
Highlights: Farncombe and the University of Bristol offer the industry's most rigorous independent WiFi CPE testing; Benchmarking quality of service and experience to support subscriber demands for simultaneous HD video on multiple devices; One of the first clients is Virgin Media for testing of its new Super Hub
Basingstoke, June 14th 2013 Farncombe, a leading independent provider of engineering services and testing to the global TV industry, today announced that it has partnered with the University of Bristol to offer the industry's most comprehensive and repeatable WiFi testing service. Virgin Media, one of the first clients for the service, appointed Farncombe for the independent testing of its new Super Hub; to provide input, technical recommendations; and to help Virgin Media support subscribers and optimise their quality of experience.
Farncombe launched the industry's first WiFi product benchmarking service for the connected home in 2012. The service is designed to help video service operators understand the effectiveness of WiFi-enabled set-top boxes, gateways, routers and clients.
At Virgin Media's request, Farncombe and the University of Bristol independently rated the throughput and reach of potential devices and compared them against other operators' WiFi devices. This helped Virgin Media ensure its recently-launched Super Hub became the best-in-class for cost/performance and quality of service. The testing helped prove that the new Super Hub is the best performing 5GHz router with three antennas currently available from UK operators.
Images of WiFi testing results (with acknowledgments to the University of Bristol).
Click on thumbnails to enlarge.
As subscribers demand simultaneous real-time streaming of HD video to multiple devices, there is a real need to understand how a WiFi router will impact the subscriber's quality of experience, said Gary Marshall, managing partner at Farncombe. Without thoroughly testing a consumer device, the risks for an operator can be huge. As well as incurring the costs of subscribers contacting call-centres and returning boxes, consumer dissatisfaction can damage a brand. Our service provides operators with invaluable data to help them understand the WiFi performance of their devices turning a black art into an understandable science.
Today's WiFi chips are powerful devices. With such clever technology you don't expect to have to twiddle the antennas to improve reception, just like the aerial on a 1970s TV set. Yet that is still often the case, said Professor Andrew Nix of the University of Bristol. By pooling the resources of academia and business, we provide a service that combines hardware and theoretical analysis. The result is the first-ever rigorous scientific approach to WiFi testing.
The number, type, position and angle of the antennas relative to the chips, power supply and casing all impact on the efficiency of the WiFi signal. To quantify these variables, the University of Bristol researchers have established an automated, repeatable process for benchmarking using its sophisticated channel emulation equipment. This uses a network of more than 100 PCs to analyse WiFi performance over 1.44 million links.
Mike Robinson, head of CPE quality engineering at Virgin Media said, We had two leading prototypes for the next generation Super Hub when we approached Farncombe and the University of Bristol for their recommendations. The resulting benchmarking gave us critical information on performance of the antenna design, positioning and its connection to the WiFi chipset that has resulted in the best-in-class WiFi router.
Farncombe conducts real-world testing to determine how the positioning of the router, access points and multiple clients impacts WiFi efficiency. Farncombe's Hardware Design Service also reviews the products and provides advice to clients on features that could cost-effectively improve performance.
Media Contacts:
For media enquiries:
Rachel Postlethwaite, Farncombe PR 07949 883636, rachel@rp-pr.co.uk
Dana Hashem, Virgin Media 0207 909 3299, dana.hashem@virginmedia.co.uk
Joanne Fryer, Bristol University 0117 331 7276, joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk
About Farncombe:
Farncombe provides independent world-class strategic consultancy, engineering and design services to leading innovators representing all areas of today's digital TV value chain. With offices in the UK, France and Germany, Farncombe's roster of clients includes many of the world's leading broadcasters, platform operators, telcos, hardware and software technology providers as well as government and regulatory bodies, private equity companies and other industry stakeholders. For further information, visit www.farncombe.com.
About Virgin Media:
Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, and is expanding this cable network the result of a multi-billion pound investment to reach thousands more people across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.
Virgin Media also operates the most popular virtual mobile network in the UK which, when launched, was the world's first such mobile phone service. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.
Virgin Media Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED).
For more information, go to www.virginmedia.com.
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...