This topic

FTTP upgrade

MrT7 — Sat, 17 May 2025 16:09:31 GMT

Hi, am going for 70Mbps FTTC to 900Mbps FTTP. At the moment my hub is in an upstairs room and I have two PCs wired direct. WiFi has always seemed pretty solid throughout the house. With FTTP I think the router is going to have to be positioned downstairs and and the two PCs upstairs will have to be connected either by WiFi or homeplug / power lines (at the moment the TV etc are all connected by homeplug to the router upstairs and work fine).

What I'm wondering is whether speed will be better on the PCs upstairs even though connected by WiFi than they currently are wired, given the faster connection with FTTP and assuming solid WiFi connection etc?

Thanks!

Re: FTTP upgrade

MrT7 — Sat, 17 May 2025 16:12:17 GMT

In summary I suppose I'm asking if WiFi on a 900Mbps FTTP broadband will be better (speed terms) thanks wired on 70Mbps connection. Seems like it should be assuming no problems with WiFi?

Or should I just stick with FTTC.

Re: FTTP upgrade

licquorice — Sat, 17 May 2025 17:32:55 GMT

WiFi speed is totally independent of line speed. They are 2 totally separate links in a chain. Overall speed will depend on the slowest link in the chain.

Re: FTTP upgrade

gg30340 — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:10:27 GMT

Have you found a deficiently in the speeds/through put that you are presently getting. ie the devices connected are not performing as I would expect or like or if they are doing everything you would want why bother "upgrading" and no doubt paying for something you don't actually need other than for bragging rights.

Re: FTTP upgrade

MrT7 — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:12:40 GMT

No what I have has always been perfect. But out of contact now and FTTP at these new speeds is cheaper than what I'm paying now.

Re: FTTP upgrade

gg30340 — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:28:09 GMT

You will obviously notice a better speed/through put on a wired 900Mbps connection compared to a wired 70Mbps connection.

It is impossible to say if you will notice any difference on a wifi connection as there are many variables where wifi is concerned.

If it is only cost that you are considering then the move can only be up to you to decide but having said that I doubt you will be worse of as regards wired or wireless speeds/through put than you presently have..

Re: FTTP upgrade

NigelB72 — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:39:32 GMT

You'll get as fast as your devices network cards can handle dependant on the usual stuff that inhibits WiFi speeds.

I've got a PS5 on WiFi happily sitting at 300+Mbps on 500mbps connection

Re: FTTP upgrade

WSH — Sat, 17 May 2025 18:45:43 GMT

Bite the bullet and put proper wires in, mate. You won't regret it.

Re: FTTP upgrade

MrT7 — Sat, 17 May 2025 19:11:12 GMT

Thanks all, I think what I'm asking is if I'll get better performance from WiFi on a 900Mpgs FTTP than wired on FTTC at 70Mbps on FTTC. Think the consensus is yes! Sorry probably obvious.

Re: FTTP upgrade

licquorice — Sat, 17 May 2025 19:19:21 GMT

Err, no. It totally depends on your current WiFi speed.

You appear not to understand the concept that your WiFi speed is not related to your broadband speed.

If you WiFi speed is, say, 50Mbps from your router to your device, it doesn't matter what speed your broadband is your throughput speed will only be 50Mbps.

It is only if your broadband speed is the limiting factor rather than WiFi speed will you see an improvement.

Re: FTTP upgrade

MrT7 — Sat, 17 May 2025 19:42:28 GMT

No I get that WiFi speed is different to broadband speed. But are you saying that the speed I get now on WiFi on a BT 70MBps FTTC with a BT Hub 2 will be the same as if I got a FTTP 900MBps with package? That's not what I've seen from those who've done tha

Re: FTTP upgrade

licquorice — Sat, 17 May 2025 20:12:53 GMT

You need to know what your actual WiFi speed is currently to know if you would see an increase in speed.

Look at what speed your network adapter is connecting at.

For example, my laptop currently adjacent to the hub is connecting at 866Mbps but as my broadband speed is only 40Mbps that is my throughput speed.

If I move further away the wifi speed will drop to below my broadband speed which will then become the governing factor rather than broadband speed.

Re: FTTP upgrade

MrT7 — Sat, 17 May 2025 20:20:25 GMT

At the moment I'm getting 70Mbps same as wired through ethernet

Re: FTTP upgrade

licquorice — Sat, 17 May 2025 20:28:58 GMT

Is that the speed shown by your network adapter?

Go to Settings > Network and Internet > Advanced Network settings > Wifi

If the speed shown there is greater than 70Mbps you will see an improvement by moving to FTTP.

Re: FTTP upgrade

NigelB72 — Sat, 17 May 2025 20:38:30 GMT

As I said, you'll get as fast as your network adapter in the device can handle. If it's on 100mbps, you'll only get up to 100mbps. If it's a gigabit adapter, you'll get up to 1000mbps but you have to take into consideration WiFi interference, distance etc etc...

The main difference is that you'll be able to have multiple devices using the available bandwidth without slowdown.

We used to have 120mbps on gfast which in the real world was fast enough until we moved our TV to a streaming based platform. All of a sudden, if I was streaming UHD, while my wife was watching HD upstairs while using her phone and I was downloading something on PS5, we ran out of available bandwidth... With 500mbps, that is no longer an issue.

Re: FTTP upgrade

WSH — Sat, 17 May 2025 21:19:03 GMT

This is one of those questions like ‘if I put better tyres on the car will it go faster?’

Say you are using Wi-Fi 5, (802.11ac). The download speed is 433Mb/s. That’s set by the 802.11ac standard.

My broadband currently is 70Mb/s. My wireless connection is still 433Mb/s but as the data is only being fed to it at 70Mb/s, 70Mb/s is the best it can deliver the data to my laptop.

I upgrade my broadband to 900Mb/s. My wireless connection is still 433Mb/s but now data arrives at my laptop at 433Mb/s as that is the best the wireless can do.

That’s still an over simplification, as there are a lot of other variable factors I’ve glossed over but it should be enough for you to get the idea. Data delivery can only be as fast as the slowest part.

(In a past life I was an industrial chemist. Any reaction is only as fast as the slowest step in the mechanism, the “rate determining step”, or RDS, as it is known. This is similar).

Edit: You may have thought I was taking the Micky when I said put proper wires in. Nope. Wireless and powerline have always been pants, always will be. If you want a network that can properly handle 900Mb/s put proper ethernet cabling in.

Re: FTTP upgrade

Zaxafreon — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:12:23 GMT

EDIT: having read a different post that referred to checking your adaptor details - i noted thisI understand that this is all true - broadband speed nothing to do with WI-FI . So I would like some thoughts on what is behind a phenomena that I have just observed. I was recently (till April) on FFTP 900 Mbps - with router downstairs in living room. My main PC (for working and games) is in an upstairs bedroom diagonally opposite the router but a floor up (its about 3 years old Ryzen 3700X). I have always had (in my view) excellent WI-FI speed routinely experiencing around 220 - 500 Mbps (using Fast.com website) which considering the various times of day, varying numbers of connecting devices, weather /environment etc was great.

I have recently moved to 1.3 Gbps FFTP (which includes WI-FI7) and although Ihaven't yet managed to obtain as big a data set of measurements (particularly over different times of day) to understand the range and variability but my 10 most recent speed checks are showing (again using Fast.com on my wif-fi connected PC) 0.98 - 1.2 Gbps.

I dont understand how this can be - since if the PC components were capable of such speed surely they would have shown closer to the 900 Mbps of the incoming speed ?

I dont believe in magic - but this has confused me!

EDIT: see attached image showing my adaptor settings - assume this explains to a degree what I have experienced - though still surprised that didnt previously see speeds as high as 700-800 Mbps

Re: FTTP upgrade

licquorice — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:12:11 GMT

If you have 1.3Gb FTTP you are not a BT customer as BT don't offer 1.3Gb.

You need to post on the relevant ISP forum (presumably EE)

Re: FTTP upgrade

WSH — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:20:45 GMT

Wi-Fi7...different Wi-Fi standard, different speeds.

Re: FTTP upgrade

Crimliar — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:25:39 GMT

Actually... My neighbour signed up to an EE WiFi 7 trial and is on 1.3Gbps (I thought she was on 1.6Gbps but speaking to her recently found out it is 1.3Gbps). Ever since she did this, I've had 1.3Gbps on my supposed 900/100 FTTP.

*Obviously, you need the right ONT, and router with a 2.5Gbps WAN port...