Orange is changing- UPDATE 14th November

There you go Paul :wink:
mouse

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https://www.alsatis.com/wimax.php

If you are in a zone blanche it could be worth considering wimax. We are over 6kms from the exchange so our landline was creakingly slow at best and recently often broke down frequently.

We switched to Alsatis at the beginning of the year and haven’t looked back since. One day we might be able to get 4G and we would then consider that option but meanwhile wimax works really well.

If you get some sort of mobile outside, then you could always install a GSM amplifier which will allow any mobile to work within the property.
I have one as we have very thick walls etc., and it works very well.

Be aware that they happen to be illegal though.

Thanks for the suggestion Terry but unfortunately we have no signal anywhere on our property. Not only do we have thick stone walls ourselves, but we live in the centre of our village surrounded by lots of other thick stone walls including the Church Tower which is only 20 metres away.
Additionally it would be difficult to mount anything on the exterior or roof of the building as because we are within the ‘heritage zone’ of the church it would be necessary to submit a planning application to do so. The problem is added to by the fact that the village centre area is in the ‘shadow’ of a substantial hill, and is thus greatly shielded from the signal coming from the transmitter mast for this area.
To be honest, I actually find the lack of a mobile signal in the house to be something of a bonus at times, as when friends or family visit we can actually have a conversation without them being constantly interrupted by incoming calls and e-mails. So the landline works just fine for us, and we leave the mobile in the glovebox of the car (turned off) in case of an emergency when out on the road.

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Don’t you let your visitors access your WiFi?

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Certainly not ! (and especially not the kids)
That way they come to see and talk to us instead of coming to use my Wifi to talk to their mates and save their precious minutes.
When someone comes to see us we turn the Computer, TV and / or Radio off as well.

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I do David…as soon as my kids get here I make sure they’re connected to my WiFi…they have family and friends back home who want to know they’ve arrived safely…they have bank accounts to check…make sure wages have gone in…all sorts of personal reasons to be able keep in contact…it doesn’t affect our time together one bit and if I can save them a few pounds in credit/minutes then I get paid back tenfold just by them being able to relax and unwind and totally enjoy our time together…x :slight_smile:

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To wifi or not to wifi… that is indeed a pertinent question…

These days, I can see the point of letting family and friends know that one is safe and well… after a long journey… but, other than that… phew… switch-off and relax… :hugs:

I think the whole world is in danger of addiction to technology… it should be possible to “get back to nature” for a few days at least…

When our daughter was in her teens, she would arrive home from school and dash to the telephone (fixed )… “Must phone Sarah” (her best friend)… "Why? you only saw her half an hour ago "… "I forgot to tell her something… " and they would chat until I bellowed that Tea was ready… :grin::grin::grin:

Nowadays, she has outgrown that habit… thank heavens. She has a responsible job, almost-permanently on-call… BUT when she is on holiday, she drops out of that frantic loop and relaxes… She has recognized that the world does not/will not grind to a halt during the few days that she is not on-line …

Our times together are extra special now, as we live in different countries … and seeing her change from frazzled to calm… is a real joy… to me as her Mum… :heart_eyes:

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Good grief, the madness continues… I prefer 40 winks if I am sitting down (not driving of course)…

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I don’t have teenagers who visit regularly but many young and older adults. Not one of them has abused my WiFi or used it to the expense of enjoying their time in a France. My son often comes over for short periods without his partner and I often hear him face timing her after he has gone to bed, oh dear, what a crime! A lot of media time is spent pointing out the negativity of being connected but please don’t lose sight of the positive aspects as well.

:smile::smile::smile:
If I had tried to insist that our daughter “disconnect” during her visits here… being her mother’s daughter she would have rebelled… :wink::grin:

The decision to spend some time off-line was hers and hers alone. :relaxed::relaxed:

It is not all bad news… there are things in the pipeline…