Streaming with tears? Don’t let patchy wi-fi get you down
OVER the last year, some things have become essential in our lives to such a degree, that we only notice how important they are when they go wrong. Among those key services are broadband and wi-fi.
Broadband is one of the most complained-about services at Resolver, yet we’ve not seen a massive increase in the last year – which suggests that while things aren’t great, they’re not a disaster. But still, more than 17,000 people complained about a broadband issue – and more about mobile phones and wi-fi.
By far the biggest issue is broadband speed not delivering, not working at all or regularly packing in. This is the source of much frustration for you all, given it means waiting in for an engineer for most of the day, not to mention some infuriating callcentre experiences.
Here are a few tips to help you keep on top of broadband problems.
Check your speed:
There are loads of free apps that you can download that will allow you to check the actual speed of your broadband connection. Our friends at MoneySavingExpert have a great guide on their website covering your options.
Once you’ve run the test, take a screenshot each time you check on your phone so you’ve got some evidence to back up your complaint.
Download shows, guides and school lessons to your computer/phone/tablet. Don’t wait for the system to go down, use the download function on TV streaming sites to save the programs you love while it’s working.
Ask for options: Speak to your broadband provider about what they’d suggest when it comes to tackling speed or supply problems. Bear in mind Covid means there may be fewer engineers available. Do tell them if you’re classed as vulnerable or shielding. Download the app: Most broadband providers have a handy app that allows you to do speed checks or tells you if there’s work going on in your local area.
Give your signal a boost:
There are lots of things you can do to improve your broadband signal, from making sure your router is near the phone line, using cables not wi-fi, upgrading your router and reducing the number of electrical items that might be giving off signals nearby.
Even a humble old fish tank or overgrown plant can cause problems if the router is hidden nearby.
Getting techy: You can get booster boxes and cables from most electronic stores to help you with your signal problem. Your broadband provider will also provide these but ask any engineer who pops round and they’ll tell you to buy them from a different store or online as they’ll be much cheaper.
Most of these boosters are designed to improve your WiFi signal around the house, but some also help improve your broadband speed. Check before you buy to make sure the goods do what you need them to.
Take it higher: Still not happy? Resolver can help you make a complaint, but it pays to set out your argument in simple terms. If you want out of the contract, provide proof of the poor service and the efforts you’ve made to sort it out. This is where those screenshots you’ve taken come in helpful. Be nice. This pandemic is putting a huge strain on everyone. So it will take longer to sort out problems. Stay calm and say thanks.
THE boss of Great Western Railway (GWR), Mark Hopwood, has called for electrification of the south Wales mainline to reach Swansea alongside investment allowing his trains to travel at much higher speeds once through the Severn Tunnel.
Electrification of around 60 miles of track from Cardiff to Swansea was shelved by then UK Government Transport Secretary Chris Grayling in 2017 on cost grounds.
With the whole electrification of the Great Western mainline starting from London over budget and running overtime, there were even concerns at one stage that it would only go as far as Bristol.
The managing director of GWR, whose franchise covers services on the south Wales to London route, said electrification to Swansea would have both operational and environmental benefits.
GWR’s Hitachi bimode trains on the route have to run in diesel mode between Cardiff and Swansea, while operating in less polluting and more efficient electric mode on the rest of the route.
Trains on sections of the route in England can reach speeds of 125mph. However, once on the Welsh side of the Severn Tunnel, they have to operate at average speeds well below 100mph.
To improve line speeds will require a series of problem fixes, including addressing curves in the line, the removal of some level crossings and more use of relief lines to separate local train traffic from GWR and other cross-border services. As the line is not devolved, it would need funding from the UK Government.
To get Treasury approval, the business case for electrification to Swansea, and line speed improvements, might have to be wrapped up into a much bigger scheme, taking in the proposed Cardiff Crossrail project,
as well as the goal of increasing services from west and south Wales to Bristol, which are currently just at two an hour. There are six between Manchester and Leeds.
Giving evidence to a Welsh Affairs Committee probe into Welsh rail infrastructure, Mr Hopwood told cross-party MPs: “Clearly, as a railway person, having spent all my working life in it, I believe in the railway and I would like to see more investment.
“I have got a train on the London route that can travel at 125mph, but once it enters the Severn Tunnel, it will never reach 125mph again in Wales. So we would like to see line speed improvements. The trains we run on the London route are bimode, so they can run on diesel and electric, but it performs much better and is clearly more friendly to the environment in electric mode. So I would very much support initiatives like electrification to Swansea, even if for more of an environment benefit than perhaps a timetable benefit.”
Mr Hopwood said GWR was supportive of the recommendations of
the Burns Commission, set up by the Welsh Government to provide public transport alternatives, with a focus on rail and bus, to reduce car use following its decision not to proceed with a £1.4bn M4 Relief Road project south of Newport. Its recommendations include a series of new stations and a ramping-up of train services.
Mr Hopwood said: “We support the direction of travel they [the Burns Commission] are trying to develop with local services, which is something for Transport for Wales to develop, alongside our services.”
Earlier this week plans by Grand Union Trains for a new six times daily return service from south Wales to London were rejected by the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) regulator.
GWR had objected to having a competitor on its route.
An ORR spokesperson said: “After careful consideration, we have decided not to approve Grand Union Trains’ application.
“At this time, and taking account of the pandemic’s impact on railway finances, we consider the passenger benefits would not outweigh the significant negative impact on public funds that this might have.”
Due to the pandemic, rail franchises in England have moved temporarily to management contracts, with the Department for Transport now taking on revenue risk, including for GWR’s franchise.
The ORR concluded that with Grand Union running six services daily it would have a £25.6m annual impact on UK Government finances – after taking into account a track access charge paid to Network Rail of £2.9m. Grand Union is taking legal advice on the decision.
Mr Hopwood told the committee that an upgrade of Cardiff Central train station was needed for it cope with projected increases in passenger numbers over the next decade – based on an expected return following the pandemic.
Funding of £100m has been promised by the UK Government, with match funding in principle from the £1.3bn City Deal for the Cardiff Capital Region to upgrade the station. A first tranche of £5.8m has been
released for detailed design work.
He added: “Cardiff is a really important destination and starting point for many journeys on our business in Wales and particularly the relationship with the [Principality] stadium. It is very unusual, compared to many cities in the UK and in fact around the world, to have a stadium of that size right in the city centre. So trying to manage those big events, which hopefully we will see again soon, alongside serving a capital city, is quite challenging.
“There is a masterplan for Cardiff Central which is being developed and we very much support that. We have put quite a bit of extra capacity on our train fleet, but one of the constraints on those big event days in Cardiff is capacity of the station and ability of people to flow through.
“I think having more capacity to support local services, and to some extent segregating those from faster trains, would be a good thing. We have delivered faster journey times between south Wales and London, but I would like to do more in that respect. So if we can find a way to use the capabilities of the trains more effectively in south Wales, with infrastructure improvements, we would support that.”
Despite having 11% of the UK rail network in terms of rail enhancement investment, Wales has only received around 2% of spend over the past few decades. While not devolved, the Welsh Government has also been forced to invest from its own capital budget on projects, including upgrading the Ebbw Vale line.
Over the next decade £100bn alone has been set aside by the UK Government for High Speed 2 (HS2), while for Wales rail enhancements of just £350m are currently on the stocks.
The Treasury’s own analysis of HS2 shows that, by bringing cities in the Midlands and northern England closer to London, it will have a negative impact on the economy of south Wales, that will offset benefits for north Wales if it reaches Crewe. HS2 will, however, have improved capacity benefits that should be felt across the wider rail network.
However, as HS2 is considered an England and Wales project, there will be no Barnett Formula consequential for the Welsh Government, unlike for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Based on a spend of £100bn, if it was Barnetised, that would mean a consequential for the Welsh Government of £5bn.
It will also mean a squeeze on the attribution factor in Department for Transport spending in devolved areas for the Cardiff administration. With rail now taking up a much bigger slice of the overall DfT budget, the attribution factor to the Welsh Government from spending in England in areas which are classified as devolved, like roads, has been revised downwards to just over 30%. It had previously been 80%.
In 2005 the Welsh Government was offered the devolving of rail by Westminster.
That was not taken up, although the devolved Scottish administration took it with both hands.
That decision could be seen as one of the poorest made since the advent of devolution, especially with the focus on HS2 in the years ahead not being Barnetised.