Full fibre installation

[#1]

Hi.
Contract is soon to finish and considering the switch from normal fibre to fill fibre.
Has installation got better? Two years ago I tried and failed due to the current position of my router.
It's a semi detached house with kitchen at the front. The living room is at the back and is the side of the other semi.
Would the work be simpler now to sort installation as before open reach said they have to go all over the place to get to the back of house.
Just don't know whether to just stick to normal fibre or if I'm wasting time and just switch. Thanks.

[#2]

Moderator's note:
Thread moved from Full Fibre to My Order

[#3]

@Spur365 

Is your current copper supply an overhead or underground feed?

Could the ONT go in the kitchen if you can get the router in the lounge?

Brian

[#4]

Hi.
It's underground an feed.
Can routers safely go in kitchen? The distance to the lounge and current normal router from there is about 15-20 meters.
Last time couple years a go engineer was like it be in though kitchen cupboards, then wall to lounge and along 20 meter of skirting board.
Or along outside house in over loft and down other side through ceiling and down a wall.

Just seemed overly complicated so cancelled.

Now two years on its the though has it changed and should I do switch to full fibre as best prices are on that generally.

[#5]

@Spur365 

Is the underground feed in a duct or is the current cable directly buried needing a duct to be trenched in to your garden? Either way, the physics are the same, If you want a reliable high speed connection to your lounge then a cable, be it fibre or Ethernet. needs to be terminated in this room. This can be either fibre or an Ethernet cable from the ONT, which can be installed in the kitchen.

You could install the router in the kitchen and use either wireless or powerline devices to transmit data from your kitchen to lounge. However, you will find this limiting if you want to take advantage of the higher speeds available with Full Fibre.

Have you had a close look at how you could route an Ethernet cable between the two, it could be worth the effort of planning and installing a link yourself. As an example, I have an Ethernet cable that is routed from the hub location in the hall, through the wall to the rear of a tall kitchen unit. From there through the ceiling into a build in wardrobe. from here into the loft. It then goes across the loft and through the soffit adjacent to the rainwater gutter downpipe. Here it is fastened to the rear of the downpipe and back through the wall into the lounge.

Yes, this was extreme and was a pain to install but it ensures that I have a solid reliable 1GHz connection between the two areas with no visible cable strung around the house to offend SWMBO..

[#6]

@Spur365 

The first thing to consider is the router is connected to the ONT by ethernet cable so can go anywhere you're happy to run cable.

OR try to work with customers on an install if it's possible. I had two thoughts

If the underground cable is fed through a duct they could bring the fibre up to the surface, continue up to just below the roof line and then take it round the bungalow to above the point where you want the ONT in the lounge. Then it comes back down to gound level for the external box (CSP) to be fitted. Drill a hole and then the ONT is inside.

The problem is you never know until the day what's possible or what they're happy to do.

My second thought is to install the ONT in the kitchen and then run an external ethernet cable round the bungalow to the lounge. This would be terminated at either end with a wall mounted ethernet socket. A short cable form the ONT to the wall socket and then connect the router at the other end. Not the cheapest option but it gets the job done without messing about with internal cables (the third option already mentioned). Also requires two extra holes to be drilled.

Brian

[#7]

Thanks for all those detailed replies. Very helpful.
So I think it best I just book in a slot for open reach to come when I sign up to the contract.
Should they come and be like it's way too much that we can do I can just cancel it all and stick to the normal fibre through the hub on another?

Is it best to catch the engineer on visit one when they do the outside box in case they do that and realise it's impossible to do visit two?

Thanks again.

[#8]

@Spur365 

Although having the ONT in the lounge is the ideal situation consider other locations as a backup plan, especially if you can run ethernet cables (either internally or externally). The kitchen is one solution but are there other rooms where it might work (remembering a power source is required).

It may cost a bit to get the cables sorted out but it's a once in a decade job to get your router where you want it.

Brian

[#9]

Cancellation might not be that easy. The 14 days remote selling cooling off period starts the day after you sign up. If for whatever reason it takes longer for BR to schedule the installation your right to cancel under the remote selling regulations will have expired.

You refusing installation is not likely to get you out of the contract. Though BTOR will work with you to get your optimal install, there is a limit to what can be done. How you want the internals arranging is your affair / responsibility similar to that for POTS telephone extensions.

My recent fibre install was very flexible though that did mean running the internal fibre up wall corners and along the wall ceiling ‘joint’. That in a commercial setting was what it was.

You’ve mention going through kitchen units etc. if you can put a duct / conduit in through the units and put a draw string in it, it will help BTOR to put things where you would prefer them to be. Note that the internal fibre is installed from the ONT to the external connection. The ONT end is pre-formed an probably not suitable for dragging through a duct / conduit.

[#10]

Is it best to catch the engineer on visit one when they do the outside box in case they do that and realise it's impossible to do visit two?

The engineer may only make one visit!. It depends on what the FTTP Install process is for your address.

What does the BT wholesale checker https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome say for your address. You're looking at the RH column of the WBC FTTP availabilty section.

If it says 1-Stage install then the engineer will expect to complete in a single visit.

If it says 2-Stage then the first vist will do the external and a 2nd the internal

If it says KCI2-Assure then a survey visit is made first (before a commited date for install) to ascertain what work is required. A committed date is then made when the engineer will complete everything.

[#11]

@Spur365 

You definitely want to speak to the installer before they start work about what's desireable / possible.

As mentioned have back up plans / locations in place if your desired location is not doable.

If you do get a survey done first there is another slight possibility but that would involve work by you and would need OR agreement in advance. Is it possible to install ducting in the loft from front to back, accessable to the outside? If so, and OR agree, you could do the work and leave a draw rope in place so on the day the installer simply takes the cable up the wall, uses your draw rope to pull it through and then down to other side to the CSP.

Brian

[#12]

@Spur365 

The bottom line is that one assumes that Openreach can install fibre to your ptoperty,to a location where they can drill through the wall to a location with a convenient mains supply, so they can fulfil their obligation under the contract to provide Full Fibre. 
Having got here then you have to accept that either Openreach routing fibre, or you taking Ethernet from the ONT to your lounge is either a matter of negotiation with OR, or a job that you need to sort yourself.