topic Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT in Broadband & Landline

EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:02:30 GMT

I’ve got 500Mbps fibre being installed in a weeks time and want to make sure I am ready for the installation. Having decent broadband is going to make such a difference to me.

My phone line currently runs into a storage space bang in the middle of our house (where i also have a small rack and router (Ubiquiti Dream Machine).

I understand Openreach will install a box to the outside of the house (mid terrace) - then run from there to the modem / ONT.

So my question is - how far can that cable be run? In our house, it would need to be approx 15m at least (at a guess) to get from the external box to the ONT. The route is underfloor boards and would need running through holes in the ceiling / skirting etc. Would the engineer be happy to do that?

I’d be happy to run it for them - have ran cables through the same route before myself, but am sure they are on a tight timescale, and only have certain lengths of cable.

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated.

Thanks,

Andrew

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

XRaySpeX — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:26:33 GMT

The ONT is fixed to the interior of the wall where the outside box is located. The only short (fibre) cable between the 2 is supplied & fitted by the eng. Beyond that is all yours & you can run & fit any Ethernet cable from the ONT to your router.

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Mustrum — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:56:31 GMT

@Daviesapn if plied with tea/coffee and choccy biscuits, and trunking/drawcords pre-installed, many Openreach engineers will put the ONT where you want it - within reason. Otherwise, they will take the easiest option for them.

Make sure you know where/how the fibre will get to your property - overhead or underground existing route before the install. Talk to the installer when they arrive to see what they can do, make it as easy as you can. Potentially they could use the old copper wiring to pull through the fibre, as they may do with the outside wiring. I presume you know about this and that you will no longer have a phone line?

HTH

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:56:32 GMT

Thanks for that.

That’s my problem though. I really don’t want the ONT on the wall in my living room or hall (which are both at the front of the house) with cables dangling out of it.

I don’t have a good location for it in the living room and would much rather all IT gear was out of view in my rack (On a UPS etc)

I don’t have an Ethernet cable spare in my living room either so would be stuck.

Any other ideas? Am surprised - as they recommend installing the router centrally in the house to make best use of the wifi - a lot of people wouldn’t have Ethernet running from the front on their house to the middle.
Hope this makes sense and thanks again.

Andrew

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 21:07:02 GMT

Thanks Mustrum!

Will put on my best charm and buy plenty of biscuits!
I’ve got the route all worked out and have ran cables that way before. It does mean crawling under the floorboards 😱, but I’d be happy to do that bit.

I assume the cable from the outside box to the ONT is pre- terminated at one end so I imagine there is a limit as to how far the ONT can be.

The CBT is ready installed on a nearby telegraph pole. Was thinking of preinstalling some drawstrings - so think I will!

Thanks again - appreciate your help

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 06:13:17 GMT

Thanks again for this

just found this - which allows me to extend the cable and reposition the ONT

Maybe a better option for me? Just let the engineer do what they need to do then I can move later.

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Mustrum — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 08:21:31 GMT

@Daviesapn I would save that as a last option!

Having Openreach install the ONT where you prefer it may save you lots of hassle later.

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 11:14:34 GMT

Oh really - are they not reliable?

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Mustrum — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 12:02:31 GMT

You might get lucky, but a joint is a potential failure point. Plus, you will need to put the ONT back to the original fitted point if you have a fault. If Openreach see you have moved their demarcation point you would likely get charged

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

XRaySpeX — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 12:50:06 GMT

There's still a box on the interior wall where the fibre comes in. You might be better off having the ONT installed upstairs.

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 19:26:03 GMT

Thanks

ill try charming the installer. But even if i do use the extension is shared the link for - I could easily put the ONT back in the original location in case of issues.

another question - weeks ago, a green spray painted mark (semi circle) appeared on our pavement. Could this be the location the fibre will come into the house? Assume so, but it’s at the opposite side of the house to where the current copper line comes in

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Mustrum — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 19:42:26 GMT

Not sure what the mark maybe, but if you enter your phone number in the BTW DSL checker and post the results, it should give some clues as to how the fibre will be delivered. (Hide your number though.)

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 20:19:37 GMT

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Mustrum — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 20:31:30 GMT

Thanks for that, in the text below it says "Our records ----OH Feed" so looks like it will be fed the same way as your current copper line, and quite likely they will replace the copper with the new fibre. Guess you also know you will lose your current phone line and number?

As an aside, your current FTTC speeds could be a bit better, but I guess it is too late to tweak them now!

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 20:54:45 GMT

Ahh thanks fort that. Really interesting stuff! Knew it was coming off a pole - I’ve spotted the CBT which was only installed a few weeks ago, which is what made me check with EE what was available.

I am getting 500Mbps for the same price as 80Mbps so it’s a no brainier. The upload speed is important to me as I do a lot of large uploads as part of my work. Was hoping it was 500 up and down, but believe it is about 120Mbps up.

Here is the photo of the green mark - I originally thought it was for Community Fibre who are supposed to be installing on my street soon - maybe it is?

Thanks again

Andrew

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 16:30:35 GMT

Hello all

Does anyone know what the green mark on the pavement in the post above is? It’s outside my house.

not sure if it’s openreach, or community fibre who are supposed to be installing in our street soon.

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 08:09:24 GMT

Hello again

Thanks once more for your contributions to this @Mustrum and @XRaySpeX

It is due to be installed tomorrow so will let you know how it goes.

I’ve got panels removed ready, trunking and draw strings and holes drilled. Just need to buy chocolate biscuits.

I bought the extension kit - but hopefully I won’t need it and they will put the ONT in my upstairs storage cupboard. I’m not holding my breath though as even with the prep work I’ve done - I can see it’s a big ask.

do you know about the cable from the external box on the outside of the house to the ONT? I know they drill a hole 12mm - but is that spliced on site?One end I assume is spliced at the box on the outside of the house, but the other end - does that come pre terminated with the fibre plug already or do they terminate it on site?

Andrew

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Mustrum — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 18:28:11 GMT

Good luck. hope all goes well tomorrow.

Not sure, but I believe the engineer has some splicing to do internally.

Let us know how it goes.

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

Daviesapn — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 12:55:39 GMT

Thanks @Mustrum

All sorted!

The engineer was really helpful and keen to do a good job - not just take the easy option.

I ran the internal cable in, starting at where the ONT was to be positioned (in a storage area in the middle of the house), back out side - and he did the rest. The internal cable was terminated at one end (the internal ONT) end and was 30m. I think he said he had 10, 20 and 30m cables available. He chopped off the surplus and spliced it outside at the external box.

So really pleased. Got the ONT where I want it (next to my rack - will move it inside the rack in due course) and no unsightly boxes with flashing lights in the living room.

The EE router worked straight off - no configuration. I then plugged in to my UNIFI dream machine. Bit of confusion with the password (The EE router had a message saying the password was not necessary - but UNIFI insisted on something being in the password settings). I copied the username into the password field and after a few moments it worked. Don't know if necessary, but I rebooted the dream machine as I was getting some odd results (could do a Speedtest and browse to CNN.COM, but for some reason my email and BBC website would not load). After a couple of minutes - all was working fine.

Thanks to everyone on this forum for your help - happy to share more info if it helps anyone?

Regards,

Andrew

Re: EE Full Fibre install - Getting ready / cable length to ONT

W55STY — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 13:56:31 GMT

Ok … so following MY installation I had read this thread and knew what I wanted (briefly to trace the fibre run along the course of the old copper cable through a void etc - a run of probably no more that 15m…) anyhow on the day I allowed myself to be persuaded that what I needed to do was utilise an Ethernet cable instead; net result is that I allowed the ONT to be placed inside the wall in my lounge - which, for a variety of reasons, is now far from ideal but I do have connection. The engineer was with me for probably less than 30 minutes and once done was away. The extra work involved in my preferred option might have been no more than 15-20 minutes - I was willing to do the ‘leg work’ tracing the cable etc. all of which I had planned for myself in advance and which was eminently doable within the scheme of this thread topic.

Having phoned EE to query the prospect of a ‘refit’ basically there is no way the ONT will be repositioned once fitted. Mention was made of a £300 fee if I insisted. So the net result is DO NOT ALLOW yourself to be fobbed off. Make sure you take time to consider your options. You will only get one chance.