Can a laptop access the internet by a wired connection to a phone socket?

[giomach]

Hi, I'm helping a resident of a care home to connect her Windows laptop to the wifi, but the wifi in the building is constantly breaking down, so I'm looking for an alternative.

Could she make an ethernet connection from her computer to her phone socket?  I've got a BT Home Hub 5 which became obsolete when I got switched to fibre broadband.  Before the switch, when my connection to BT was copper wire, this hub used to be connected to a phone extension socket on the wall, and to the ethernet port on my laptop, and this was how I got broadband for years.  Could the same thing work for her?

I tried to test the theory in my own house, connecting the hub to an extension phone socket, but sadly it didn't work. The hub showed blue briefly, as hoped, but soon turned to flashing red.  Why is this setup not working now, given that it worked when I was getting my broadband by copper wire?  Has the switch to fibre broadband made a difference to this?

Any thoughts on whether this method is feasible, or on any alternatives, would be welcome.

[licquorice]

No, that is not going to work.

Not wishing to be rude, but with your level of understanding of networking, you are not in a position to provide any alternative method of connection. Neither I would suspect would it be feasible to provide an Ethernet connection by anyone with the necessary expertise in any case in that environment.

Your only hope is to get the care home to improve their WiFi coverage.

[iniltous]

If this phone socket is simply a part of the care homes  internal phone system, used to contact ‘reception’ or used in similar way to a hotel , where you can get an ‘outside line’ by dialing 9 for example, and then make external calls that appear on your room bill , then it’s of no use ….

if it’s a socket connected directly (not via a switchboard) to the Openreach external network and the care home allow it , then that room may be able to order its own broadband like any regular address , but I suspect that’s not  what you mean , you are not asking about that person getting their own broadband service and giving up on the care homes unreliable WiFi  , you presumably mean trying to making the care home broadband better in that particular room , and that’s not  doable.

[chrisjp]

"I tried to test the theory in my own house, connecting the hub to an extension phone socket, but sadly it didn't work. The hub showed blue briefly, as hoped, but soon turned to flashing red. Why is this setup not working now, given that it worked when I was getting my broadband by copper wire? Has the switch to fibre broadband made a difference to this?"

The answer to this is yes, of course it has. When you were switched to full Fibre to the Premises your old copper phone/broadband line would have been disconnected at the exchange, so is no longer operable.

[giomach]

Thanks to everyone who responded.

"When you were switched to full Fibre to the Premises your old copper phone/broadband line would have been disconnected at the exchange, so is no longer operable."

Actually, we made sure that our old wall phone sockets would still be operational under the fibre connection, and so they are, but clearly the broadband doesn't reach them. I suppose it is filtered out by our Smart Hub 2.

"Your only hope is to get the care home to improve their WiFi coverage."

Probably so, but first I have to convince them there is a problem.  Up to now, they just say that all the resident has to do to go online is to get out and go looking for a particular member of staff, who is unlikely to be available, and who can magically do a temporary fix.  Not much good if the intention is to watch a live event such as a religious service.  By the way, the resident is over 90.

"if it’s a socket connected directly (not via a switchboard) to the Openreach external network and the care home allow it , then that room may be able to order its own broadband like any regular address"

Thanks for that clarification.  I need to look into that. All possibilities can be considered but I wouldn't want the resident to have to pay for her own broadband.

I'm reading up about range extenders, mesh systems, wired ethernet connections, mirroring the web from a smart phone to a TV, etc.  Cost is a big factor of course.  The care home should be doing all this themselves, but I'm not going to let them sit back and just deny there is a problem.

[WSH]

"Actually, we made sure that our old wall phone sockets would still be operational under the fibre connection, and so they are, but clearly the broadband doesn't reach them. I suppose it is filtered out by our Smart Hub 2."

I think you've missed the point.  Even if the line is still connected*, you can't just connect to the internet.  You need to have a broadband account with an ISP and a connection to their equipment at the exchange.

*If you have just been changed to full fibre, I would not read too much into the line still appearing connected.  It will be for a few weeks, until they get round to disconnecting it.

[licquorice]

@giomach sorry, but you are entirely missing how these things work.

[giomach]

The situation in our own house is settled and I don't want it to take over the thread, the issue here is the wifi situation in the care home.  But for the record, our domestic copper connection is long gone, and the wall phone sockets are now connected to fibre via the Smart Hub 2.  See the old thread here in which several of you participated most helpfully.  And yes, we have a broadband account with BT, we had it before the change to fibre and we still have it. 

[WSH]

OK, I'm completely confused now.  I thought you were the one that brought up the idea about plugging the laptop into a phone socket and the internet would then appear by magic?  Perhaps I've misread your original post.

[licquorice]

Comparing you home arrangement with the care home arrangement is totally irrelevant. They are completely different.

You can't just connect a router to a random phone socket and expect it to work.