topic Re: Fibre Installation Options in Broadband

Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 09:14:41 GMT

Good morning,

I have upgraded from Sky Broadband to Fibre, and have my installation date. Having watched the video, I am concerned about wether this is actually going to be possible.

I have been in my house 14 years, and the BT socket in my hallway has an extension socket, of which the cable runs underneath the floorboards in the hallway, underneath the wall and floorboards into the lounge. This is how it was when we bought the house. This feeds the extension socket into my lounge, of which it sits next to a double socket. I have my router placed there as it is the most central point of the house. I have heard arguments that an extension decreases speed and reliability etc, but I've never experienced this as I pretty much get the adverttised speeds from my broadband.

The question I have at the moment pertains to the actual installation of my Fibre equipment. I imagine that the reason the extension socket was put in was because there are no mains electrical sockets in our hallway, but I now know from the Q+A video that there needs to be a double socket where the fibre comes into the house. My concern is that as I don't have a double socket, I won't be able to have the install-is this correct?

In relation to adding a plug socket into the hall, I'm fine with electrics as I often do my own as a 'competant' DIY'er, however, the problem I have in my hall is that the laminate floor that I have runs from my hallway (starts at the front door), but runs all the way through into the kitchen, so getting the flooring up to come off the nearest socket means taking up the whole floor, starting at the kitchen end-which obviously I can't do (I only laid the floor 2 years ago).

I live in a 30's semi, and I do have a double plug socket that I fitted on the nib next to the bay window indoors-would an engineer be able to run a cable from the side of the house round to the front and drill the hole there? In the attcahed picture, BT have fitted the little grey box to the side of the house where the red arrow is poiting, the socket on the nib internally is located roughly where the yellow rectangle is. In my head, as the grey box is fitted near the front of the side of the house, it falls inline with the porch, so I wondered if the cable could run around the inside of the porch, and through the wall so it comes out near the internal socket. Is this something that could be done? I don't really want to have a cable runing around the inside of the porch, but if I know it's an option, I can buy some conduit and prepare so as to make it neat (i;ve recently rendered my porch and it's all painted black, so wouldn't be too noticeable).

Thoughts or advice appreciated.

Dan

Re: Fibre Installation Options

JimM1 — Mon, 12 May 2025 09:51:09 GMT

@Danorak The ideal solution but may be up to you, is an Ethernet cable from the position of your New ONT down under the floor boards again, and up where your current socket placement and currently where your router is sitting. Not sure how that stands for you doing so but would be the best option for sure.

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:09:22 GMT

Thanks for the reply @JimM1. That sounds like a great idea, however, i'd still be in the same position-I'd still need to get the floor boards up in order to do that which is a non starter at the moment. Its a shame I can't meet the installer prior to intsallation!

Re: Fibre Installation Options

cookiemonsteruk — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:24:39 GMT

@Danorak

Could you enter your full address in the link below and post the table and notes after removing your address from the image

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:33:43 GMT

@cookiemonsteruk Certainly-please see below.

Dan

Re: Fibre Installation Options

cookiemonsteruk — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:35:33 GMT

@Danorak

Overhead feed with a hoist . So no need to lift the floor boards

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:37:17 GMT

@cookiemonsteruk

Thanks for the prompt response: but, is there any way you could decipher that reply for me, I've no idea what that means 😅

Re: Fibre Installation Options

JimM1 — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:43:48 GMT

@Danorak Was throwing it out there, i am fortunate, that off my hall in the stairwell cupboard did a hatch that allowed me to go all over the underneath, bit off a commando crawl to get there but can do it all now.

Also got OR for the install did the roofline cable connect as pole for the copper into the dormier 2 truss over, fitted the ont up there and run a cable down to the Master Hub. It is just what can be done on the day and with a OR engineer willing to play ball, they where happy i did all the donkey work, they were in/out in 30 minutes done and dusted...

Re: Fibre Installation Options

cookiemonsteruk — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:43:32 GMT

@Danorak

The fibre will come to the house from a telegraph pole using a hoist before coming down to an external grey csp box before been drilled thru where an internal ont will be fitted 10 metres from where the fibre enters the building and 3 feet from the nearest electric socket. However this can be negotiated on the install date if there is no suitable electric socket

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:47:33 GMT

@JimM1 I did get the flooring up in that part of the lounge to add the socket in the bay in the first place, but you can't crawl through to underneath the hallway as the the joists sit on a brick foundation that spans the length of the house (I've changed radiators so have been under there before). My wife suggested the same thing!

Re: Fibre Installation Options

JimM1 — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:51:01 GMT

@Danorak I did the same, selected the bricks carefully and knocked the suckers out off the way to gain the access required, that's why i have the commando route, nothing direct....

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:52:23 GMT

@cookiemonsteruk I see. Does it matter though that I have already had the grey box fitted to the outside of the house though?

Re: Fibre Installation Options

JimM1 — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:57:50 GMT

@Danorak Not really as you said, outside wall is the easy prefered OR/Contactor way, less hassle, you have the problem pushing the wireless signal through the property now. Fibre is delicate that is the main issue, moving the Box on the side is a complete pain, time for the Installer talk when that happens. But you have it all sussed regarding what you need, and central position you got it all correct....

Re: Fibre Installation Options

cookiemonsteruk — Mon, 12 May 2025 11:04:55 GMT

@Danorak

In the table at the end of wbc fttp it says 1 stage install which usually means external and internal work are done on the same day. So it looks like they will only be coming to install the ont and splice it to the grey box. So it would rule out placing the csp in a different location but does not exclude running a longer length of internal fibre pigtail to a better location. Openreach would prefer any such work to be done along, for example, the skirting boards as opposed to lifting the floor. Any existing copper cabling will now be redundant and seperate from how they install the fibre pgtail. You could always speak to openreach on the day

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Mon, 12 May 2025 11:57:59 GMT

I see.

The engineer was due to arrive on Wednesday this week, but I work in education so can't be there when the engineer needs me to be. I have managed to reschedule for the 30th, so I can have that conversation when they get here.

Thank you for all the advice and prompt responses this morning, much appreciated.

Dan

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Mr+Slant — Mon, 12 May 2025 14:05:40 GMT

Its probably worth pointing out that no Openreach engineer is going to route fibre through the suspended cavity under the ground floor 🙂

They'll drill through at the side of the bay window if feasible.

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Anonymous — Mon, 12 May 2025 14:44:56 GMT

Bottom line is that the installer will negotiate, up to a point, but it has to be an easy location. They won’t do anything that involves a lot of work as they are on a tight time budget, so they certainly won’t start lifting floorboards.

As someone said, the rules say it has to be within reach of a power socket, even if only an extension lead and it has to be a cable run of no more than 10m from the entry point. It is possible to get up to 30m but that is a more expensive install and the request would have to go through Sky.

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Tue, 13 May 2025 09:01:45 GMT

Oh, totally agree, I don't expect, nor want, an engineer to be pulling up flooring etc (no offence to any engineers)-I would rather do that anyway. If that was the case, then it'd make more sense to pick up a junction box under the floor and put a new socket in next to the fibre entry point. My initial concern was that where my fibre enters the house, there is no double socket, so I was trying to ascertain whether the cable entry could be re-routed to meet a double socket in my lounge. I'm still considering breaking out some of the floor in a discreet area to see if can trace some wiring to put a junction box in and add a socket. I'd rather do that and make a neater job if I can. I have now got until the 30th of May to try and resolve the socket issue, so I'll see what I can come up with...

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Anonymous — Tue, 13 May 2025 09:16:58 GMT

Doesn't need a double socket. A double extension etc. will work just fine. Of course, if you want the work to make it lok neater...

Re: Fibre Installation Options

Danorak — Tue, 13 May 2025 09:38:59 GMT

There is no socket in my hallway, the closest is the kitchen, so running an extension lead isn't an option.