Upgrade from Legacy FTTC to New EE Full Fibre

[XRaySpeX]

I recently upgraded my legacy EE Fibre Plus plan (FTTC 80 Meg) to New EE Full Fibre 150 (FTTP 150 Meg), but could just as well have been any Full Fibre up to at least 1 Gig. It all went smoothly as to be hoped & expected.

In early Dec. 2024 I ordered the upgrade & EE booked an Openreach (OR) engineer to install it on 30th.Dec. He promptly arrived then in an OR van also marked with C.J.Quinn, so I don't know whether he was really OR but he did do a neat efficient job.

He laid my new fibre cable overhead from the telephone pole in parallel to my existing separate landline about a foot apart to my roof area, than vertically down to near ground level to a small grey external box & then horizontally to a entry point he drilled close to where my existing landline enters. On the inside he fitted a 1 Gig ONT resulting in this setup:

Once I hooked up the SH+ (SH32B) sent me beforehand I speed tested it at ThinkBroadBand to get sync speeds of 150/30 Meg as it has been since. I confirmed with the engineer that all was satisfactory & he left.

It took about 2 weeks before my legacy FTTC line was cut off. So for a time I was running 2 BBs, FTTC & FTTP, thro' 2 different routers.

I am longer using the SH+ but am using my original BrightBox 2 because I know it can reach all the places I want it to reach, all my devices recognise it without change & it is functionally stronger than the SH+. The only thing missing is IPv6 but I can live without that..

[Minkey1]

@XRaySpeX 

Excellent. We’ve only ever had OR (well, they’ve always come in an OR van) and they’ve been excellent. I always show an interest and they’ve always been willing to route how we want, and to chat about developments in their world. The offer of a cuppa and chocolate digestive helps.

I remember in our BT days we were on FTTC and getting around 70meg max. Then when they pulled fibre up the pavement ducting we went on FTTP at 100meg for the same price.

Literally a few days later they offered an upgrade to Fibre 900 for a £1pm more. That took about a nanosecond.

In all the issues I’ve had with BT over 50yrs, and now EE, the infrastructure/hardware side has been the best of it. Now on the SH+, we find it better than the SH2 we had before.

On that side, I’m very happy.

[Mustrum]

Had an update from Openreach in November advising they have now included my area in their plans and are due to install sometime before the end of 2026. Not that I think I need any more bandwidth, my router syncs at the max 80 20 now. 

I have put some thought into it though, and will be asking them to install the ONT in a more convenient position for me.  Currently the master socket is in the kitchen and I have used powerlines and a small switch to deliver internet services to the lounge for TV and streaming services and so on. So am looking forwards to a day when the ONT can be closer to the TV and so I can get rid of the powerlines.

Anyways, I digress, other than speed test results, have you noticed any difference in day to day performance or latency - just curious..

[Minkey1]

No real difference (speed tests aside) @Mustrum , but I don’t game. Our use is mainly 4k streaming, video calling, browsing etc. Truth be told, I was happy enough on Fibre100 for what I’d been paying for FTTC 70meg, but they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. “My broadband is too fast”, said nobody ever 🤷🏼

I’d registered an interest and had a planned date but then suddenly it was brought forward and I literally saw them dragging fibre up the pavement ducting, went out, and asked them if this meant individual properties could order it. “Yes indeed” said the hearty fellows. So that was that.

It’s a modern little house, with voice/data, TV, and power points all in a corner where they’d expect the TV to go. On actual installation day I asked them to run it across the front of the house, just below the bark chipping (but I know where it is) and in through a wall to the ONT inside, already adjacent to a power points. Jobs a good ‘un etc. Means all the AV kit, Hive etc can be Ethernet connected, with the help of an 8 port switch.

Positioning wise, we were lucky everything was where we wanted it.

Put on your sweetest smile and hopefully you’ll get the kit where it suits best 🤞

[JimM11]

@XRaySpeX You posted earlier in a reply that you did not think legacy to new EE was on/available at present?

[Mustrum]

@Minkey1   When the time comes, I will stich with the cuppa and chgccy biscuit approach!!

[Chris_B]

@JimM11   A few of us have been lucky enough to have this. But it’s not possible. 

[Minkey1]

@Mustrum 

😂👍

[Minkey1]

What is “legacy to new EE” @JimM11 ?

[JimM11]

@Minkey1 Going to do this the other way round, the New EE is broadband supplied if you were to join EE currently, new router, special funky app control, all singing dancing as to whatever that router's are capable to do, contact via your mobile HELP/PHONE/GUIDE to the text 66033, by the way you ever need to call EE, just do the GUIDE sit back have a cup of tea and they call you back.

The legacy is customers who joined EE going back yonks to a couple of years ago, before the New EE started, they are out in the wilderness, do not get all the new fancy bells and whistles like the new EE customers get.

TWO separate systems, not joined together and ((not easy for one to move from legacy to new EE)) trials going on to allow it to happen and ironing out all the PITFALLS along the way. HTH