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Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?

rgh
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: ‎06-04-2013

Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?

Hi All,
I have a domestic FTTC connection. Could anyone tell me how my neighbours activity impacts on me? Will my speed slow if they all start watching online videos?
I'm guessing that there is a single fibre from the exchange to the street cabinet, then some device, then individual copper to each house. So, I'd be sharing the bandwidth of the fibre, but not the copper. Is it only other Plusnet customers I'd be sharing bandwidth with or customers of other ISPs as well?
Richard
5 REPLIES 5
x47c
Grafter
Posts: 881
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎14-08-2009

Re: Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?


'tis an interesting question.
Actually the bit that you should be worried about is not the fibre cabinet or the capacity of the fibre link back to the exchange etc.....but the copper bit between the fibre cabinet and your house.
As regards the fibre to the exchange, yes,  you will be sharing the fibre bandwidth will all the others on that cabinet - could indeed be from lots of other ISP's.....but I wouldn't worry yourself about the fibre link capacity!
But as regard the cable to your house.......
This cable will be a multi-core cable carrying all your neighbours on the road phone lines.
Your and possibly some nearby neighbours line will be split out at a conviently located junction box en-route, as will other groups of houses further up the road at other JB's.
Now FTTC uses some very high frequencies to transmit the broadband, and at these high frequencies the problem of copper cable "cross talk" rears it head.
This is the influence on your signal/cable pair in the cable bundle from the signal in adjacent line pairs within the bundle - and vici-versa of course.
It does not matter that there is no physical connection between the cable pairs  - think of it as radio interference being generated by your line pair radiating out and interfereing with all the adjacent line pairs signals running in the cable bundle of perhaps 100 lines.
This does not really appear on conventional ADSL to any degree(due to the lower frequencies used) that can be measured quantativily in practice - but it does significantly on FTTC.
So,
Yes, if you are the first one on a FTTC cabinet to be connected you will get mega speeds.
I would fully expect as more and more customers are connected to the FTTC service on your cabinet that the speeds you will get will decrease.
Whether they are doing anything on the broadband or not will not matter so long as it is connected and running.  The signal runs with dummy data in it at full speed regardless if you are not actually using the internet.
So the sync' speed will drop on your FTTC link as it detects this interference (ie noise) disrupting the signal...and with it your download speeds.
This is possibly why there are no definitive speed vs distance from cabinet graphs available unlike for ADSL where there are.......'cos it all depends on lots of variables on FTTC.
deadkenny
Rising Star
Posts: 257
Thanks: 2
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎13-09-2007

Re: Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?

Think of it this way... at least you're not on Virgin as you would have a shared loop of coax round your neighbour's houses, and god help you if any of them are unterminated! (I speak from experience, so much that I ended quitting, although that was back in NTL days but as I understand it's still the same hybrid fibre-coax).
Anyway, from experience of FTTC so far, I wouldn't worry. My speed is blazing at 76Mbps (just about the actual throughput I can get! I'm connected at 77) and I'm not noticing any slowdowns for streaming or big downloads even at peak time, at least nothing that I'd attribute to the PN / BT connection. Every time I do a speed test I get pretty much the same result, off peak or peak. Though I'm on unlimited pack.
Most the neighbours here are either on cable or likely haven't gone fibre so will be slogging away at slow pace. I assume their link is direct copper to the exchange too. It certainly seems since going FTTC that I'm on an entirely different connection. Far more stable and noise free. The guy did have to fiddle with the box down the road to hook it up.
tijara33
Pro
Posts: 1,360
Thanks: 50
Fixes: 6
Registered: ‎22-06-2012

Re: Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?

I converted to fibre in October as soon as it became available on my exchange. I'm over 500 metres from the cabinet so was very surprised, & happy, with a download of 42-45. Since then my neighbours on both sides have converted & the fibre circuits (244) on my cabinet are nearly full!
My speeds are still excellent so you've no need to worry.
rgh
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: ‎06-04-2013

Re: Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?

Thanks to all for your comments.
As you can see, right now my speed is high.  I think I'm about 200m from the cabinet.

Looking at the various maps showing speed tests in the neighbouring streets, mine seems to be the highest. I thought this might be simply because I'm the first FTTC customer to be connected to that particular street cabinet & was wondering to what extent my speed will drop as other customers connect.

Richard
NorthEasterner
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 1,873
Thanks: 64
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎25-09-2012

Re: Share FTTC bandwidth with neighbours?

Quote
Looking at the various maps showing speed tests in the neighbouring streets, mine seems to be the highest. I thought this might be simply because I'm the first FTTC customer to be connected to that particular street cabinet & was wondering to what extent my speed will drop as other customers connect.

It is dependant on what package they have or you have.
My neighbour is on Standard BT infinity of unlimited 40/10 and she only gets 30mbits.  I told her to switch to PN but her relative (who works for BT) got her line rental for free.
Ex Plusnet Fibre customer. Sky Ultrafast (G.Fast) Customer using a Sky Hub 4.2. If you wish to say thanks, please click the thumbs up Thumbs_Up