New connection

Miss.Twizz

Hi there, I've recently moved to a property that has never had a phone line(!) I need an Internet connection and have gone with NOW TV who have sent out a router/hub and arranged for Openreach to come and connect a new phone line for me next week.

My question/potential problem is will open reach just connect a phone line and stick a phone socket as near to the connection point as they can and call it job done? By the front door for example? I was concerned because a neighbour said that's what they did to them a few years ago! The property is an old cottage with very thick walls, I'm going to need my Internet hub in the centre of the house (in the lounge) because from previous experience in an old thick walled cottage, the signal struggles to reach parts of the house of not as central as possible. If it's by the front door here, there is no way the signal will reach the other side of the house. In also not sure yet but I think I need to hardwire something directly into the hub for my TV (my old one 2as hardwired into the hub in my lounge anyway) which also won't be possible with the hub stuck in the hall. I'll also need my landline phone in there, not at the front of the house in the hall. I'm disabled so having an easily accessible phone in the lounge is important and I'm also not capable of running cables around to try and get the router into the lounge somehow if they insist all they can do is install a phone socket by the front door 

When I was with Virgin (sadly not available in my new place), they asked me where I needed it and they ran the cabling nicely and discreetly into my lounge. With my new neighbour saying Openreach would not do this for them, I'm now quite concerned. Am I worrying about nothing, or am I likely to end up with my new router stuck in an entirely inappropriate place and no signal in half of my house? Anyone had any recent experience with Openreach installations? 

Thank you ☺ 

J_B

No real experiences but in a property like yours they will probably (?) put the socket on the window ledge as it's easier to get (drill?) the cable through a window frame than a thick solid wall!

When they arrive, offer tea and biscuits - that may help considerably!!!

Neil_Jones

You can ask them if they'll put the socket on "that wall" in "that room" but the obligation is only to get a connection in.  The make-up of the house and the solution taken will depend on the best course of action.

There are solutions to getting wireless/wired connections across the house that don't involve repositioning the master socket.

But the wireless on the Now TV routers is crap anyway so you'll probably do well if it gets out of the room it starts off in in a house with thick walls.

iniltous

It used to be the case that if you wanted an ‘extra’ work install , then the Telco/ISP could purchase the ‘premium’ install from Openreach , if Now have indicated they want the ‘standard’ install , then you cannot really expect the OR installer to spend as much time getting the line in on a standard install as a premium one.
It may turn out that putting the line where you want it will not take any longer so you get what you want anyway, but if the installer says the job says the line has to be sited within a couple of metres of where the line enters , then that’s what has been selected as the appropriate job by Now, you could always contact Now and get them to indicate they want the ‘extra’ time install, but as this costs them more money  , they will probably refuse or claim not to know anything about it.
Was the property in which you had Virgin also an old cottage with thick walls ?, if not then the comparison with Virgin is irrelevant as in the same situation, they may well do the same and for what it’s worth I know people , who have Virgin , when the install was done they wanted the VM external box sited on the side of the house , rather than on the front ( only a few meters difference) to lessen the visual impact , but the installers put it on the front wall anyway ( quicker job for them )  , so it’s not always the case that VM will go the extra mile

JJ_Egan

You could always extend off the master socket with the correct adsl cable to another room .