What is an iplate and how can it make our broadband much quicker?
September 24, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Everything seems to be i something these days – iPod, iPhone, iPlayer and now iPlate. Unlike in many of the other ‘i somethings’, this time the ‘i’ does actually stand for something, in this instance "interstitial plate". It’s not an mp3 player you can eat your dinner off though. The iPlate looks like a telephone adapter which you would normally attach to your socket to get broadband but is slightly different. After a little bit of unscrewing and plugging in, the iPlate can improve the speed of your internet as much as threefold. What’s even more great is that it’s only a tenner!
Before you all start regretting going for the more expensive broadband option though, don’t worry too much, as it doesn’t really affect your download speed a great deal. It’s the browsing speed that goes up and there is obviously a limit. But for the money, it’s certainly worth putting on your Christmas list.
The iPlate works in quite a bizarre way. On most of our telephone sockets there is a little wire that isn’t used. It’s called the Bell Wire and that’s what once made old phones ring like a bell. Nowadays, this is a pretty redundant little wire, but that doesn’t stop it from trying to find itself a job. In fact, this little wire picks up a current from anything of electrical use nearby and can interfere with the connection of the broadband and the speed too. All the iPlate does, is give it something to keep it busy. A retirement job if you like.
There is no guarantee it will work but it might be worth a try if you’ve tried everything else. They’re easy to install and can be found here.
