One Stream FTTP

Le_Kirk

Helping an elderly, non-technical neighbour (have had to do this a lot around here after BT/OpenReach conversions to Digital Voice) but this one is via One Stream.  She hadn't requested Digital Voice, OpenReach just turned up and started digging up the pavement.  After the "engineer" had concluded the cable termination and fitted the ONT, he left saying "you need an adaptor" and "you will need to call One Stream as the Wi-Fi password on the back of the router is incorrect".  What a way to treat a 90-year old!  She naturally called me (on her mobile) and I spent 45 minutes on the phone to One Stream and the upshot was that they had to send a new router as the first one they sent was configured incorrectly. 
In the event, two new ones turned up and neither of them worked.  Further complaints (now via e-mail as I had someone's name) resulted in yet another router being sent out, which of course didn't work. It would have been OK (ish) if the first engineer had not cut the copper cables when installing the fibre as at least my neighbour would have been able to use the phone!
Every time I have connected up a new router I have been able to connect to it using my phone but without internet, a fact I have told One stream repeatedly.
Anybody come across anything similar and I mean the technical aspect not the poor customer service and how as it resolved?

Le_Kirk

To update this thread in case it happens to anyone else.  After nearly three weeks of back and forth with OneStream I had it sorted yesterday, well I had until the lady rang me to say she couldn't make a call to one of the friends by landline, even though she successfully called me by landliner. When I checked,  she was right and worse, she couldn’t make calls to mobiles but mobiles could successfully call her number. This is now back with OneStream to sort! The original issue appeared to be by using a "1" in the user name instead of "l" lower case Lima and spelling Vodafone with a "ph" instead of "f" in the router configuration which came prepopulated from OneStream. I had to connect my laptop to the router and  correct it.

Heedtheadvice

Well your friend has hit the very poor ( reviews ) of One Stream in practice.

Not great by the Openreach engineer to but they are only able ( in theory) to conduct activities according to their relationship with their customer....One Stream.

With these services you have experienced the old baseband phone signal goes and it relies on the higher frequency band of the fibre signal. A type of frequency division multiplex ( audio phone frequencies alongside broadband  modulated frequencies  all on the same wire pair) are lost. So you cannot just phone up on the non existent landline!

I do have technical concerns regarding  FTTP use by  a domestic router in providing voice services. As well as potentially needing an adaptor - some routers have the facility to plug in a phone built in to them but I suspect not provided by the cheap end of the service providers - there is also an issue with emergency calls not being available during a power cut. Copper connections had sufficient voltage supplied to phones to enable dialling. That is not a facility on FTTP. Not sure if any domestic routers run on built in batteries so it seems that an additional UPS could be required!

We are 'all' going to be on  the same system by the end of 2025 ( that's the plan anyway ! ) so some clarity in advance regarding solving potential problems would be welcome.

Perhaps a Knight of MSE could take up the cudgel, you know someone high profile, pictured on this site and also with  a TV prog......

Clearly things have not gone well and a complaint to One Stream would seem in order if they have not informed properly or even helped up front for someone such as your lady.

Le_Kirk

I agree about the lack of ability to call 999 in case of a power cut and there was a bit of a kerfuffle a few months ago but it fizzled out and once again left the customer to sort it with all sorts of solutions - "well you should have a mobile", "you could buy a battery" and similar ideas. One Stream sorted the calling mobiles issue and the fact she couldn't phone one friend by landline turned out to be the fact that the friend had had her landline disconnected and was only using her mobile - something which a lot of my friends/acquaintances are doing,
ETA to close out this issue, I have now negotiated with One Stream on my neighbour's behalf (and One Stream have agreed to pay) a £30 credit for three weeks without service. 

Heedtheadvice

How has the 999 been addressed?

At least a partial win for the loss of service so we'll done for her.

Le_Kirk

You would need two battery backup units, one for the ONT and one for the router; at £80 each, not a cheap solution! They last about an hour so better hope you don't need to call emergency services 59 minutes into a power cut.