Getting Fibre Upgrade Through Loft
Discussion
I'm being regraded from copper to fibre (via CityFibre) but I want the incoming connection to run through the loft as all the network kit is in the first floor airing cupboard. I definitely don't want it running down the outside wall to somewhere useless in the lounge. The copper drop wire currently runs from the pole to the fascia board where it is joined to the cable that runs up through the soffit board, into the loft & drops into the airing cupboard.
They would need to fix the CTU/CTB high up under the soffit & I might have to try & get the internal fibre through the loft.
Is there any chance they can do this? I've had Openreach do work before & they have been flexible but I'm not sure about CityFibre.
They would need to fix the CTU/CTB high up under the soffit & I might have to try & get the internal fibre through the loft.
Is there any chance they can do this? I've had Openreach do work before & they have been flexible but I'm not sure about CityFibre.
Not CityFibre, but Trooli. I wanted the line to be run in a similar way to you. Though the loft is converted and the line could enter into the boarded eaves storage.
They did this no problem, I laid some trunking along the edge to where I wanted it to go, which was on the plasterboard wall. They just pulled the armoured cable in from the pole into the ducting and then into the the CBT so both it and the ONT are attached the wall of the eaves storage.
Usually (and next door with trooli) the CBT that the cable from the pole termintes in is outside, and a small fibre cable runs from there to the ONT inside.
If you do any prep work, I suspect they will be happy to put it wherever you want. They will want an easy a job as possible.
They did this no problem, I laid some trunking along the edge to where I wanted it to go, which was on the plasterboard wall. They just pulled the armoured cable in from the pole into the ducting and then into the the CBT so both it and the ONT are attached the wall of the eaves storage.
Usually (and next door with trooli) the CBT that the cable from the pole termintes in is outside, and a small fibre cable runs from there to the ONT inside.
If you do any prep work, I suspect they will be happy to put it wherever you want. They will want an easy a job as possible.
JoshSm said:
Depends does it? Can they get safe access? Is it a 'normal' install where it matters? Is it ducted/pre-run?
Mine all went where I wanted it as everything was prepped - holes, ducting, ridiculous length of the proper fibre already fed through - but experiences vary.
Where did you get the fibre from?Mine all went where I wanted it as everything was prepped - holes, ducting, ridiculous length of the proper fibre already fed through - but experiences vary.
Openreach took mine through the loft and down the ducting to the understairs cupboard. He did mention that they are not supposed to work in unlit, unboarded lofts but he was happy enough to do it. I'd already constructed crawlboards for him over the joists to the gable end where the existing overhead copper came in. As well as the copper, I had an unused UHF TV aerial lead running through the duct which he used to pull the fibre through. He did not want to remove the copper of course until the fibre was actually connected and working.
Mr Pointy said:
Where did you get the fibre from?
It's usually DexGreen inside/outside fibre, and there seems to be huge amounts of it floating around Ebay in the various proper bagged, labelled, preterminated lengths.Similar with all the other bits.
Prices vary but it's really very cheap stuff, at least on Ebay. 5/10/15/20/50m are the longer ones. Just make sure to check how long you'll need, if running it through a house it can be much longer than you think even without allowing for some slack and the excess to go in the CSP.
When I ran mine in it was cheap enough that I wasn't bothered if it was used as a drawstring for pulling in a different one & thrown away if necessary.
Edited by JoshSm on Wednesday 4th November 13:59
The Openreach guy (he was a sub, can't remember the company) wouldn't put it through my loft, in fact everything was 'no'. I even offered to go up there and pull it through if he stayed on the outside, he said no. Ended up clipping it around the facia and down, not a hideous job but not what I wanted.
I had intentions of re-routing it myself afterwards, but not really feasible as they fuse the fibre together in the outdoor box.
He wanted to screw a new anchor plate to the fascia, I asked him why he couldn't use the existing, he said they are told to use a new one. I insisted and he backed down.
Cooper is still there across the street, 'we don't take them down' I was told.
I had intentions of re-routing it myself afterwards, but not really feasible as they fuse the fibre together in the outdoor box.
He wanted to screw a new anchor plate to the fascia, I asked him why he couldn't use the existing, he said they are told to use a new one. I insisted and he backed down.
Cooper is still there across the street, 'we don't take them down' I was told.
.:ian:. said:
Not CityFibre, but Trooli. I wanted the line to be run in a similar way to you. Though the loft is converted and the line could enter into the boarded eaves storage.
They did this no problem, I laid some trunking along the edge to where I wanted it to go, which was on the plasterboard wall. They just pulled the armoured cable in from the pole into the ducting and then into the the CBT so both it and the ONT are attached the wall of the eaves storage.
Usually (and next door with trooli) the CBT that the cable from the pole termintes in is outside, and a small fibre cable runs from there to the ONT inside.
If you do any prep work, I suspect they will be happy to put it wherever you want. They will want an easy a job as possible.
I had the trooli guy up a ladder taking the cable from the telegraph pole and poking through the eaves while I lay all over the loft insulation so I could get the fibre right into the middle of the house. He wasn't keen to go in the loft but was happy with me helping. Pretty uncomfortable for 20 minutes but worth it in the long run They did this no problem, I laid some trunking along the edge to where I wanted it to go, which was on the plasterboard wall. They just pulled the armoured cable in from the pole into the ducting and then into the the CBT so both it and the ONT are attached the wall of the eaves storage.
Usually (and next door with trooli) the CBT that the cable from the pole termintes in is outside, and a small fibre cable runs from there to the ONT inside.
If you do any prep work, I suspect they will be happy to put it wherever you want. They will want an easy a job as possible.
Mr Pointy said:
The Dexgreen fibre looks like they have to splice it on to the incoming drop wire at the termination box. Do they use a fusion splicer because I can't see them doing that at the top of a ladder.
The options would be to bring the external overhead cable over to the house, clip it down to ground level, fit an external CSP then take the internal cable back up and into the attic space. Or...
Take the external cable straight into the attic and fit the CSPinternally, in a place where it's easily accessible without necessitating creaking under the eaves or stepping between joists. Said CSP houses the spliced fibre so it is an access point.
Dems da rules dictates attics need to be kit, floored, ventilated with suitably affixed access ladders but not all telecommunications engineers are created equally - some won't even entertain it, some will have a go within reason. If you can "help" then that is a bonus.
megaphone said:
Cooper is still there across the street, 'we don't take them down' I was told.
I have three overhead copper lines coming in (house was once used as an office with an ISDN line) and they did not take them down. He said there will be teams going around the country in due course removing the whole copper network - it is worth billions as scrap metal.Mr Pointy said:
The Dexgreen fibre looks like they have to splice it on to the incoming drop wire at the termination box. Do they use a fusion splicer because I can't see them doing that at the top of a ladder.
This is the issue, I asked if he could mount the termination box inside, he said no, they have to be accessible from the outside, they aren't allowed to use their splicer indoors he told me....yeah right. Greenmantle said:
most definitely
cable on the left is Openreach (installed 2000)
cable on the right is City Fibre (installed 2026)
both run into the loft via a small hole in the soffit.
Did they use a pre-terminated fibre? I know some providers (Community Fibre) use pre-terminated fibre, they are on a spool. cable on the left is Openreach (installed 2000)
cable on the right is City Fibre (installed 2026)
both run into the loft via a small hole in the soffit.
I did it myself for our Gigaclear (pre-terminated, pulled not blown) connection. I got them to install it on the external wall of our garage, then replaced the ONT with a wall mount junction box with a coupler and extension cable, up the wall through the garage loft and over to where my network equipment lives on the opposite side of the garage.
megaphone said:
This is the issue, I asked if he could mount the termination box inside, he said no, they have to be accessible from the outside, they aren't allowed to use their splicer indoors he told me....yeah right.
It may depend on the network provider but it's not across the board as many use internal CSPs, for example in upper flats where there's no provision to take the cable down to ground level, fit a CSP then take the internal cable back up and in. So splicers can absolutely be used inside and internal CSP are a thing and are quite discreet. Mr Pointy said:
What's the chance of me finding someone at City Fibre to discuss this before the changeover day. Slim I suspect.
City Fibre installed ours, the installer were great and very flexible. The guys told me they always arrive at each job to expect the unexpected.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Our fibre comes to the house wall, then there is a flat box on the wall. That box has several metres of spare fibre coiled in it.
From that box, the fibre goes through the wall to the terminal unit thingy.
If I wanted to move the terminal unit, I could uncoil the spare fibre in the wall box.
From that box, the fibre goes through the wall to the terminal unit thingy.
If I wanted to move the terminal unit, I could uncoil the spare fibre in the wall box.
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