Yes I mostly use wifi now… but still use Ethernet for my NDX2… but my servers are all wifi connected…. As I am only using simple layer 2 connectivity at home.
It works for me. Apart from my NDX2 and XBox (and a few specific other things) everything is wifi… and I connect most of my wifi meshed APs via Ethernet to my PoE switches… with the Ethernet cable increasingly being trunked in my walls for my wifi.
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Perhaps might be useful to think of the technology a bit more holistically ie end to end. I may be wrong here but I believe that many of the 5g masts being erected depend on fibre for backhaul. This in some way is due to the very limited range of 5g, 300 metres with no walls as opposed to around 60 km for a fibre before a boost is required. Yes some 5g masts use microwave for backhaul but my understanding is that this is limited. I also think that whilst fibre is expensive to install once it is in it is cheaper to operate. It also has a greater capacity per link.
Either way it is still better than older copper twisted pair.
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See my post above… it, GPON fibre is, not so much more expensive if at all compared to twisted pair now… deployment techniques and costs have massively come down… and fibre is cheaper than copper. As such unfortunately twisted pair is prone to theft… I am not aware of a fibre cable being stolen for its raw materials.
But it is worth remembering when we say ‘fibre’ it is a hugely generalised term… a bit like saying ‘metal wires’. There are many different types and variants with different considerations and costs depending on what they are doing and how they are to be used.
For broadband delivery one typically uses PON. In the UK we mostly currently use GPON… (but it’s worth remembering that GPON is shared/contended)
300m range with 5G? Surely it’s more than that?
It is more than that… 5G is a collection of RF spectra … and generally lower frequencies travel further than higher in a general distribution sense. (more refraction and building penetration).
I would multiply that figure by 10 to 20 for much of 5G… but yes perhaps some of the very high microwave frequencies (mmWave) could be more limited for those that are using them for specific use cases such as ultra low latency and ultra high bandwidth. I think you’ll be fine with your 5G mobile phone however 
I understand that the 5G mid band frequencies are generally considered appropriate for future broadband distribution in urban / suburban environments,
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Yes I would have thought
@QuickSticks still think you should’ve considered Starlink just checked it availability in the UK and you should be able to get it.
It’s been a life saver in rural areas here.
Hmmm. Just checked online. Star-link requires a £75 monthly subscription fee plus an additional £300 ‘hardware’ cost for a satellite dish and router. On top of that, there’s a £40 shipping fee.
If you can get a signal (do a quick pre-check with a phone with a Three SIM, near an upstairs window), then Three 4G in the UK is rather cheaper. It’s free for three months, then £20 a month. The hardware is free. If you do need an external antenna (we don’t) then I recommend the Bluespot for £115 which my neighbour uses successfully. It looks a bit like a Squarial, if anyone remembers those.
Yes all that’s true but if you’re struggling to get any reliable service it could possibly be an option. All of my farmer friends who are out of town swear by it. Anyway it’s just a thought.
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Indeed Starlink is an option, but it does appear to suffer from the same thing as many of the Satellite broadband services, high contention and slow downs at times of the day … but if it is one of your only options.
From looking at it you pay a slight premium for its low latency due to use of low orbit satellite clusters compared to other Satellite services using geostationary orbit satellite clusters.
I don’t have as we have reliable cable so I can’t tell you how well it performs but the people I know that have don’t seem to have many issues. Also it’s their only option as they don’t even have reliable mobile phone coverage.
sure - absolutely - although there are several other UK satellite broadband options as well which do offer very much lower prices… they only key advantage of Starlink is its relatively lower latency for Satellite because of its low orbit network.
I don’t have any knowledge of what’s available in the UK, my suggestion was based on what I now is available.
There are a few providers if you search Google. Konnect is an example of a fairly popular satellite service provider for UK rural broadband - and they can be a lot cheaper than Starlink for when your demands might be less
Horses for courses
On the basis of that price and the current Starlink waiting list, you’d have to conclude that the US is full of rich gamers who live in the middle of nowhere.
It was Konnect that I tried, but gave up on.
Out of interest, which band width/contention plan?
Hmm - can’t remember. Latency was to be between 600 and 700 milliseconds. I think I chose the Konnect Easy service, which I think was about 20 or 25 Mbps.
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Just had a call from the engineer who’s coming to install my new 4G broadband solution.
Wasn’t expecting him until Friday so very excited now😁
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Excellent.
The usual concerns from the 4G/5G unconverted are poor latency and slower speeds at busy times. I don’t have either - but would be interested in your experience. Plus whether you notice any difference in sound quality.