Back to basics questions

[#1]

Hello, Modem is in the study and comes directly  from its own master socket. Telly is about 35 feet away. Download rate varies from about 3.5 Mbps to about 5.5 Mbps. This fine for my laptop, Netflix etc - but gets a bit tedious for Fire-stick and catch-up, when it buffers quite a bit. Would fibre solve the issue please? Will moving the modem nearer the telly on a longer cable help?. Any other ideas please will be welcome  Plain English will help as in the timeline of my life computers are a recent invention.

[#2]

First put your telephone number in here, this will tell you if fibre is available and if so how fast it will be: https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/

Yes if you move your router closer you may get a more reliable wireless. You are a fair way away and at the speed you are getting I'm not surprised that the Firestick is buffering.

There are many ways of improving wireless performance but if you can get Fibre at a faster speed then I would advise that you go for it. You will also get a new router which will have better wireless capability than the standard ADSL offering. If this is not an option then come back here and more help with improving that which you have will be forthcoming.

[#3]

Thank you for your help. It seems Fibre is an option, therefore that may be the way forward. Onward and upwards. Cheers!

[#4]

Hi there.

I'd agree that fibre may be the way forward as with speeds of around 5mbps you may struggle to stream, especially HD content.

Then again it may be the wireless signal from your router which isn't doing well.

Is your TV plugged into your router using an ethernet cable or connecting over WiFi?

If it's using WiFi, what speeds do you see on your laptop when you're near your TV?

Also, I wouldn't recommend using an extension cable between your phone socket and your modem, as this may cause connection problems. Using a long ethernet cable between your modem and your TV may be better.

Hope this helps. -Anoush

[#5]

Thanks Anoush, I will steer clear of an extension cable and a direct Ethernet cable would be a bit of a trail in this case. So I guess it's Fibre. What will the disruption and timescales be like on the switch over please or is it fairly painless? Cheers.

[#6]

It should be painless with perhaps a few hours break. Timescales will depend on Openreach engineer availability in your area.