Broadband FAQ

I already have a broadband package - can I change to Friaco?

Yes - providing your existing provider will allow the transfer of your broadband service. For further details about migrations please see our "Migration FAQ".

What is ADSL?

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is an always on service delivered over a standard BT PSTN analogue line. 

What speeds does ADSL run at?

Friaco offers ADSL at the following speeds:- 

Download: 512kb Upload: 256kb 
Download: 512kb Upload: 256kb 
Download: 1mb Upload: 256kb 
Download: 2mb Upload: 256kb 

Please note all ADSL circuits are subject to a contention ratio (See next FAQ).

What is a contention ratio?

Contention ratio refers to the maximum number of users you could be sharing your bandwidth with. There are 2 contention ratios in use by Friaco, 50:1 and 20:1. If you have a 50:1 contention ratio then in theory another 49 users could be competing for the 512kb you have. In practice this very rarely happens and even on the slowest ADSL product users typically see a 10x improvement over a 56k modem.

Why is the download speed greater than the upload speed?

ADSL is Asymmetric which means it runs at different speeds for upload and download.

What type of phone line is required for ADSL service?

A standard BT PSTN analogue line is required for ADSL. Certain BT services and/or configurations are NOT compatible with ADSL, these include:- 

PBX Switchboard 
ISDN 30(PRI) 
Surftime 
BT Data Stream 
BT Video Stream 
None BT Telephone Line 
Redcare Alarm Monitoring 
Pulse Metered Line 
Coin/Pay Phone 

It is possible to convert a ISDN 2/2e or Business/Highway line into ADSL. This does however mean that the ISDN service is lost as the line has to be converted back to a single analogue line. Certain fax machines will interfere with the ADSL signal so it is not recommended that you use a fax line for ADSL. 

Do you assign fixed IP addresses?

Yes, all Friaco ADSL accounts come with fixed IP addresses on both NAT and No-NAT. 

What is a microfilter?

A microfilter, sometimes referred to as a 'splitter', is an adapter that plugs into the telephone socket the ADSL service is provided on. The microfilter separates the ADSL signal from the voice signal. You plug your phone and your ADSL hardware into the microfilter and the microfilter into the BT phone socket.

What is NAT/No-NAT?

NAT (Network Address Translation) is a technology that allows you to share a single IP address assigned by a ISP among a number of computers on a LAN. Most ADSL hardware supports NAT out of the box.
No-NAT means that instead of having a single IP address to share you get a subnet of 8 or 16 IP's that are routable and can be assigned to your computers. Please note that because a subnet is assigned it means you do not have access to all the 8 or 16 IP addresses. On a 8 IP connection 5 IP addresses are available to you and on a 16 IP connection 13 IP addresses are available. This is because a IP is reserved for the network address, broadcast address and router respectively.

What is the minimum contract term for ADSL?

Where the activation fee has been paid the minimum contract is 1 month. Where the activation fee has not been paid (i.e. you have migrated from a previous broadband supplier) the minimum term is 6 months. There is a 1 month notice period to cancel in both cases.

What payment methods are available?

You can use credit/debit card, or cheque to pay the initial installation and first month/quarter charges. After that all subsequent charges are payable by direct debit.