FAQ

We will offer, as standard, a 1,000 Megabits (1 Gigabit) per second symmetric service (same speeds upload and download).

Average speed achieved by a customer is 920Mb, dependent on the customer’s own equipment and when using a wired connection. WiFi will be slower.

Gigabit connectivity provides faster internet speeds—1 billion bits per second—allowing you to do everything online more efficiently, with less congestion. Key benefits include:

• Streaming Video: Enjoy lag-free Netflix, even with multiple devices. 4K streaming will be smooth, eliminating loading times common with standard broadband.
• Online Gaming: Experience improved performance with low ping rates and stable connections, enhancing your gaming experience.
• Immersive Media: Faster speeds support 360-degree video and VR, paving the way for new media formats as data capacity increases.
• Data Backup: Expect enhanced cloud backup capabilities, making it easier to store and access data remotely.
• Multiple Users: Gigabit speeds accommodate several users simultaneously, allowing for seamless streaming and gaming without disruption.

We model ourselves on, and receive technical support from, the highly successful Broadband for Rural North (B4RN) who offer a corresponding service to the community in Lancashire/Yorkshire/Cumbria.  We connect into B4RN’s data centre in London, which provides worldwide connectivity.

Each individual customer connection is tested for reliability and quality once per second all day, every day.

Customers may wish to invest in a battery pack back up called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Without one, your router and VoIP phone (if you have one) will not work, meaning you will lose your internet connection and, possibly, your telephone service.

If you have an email addresses that isn’t linked to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as a Gmail or Outlook account this will continue as before.

If you have an email account provided by your previous ISP, what happens when you decide to cancel your contract varies by provider. Some will completely delete your email account, while others may allow you to keep it, potentially for a fee.

The best option is your own domain name and a good email service (such as Office 365 hosted exchange) – this will likely cost you about £40 to £50 a year. Free email services include Hotmail (outlook.com), Gmail, fastmail, Yahoo! and ProtonMail.

If you want to leave your old provider entirely and stop using the land line wires into and around your building you can sign up to a VoIP service – where calls are sent over the internet.

It is important to make sure that you have signed up to a VoIP provider and the number has moved over before you cancel your old provider land line service! If you cancel your old land line service before you have successfully migrated or ported your phone number you will lose it!

Changing to VoIP will require you to either plug an old corded or cordless phone into the B4SH routers green phone socket (and you or your VoIP provider will need to configure their service into the B4SH router) or you can replace your existing old phones with a new cordless phone system with native VoIP compatibility.

You won’t be able to use BT TV or BT Sport over B4SH.

If you would like to continue accessing BT Sport you can do so using their mobile app or if you have a Sky box and satellite dish you can buy BT Sport through the Sky satellite service.

Further information can be found on https://www.bt.com/help/bt-sport/orders-and-upgrade/how-do-i-get-bt-sport-#notbt

Sky live TV and on demand will still work as normal as long as you keep your TV contract going.

You will need to move your Sky Telephone service to a VoIP provider which will end your Sky Telephone and Broadband services.

Just email office@b4sh.org.uk

All information is treated confidentially, in accordance with GDPR rules.

Contact the B4SH office for an up to date list containing our recommended VoIP providers.

A VoIP telephone service will not be available during a power cut unless you have your own battery backup providing power to the B4SH router, your VoIP phone and any network equipment between the VoIP phone and the B4SH router.

If your alarm system uses BT Redcare or is connected to your phone line you will need to speak to your alarm maintenance company.
They will likely convert your alarm to communicating over a mobile phone SIM or via the internet.

Please seek advice from the provider of your equipment.

The government launched its £5 billion UK Gigabit Broadband Programme aimed at connecting 85% of the country to a Gigabit network. To assist areas overlooked by major operators’ commercial projects, they introduced the Gigabit Voucher Scheme, providing support for operators like B4SH to develop in these more challenging areas.

BDUK (Building Digital UK) is an executive agency which is sponsored by DSIT (the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), which was formerly known as DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport). BDUK administer the Project Gigabit voucher scheme and issue the voucher funding.

Trading can be as a sole trader, charity or business. Working from home does not qualify you for a business voucher.

BDUK will require evidence from a third party which includes the business name and the address that you are claiming the voucher for. This can be a utility bill or a recent business bank statement. They will also accept a VAT number where applicable for partnerships. For sole traders, they will also ask to see confirmation of the UTR (Unique Tax Reference) number on an official document or screenshot from HMRC. Sole traders can contact the office for assistance with finding the evidence.

Within your service overview email will be a link to apply for a Gigabit Voucher. Shortly after B4SH will apply for a Gigabit voucher and you will receive an email from the BDUK funding platform asking you to verify the request. If you need assistance verifying please contact the B4SH office.

You will receive another email from the BDUK funding platform after we have connected you, asking you to confirm that the connection has been made. There is a time frame to respond of 28 days from the date of connection, after which the funding will be lost forever so please respond to the email as soon as possible. B4SH charges a fee of £125 plus VAT to supply and fit the router which is waived for customers with a Gigabit Voucher, which we would need to charge should you not confirm the connection within the given timescales.

Churches and schools are not usually eligible for vouchers. Only small, independent churches are eligible.

We will visit you to discuss the best route through your garden. Either you install the duct from the boundary to the house wall (or you can ask a gardener to do the work), or we quote to do the work.

A small hole will be drilled through your property wall and a piece of white ducting fed through to an FWO (Fibre Wall Outlet). B4SH engineers will then be able to install the B4SH router.

The installation process will largely depend on how the fibre enters the property. For instance, it’s easier to run ducting to a wall with a flowerbed than one with tarmac or concrete. Ideally, the router should be placed in the room where you use the internet most frequently. It can be positioned up to 5 meters from the fibre termination point.

Since the router requires power, it should be located within a meter of an electrical socket. Additionally, it might be useful to place it near a telephone socket if you plan to connect your entire home phone system to VoIP.

Please email accounts@b4sh.org.uk

If you have a Gigabit voucher the minimum contract period is one year from your activation date, but there is currently no penalty for early termination.

If you do not have a Gigabit voucher the minimum contract period is one month.

By Direct Debit. We use GoCardless Ltd to process our direct debits. GoCardless Ltd is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Authorised Payment Institution and these transactions are fully covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

We will send you a welcome email with instructions for setting up your direct debit.

Please be aware: If you haven’t set up the Direct Debit within seven days of receiving the welcome email and connection, B4SH will reach out to you to identify any issues. If the problem cannot be resolved, we may need to terminate the service.

Please email accounts@b4sh.org.uk

To ensure our automated invoices reach your inbox please add the email domain @post.xero.com to your safe senders and check your spam filter settings. If you are still having difficulties email us at accounts@b4sh.org.uk

Please leave your router in place, we will either collect it or it will be used by a new customer.

Building and running the network is funded by monies raised from both private investors (nearly all of whom are also subscribers) and the Government’s Gigabit voucher scheme.  We rely on volunteers to do a lot of the work, but need funds to cover the cost of materials and equipment.

Your investment in our service will influence our route planning as we aim to connect all our investors to our service.  If, however, we have very low levels of interest in subscribing and insufficient investors we will unfortunately have to modify or stop our rollout plans.  We have faith in the service being a success and believe that once people have experienced the benefits of the service they will invest.  It is important to remember we are not reinventing the wheel, we just aim to give the Surrey Hills what the hills of Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire are experiencing today – fast and reliable broadband.

We provide opportunities for public-spirited people and organisations to contribute to the community, financially (or by volunteering), with the expectation of a social dividend, rather than personal financial reward.

Anyone purchasing shares becomes a member of B4SH and is entitled to vote at general meetings and become involved in the strategy of the society.  The minimum shareholding is £500 and the maximum shareholding is £100,000.  As a community benefit society, each member is entitled to one vote at general meetings, irrespective of the number of shares they own.

Yes.  Broadband for Surrey Hills Ltd (known as B4SH) is a registered society with the Financial Conduct Authority under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (registration number 7656).

B4SH’s annual accounts and statutory returns will be available to view on the Mutuals Public Register maintained by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

For investments made prior to 5th April 2023, investors were able to apply to HMRC for Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR), which was 30%.  Individuals making an eligible investment can deduct 30% of the cost of their investment from their income tax liability, either for the tax year in which the investment is made or the previous tax year.  The investment must be held for a minimum period of 3 years for the relief to be retained.

An overview of SITR can be found at https://www.gov.uk/

Please note that the SITR scheme closed to new applications on 6th April 2023

As a community benefit society, B4SH is not for profit and must operate for the benefit of its defined community (i.e. its potential clients) rather than only for the benefit of its members and shareholders.  B4SH cannot pay dividends, but can and does pay interest, however only at a level necessary to attract and maintain the investment needed to fund the network construction and operation. Any surplus funds must be used to benefit the community and cannot be distributed to shareholders.

However, as we do not pay dividends we should have better control over future pricing and there is no need to increase subscriptions to cover shareholder returns.

For the first four years the investment cannot be withdrawn nor will any interest be paid. From year 5 and onwards annual interest will be paid at a rate which will be determined by the board after taking into account the financial position of the society and FCA rules. The current rate is 3% which is paid in the form of additional shares credited to the investor’s account annually.

From year 5 onwards investors may apply to withdraw their investment but all withdrawals will be at the discretion of the directors.  For more information see our Application to Invest and our Business Plan.

All shares are “withdrawable shares” and can only be sold back to B4SH. They have no potential for capital gains and will only be redeemed at face value.

Without your investment we will not be able to build the network as quickly and, in some instances, if there is insufficient interest we will not be able to build the network to your area.  Your investment will also influence where our network goes as we will seek to connect our investors as swiftly as we can.

Yes.  The service will be monitored remotely 24/7 and network faults will be flagged to local teams.  After first line support has ruled out a problem with the customer’s equipment, we will visit the fault site, locate and repair the fault.  Many faults are quickly resolved over the phone.

Should you need to report a fault, email helpdesk@b4sh.org.uk

If you have no power to your router, first check the power supply and make sure the plug is well seated. Also check for kinks and for damage to the cabling. Has anything changed recently? Have you plugged something new into the router?

If you have power but no service try rebooting your router. Find the power button and power down the router for around 90 seconds and then turn the power back on.

If you have power but no Wi-Fi, check the lights on the router. If the 2.4GHz and 5GHz lights are off then your WiFi is Off. Has your Wi-Fi been switched off? Find the Wi-Fi button and press and hold to turn it on.

If the 2.4GHz and 5GHz buttons are flashing green then your Wi-Fi is on and active. Check that your Wi-Fi extenders are plugged in and on. Next try rebooting your repeaters. Turn them off, wait for 90 seconds and turn them back on.

In the first instance you should reboot your router. Find the power button and power down the router for around 90 seconds and then turn the power back on.

If your speeds are still slow when you call the office we will ask:

• What download and upload speeds are you getting? https://speedtest.b4sh.net
• Is your Wi-Fi slow on one device or all devices?
• When are you getting slow speeds?
• Which repeaters do you use?
• Does your equipment support Gigabit speeds? To check see the FAQ on how to check.

Please be aware that the B4SH service ends at the router. If you request an in person visit and the reason for slow Wi-Fi speeds be down to any equipment privately owned, the visit will be chargeable at the hourly rate given to you at the time of the visit request.

If you are experiencing slow speeds, one possibility may be that your network card doesn’t support Gigabit Speeds. You can check following the instructions here

Please call the office on 01483 347437 or email helpdesk@b4sh.org.uk

No. B4SH supply the router only.

You can change your Wi-Fi password by following the instructions here

The only parental control function built into the routers is just timing; it doesn’t have the ability to do traffic inspection and filtering. For content filtering you would need to use software on the computer or device or see the section about OpenDNS Family Shield DNS based filtering here.

The OpenDNS Family Shield option is the easiest way to affect / restrict the entire network without having to go around each device, however depending how tech savvy your child is they can install apps or they could install a VPN or privacy browser app to evade it, unless you prevent app installation.

To access your router admin click here http://192.168.1.1 or enter 192.168.1.1 into your browser’s address bar. Logins are on the back of your router.

Then follow the instructions in the attached parental control tech notes.