ᐅ Which types of telecommunications home connections are practical?

Hello everyone,

In our new development area, fiber optic cable is being installed, which should be available around the time we move in. We have already signed the contract with Toni (BBV) for a house connection costing 600€ plus 100€ activation fee. Are we well equipped with this for phone, internet, and TV?

Or should we also apply for an old-fashioned copper telephone line for about 800€?

We inquired about a cable connection from Vodafone but received a rejection for our area, even though the city had listed cable as a possibility when selling the building plot.

Should we additionally install a satellite system? Our general contractor offers it for 1800€. The problem is that we have a hip roof, and the south, west, and east sides will be covered with photovoltaic panels. So the satellite dish would need to go on the north roof on a long mast. That should work since our roof pitch is only 20° (20 degrees), but it doesn’t look very nice because from the street view you would see the back of the dish.

What do you think?

We have completely decided against satellite or cable and now only watch TV over the Internet. In my opinion, you can save the 1,800.

mr.xyz1 schrieb:

We have completely decided against satellite or cable and only watch TV via the internet now. In my opinion, you can save the 1,800.

I agree.
We used to have a satellite dish mounted on the patio roof, but it’s been removed now. We don’t need it anymore since we watch TV over the internet.

Since I also have photovoltaic panels on the south side, placing the dish on the north side was the only option, but I didn’t think that was ideal, so it is installed on the east gable. Booking through a general contractor is always more expensive. I ordered a dish with an LNB on Amazon for less than 100€ and “my” electrician installed it. Including adjustment, it may have cost around 500€, if at all. It was done alongside other work, so I can’t say exactly.

Catibu74 schrieb:

Or should we still apply for an old-fashioned Telekom copper line for about €800?

What is the Telekom line supposed to be used for? If it is meant as a backup for phone calls, I would recommend relying on mobile networks. If it is for internet, first check what the connection speed will be. I wouldn’t book a Telekom line if fiber optic is available.

Something has already been said about satellite. I would skip that and invest the €1800 in proper network cabling, for example for access points.

I also thought it would be unnecessary since it worked perfectly fine in our old house. However, in our new development area, Inexio / Deutsche Glasfaser is responsible for the network rollout, and it has been a complete disaster. I have been chasing the house connection for a year now (!), and in addition to the hotline, I have gathered several phone numbers of contact persons, but I keep getting passed around in circles. No one takes responsibility, and there is always a new excuse.

By now, I am glad that we have the copper cable in the house. I wouldn’t have applied for it at my own expense, but it was included in the house price. At first, I thought “we don’t need it,” but over time, I have come to believe that slow internet is better than none at all.