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wireless versus wired

laurencewithau
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎14-11-2012

wireless versus wired

Hi. I have plusnet wireless broadband.Does anyone know whether I can improve speed by changing to wired broadband?
This could be done, I suppose, by using the same router and connecting it to the pc via ethernet cable.
Would I have to go through the set-up process again?
Also, I would have to use a longer adsl cable from telephone master socket to router. Perhaps 7 metres long. Is there any reason why that would be a bad idea? In other words, does the length of adsl cable matter?
That's three questions. I'd  be grateful for help with them.
Thanks,
Laurencewithau
11 REPLIES 11
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: wireless versus wired

Yes the length of ADSL cable is very significant if it's not twisted pair screened cable (link to follow).
Wired is always better than wireless. You would only have to check that you PC sets up a new LAN connection.
Edit: You need one of the Pro cables probably this from what you've said.
Order value up to £18 Delivery £1.30 (£1.56 inc VAT). They are a reputable company whose products are of good quality.
Rich
Grafter
Posts: 184
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: wireless versus wired

Quote from: laurencewithau
Would I have to go through the set-up process again?

You shouldn't need to - just plug the Ethernet cable in and it should work.
Quote from: laurencewithau
Also, I would have to use a longer adsl cable from telephone master socket to router. Perhaps 7 metres long. Is there any reason why that would be a bad idea?  In other words, does the length of adsl cable matter?

Why would you need a longer ADSL cable?  That could degrade the signal, but at that length it should be OK if decent quality.
However, it is always preferable to use a longer Ethernet cable, and leave the router where it is if possible.  Ethernet shouldn't degrade at up to 100 meters.
Richard


Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
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Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: wireless versus wired

A quality ADSL cable that is twisted pair screened is quite good enough. Alternatively install an extension socket using CW1308 cable connecting only terminals 2&5 if you have an NTE5a master.
Edit: A lot of people prefer to have their modem/router where they can see what the lights are indicating when needed.
ejs
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 5,442
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Registered: ‎10-06-2010

Re: wireless versus wired

Quote from: laurencewithau
Hi. I have plusnet wireless broadband.Does anyone know whether I can improve speed by changing to wired broadband?

How fast is your broadband? If it's slow because you live a long distance away from the telephone exchange, then the difference between a wireless and a wired connection between your computer and the router will be insignificant.
laurencewithau
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎14-11-2012

Re: wireless versus wired

Thanks anotherone, ejs and rich. That makes it clearer.
As for why I need a longer adsl cable, it's because I'll be moving the router and master socket into the same room as the pc.
Instead of a longer adsl cable, could I extend the 2-wire bt telephone line into the pc room?
What I'm asking is this: The 2-wire bt line enters the house at a particular point. It comes through the wall and into a socket on the wall, then along to the master socket in the living room.The 2-wire line from the wall socket to the master socket in the living room is not long enough to stretch form the wall socket to the room with the pc. could I replace that line with a longer one so that it will reach the room with the pc and then be connected to the master socket? using face plates and built-in filters and so on, and a short length of ethernet cable,and the existing adsl cable i 'll then have it all in the same room. Also, I might even see an improvement in broadband speed.
Thanks again for all your help 
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
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Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: wireless versus wired

I'm not clear if you are using the correct terminology for describing your sockets. The 'socket' that the incoming BT cable goes to, do you mean socket or is it a Connector box in other words can you plug anything into it? If you can, it should be a Master - it could be an LJU type look here. Does this first socket look like the LH one or the middle one. Does the 'master' socket in the living room look like any of the three?
If none of your sockets look like the one on the LHS (or RHS) with a removable lower part of the faceplate, then you are not legally supposed to connect any fixed wiring to them, only plug-in. You aren't supposed to move a BT Master socket. But of the first box is a connection box, then ....
To provide a hard wired extension socket to the correct standard that won't degrade you broadband you need to use CW1308 cable, 2nd item from the bottom of the page with the Pro-cables I linked to earlier. You'll need a Disposable Plastic IDC tool from their Tools page, 3.5mm cable clips and a filtered extension socket unless your NTE5a Master is where your modem/router is then you could use a filtered plate. BUT your existing internal wiring needs to be to that standard as well (unless you completely rewire). The colour of the wires should be Blue+white trace and White+blue trace on terminals 2 & 5. No other terminals should be connected.
Please confirm exactly what you have.
laurencewithau
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎14-11-2012

Re: wireless versus wired

Hi, Anotherone. Thanks very much for all your help.
The incoming BT cable enters the property via a connector box on the wall. the faceplate has no socket and the 2-wire cable is fixed inside the box with screws. The cable coming from the box is presumably the same 2-wire cable. I say that not because i've examined it but because  it runs along to an NTE5 master socket in the living room and I've read that the master socket is where 2-wire BT cable and ordinary extension cable meet.
that extension cable runs from the master socket to an ordinary telephone socket with a telephone/ adsl adaper plugged in.A telephone cable then runs to the telephone, the only one installed, and the adsl cable runs from the adapter to the router, which is plugged in to the mains via a wall socket..The router sends a signal to the pc in the dining room.
The idea is to move it all into the dining room and to use a filtered faceplate on the front of the master socket, with the adsl cable plugged directly into this, and a short Ethernet cable between router and pc.
Why do I want to plug the adsl cable directly into the master socket via the faceplate? Because it said on ebay or wherever I bought the faceplate online from that if the filter connects directly to the 2-wire BT cable, rather than to an ordinary telephone extension cable, which is what happens with microfilters plugged into extension sockets, then you get faster broadband.
When you say I need CW1308 cable, is that the same as the 2-wire BT cable?If so, then that's what i want. I want to run a 2-wire cable from the connector box in the hall to the dining room. it will terminate in an NTE5 master socket with filtered faceplate attached. The adsl cable will connect faceplate to router. the telephone cable will plug into the faceplate. It seems from what you've said that if I follow your instructions there's no reason why it should not work. Even if the broadband speed does not improve from the present 5 or 6 mbs, all the equipment will be tidily installed in the same room.
Thanks again, and I 'd be very interested in any comments you may have.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
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Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: wireless versus wired

OK. you are not allowed to move the NTE5a Master socket, but you are allowed to connect extension wiring to the removable front plate, for which you need an IDC tool, a disposable one will suffice (I'll drop you a PM).
First of all you need to check the standard of wiring already there. Firstly, look under the plate of this first 'Connection box'. You should see the BT incoming cable which may have a black sheath with an Orange wire and a White wire joined to CW1308 cable possibly with "jelly crimps" (both is what Openreach use) going to your NTE5a in the living room, these wires should be Blue+_white trace & White+blue trace. You should not and must not tamper with these if that is the case - please confirm what the connection is. The extension cable to the ordinary telephone socket should be the same CW1308, but you haven't said whether this is plugged into the master or "hard-wired" to the back of the removable front plate of the NTE5a.
So if I've understood you correctly, you have bought a filtered faceplate off eBay., that replaces the normal NTE5a removeable plate? If not, then don't, if you have, can you tell me what make and model number this plate is? Now what you read on eBay is only true if the wrong standard of wiring is used to feed extensions or plain flat plug-in extension phone leads are used for the ADSL. If all sockets are wired with CW1308 with only terminals 2&5 connected, that is fine and gives as good a performance as long as a decent quality filter is used (that can also be said of a filtered faceplate!).
When you've told me a bit more about this wiring and answered the queries, I can suggest the best solution. Also tell me, is the Dining room nearer first  "Connection box" or the NTE5a or the Extension socket (from a wiring point of view)?
laurencewithau
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎14-11-2012

Re: wireless versus wired

Hi anotherone. Thanks again for your reply and the information you gave. I'm afraid I made a mistake in previous posts.The BT incoming cable does not terminate in a connector box, another cable then running from it. In fact, there is only the one cable right through to the master socket in the living room. The box in the wall in the hall is just a steel box covered recessed into the wall and with a blank faceplate. The BT cable entering the box just carries on, exiting the box and then making its way to the master socket.The faceplate says 'GPO', so I'd guess that it and the cable are very old.That cable, inside the master socket, turns out to be 6 wired with two wires connected, these being orange with white and white with orange. The extension cable is plugged into the socket. The filtered faceplate I replaced the bottom panel of the master socket with has nothing on it to say what make or model it could be. I'll try to find some paperwork.
Thanks again for all your help. sorry again for misleading you about the box on the wall in the hall.
Laurencewithau
laurencewithau
Dabbler
Posts: 11
Registered: ‎14-11-2012

Re: wireless versus wired

Hi Anotherone and the other respondents who have given me information and advice..
Thanks very much for your messages and for the forum posts.
Following instructions, I now have the router and the pc in the same room, and I have made some other changes.
Previously, the ADSL cable to the router was plugged into a telephone extension socket via an ADSL filter. Going by what I was told in this thread and elsewhere, when I moved the router and pc I was able to plug the ADSL cable directly into the master socket, so that it connected directly to the 2-wire BT cable in that socket.
Perhaps those two changes would  have been enough to increase broadband speed, and perhaps I should have checked the speed at that point. Instead, I unplugged the ADSL cable and removed the bottom half of the master socket front and replaced with an ADSL-filtered faceplate into which I re-connected the ADSL cable.I then found that the broadband speed had increased.
Not content with that, and having read that wired is faster than wireless, other things being equal, I then converted from wireless to wired by connecting a high quality ethernet cable between router and pc and removing the USB wireless receiver from the pc.
I do not know whether this has made any additional difference to the speed., but it all worked straight away without any settings needing to be changed.
I hope that this will help others with similar broadband speed problems.

Anotherone
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Posts: 19,107
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Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: wireless versus wired

Glad everything is working fine for you now.
Just to clarify one point though for anyone reading, there is normally no problem with connection to an extension providing that it is hard wired (not a plug in lead) correctly, (no bell wires) with the correct standard of cable (CW1308) using only terminals 2 & 5 connected to the master socket faceplate and the extension socket, and using a quality filter - not those that are a single solid block that look a bit like a socket splitter.
There should of course be no sub-standard wiring connected if you have further extension sockets for phones, and everything (sky boxes, faxes, phones etc) must be plugged in via a filter, unless all such socket are filtered by a filtered faceplate.
A rat's-tail Microfilter that look like this, or a filtered extension socket, or if your master socket is next to your modem/router a filtered faceplate are equally good solutions.
The only caution, is that if you happen to live in a particularly noisy (RF) environment due to electrical apparatus outside of your control, reducing the total amount of wiring, using a higher standard of cable (possibly screened), additional RF3 filtering on the line and mains filtering may be necessary.