Full Fibre installation - will they pull through fibre internally?

Roy1234

Following a renewal with BT, I have to have Full Fibre installed, they say.  I've watched the various videos, and my house layout isn't one where fitting the ONT terminal the other side of a front wall position will be easy/practical.  BT's blurb says you will get a new socket near your old one, but that could be anywhere and far from their preferred front else outside wall installation.

At present, I have a copper wire phone line running from the junction box just above ground out front to the phone/broadband socket in my rear living room.  It would be infinitely preferable to keep this position for the new broadband socket (ONT) and router.  That phone cable runs up inside a wall, across a ceiling and then down inside another wall to the living room phone socket.

My question is, will the Openreach engineer be prepared to pull-through the fibre optic cable via the same route, with the old copper phone wire?  Other location options are really unattractive and thoroughly disliked by my OH.

Neil_Jones

"your old one" will most likely be where it comes in already and the existing master socket, even more so if it happens to be on an outside wall and by a power socket.

If you want it somewhere else you can ask and if you provide enough tea and biscuits to sway the decision you may get what you want.  Ultimately though engineer has the final say.

Eldi_Dos

@Roy1234
Does your present route run through a loft space or is it in the ceiling space between two rooms?

35har1old

Roy1234 said:

Following a renewal with BT, I have to have Full Fibre installed, they say.  I've watched the various videos, and my house layout isn't one where fitting the ONT terminal the other side of a front wall position will be easy/practical.  BT's blurb says you will get a new socket near your old one, but that could be anywhere and far from their preferred front else outside wall installation.

At present, I have a copper wire phone line running from the junction box just above ground out front to the phone/broadband socket in my rear living room.  It would be infinitely preferable to keep this position for the new broadband socket (ONT) and router.  That phone cable runs up inside a wall, across a ceiling and then down inside another wall to the living room phone socket.

My question is, will the Openreach engineer be prepared to pull-through the fibre optic cable via the same route, with the old copper phone wire?  Other location options are really unattractive and thoroughly disliked by my OH.

Is it ducted all the way?

Roy1234

The existing socket is where it always has been (house built 30 yrs ago) on an internal rear living room wall, with the line arriving to the front/outside from the street, at ground level.  The socket is also conveniently placed for the power (two sockets) needed.  The external run to the street won't be a problem and will be ducted. The internal copper wire route is across the ceiling of the hallway mostly, effectively between two rooms as you say.  I doubt it's in a duct, more likely behind the plasterboard and through noggins etc, although impossible to say.  Will they try to pull through?

Eldi_Dos

@ Roy1234
I am in similar situation except ours runs through loft space before dropping down into meter cupboard. I did approach a OR engineer working in the street outside. He said if it was in loft space they are not allowed to enter unless floored, but Catch 22, if it is floored they cannot access the point the cable drops down.

I did try a webchat but the advisor could not really go off script and give me a definitive answer.

One option you could suggest is attach new cable to old at exsisting socket and pull out to the outside and then on to jointing position, although that may require a two engineer crew. Good luck if you get it resolved I would appreciate a update.

Roy1234

Eldi_Dos said:

@ Roy1234
I am in similar situation except ours runs through loft space before dropping down into meter cupboard. I did approach a OR engineer working in the street outside. He said if it was in loft space they are not allowed to enter unless floored, but Catch 22, if it is floored they cannot access the point the cable drops down.

I did try a webchat but the advisor could not really go off script and give me a definitive answer.

One option you could suggest is attach new cable to old at exsisting socket and pull out to the outside and then on to jointing position, although that may require a two engineer crew. Good luck if you get it resolved I would appreciate a update.

If I understand you correctly, pulling though the new fibre with the old internal copper wire run, probably under 10m, is exactly what I want.  The difficulty is that not knowing if that is viable, otherwise then trying various other difficult via other floors/rooms, in a crowded house, means I do not know what to prepare for.  I don't live in a house with empty accessible rooms, and the expected free double socket nearby in each front wall.  I wouldn't care if I wanted this Full Fibre upgrade, for some massive speed, but I do not.  This is for the convenience of the industry ,for those in my position.

flaneurs_lobster

I have a similar situation, copper enters house at one corner then disappears under decades of renovation/decoration to emerge at far corner of house where the master socket is, and where future hardwired internet access is required.

My unofficial enquiries with a friendly Openreach installer say that the ONT needs to be near the entry point, and this would be logical since there is power and install space. Any onward internal cabling is my responsibility/cost (and would be Catn), very unusual to run fibre internally.

Roy1234

flaneurs_lobster said:

I have a similar situation, copper enters house at one corner then disappears under decades of renovation/decoration to emerge at far corner of house where the master socket is, and where future hardwired internet access is required.

My unofficial enquiries with a friendly Openreach installer say that the ONT needs to be near the entry point, and this would be logical since there is power and install space. Any onward internal cabling is my responsibility/cost (and would be Catn), very unusual to run fibre internally.

Yes the installation of Full Fibre seems to have been a backward step from the customer's point of view, from having your router exactly where you want it to 'It needs to be by your front wall and by a double socket'.  This to save OpenReach engineers the time of replicating what you have already. 

For some (not me) it may be possible to accept an awkward front wall installation for the ONT socket, then run your own ethernet cable to the router placed more conveniently (and centrally, which it ought to be).  Others may be able to use WiFi extenders or mains 'powerline adaptors' to convey the connection from a front situated router to where it's used more.  But for those not seeking a higher speed & price, but forced to accept Full Fibre as a condition of contract renewal, I think this has only delivered a headache to the user.

MarzipanCrumble

Fibre, unlike copper, cannot be bent at rightangles.  It has to gently curve!   TBH OpenReach were very good.  My fibre runs from pole to top of house, down following line of a downpipe and my hub is in the hall. 

For some reason I cannot remember, could not run it directly but came in through front living room, ran along top of skirting board and drilled a hole just to left of double socket in hall.

Engineer capped off the entry and drilled hole with a neat cricular white cap.

KxMx

After living with a nightmare install at previous address I was not happy when I realised Full Fibre meant no advance planning.

My previous FFTC was more than adequate for my needs, but I decided to get FTTP as that's the way the technology is going. 

Unfortunately mine went a bit wrong on the day (incompetent engineer) and I had to open a complaint to get OpenReach (well, their subcontractor) back to correct things.