Miasma Community

Internet connection explained or how to get the most out of your connection:

1: The physical connection (home / modem landline).

- The internet enters your home at a single point (FPE or MPOE: First point of Entry).  <--- this is important to know
-- Location: Building basement, utility closet, or exterior wall.
- From there, it goes via a modem to your computer.

Ideally, your modem is located as close as possible to the FPE and directly at this point.
This applies to ADSL or Cable (TV).

Historically, multiple telephones or TVs could be connected in the home.
(So an extra TV or phone in the bedroom is an indication that this is the case in your house.)

These had their own cables running through the house for most this is not in use for TV or Telephone any more but it has an impact on your internet.

The explanation:
Internet enters at the first point and goes looking for the modem.
If the modem is connected to one of the multiple connections in your house, you have "noise" on the cable.
If one of these cables is defective, there is an even greater chance of interference.
Think of damaged Ethernet / TV cable or loose ends.

If this is the case, you will be constantly bothered by this.
The internet signal keeps visiting every cable every time to see if there is a modem (yes even if there is no modem at the end of that cable).
There is no active equipment or protocol preventing this.

So place the modem directly or as close as possible to your home's FPE (and if not in use disconnect every other cable which is going in the home), and run an Ethernet cable from the modem to your PC.


WiFi:
Why is it a disadvantage:

Wi-Fi communication between a device (like your phone) and a router/modem is fundamentally sequential.
Because Wi-Fi uses a shared radio frequency, devices generally cannot transmit upload and download data at the exact same millisecond on the same channel unlike wired internet which is full-Duplex.
This is known as half-duplex communication.

Technical Disadvantages (shameless AI copy)
- Higher Latency (Ping):
Wireless data transfer naturally takes longer to travel between your device and the router, creating an input delay that can put you at a disadvantage in fast-paced games.
- Packet Loss:
Wireless signals can easily drop or become corrupted, forcing your system to re-send data. This results in missing actions, stuttering, or your character "teleporting" around the screen (rubber-banding).
- Signal Interference:
WiFi uses radio waves that are easily disrupted by household appliances (like microwaves), cordless phones, walls, floors, and competing wireless signals from neighbours.
- Bandwidth Competition:
If other people or smart devices on the same wireless network start streaming video or downloading files, your gaming performance will immediately suffer from network congestion.
Distance Degradation:
Connection speeds and stability drop sharply the further away your gaming console or PC is located from the wireless router.

For Hotspot: Connect your Phone with a (USB) cable to your PC use it as modem not as hotspot and when possible place the phone on the best receiving spot in your location.

Please correct me if I'm wrong and any additions are welcome.
Most of this is a known for a lot of players.

Me: atm I got FTTH Modem(FPE)100/100 --> Modem --> 2 switches --> PC, all connected with Ethernet cable.
I can confidently say that my home internet environment is good and trouble-free.

Aye pretty good.

Always plug your modem/router directly into the master socket, if you have several extensions for Fibre To The Cab, only use the master socket. It will usually be embossed with a BT logo depending on age. Most NTE (Master sockets) are fitted with a vdsl plate and have a phone and internet socket on them (MK4 NTE: Network Termination Equipment). If you have an overhead connection you can follow the BT line from the phone pole to work out where the master socket is located, underground connection is a pain as there is nothing to follow. The line in from the BT network is called the drop wire. It has 8 or 16 individual wires in it and should be connected to the back of your NTE, only two of the wires are used.
Also worth noting is if you have a BT80 from the drop wire, openreach and BT will run extensions sometimes so that you can change where the drop wire comes in, make sure this is nowhere near a window or where it can get condensation. Your best bet with these is to bypass them with a jelly crimp (the wires going into it and coming out of it), the older style ones work on wrapping the wires around a metal stud to transfer the data - doesn't work if it gets rusty! It's perfectly safe to open these up with the screw on the top, barely any voltage, even on the drop wire.
They can blow easily with power surges on the line or lightning strikes on the actual phone line (witnessed that a few times). This is all for UK networks and phone lines. It might be slightly different in practise in other countries but theoretically the same.

Most routers have a high theoretical speed, but in actuality most will max out at 440 mbps even with wifi 6. Whereas your ethernet cable will run at full speed.

Usually there is an option in the router which will optimise wireless channels - which is useful if other networks are using the same channels - it will interfere with your wireless speed. Ideally you want channels that nobody else is using in the vicinity.
Wireless - there is 2.4 and 5ghz options. 2.4 will go through most walls but is slower. For full speed with 5ghz you really want line of sight from your device to the router or wifi dishes/boosters.

I had an interesting case for BT just down the road. Guy had complained to the MD of BT about his connection - so they sent me    It was a 2 storey old farmhouse with extensions. The point of entry was in the living room with 3 foot thick walls all around it + an extension on one side.
I had to point the router out the living room window into the building extension (kitchen). Out through the corridor of the kitchen past the living room. Bounce the signal off another wifi dish pointing back towards the dish in the kitchen up to the second floor, another dish then bounced the signal out the window above the kitchen and out to the garden. All this to avoid exceptionally thick walls. Client was very happy had wifi throughout the house and 50+ meters into one of his gardens.