Will I need to install FTTP myself?

[#1]

Hi all,

We signed up with Plusnet FTTP sometime in March, an engineer visited a week or so later and strung the new cable alongside the existing phone line (overhead cable), leaving a few loops of cable at the apex of the house where it connects. I asked about how the fibre would get into the house, but was told the next engineer would have no issues.

When the next engineer did visit, he wasn't able to do it: we have a wooden clad front to the house, and the current master socket / network equipment is at the side of the house - not a straightforward route.

So he left, and we've since just moved onto a normal Plusnet broadband package for the timebeing.

The question is, what next?

I can see a route that could be used, but it would involve a fair amount of work, involving some cladding being removed etc... work that I don't mind gradually doing but that I doubt a regular OpenReach engineer would do.

Can I ask OpenReach to give me the cables they would have used, and get them all in the right places ready for an engineer to connect up? If not can I just buy the same type of cables?

[#2]

@gremlintom Welcome to the forums. I could be wrong here (more clued-up Community members will probably correct me), but there is no way you can do the installation - it is specialised work.

The installation engineer should be able to route the external cable to the side of the house - presumably brick?- and feed it through a new hole. Surprised they didn't suggest that, to be honest.

[#3]

Hi

I can't answer the "what's next" question, sorry.  I would doubt Openreach would give you the fibre to route it yourself. but two other thoughts that might work for you.

Firstly, if you're planning on removing some of the cladding, could you leave it off for while the engineer visits to do the install and then reinstate it?

Second one would be if you could buy and install some appropriate ducting and a drawstring and put that in place, so that the engineer just needs to pull it through?

[#4]

but there is no way you can do the installation - it is specialised work.

@jab1 correct, you need specialist equipment to terminate the fibre.

[#5]

Thanks for the replies - I don't really mean I would do the entire install myself - but maybe I could get the appropriate cables in place ready for the engineer to connect up to whatever boxes they connect to?

Is it known what kind of cable runs from the CSP to the inside of the house, or is it a BT trade secret?

Failing that, installing ducting of some kind may be the best idea. Not sure when we'll try switching back to fibre - as I say, we're back on normal FTTC for now, so I might try getting whatever work is needed done ahead of time when the weather is good.

[#6]

Is it known what kind of cable runs from the CSP to the inside of the house

it's fibre.

[#7]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to My Order

[#8]

@gremlintom 

You really need to get an OR engineer round to agree what the route is for the fibre cable. What you think is suitable may not be acceptable to OR for various reasons.

Once a route is agreed, you can do any required work in preperation although I can't really think what might be required. If you can do it, surely OR can do it as well.

Brian

[#9]

That's fine - I guess I need to go through Plusnet to make any future appointments with OpenReach.

[#10]

fwiw I took a photo of the bag containing 5m inside-outside cable with part no. 100627 made by Dexgreen where one end has a green plug ready to insert into the ONT.  It's available in different lengths up to 50m.

 https://dexgreen.com/collections/all/products/fiber-optic-inside-outside-cable-10m 

Perhaps the engineer could have left you with a longer cable if both agreed what needed to be done as suggested by @bmc ?

fwiw, I know Openreach had to leave a 20m cable with a landlord so they could route the new cable from ONT back to the utilities room within a building, occupied by a business and apartments. (The cable was all-white in colour as it was all indoors) Openreach engineer returned later to connect up the new fibre optic cable and activate FTTP.    This was for a 80mb FTTP service provided by Z*n for the business.