Reroute fible cable in house

[#1]

I recently had full fibre installed through Plusnet.  It's excellent.  

However, we are building an extension and need to get the fibre optic cable re-routed.  It currently come in via a pole and is clipped to the soffits, but I need it routing through the loft.  

How can I do this?  I assume it is a job that Openreach will undertake, but do I raise the request though Plusnet or directly with Openreach?  Is there a process?

[#2]

Is the loft fully boarded. It has to be done by them - at a cost - but they dislike working in lofts anyway, and won't consider it  in un-boarded environments.

Where is your internal connection -the CSP is usually at ground level, and the ONT on the internal wall,

[#3]

@pgorst 

Does the building work directly affect the location where the o/h cable attaches to the house and / or the location of the CSP. If it does you might be able to contact OR directly. Have a look round their website regarding building works.

If not, then you may need to go through PN.

Ideally, you need to get OR to do a site visit to discuss the works. It may just be possible for you to pre-install a duct through the loft with a draw rope to save OR having to go near the loft - but you need to know what OR are happy with first.

Speaking of ducts, consider putting conduits for ethernet cable where possible. While WiFi might be good, wired is always better. You could terminate the ethernet conduits with wall sockets.

Finally, have you considered you may be without a service for a while unless you can get OR to put a temporary solution in place while the buildong work is in progress before coming back to complete the job afterwards.

Brian

Edit :

https://www.openreach.com/building-developers-and-projects/altering-our-network/for-consumer-and-bus...

[#4]

Good points, @bmc . I had some similar questions to your first line, nut we really need the OP to clarify for us.

[#5]

Thank you both for your detailed answers.

The CSP and ONT can stay where they both are, but the cable between them definitely needs to move.  The cable passes through a porch (which is going to be demolished and re-built) and hallway (which will be re-plastered).  I did wonder about carefully unclipping it myself and rerouting it.  I don't want to damage it, but maybe that is an option.  I wonder what would happen if it was damaged – it must occasionally happen and customers have to pay for fix.  I remember the OR engineer telling me that if it does ever get damaged, hey have to replace the whole cable, it can’t be joined.

It would certainly be easy enough to put a duct with drawstring through the loft in preparation, although I guess I would have to avoid any sharp bends. 

Re:  Cat6 – totally agree and I’ve put a few network points around the house during the complete re-wiring, to TV locations etc.  I’m not putting legacy TV aerial points in, in anticipation of all TV services being delivered via internet, so hard wired is certainly preferred over WiFi.   

Thanks again for your help.

[#6]

I should also have said, where the o/h cable attaches to the house will not change.  

[#7]

Hiya @pgorst 

If you give our customer service a call after it's complete they can look to arrange a move. 

[#8]

From what you say above, I suggest you contact OR and ask their advice. the CSP and ONT , if they are staying where they are only have a very short cable connection - the one from the small round object at he side of the ONT, so I don't quite understand what the issue is?

[#9]

Ah, maybe I'm getting my box names mixed up.  There is a wall box outside, low down which I thought was called a CSP.  This receives the cable from the overhead pole.  I thought the box inside the house is called the ONT, but again, I might have the wrong terminology.  The distance between those 2 boxes, whatever they are called, is about 12m of fibre cable, which runs along a soffit, through the porch, into the hallway at ceiling level and into my comms(!) cupboard.

[#10]

@pgorst I'm confused. My understanding is that the ONT is on the inside wall directly opposite the CSP on the outside wall -but I could be wrong. TBH, your wiring description suggests to me that you have a very strange setup. Are you able to post a sketch of the setup?

You have your terms correct, BTW.

[#11]

@jab1 

Normally the ONT is on the inside wall near the CSP but not always.

My FTTP got installed early 2018 before they went back to using CSP's. The fibre comes in near the original phone entry and then was run round the skirting board to be installed on a back internal wall. This can still be done if the customer wishes and the installer is happy.

If I knew then what I know now the ONT would have been on the external wall. The fibre cable got stapled to the skirting board.

@pgorst 

From what you say it may well be an ISP request as the o/h cable is unaffected by the building works (if I understand what you've said). Putting a duct in can't harm you (other than cost). The installer may say no but would probably say yes.

Brian

[#12]

Cheers, @bmc . I shall refrain from further comment.

[#13]

@pgorst 

I should also have asked if the new fibre route is totally independant of the building works you plan.

If it is then you can get the OR work done in advance and suffer no real interuption in service.

I believe on ONT move costs £160 so that would be the ball park figure for getting the cable moved.

Brian

[#14]

@pgorst - You seem to have the names right...  The CSP is generally outside a low level so that OR can access it easily and would normally be the point at which OR joint the overhead fibre cable to the fibre cable that runs inside your house.

My assumption is that you will want OR to splice/joint a new indoor cable that will run to the new position of(or new route to) the ONT. Yes OR will normally want to place the ONT inside fairly near to where the CSP is outside (because it is easier to do this.)  But there is no good reason for this and they will cable to where you want the ONT within reason. My ONT is nowhere near the CSP, but I ran a conduit from the eves under the 1st floor to the other side of the house with a draw string that the OR engineer was happy to use as it sped up the instal process.

But remember you can connect the ONT to your router via a long Ethernet cable, so you could have the ONT in the entrance/hallway and use upto 100m of ethernet cable from the ONT to the router...

[#15]

@Ian06   Yes, it is basically the relocation of the indoor cable.  When the OR engineer installed it, they said they would put the ONT anwyere I wanted in the property, so I chose a cupboard centally in the house where I can keep the router, network points nicely tucked away out of sight.  And it can all stay there too - the WiFi is central in the properrty so works well in all rooms.  

Having said that, it's a good point about "connecting the ONT to your router via a long Ethernet cable, so you could have the ONT in the entrance/hallway and use upto 100m of ethernet cable from the ONT to the route" - I'll keep that in mind as an option, or combined solution.

Ahh, things used to be so simple with just a twisted pair and a punchdown tool 🙂   I've altered many master sockets before (as I'm sure many on the forum have), but it's obviously not so simple with a fibre cable.  

Thansk again to all contributors on this.