Our Frequently Asked Questions page is a one-stop shop for your B4RN queries.
There is more detailed help on some of the topics touched on here on the Resources page. This includes PDF guides to VoIP telephones and how to get Wi-Fi around the home.
If you still need help, email info@b4rn.org.uk. If you have live service and need technical support call our helpdesk on 01524 238499 or email helpdesk@b4rn.org.uk.
INVESTMENT
Do I have to invest in B4RN to get a connection?
No. Investing in B4RN is optional.
How much can I invest?
There is a lower and upper limit to how much you can invest – details can be found in our latest share prospectus. Invest £1,500 and your one-off connection fee (worth £150) will be waived. (The £1,500 must be invested in a single transaction to qualify for a free connection. Full rules here.)
You can invest more. For every £1,500 transaction, another person in your community can have their connection fee waived. There is a limit of four free connections per investor.
What is the return like?
B4RN shares have an attractive return, currently 5% p.a.
How long will my investment be held?
B4RN holds shares for a minimum of 3 years. They can then be withdrawn by the shareholder.
Can I add to my shareholding at a later date?
Yes. You can invest further at any time.
What does it mean to become a member?
Investment makes you a member of B4RN. As a Community Benefit Society, each member gets one vote at general meetings, irrespective of the number of shares they own.
Can you tell me more about the Community Benefit Society?
You can read more about B4RN’s aims in our latest share prospectus. To briefly sum up: B4RN is trying to provide high speed broadband and promote the use of the internet and ICT in previously digitally disadvantaged areas.
B4RN wants to give a chance for the public-spirited to contribute financially to the community – for social dividend rather than personal reward.
B4RN is registered under the FCA Mutuals Public Register, Company Registration Number 31352R (Our publicly filed Accounts and Annual Returns can be found here).
VOUCHER FUNDING
The answers provided here are a very brief introduction to the government UK Gigabit Voucher funding available under Project Gigabit to help get B4RN to you and your community. More in depth information can be found here.
Who runs the Project Gigabit?
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are running it to help improve broadband connectivity. Part of Project Gigabit is a fresh £210m voucher funding scheme called the UK Gigabit Voucher. B4RN are a registered supplier.
What are the vouchers worth?
Voucher applications tied to businesses can be worth up to £3,500 towards a community’s network build. Residential ones are worth £1,500.
But what’s it worth to me?
Businesses can get a £150 dig grant to go towards the cost of getting B4RN ducting from the edge of their property to their wall. Furthermore, businesses get their £150 one-off connection fee waived.
Residents can also get a £150 dig grant for the same type of work.
More information can be found in these leaflets: for businesses and for residents.
In both cases, it’s important to say you must get the work done first. Only once service is live will you receive the dig grant from B4RN to help recoup the cost.
How do I apply?
Head to ‘Get B4RN‘ and enter your postcode and the relevant form will open up.
PROJECT VIABILITY
INSTALLATION
How will the B4RN connection get to my property across my garden/drive/grounds etc?
It is the property owner’s responsibility to get the duct from the boundary of their property to their house wall. B4RN can advise on the best route to dig it in. Your local volunteer group, as well as friends and neighbours, can help.
Currently, government voucher funding is available which B4RN is using to pay out dig grants to help with this very job – more on that here.
It is also the property owner’s responsibility to record the route of the ducting. Photographs are a simple way to do that.
How will the B4RN connection enter my property?
The orange ducting which has been laid under your garden/drive/grounds etc will change to black when it comes above ground (the black ducting protects against damage from UV rays). That runs up the wall to a small property entry box called a CCE (Customer Connection Enclosure).
A small hole will be drilled through your property wall and a piece of white ducting fed through to an FWO (Fibre Wall Outlet). This work can be done by DIY-savvy property owners, or trained members of your local volunteer group.
B4RN technicians will then be able to install the B4RN router.
Where will the router be located in my property?
Much will be determined by the route by which fibre has entered the property. For example, it is easier to run ducting to the wall with a flowerbed rather than the wall with tarmac or concrete. Ideally, the router will go in the room where you use the internet the most so that Wi-Fi can be used to maximum effect.
Any work required to place the router beyond a convenient location (for example, routing white ducting under floors or through a loft) will be down to the property owner.
The router needs power so should be near a socket. It may also be handy to have it near a telephone socket for those who wish to put their entire home phone circuit onto VoIP.
THE B4RN ROUTER
What is the B4RN router like?
B4RN install their own equipment inside your property. The router has Wi-Fi and connections for four gigabit wired connections (ethernet). It is supplied as part of B4RN’s monthly service fee (from £30/month) so costs you nothing extra, but remains the property of B4RN.
The router has 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. The lower band has greater range, but limited speed. The higher band has faster speed, but limited range. You can choose which band your devices connect to, or let the equipment decide automatically.
By logging into the router, you will be able to access things like parental controls where you can block access to the Wi-Fi by certain devices, or set schedules for when the Wi-Fi is available.
How many connections can I make to the B4RN router?
Your gigabit connection is capable of serving all the devices in your household. There are four LAN ports on the router for gigabit capable ethernet cables (Cat5e and above).
For example, you could run ethernet cables to your computer, Smart TV and games consoles. Gigabit switches will give you even more connections.
Then there’s the Wi-Fi too. B4RN has enough bandwidth to ensure lots of users can be busy online at the same time with no frustration.
How can I get the connection and/or Wi-Fi around my property?
There is a dedicated PDF guide to extending your connection and Wi-Fi around your property here.
Running ethernet cables to as many devices as possible is the best solution for making the most of your gigabit connection.
Powerline adapters are another solution using your electrical cables. These are not as fast as ethernet cables and the quality of the connection can depend on the state of the wiring.
Thick walls, foil-lined plasterboard, insulated walls and mirrors are just some things which can affect your Wi-Fi signal strength. Potential answers include installing extra wireless access points or MESH systems.
Volunteers from the Computer Club – which runs at our Melling HQ on Fridays between 2-4pm – are able to advise on the best ways to extend your connection or Wi-Fi through your home.
Can B4RN help install networking cabling around my house?
B4RN will not do this for you, but we may advise you. Installing a network cable is similar to running a telephone extension cable, which people would typically tack to skirting boards or run under the edge of the carpet.
If you are looking for installation of network sockets in walls, then most electricians would be able to provide this service.
There is a dedicated PDF guide to extending your connection and Wi-Fi around your property here.
Volunteers from the Computer Club – which runs at our Melling HQ on Fridays between 2-4pm – are able to advise on the best ways to extend your connection round your home.
TECHNICAL
What is the customer support like at B4RN?
B4RN’s helpdesk offer friendly, responsive technical support. B4RN do not have a 24hr call centre, but we do have a dedicated, local support team which you can call (in office hours) or email.
The B4RN customer support helpdesk can be reached via:
Tel: 01524 238499 or email: helpdesk@b4rn.org.uk
Do I need to change my email address?
Most people have an email address which is not tied to an Internet Service Provider (for example, a Gmail or Outlook address). However, some people took up email addresses with their ISP when they signed up to a package with them.
What happens when you are ready to cancel your contract differs, depending on the provider. Some will completely delete the email account while others let you keep it – though they may charge a fee.
Can I get more IP addresses?
There are lots of reasons why a user may want additional IP addresses, especially businesses.
B4RN does allocate additional addresses or blocks of addresses (there is a charge for this) but the end user has to know what to do with them and make a case to have them. That’s because we have to justify our address blocks to RIPE (the Regional Internet Registry for Europe) – who will want to see the case for assigning them.
IPv4 addresses are nearly exhausted, meaning if a user wants a block we might have to assign IPv6 numbering. The B4RN network supports both protocol stacks.
Is B4RN really so much faster than my current connection?
An Ofcom report published in 2019 said the average download speed for rural properties with an ADSL connection (that’s copper cables all the way from the exchange to the property) was just 7.2Mbps. The same report said the average download speed for rural properties with an FTTC connections (that’s fibre to the street cabinet, but copper to the property) was 43.8Mbps.
B4RN’s full fibre gold standard gigabit network is 1,000Mbps download (and upload too). Respectively, thats 138x faster for rural properties with ADSL; and nearly 23x faster for rural properties with FTTC.
We’re often asked by potential customers: what am I even going to do with 1,000Mbps? – some thoughts on that can be found here.
How can I keep my connection working in a power cut?
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.
There are PDF guides about UPS on our Resources page.
What is the security like on B4RN ?
We take data security very seriously. Our network’s 24/7 backup is provided by TNP (The Networking People) – they look after lots of other networks, including for schools.
We do not keep people’s bank details. We use a company called Go Cardless to manage our direct debits. This means if we are compromised nobody can get your bank details; and if Go Cardless are compromised nobody can get your personal details. This makes B4RN more secure than other ISPs.
Our network is constantly monitored and if there were any breaches of security they would be dealt with immediately.
VoIP AND LANDLINES
How do I make phonecalls using B4RN?
You will need to sign up to a third party VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. This is a telephone service which uses your internet connection. You won’t need to pay line rental anymore and calls are generally cheaper than a traditional landline telephone service.
The VoIP provider will provide a small device to plug into your B4RN router. Your home phones will be plugged into this the same way they’re currently plugged into your master socket.
There are PDF guides on how to set up some VoIP phone systems on our Resources page.
Can I keep my existing landline phone number and old telephones?
With most big telephone providers – including BT – the answer is yes. Your existing number can be ported over to your VoIP provider of choice – just like you can port your mobile number when you switch provider.
NB: You must get the new VoIP service working and ask them to move your number to them. If you cancel your current contract first, you will lose your number.
Old phones will still work on most VoIP services.
Can we stop paying line rental?
You may wish to choose to get rid of your landline entirely. However, it is important to say that if you currently have a landline with a wired telephone connected, then you can use that in the event of a power cut. Your internet connection and therefore your VoIP telephone would not be usable in the event of a power loss.
This may not be an issue if you have a mobile phone and good signal where you live or work.
You may also wish to invest in a battery pack called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). This will keep your internet connection and VoIP phone working for a certain amount of time, depending on the size of pack you buy.
There are PDF guides about UPS on our Resources page.
HOME ENTERTAINMENT
How can our TV make use of our B4RN internet connection?
Smart TVs are able to stream video from many services via the internet (for example, BBC iPlayer, ITVPlayer, Netflix etc.).
If you don’t have a smart TV, a streaming internet player (for example, Amazon Firestick or Sky’s NowTV box) will do the same thing.
With the right equipment, you can access free streaming services like BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub. There are numerous other streaming services which require a paid subscription, like Netflix or Disney+.
Can we use our B4RN internet connection to watch live TV?
BBC iPlayer now streams live what would otherwise be its terrestrial output. Other major broadcasters may follow suit. But for now it may be sensible to keep your TV aerial or satellite dish!
However you watch television, note that you should continue paying your TV Licence. Watching over the internet does not make you exempt from needing one.
Could B4RN become overloaded? For example, if everyone was streaming the next big NetFlix release at the same time.
Can I watch BT Sport on B4RN?