most routers on the market. The two TalkTalk routers, Echolife HG520s and SmartAX MT882, both have the ability to be hung vertically and discretely with it only protruding about the same distance as your telephone socket.
If you are an experienced DIY person then two screws, after checking for gas lines, mains and water pipes will allow you to hang it.
If you are not confident at DIY then you can make a simple harness to hold the modem using two strips of adhesive backed Velcro tape which will allow you to stick the modem to the wall "invisibly" and remove it when you want. Try and mount the sticky velcro on the cooler parts of the modem or the heat could make the glue less sticky.
You can also tidy the cables up with some self adhesive metal cable clips to hold the cables close to the wall. Remember, cables always look neater if they always travel horizontally and vertically. Try and avoid going diagonally where possible.
Power can be provided using a simple one socket extension lead clipped to the wall using the same metal clips. Any extra cable can be help together using a simple nylon cable tie for neatness but a common mistake is to pull them really tight which can damage the cable so remember to leave it slightly loose.
Please note that this Web site and the associated forums are currently in the beta stage of pre-launch.
Feel free to use the site, however, be aware that we may remove any data or functionality between now and go live.
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