Full Fibre Installation - Wiring before install
Discussion
I'm currently carrying out a refurb at a property where I intend to have Full Fibre installed.
Is there anything I can do in now in advance of installation to make the wiring neat and match the rest of the decor?
I've had the telephone sockets and main junction box redone, that was easy as I'm familiar with the traditional telephone wiring. Am I correct in assuming Full Fibre will not use that BT line coming into the house?
Is there anything I can do in now in advance of installation to make the wiring neat and match the rest of the decor?
I've had the telephone sockets and main junction box redone, that was easy as I'm familiar with the traditional telephone wiring. Am I correct in assuming Full Fibre will not use that BT line coming into the house?
Correct, no copper line at all, so worth planning for removing that stuff.
Fibre will come into the house wherever you like (within reason) and go into an ONT, about 4” square box that needs power. It’s then Ethernet from there to your router.
I chose to have the ONT come in the front corner of the house by the duct to avoid an ugly external cable run, then ran my own cat5 from there to under the stairs where the router and other stuff lives.
Fibre will come into the house wherever you like (within reason) and go into an ONT, about 4” square box that needs power. It’s then Ethernet from there to your router.
I chose to have the ONT come in the front corner of the house by the duct to avoid an ugly external cable run, then ran my own cat5 from there to under the stairs where the router and other stuff lives.
IIRC, BT/openreach’s docs say they prefer to minimise fibre run and install on an outside wall.
In practice we found that they were prepared to put the ONT exactly where we wanted it, even though this was a comms cabinet near the centre of our house, but we made it easy for them by putting the draw lines and clips in place (from where the fibre would reach the house)whilst we were installing the rest of the Ethernet cabling.
In practice we found that they were prepared to put the ONT exactly where we wanted it, even though this was a comms cabinet near the centre of our house, but we made it easy for them by putting the draw lines and clips in place (from where the fibre would reach the house)whilst we were installing the rest of the Ethernet cabling.
You might want to think about what happens if you choose to (or are forced) to switch to digital phone now or in the future. Your existing phone sockets, assuming in the conventional configuration, will not work. What you could do, however, is use the wiring to give you hard wired internet access throughout, wherever you have a socket. (This assumes you have a dedicated feed to each socket rather than daisy-chained). All you need is at least two pairs, though 4 pair ethernet is best, certainly if you want gigabit speeds. Switch the phone front plate for an ethernet front plate. Perhaps put a little switch between your main hub router and the place where all the former phone socket wires emerge near the old BT main socket. Plug in an access point at each socket.
I’ve just done this having been forcibly switched by BT to Digital Voice when we got fttp three years ago.
I’ve just done this having been forcibly switched by BT to Digital Voice when we got fttp three years ago.
I've got it in my house, they run a cable from somewhere on the street to a grey box that they install on the outside of the property then run a thin black cable to as others have said a little box that requires power and where the router plugs into it.
I would suggest running trunking with a pull cord from the front of the property to where you want it so the open reach engineer can just pull their wire through to where ever you want it
I would suggest running trunking with a pull cord from the front of the property to where you want it so the open reach engineer can just pull their wire through to where ever you want it
shopper150 said:
Can I do my own 'first fix', (of half fix) now? And they then join it and run it to the main box in the street? What cable to I need?
I assume the cable coming to the property from the telegraph pole will also become redundant?
The likelihood is that they’ll string the fibre from the same pole. Has the pole acquired a new box near the top and a yellow “caution overhead fibre” plate recently?I assume the cable coming to the property from the telegraph pole will also become redundant?
shopper150 said:
Can I do my own 'first fix', (of half fix) now? And they then join it and run it to the main box in the street? What cable to I need?
I assume the cable coming to the property from the telegraph pole will also become redundant?
No unfortunately not they bring the cable in and i'm not aware of where you can get the cable from, you can make it as easy as possible for them to get the cable to the desired location though. I assume the cable coming to the property from the telegraph pole will also become redundant?
Also semi incorrect re the cable from the telegraph pole i'm afraid. Depending on the property of the house they are installing the fibre cable infrastructure using the telegraph poles to run the cable to the properties so if that's the method the coper comes in that will also be the method the fibre will come in.
Olds124 said:
You might want to think about what happens if you choose to (or are forced) to switch to digital phone now or in the future. Your existing phone sockets, assuming in the conventional configuration, will not work.
Assuming the router has a telephone socket you could just plug the exisiting wiring into that socket. I did find that my faithful very old deskphone wouldn't ring (when directly plugged in tot the BT router) but a newer version did.We use DECT phones and the master is plugged into the router. I got a couple of BT digital voice phones and they pair to the BT router. My deskphone (the newer one) plugs into a digital adapter which BT sent me upon asking. That plugs into a power socket and then is paired to the BT router.
One thing re installation - if the outer wall is brick try and avoid letting them blast through from the inside. The girl that did ours blew literally half the face of a brick off. It was so violent that it broke into a three main pieces and I was able to stick them back and luckily it's not in place that catches the eye.
Recently got full fibre and was led to believe that out landline phones( we have 5 cordless handsets) would no longer work and we would need to buy Voice over fibre ones.
Not so. Purchase a box on line from BT for £15.Uses the ring main as an ethernet connection just like a WiFi extender.
The phone cable of the base station of the handsets is plugged into the box which is plugged into any power point in the house, it is paired with the modem/router, then carry on as before
Not so. Purchase a box on line from BT for £15.Uses the ring main as an ethernet connection just like a WiFi extender.
The phone cable of the base station of the handsets is plugged into the box which is plugged into any power point in the house, it is paired with the modem/router, then carry on as before
shopper150 said:
Can I do my own 'first fix', (of half fix) now? And they then join it and run it to the main box in the street? What cable to I need?
I assume the cable coming to the property from the telegraph pole will also become redundant?
Assuming it's coming from a pole they'll just run from there, mine was from a pole down the street, (where the junction box of sorts is mounted) I have a pole outside my property to the fibre came from the first pole via the junction box, to the pole outside my home, then to the property. OR had to pin the cable to the gable end, then run down the wall, for me I wanted the entry to be at the rear of the property where my TV is, they just tacked the cable around the bottom of the walls and drilled through.I assume the cable coming to the property from the telegraph pole will also become redundant?
My router sits within the TV cabinet and I have a mesh Wifi hanging off the back of this, plus cordless phones throughout so very discreet install. All you could do is run ethernet cables assuming you don't/cannot get wifi to other rooms and hook into the router once they have mounted the ONT to the wall.
As others have said the ONT requires power, so just make sure it's next to a socket.
Freakuk said:
As others have said the ONT requires power, so just make sure it's next to a socket.
I know I will be accused of having paranoia but, it is always worth considering the power issue.If yoy have reliable mobile phone coverage, it isn't too much of an issue, but otherwise with FTTP, you 'land line' phone will go down during power outages. If you live in the middle of nowhere that could be an issue.
Relatively easy to solve, but the ONT plus router will need to be on a UPS. The old ONTs supplied by OpenReach used to have a battery backup in the case... but that got dropped.
Depends how you chose to do it, but a phone and terminal adaptor mich need to be off a UPS too.
No ideas for a name said:
There isn't a new wall box as such.
Fibre comes in to the customer splice point (CSP) and then on to the Optical Network Termination (ONT) at which point it becomes a Cat5 socket.
Found some more information and it is the ONT (https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/full-fibre-broadband-installation-checklist) I was thinking about. If it will fit a back box I would install one before they come.Fibre comes in to the customer splice point (CSP) and then on to the Optical Network Termination (ONT) at which point it becomes a Cat5 socket.
I guess we get a new hub as well since the existing one doesn't have a cat5 input.
IJWS15 said:
Found some more information and it is the ONT (https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/full-fibre-broadband-installation-checklist) I was thinking about. If it will fit a back box I would install one before they come.
I guess we get a new hub as well since the existing one doesn't have a cat5 input.
The ONT surface mounts, so doesn't need a back box.I guess we get a new hub as well since the existing one doesn't have a cat5 input.
We work with OpenReach directly rather than BT Retail so I am not sure what BT will supply.
All the BT routers I have seen have a cat5 input as well as the analogue FTTC connection... if not I guess they will supply you with a more modern one that does.
We always supply our own router.
The analogue phone issue has been covered above... personally I wouldn't continue with the analogue stuff... now is a good time to swap to a proper VoIP service and go full digital in the premises... but that is another subject really.
Heres ours - installed as original build so usefully the fibre goes all the way to the airing cupboard upstairs.
Fibre is the cable with the green end - this is what Openreach will pull through from the street into your house.
The small (100mm square ish) white box sits on the inside - this needs power, as shown.
Then an Ethernet cable (the Left most cable) runs to wherever you want it ans is yours to do what you want.
Note, in our house the whole lot sits in that larger white casing, although this is not needed. I suspect they used it just to hide the big hole in the plasterboard.
So all you need to do is provide power at the point of entry. Then run your CAT5 yourself into the house and manage your network yourself.
Fibre is the cable with the green end - this is what Openreach will pull through from the street into your house.
The small (100mm square ish) white box sits on the inside - this needs power, as shown.
Then an Ethernet cable (the Left most cable) runs to wherever you want it ans is yours to do what you want.
Note, in our house the whole lot sits in that larger white casing, although this is not needed. I suspect they used it just to hide the big hole in the plasterboard.
So all you need to do is provide power at the point of entry. Then run your CAT5 yourself into the house and manage your network yourself.
I don't know who designed our house but the ONT box sits inside the cupboard under the stairs so with my router plugged in I get no WiFi range. Why they didn't install it in the study I don't know. They did how ever run phone sockets to the study and living room from the same cupboard which I've swapped the faceplates out to RJ45 network ports.
I now run a mesh for WiFi and wired connection to living room and study.
Where ever you plan to install the ONT box you'll likely want a double power socket for the router also unless you can hide an extension socket.
I now run a mesh for WiFi and wired connection to living room and study.
Where ever you plan to install the ONT box you'll likely want a double power socket for the router also unless you can hide an extension socket.
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