9972 Lights & TV etc

Just ask the shop to show you the manual. Mine came with the normal EU bundle. Italian,English,Spanish etc. OTA I can't think of any English stations. But a satellite dish costs less then a good antennea. With that you can get a little English. Mostly news stations of various kinds.

The wall lights will work. Hopefully (though do use a mains tester screwdriver thing at the very least to check) the earth wire (if there is one) will be green or green and yellow, the live wire will be brown, or blue, and the neutral wire will be blue, or black. (I am not joking!)

Italy used to use blue for live and black for neutral, but if the wiring is recent it will follow the european standard of brown as live and blue as neutral. Any black wire should be a neutral, and any green wre should be an earth.

The only problem we have found with using English light fittings in Italy is with external lights with sensors - they flicker a bit with the slightly lower voltage otherwise fine. On the wiring as already said it depends when your house was wired. In ours there are no rules any colour is anything and there is NO earth. You just have to do it by testing.

yep in our place Blue wire is for live and Neutral wire is...Blue too :eeeek:

As for 'Freeview', i just brought a cheapy box, where not only was there a choice of language for the system, it also had an option for the language for the TV programme itself ie, did i want English as the 1st choice (where available). In our area we can't recieve all channels but we get BBC World, which isn't great, but still better than a poke in the eye...

English wall lights...? Yes but if the fittings are bayonet, don't forget to bring over English light bulbs as they are all screw in here!

hi steve
I've taken a Voltage Indication Stick over.
only £11.49 at screwfix

[url=http://www.screwfix.com/prods/56462/Hand-Tools/Detection-Equipment/Kewstick-One-Voltage-Indication-Stick]Kewstick One Voltage Indication Stick - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys[/url]

[quote=Noble;92971]English wall lights...? Yes but if the fittings are bayonet, don't forget to bring over English light bulbs as they are all screw in here![/quote]

Buy some converters for your lights:

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/building-renovation/9217-electrical-plug-sizes-5.html#post87217[/url]

Pip pip

[quote=Noble;92971]English wall lights...? Yes but if the fittings are bayonet, don't forget to bring over English light bulbs as they are all screw in here![/quote]

You can also find bayonet bulbs in France if you are close to the border.

On the subject of manuals, all the major electronics companies will have a website where you should be able to download an English language manual for any pieces of kit bought in Italy. (That's if the manual doesn't already have an English section – and I have come across those.)

However, some companies seem to delight in producing products that differ only slightly in specification but have very different model numbers, so it's possible you might have to do some lateral thinking to find the manual you want.

It's been some time since I had the Freeview box set up here in the wilds of Abruzzo. The selection of programmes available the last time I looked was decidedly underwhelming, but I'm fairly certain that BBC World was available. Which is pretty crap, really, unless you happen to be a businessman in a hotel in Tashkent and want a brief summary of news and sport before you fall asleep.

There are good odds that, since your place is as far north as Lake Como, you should be able to get decent satellite reception of all the free satellite channels that you can get in the UK with a dish that's not that much bigger than the ones used in Britain. Something around the 1 metre diameter size should work according to [URL="http://www.digitalsat.co.uk/astra2dfootprint.html"]this website[/URL]. That's assuming, of course, that your place is not on the north-facing slope of a steep hill where you have no view of the satellite!

Al

We also have a Freeview box and I must agree that the choice of Channels is appaling..we can get channel 5, say no more.....The T.V has now become a shelf that gathers dust really, & the only good thing about getting the Freeview box for me, of course was getting Radio 4...it has changed my life!
Sprat

[quote=chrisnotton;93687]Buy some converters for your lights:
Pip pip[/quote]
The only problem there will be that the phasing out (sorry for the unintended pun there) of the good old tungsten light bulb for the energy saving florescent types will often result in a light bulb tower.

Or, putting it simply, the adapter plus a new-style bulb will be bigger than the available space in the light fitting.

It would probably work out better, easier and cheaper to change the bulb holder part of the lamp to a normal Italian one. Available in all brico-type shops throughout Italy.

[quote=AllanMason;99319] BBC World ... is pretty crap, really, unless you happen to be a businessman in a hotel in Tashkent and want a brief summary of news and sport before you fall asleep.l[/quote]Oh, I don't know about that Allan. Click is always interesting and Newsnight is as well. You just have to check the schedule to find out what else is on.

Having said that, we have a satellite dish with a Clarke-Tech box, which gives us over 4,000 channels (alright, so what if 2,000* of them are arab porn channels..) All free - including about 20 English language ones. The box cost the same as any of the digital boxes you can buy in your local MediaWorld or Euronics, so not a bad deal really.

[SIZE="1"]
*this may be a slight exaggeration...[/SIZE]

[quote=pilchard;99320]We also have a Freeview box and I must agree that the choice of Channels is appaling..we can get channel 5, say no more.....The T.V has now become a shelf that gathers dust really, & the only good thing about getting the Freeview box for me, of course was getting Radio 4...it has changed my life!
Sprat[/quote]

I do not enjoy the doom and gloom I hear on Radio 4 but my OH, like Pilchard, loves it. We now have wireless broadband and an internet radio (use a router to have it in the kitchen, some way from the computer). Recommended for Radio 4 fans, who dont have TV etc. and want an easy option.

[quote=Noble;99368]I do not enjoy the doom and gloom I hear on Radio 4 but my OH, like Pilchard, loves it. We now have wireless broadband and an internet radio (use a router to have it in the kitchen, some way from the computer). Recommended for Radio 4 fans, who dont have TV etc. and want an easy option.[/quote]

This seems an interesting and so far unconsidered option for us! Apologies if this seems a really stupid question - but here goes anyway! As it is via the internet, presumably any internet radio can pick up Radio 4 and other BBC radio channels here in Italy or are there certain features you have to look out for? Thanks in advance.

Was just curious as to the need for Internet Radio, looked at the first site that came up selling the kit and it was 99 quid, plus a wireless router ( if you dont already have one, why not just buy wireless speakers instead........or am I missing something ?

Internet radios use your internet connection, rather than radio waves, to access the programmes, so perhaps they shouldn't be called 'radios' at all. The bottom line is that you can get any station, anywhere, regardless of reception issues. Of course, you can just use your computer to do that, but a dedicated device frees your computer and can be used in rooms where you don't have computers.

[quote=deborahandricky;99384]...plus a wireless router...[/quote]
Thought I'd mention that my personal experience is that even state of the art wireless routers just don't work in a traditional Italian country house with metre-thick stone walls.

Al

[quote=AllanMason;99454]Thought I'd mention that my personal experience is that even state of the art wireless routers just don't work in a traditional Italian country house with metre-thick stone walls.

Al[/quote]

Noooooooooo! :eeeek::eeeek::eeeek:

[quote=IRITALIA;99457]Noooooooooo! :eeeek::eeeek::eeeek:[/quote]
Not sure if that's "Noooooooooo!" as in "Duuurh! Everybody should know that!" or "Noooooooooo!" as in "Damn! I was planning on using a wireless network in my old Italian farmhouse!"

If the latter, then there are alternatives:

The difficult way involves running Ethernet cables through said metre-thick walls.

The easier solution is to use devices which allow you to use the mains wiring as a network. Here are a [URL="http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline.htm"]couple [/URL]of [URL="http://www.trustedreviews.com/networking/review/2006/12/21/Panasonic-HD-PLC-Power-Line-Network/p1"]pages[/URL] with more information.

These things are available in Italy in places like MediaWorld, although the shops I've been in don't have a great selection. Which is a bit odd, really, since they generally do have at least 20 different types of wireless routers, but I'm sure those work okay in modern Italian houses with their thinner walls.

The only problem I've had with the "HomePlug" adaptors is that they only allow you to connect computers which are on electrical circuits on the same circuit breaker panel. This shouldn't be an issue for most people, but our house has a separate set of circuit breakers in each of the three flats into which it was previously divided, so we can't connect computers wherever they are in the house.

Other than that, the mains network works fine for things like internet connection sharing.

Al

[quote=AllanMason;99454]Thought I'd mention that my personal experience is that even state of the art wireless routers just don't work in a traditional Italian country house with metre-thick stone walls.

Al[/quote]

your right that could be a bit tricky, just by the by, are they your internal walls, cos it there that effective I moght have them built in the M.I.Ls apartment :laughs:

[quote=AllanMason;99454]Thought I'd mention that my personal experience is that even state of the art wireless routers just don't work in a traditional Italian country house with metre-thick stone walls.

Al[/quote]

your right that could be a bit tricky, just by the by, are they your internal walls, cos if there that effective I might have them built in the M.I.Ls apartment :laughs:

[quote=deborahandricky;99480]...are they your internal walls...[/quote]
Yes, both the exterior and internal walls in our place are all about a metre thick.

They don't make 'em like that anymore. :bigergrin:

Al

[quote=anne2;99379]This seems an interesting and so far unconsidered option for us! Apologies if this seems a really stupid question - but here goes anyway! As it is via the internet, presumably any internet radio can pick up Radio 4 and other BBC radio channels here in Italy or are there certain features you have to look out for? Thanks in advance.[/quote]

Sorry didn't get to the Forum yesterday. Any internet radio can receive all BBC radio channels. There are lots of makes at varying prices and ours came from England. Some have loud speakers and some, (like ours), must be connected to a stereo system. Some are Wireless only and some can be connected by a cable. For specific questions PM me and I will ask the Boss to reply to you.

[quote=AllanMason;99454]Thought I'd mention that my personal experience is that even state of the art wireless routers just don't work in a traditional Italian country house with metre-thick stone walls.

Al[/quote]

The techi is out so bare with an idiots reply Alan... we live in a casa colonica and have thick walls. We have internet radio in the kitchen, two rooms away from the computer. We also want our guests in our Barn, which is some way away from our house, to have the use of broadband. The solution was to have little grey boxes made by Netgear. One half plugs into a router and a nearby domestic socket. The signal then goes through the domestic wiring to another grey box plugged into a domestic socket that works as a wireless access point. (In the kitchen and in the Barn). We bought them online from eplaza. Price approx 100 euros.

[quote=AllanMason;99454]Thought I'd mention that my personal experience is that even state of the art wireless routers just don't work in a traditional Italian country house with metre-thick stone walls.

Al[/quote]

Agree with Al that our thick walls are a challenge. A solution that works for me is to place the wireless router in the loft. In fact I have two, one at either end of the house - this allows signal in all rooms of the house (upstairs and down), so one has to assume that the floors are not quite as solid as the (multiple) walls. I used a similar technique in the UK in a Yorkshire stone farmhouse. Of course this requires a bit of cable work and a handy electrical supply - but may be worht the effort.

[quote=Noble;99798]The techi is out so bare with an idiots reply Alan... we live in a casa colonica and have thick walls. We have internet radio in the kitchen, two rooms away from the computer. We also want our guests in our Barn, which is some way away from our house, to have the use of broadband. The solution was to have little grey boxes made by Netgear. One half plugs into a router and a nearby domestic socket. The signal then goes through the domestic wiring to another grey box plugged into a domestic socket that works as a wireless access point. (In the kitchen and in the Barn). We bought them online from eplaza. Price approx 100 euros.[/quote]
Errrrmm...
[quote=AllanMason – 17 October 2008;99477]...The easier solution is to use devices which allow you to use the mains wiring as a network. Here are a [URL="http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline.htm"]couple [/URL]of [URL="http://www.trustedreviews.com/networking/review/2006/12/21/Panasonic-HD-PLC-Power-Line-Network/p1"]pages[/URL] with more information.[/quote]
:bigergrin:

Phil, your loft suggestion is an excellent idea and it would probably work here... except for the fact that there's absolutely no access (from below, above or the side) to the space between the roof and the upstairs ceiling. Bizarre, I know, but that's how it is.

Al

Whoops..I said I wasn't the Techi Alan ...just engaged brain but for us simple souls just clicking on a website link isn't quite enough....sorry.

I would add it all has to be unplugged when thunder is about...we have lost 2 routers etc. to date!

[quote=Noble;99962]I would add it all has to be unplugged when thunder is about...we have lost 2 routers etc. to date![/quote]
We had thunderstorms around about us with an annoying daily regularity for several weeks this year, but so far, we've not lost anything electronic. Partly that's due to us remembering most of the time to unplug stuff when we hear thunder. I'm sure it's also due to us having all our electronics gear (including entertainment systems) plugged into uninterruptible power supplies with surge suppression.

However, HomePlug (network via mains wiring) devices must be plugged directly into the wall, so they can't be protected and may get fried by a passing lightning bolt. One of ours did, in fact, suddenly stop working over the summer, but I'm not sure if it was just due to a manufacturing defect or a spike on the power line it couldn't handle.

You might consider that you can get surge protection devices which offer Ethernet protection. This means you could plug your router's Ethernet cable into the surge suppressor and then have another Ethernet cable going from the suppressor to the HomePlug network connector. Even if the HomePlug device got zapped, the surge suppressor would hopefully stop the spike before it got to the router and from there to your PC.

My experience is that suppressors with Ethernet protection also often have phone line connectors, so you could also provide your router with some degree of protection from lightning-induced voltage spikes on the phone line.

I never expect surge suppressors to offer much protection in the real world, but using one would at least give your router a chance of survival.

Al

I passed your reply to my OH Alan, as you speak the same language...(actually I have never heard him ever admit he was slow to learn...that's why somethings have taken me 40 years of teaching!!!)

I'm a slow learner. After the first incident in which I lost everything when I carried on working during a storm, I started to switch off and unplug as soon as I hear thunder.

The next time it happened we were out and the computers were switched off, but still plugged in, when a storm came. Since then everything has been connected through surge suppressors.

When we finally got broadband (via a wireless connection), the new router was also plugged into a surge suppressor. But I'd forgotten about the ethernet connection from the aerial, so although everything was switched off and unplugged from the mains, a surge came down from the aerial and wiped out the router and both network cards in the PC's.

So I started to unplug the ethernet connection as well as everything else. Everything was fine for about 6 months, until I installed the HomePlug devices, and I forgot to unplug them!

Now I switch off, unplug the ethernet cable from the aerial, and then throw the circuit breaker which covers all the sockets in the room where the computers are - and cross my fingers.

I was also sent a PM asking if an internet radio could be used by someone without broadband.
I copy here the reply for anyone that's interested...
Most broadcasters have an option for reduced quality audio which makes it possible to listen to streamed radio over a dial-up internet connection. It's not perfect but it's probably better than nothing. You can then listen via the computers loudspeakers.

To distribute the signal to other parts of the house you'll need some kind of network. For most people this means connecting an Internet Radio to their broadband router, by cable, by wireless (which isn't suitable for old stone houses), or using the domestic wiring circuits to carry the signal.

If your computer is reasonably modern, and it has a network card, you could probably connect an Internet Radio (with the same connection options as above) directly to the network port, without using a router, but I've never done it. I think that you would need to be reasonably computer savvy to set up Windows to share the internet connection in this way.