Ultrafast Full Fibre - installation question

Boodedoo

We live in a small block of flats built in 2004 

We currently have a broadband Fibre 2 package with BT plus BT TV including a shed load of sports stuff that the OH can't live without.  We have a tv box and BT hub modem. The BT hub is plugged into the BT socket (we don't have a land line) and the line runs to the block via an underground channel and then internally (I assume through conduits within the building) to the flat. 

If I check my postcode for ultrafast broadband it says it will be available here around the end of June ( workmen have been busy in the street and they tell me the same thing)

I looked here:

https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/how-is--fibre-to-the-home--installed-

and then at the section "I live in a block of flats and there's no openreach modem installed'

in 'things to think about before the engineer visits' it says they will install an openreach fibre modem and I'll also have a BT hub.

and finally, my questions

1 

am I right in thinking that the BT hub will be connected to the Openreach modem (possibly by a cable) and that from there I can connect all our devices, (tv, ipad, 2 iphones, desktop iMac and a macbook air ) by wifi using the hub log in password as we do now? and visitors can (if I give them the log in password) also connect while they are here?

2

it says the engineer will help me to install the set up disk on my computer and leave the disks so I can install this software  on other computers.. Best of luck with that - I don't have (or have any need for) a disk drive. 

Can anyone tell where I can read about what this software is and if its vital ? Is it mac compatible/apple certified? I rarely use any third party software and I like to at least try to understand what it is and what it's doing before I consider it.

Sorry if this is a long post, but I thought if I gave all the info I can think of it may help.

molerat

You will get an Optical Network Terminal (ONT), which is the "modem" they are talking about, fitted to the wall - a little white box the same size as a normal BT faceplate with flashing lights, which needs power close by and has an ethernet port to plug into the red port on the back of your BT hub. You then connect to the hub wirelessly or wired in the same way as you always have done.  Depending on what you currently have you may just have to change the input to your current hub, unplug the cable from the BT faceplate and plug in the ethernet cable from the new ONT, seamless transition. They may put some infrastructure in the block so they simply need to run the fibre from your flat down to a junction box.  Don't have a clue what they mean about "software on your computer" as the only thing that changes is how the internet reaches the (new) little box on the wall and into your hub.  In a flat you may need the permission of the freeholder to install additional cabling.

Boodedoo

thank you , that's what I thought. Any idea what this 'software' is? I'm not sure why I'd need software just to get a net connection

Rob5342

It sounds rather odd to me. Generally speaking you never need special software to connect to the internet, you just configure whatever devices you have to use the wifi. Sometimes ISPs have apps to control their router, or to access wifi when you are out, and sometimes they have antivirius software they supply you. None of that is necessary though, and it any would all just be downloaded directly, any remotely modern computer wouldn't have any sort of disk drive anyway. 

Boodedoo

Thanks, the only other time an engineer wanted to install something on one of my devices was many years ago in Canada. He'd just installed a cable modem. I connected a macbook to the modem with an ethernet cable which discovered the network, input the password and connected, checked the speed and that was it. I wouldn't allow him to install the disks he was offering
He said:  but you won't have all the apps we supply for your <brand name> email/ search engine/ antivirus etc etc. (he seemed upset)
I said:  . . . good!
I thanked him for his time and the new connection, waved him goodbye, connected a router and carried on as per.  
I can see history repeating itself with this 'software' the article talks about.

400ixl

You shouldn't need any software installed.

One trick to save you a load of effort is instead of trying to re-connect all the devices to a new hub name and password, is to change the new hub to have the same name and password as the old one and everything will just re-connect. 

Boodedoo

thanks, ever since I have had a connection that supported wifi I have done that, can't see why anyone would change x amount of devices' settings when it so easy to just change one :-)