Fibre broadband installation

[William89]

I am with sky and they have instructed openreach to install new fibre cable. There is an existing openreach box on outside and inside. They say they will need new entry and new ont box inside but my router and landline are in a different location to entry point . Can they use existing inside cables or will they need changing as my router can not go next to ont box.

[TimmyBGood]

@William89 

If it's in the UK, putting the address into the BT Wholesale Availability Checker should indicate which broadband provisioning type is applicable.

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

It's the table and the two text lines below it which are most useful.

Remove any personal information (such as the address itself) if you post an image.

[William89]

To TimmyBGood it is fibre broadband being installed by openreach in Carlisle 

[FLC]

@William89 

The ubiquitous "box" doesn't really help. Are you saying you already have an ONT or is the "box" a master socket?

[TimmyBGood]

@FLC @William89 

The BT Wholesale lookup gives that information without needing the householder to know the difference, which is why I suggested it.

[William89]

I have a master socket in hallway connected to outside also one in the living room connected to router.Openreach are going to install ont box but can they connect from there to my router in other room .

[TimmyBGood]

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@William89 wrote:

I have a master socket in hallway connected to outside also one in the living room connected to router.

Those become redundant after FTTP installation.

Openreach are going to install ont box but can they connect from there to my router in other room .

No, but you could choose to purchase your own longer ethernet cable (Cat5e or Cat6) rather than using the short one supplied.

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[William89]

Sky sent a short cable to go from master socket to router.. l spoke to sky today and they say existing cable in property should be fine . I will have to see what engineers say when they come if it is a lot of hassle it won't get done.

[FLC]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

@FLC @William89 

The BT Wholesale lookup gives that information without needing the householder to know the difference, which is why I suggested it.

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Unless there's a database error...

@William89 

Unfortunately the reliability of information supplied by some budget ISP call staff is about the same as that provided by a politician seeking election. as @TimmyBGood said, your current extension wiring becomes redundant & certainly can't be used to connect a router to an ONT in any circumstances.

But the good news if that the fibre cabling doen't necessarily have to enter the house at the same point the copper does. So within reason, cabling can be run around a property to enter where you want it, assuming the property isn't terraced. Sadly it's pot luck as to whether you get someone willing to do the job properly, or a jobsworth who wants to be in & out with minimal effort.

[Chrisee]

@William89 the installation of your new fibre service does not normally reuse any of the cable or sockets the old copper service used. On the day Openreach or Sky install the ONT the engineer should ask you where you want the unit and they will put it there if it is practical. Normally if that position is on an outside wall they can run the fibre connection from the new external customer service point (grey box where the fibre cable from the street ends) and can drill an entry hole near where the ONT will be fitted internally. The ONT requires power so needs to be close to a power outlet although you can normally use trailing mains adapter. See https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/full-fibre-broadband-installation-checklist#accordion-b43...

The default cable Sky have sent you links the ONT to the hub however it is quite short but you dont need to use that cable you can buy a longer one as it is simply an Ethernet cable which you can buy at hardware stores, supermarkets or online. Cables can be up to 100m without affecting speeds😀

[TimmyBGood]

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@William89 wrote:

l spoke to sky today and they say existing cable in property should be fine . 

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That advice simply cannot be correct if it's a change from FTTC to FTTP.

By definition the external copper cable arriving at the address is replaced with an optical bearer, otherwise it's not Fibre To The Premises.

Internal cabling is glass pigtail to the Optical Network Terminal (clue is in the name) and then ethernet to the ISP router.

Existing telephone sockets and telephone extension cabling become redundant: that's inherent to the technology change because voice telephony runs through the router.

There's a theoretical way to reconnect internal sockets called Voice Re-Injection (VRI) but neither Openreach or any ISP is actually offering this to customers despite Openreach creating a dedicated faceplate for the task.

 

It's not an impossible DIY job if suitable care is taken to avoid putting signal back into an external circuit: third-party kits are available.

[William89]

It is sky who is offering this i didn't ask for fibre but it is free from sky. l have looked up installation by openreach and it looks like new ont box has to be next to power point and router. The only way to achieve this would be to run a cable all around house which i don't know if they will.That is why i phoned sky and suggested someone to call first to see what can be done but i was told it would be fine. This could be a wasted visit for openreach.

[TimmyBGood]

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@William89 wrote:

It is sky who is offering this i didn't ask for fibre but it is free from sky.

Actually 'free' from Openreach (because they are covering the cost) as part of the national FTTP rollout.

l have looked up installation by openreach and it looks like new ont box has to be next to power point and router.

That's correct, but the user can purchase their own longer ethernet cable (up to 100 metres) between ONT and router.

The only way to achieve this would be to run a cable all around house which i don't know if they will.

Openreach installers carry long pigtail fibre: if there's a clear external route they can use that for 20 to 30 metres from the CSP (external enclosure)

That is why i phoned sky and suggested someone to call first to see what can be done but i was told it would be fine.

The budget and timescale of the rollout typically don't facilitate pre-installation visits: they are aiming for 85,000 new activations every week between now and January 2027.

This could be a wasted visit for openreach.

That's also factored into the rollout: eventually householders won't have any choice about replacement of copper circuits.

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[William89]

Hi i can't get in touch with anyone for a pre visit to see where ont box can be installed. Ideal place is in the living room but they would need to run a cable all around outside wall as there is no power point in hall where existing cable is. The only other way at front of property is the kitchen. Idont know if this is advisable and would no really like ont box and router in there thanks for advice.

[FLC]

We're just going round in circles.  As already repeatedly said, your aren't going to get a survey ahead of the installstion. When the installler turns up, show him where you'd like the ONT installed. He will either do that or you refuse the installation.