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BT Fibre installation

amigo-joe — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:52:25 GMT

I am having fibre installed.

The Fibre is coming from a telegraph pole to the house. I am assuming they will disconnect the copper and replace the cable.

I want the fibre box located on the outside of my house (a bungalow) next to where the current copper is supplied.
I have already had 2 Openreach guys out(both contractors NOT openreach) telling me it needs to be located at ground level.... and they will run a cable down the side of my house and back up!

Can anyone confirm if this is fact? Thanks

Re: BT Fibre installation

imjolly — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 12:01:37 GMT

yes the CSP junction box where the external fibreto connects in internal fibre is set a ground level. cannot spice cable up top of ladder

Re: BT Fibre installation

iniltous — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 12:10:46 GMT

The cable from the pole and the cable into the property are two separate optical cables , spliced together at a external block called a CSP , the cable from the pole attaches at height ( obviously on a bungalow that’s lower than a two storey building ) , runs down the wall to ground level , where the CSP is fitted ( the CSP is not fitted at height where the cable from the pole attaches otherwise the splice equipment would have to be taken up a ladder ) , if the ‘internal’ cable coming out of the CSP were required to enter at a first floor level ( in a two storey house ) then that cable runs up the wall to the entry point , but as your property is a bungalow that shouldn’t be an issue as you presumably don’t have a first floor level , but depending on where you want the ‘internal’ cable to enter needs the cable from the CSP running to that location.

FYI , chimney brackets etc are no longer allowed so if the copper cable is on a chimney the optical cable cannot follow that route .

Re: BT Fibre installation

naylor2006 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 12:16:58 GMT

Yeah, how far back up is it going, the property is only a single storey, how far up the wall is the copper entering the property or does it go into the attic or something and come down internally?

The other thing to note is that where the internal fibre enters the property is almost always going to be where the Fibre Modem (ONT) is installed on the inside, you will likely want this roughly around floor level as it needs power and will be where the router connects to. A copper connection does not have this requirement for a powered ONT, so it can enter anywhere.

Re: BT Fibre installation

amigo-joe — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 12:38:17 GMT

Thanks... The copper attaches to the house about 2.5m off the ground.

I want the wall box at that height. I have run a duct through the house and down the wall (inside the house)to where the ONT needs to be located. The run inside the house is about 10 m

Is it possible to splice up a ladder? I am just guessing but I assume they do that up the pole.... too.

Re: BT Fibre installation

naylor2006 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 12:42:53 GMT

Without knowing exactly how thats all setup....so forgive this post....

With the copper removed could you not just fill that hole in?

Then with the CSP mounted at ground level, Openreach will just drill through the wall there and mount the ONT more more or less inline with the CSP, where does the ducting run, to somewhere else entirely that would be nowhere near the CSP?

Re: BT Fibre installation

amigo-joe — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:06:59 GMT

Thanks imjolly.... although I find it hard to believe fibre can not be spliced up a ladder.

Re: BT Fibre installation

ptrduffy — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:08:56 GMT

It's not feasible to splice up a ladder. There's a video showing the process here, which will give you an idea why - it's a fairly intricate process. And there's no splicing done at the top of the pole - the CBTs are connectorised (that's what the C stands for), so it's a connector joint.

The wire from the pole will need to attach to the house at the 2.5m point, and then run down the outside wall to the CSP. There's no reason why the internal cable can't then run back up and enter where you have the ducting - although this will be much easier if your ducting has a draw string to pull the cable through. IIRC the internal cables come in fixed lengths of 10/20/30m - when my install was done the MJ Quinn technician only had 10m lengths, I was lucky that my total run through ducting was just short of 9m.

Re: BT Fibre installation

amigo-joe — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:10:22 GMT

Nope can't go where the copper went.
There are going to be cables all over my house at this rate!

Re: BT Fibre installation

amigo-joe — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:14:26 GMT

Ok thanks, that explains a lot...
Yes, I have a string in the ducting.... Open reach contractor said he's not allowed in the attic, so I said I would go in the attic, and drill the hole for him.

If I put up scaffolding would they put the CSP higher?

Re: BT Fibre installation

ptrduffy — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:17:55 GMT

If I put up scaffolding would they put the CSP higher?

I doubt it - the issue is not just the initial installation, it needs to be in a location where maintenance can be done as well.

Is your attic floored and lit? There has been at least one report on this forum of a CSP being installed inside a floored attic.

Re: BT Fibre installation

naylor2006 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:19:23 GMT

I doubt it, what if that CSP needs maintenance....we are back at the original issue again, likelihood is it never will but I still dont think they will install it where it cannot be accessed at ground level.

Why cant the ONT be installed the otherside of the wall at ground level? You can always then run your own ethernet internally to another location where you want the router.

Re: BT Fibre installation

amigo-joe — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:24:01 GMT

I get that thanks... Just not practical to have it in the kitchen or bathroom.... and the other option is having a lovley black cable running around the house, up and down under the windows to get to the back of the house where i want it. And if it was there it would be in a prime position to be smashed by rugby balls, tennis balls, bikes and skateboards!

Re: BT Fibre installation

naylor2006 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:39:46 GMT

Okay, now it makes more sense, kitchen and bathroom are at the front, I do further understand your plight a little here now.

The Fibre cable will be black anyway and I was told "im not allowed to paint it".

So if it was me and it was either Fibre in the kitchen or none at all i'd have to proceed but this is up to you. Say I was in your shoes I would have the ONT fitted into the kitchen, somewhere as discrete as possible, obviously not on tiles...without seeing your kitchen I cant think of where specifically but FWIW my ONT isnt ideally placed but I had to make it work. What I did was then drill a hole next to the ONT and CPS and run a nice white (colour matching my outside render) ethernet cable back out and up my wall into my attic, and my attic is where I keep all my gear, you could do something similar but just enter the conduit with the ethernet.

So that would be one black cable entering your property and the rest would be taken care of by a colour of your choice, evils are two holes, one is covered by the CSP and ONT but you have to find somewhere discrete for the ONT, the Nokia ones in circulation at the moment though are very small.

Thats one plan, other than that im not sure what else to suggest.

Re: BT Fibre installation

iniltous — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:49:22 GMT

You may get a tech that will do as you ask , but need to be prepared for them to say No , they may balance a £3K-£4K fusion splicer on a ladder but if it falls , they are on the hook to pay for its repair or replacement, self evidently it can’t fall off the floor , they won’t enter a loft space that isn’t fully boarded , lit and have a ‘proper’ staircase into it , so no point ordering and then being disappointed if you will know the limitations in advance, if this isn’t acceptable, then TBH , you may want to cancel your appointment.

There was a post ( quite some time ago ) where a consumer ( house not bungalow) objected to the cable from the pole running down the wall and the cable from the CSP running up the wall to enter in a bedroom , ( two cables next to each other on the same wall for 5-6 metres ) and after complaining relentlessly, they eventually had an internal CSP provided so the cable went directly into the bedroom…..presumably though if you want the cable to enter your loft area even complaining may not work .

Re: BT Fibre installation

djenson2000 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:17:13 GMT

Hiya. The openreach guy i had was really nice, and let me run the internal fibre run inside the walls of my property while he was pulling the fibre to where the CPS would be. Great chap.

As other have said, the CPS needs to be at ground level. If you got scaffolding, they might do it up there, but i find it unlikely (is the next owner going to pay for scaffolding when the fibre connection gets broken and the CSB needs to be accessed?)

Re: BT Fibre installation

dave44 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:17:33 GMT

They may be able to fit an internal CSP for you

Re: BT Fibre installation

imjolly — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:31:37 GMT

@dave44

Unlikely to fit internal CSP if fibre cable is connected at eaves level and the attic/ loft is not floored as openreach will not enter unfloored loft

I have an internal CSP with fibre entering at eaves but I have my attic converted so just another room

Re: BT Fibre installation

36ULW — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 07:37:34 GMT

Openreach are only allowed to go on Scaffolding that has been put up by a Licensed Company and the Scaffolding must be Tested and have its Certificate attached to Scaffold.

To be fair what you’re asking for the CSP to be at 2.5m above ground isn’t that unreasonable.

The Fibre Tails in the CSP are supposed to be 1 - 1.5m so they could easily Splice on a Step Ladder.

When I was a CST doing FTTP I would have accommodated you no problem splicing off a step ladder.

Buts that’s me, the Installer you get may not.

Re: BT Fibre installation

grahamm1 — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 12:17:51 GMT

Also: When I had fibre fitted Openreach left my two old copper cables (one that we'd been using up to that point and an ancient cable, disconnected decades ago). So now I have three cables from a pole to the side of my house. I asked them to remove the old copper cables and they said no.

They also would not drill through door or window frames. They were happy to thread cables thorough holes I had drilled myself, though, so that's what we did.