Broadband Limits

DamoVOTF

I am trying to get broadband installed at home (in Northern Ireland) but where I live is out in the country (approx 8km or so from the nearest exchange).

My problem is this, for the past 2 years BT have come out at least twice a year and tested either my line or my neighbours line, and everytime they say they cant get a signal.

So I recently checked again, and the BT website says you can get 512k, and I thought brilliant better than dial up. Go ahead and order it fully expect it not to work again.

The reason I even bothered checking is that we have had a number of new houses built within 50 meters or so off my current home. BT decided to add a new line to these houses. They currently have broadband running (@ 512k) no problems.

So my house and my neighbours, who all run off the old line cant get broadband but these people with the new line can get broadband.

So once I recieved the stuff I set up the router again and waited for the line to be activated, it does and the router doesnt register any signal (not even the usual flashing green light). So we call and send for a BT engineer, who does some tests *. He tells my brother that he needs to come back the next day and test the outside line.

He performs these tests and then tells my brother he will ring back during this week after he checks if there is another line he can route it through from the exchange but he is doubtful. (Not sure what this actually means).

My question after all this typing is, could it be the case of a poor telephone line not carrying the signal? If so what can I say to BT that I can get them to change it.

The line itself is 40 years old or so according to my parents. And is crap even for phone calls, I find it distorts often and gets all sorts of weird ****, like hearing other conversations.

* I have not been at home for the engineer to come, unfortunately. And so all conversations with the engineer are through my brother or parents. Who wouldnt be the most technical of people, but fairly able to repeat what was said to them.

CyberGhost

Good luck making them change your whole line!

If you know one of your neighbors with BB well, you could ask them to share it with you, and you'd pay for the half of it.

You'd just need buy a router and stretch a cable over to your house.

DamoVOTF

They only moved in a while back and I barely know them, so I think drilling holes and running wires around their house wouldnt go down a treat.

Besides we are not the only house on the 'old line' who want broadband, there are about 3 others.