A Guide to Internet Services at The Grove.

So you might have just moved in, or you're looking for a change of internet service providers. Dom, one of our residents at The Grove, shares who, what and where you can find out more information to get connected...

Usually, you'd have the pick of the crop, the freedom of the market to get your internet connection... well yes, and no!

There are many Internet Service Providers out there and lots of ways to get internet, so this handy guide is designed to simplify things for you and hopefully help you to find the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) for your home and needs.

The first thing to note, is that our development at Hayfield Grove, is known as Fibre to the Home (FTTH) which means that there are no copper phone lines to carry your internet and phone service into your house. Instead we have a single glass fibre optic cable that does the same job, but can provide much faster internet speeds.

You may have had something similar at a previous property or you may have heard of BT OpenReach, who are quite well known across the country for managing the fibre optic network that reaches into lots of homes throughout the UK. However, we have a different provider of fibre network here at Hayfield Grove. A company called Open Fibre Networks Ltd or OFNL as you might have seen or heard. OFNL are a much smaller network, but provide the same sort of fibre optic cables into our homes. The difference being, that OFNL doesn't necessarily have the same Internet Service Providers that BT OpenReach have. Click below to go to the OFNL website where you will find a list of the Internet Service Providers on OFNL.

OFNL Residential Service Providers

Unfortunately, we are unable to switch to BT OpenReach, so we must use one of the ISPs on the OFNL network.

Many of these providers supply both Internet and, if you want it, they also supply home telephone services, through the same fibre optic connection. Many people tend not to have home phone lines any longer, as we use our mobile phones, but the option is there nevertheless.

Residents of The Grove recommend See The Light, which is a service supported by well known service provider, Sky.

Once you have signed up with your ISP of choice, they will probably send you a router to connect inside your home. In most cases you should find a small white socket-sized box in a downstairs cupboard, which will have OFNL written on it and possibly a few little LED lights. This is known as your PON or Passive Optical Network point. Just connected the router that the ISP have sent you and thats pretty much the hard part done!

To connect to your internet, you'll find the network name and network password, usually on the back or bottom of the router that you were sent. Just find that network and connect using the password on the router and that will get you online and surfing the web!

For those who want a more stable connection to other devices, like a smart TV, or a games console, then you should find a couple of network ports wired into your wall at your main TV locations and the other end of these will be in the same place as your PON and router, usually in a downstairs cupboard. You will need to use ethernet cables to connect the device to the internet. These cables can be easily bought online, such as Amazon. These cables are sometimes referred to as CAT5 or CAT6 cables! Don't worry too much about this. Either will work just fine. Be sure to connect one ethernet cable from the router to the associated port in the cupboard, for the room you want to send a connection to, and then in the room, you will need another cable to go from the port in the room to the device, such as the TV or a games console. Once connected the device will be online straight away. No need for passwords - hoorah!

If you have any questions about the internet service providers, or issues with internet at the development, then feel free to ask in our WhatsApp Internet chat channel, where fellow residents will be very happy to help and provide advice and guidance. Click the link below to find out more about how to join the WhatsApp group.

If you need a helping hand, just shout.

Dom at 4 Coxs Close