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Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:20:33 GMT

My renewal of BT Broadband has led to an unavoidable Full Fibre upgrade. The blurb says the new socket will be 'near your existing socket'. That socket is in a rear living room, of a 1995 house with concrete ground floor. They say a small box may be fitted outside. Am I to assume the BT engineer will pull-through the fibre cabling to replace the copper, which presently goes somewhere under the front garden, then rises about a foot in some conduit, thence goes into the front wall, and then must run from front wall to rear room & socket?

Elsewhere I read that Full Fibre normally means relocating your router to just inside the front wall, somewhere near your fibre cable entry point; as if they do not want to route the new fibre inside your house. But my house layout makes siting a router near the front wall very undesirable.

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:25:48 GMT

A house built in 1995 is almost certainly ducted from the footpath , most from this era have the duct appear against an external wall (signified by the usually grey plastic duct cover and capping) this is where the new optical cable from the footpath will appear ( same as the copper cable )

It’s usual to go through the house wall at this point and fit the ONT close to where the cable enters , provided power is available at this point , but it’s not essential, the ONT can be (within practical and time limits) where you want it …..you are always at liberty to provide your own Ethernet cable or wiring if you want the router located somewhere different from where the ONT will be located if where you want it cannot be agreed to by the installer but you and the installer will normally discuss and agree where the ONT will go ….if you can’t agree the installation won’t take place.

…..your concrete floor is irrelevant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XDl0-KkPy8

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

shakey1981 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:22:21 GMT

explabation of install

take a look here (youtube)

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:52:04 GMT

Thanks for you reply. Yes I was fairly sure the run from house to street would be ducted, so quite easy. You echo what I've read elsewhere, that it's normal to fit the ONT near the entry point. This exactly is my worry.

In my house that would mean near the toilet cistern in a downstairs front loo, not an option and no power anyway. There must be conduit behind the wall as the existing socket isn't there either. Next closest option is the hallway beside the front toilet, but there's no power until further down and on the other side of the door way. Not practical.

Next option would be the kitchen on the front of the house, if the fibre was led a convoluted path around the front doorway. But the only likely area (under the boiler) has a ring main cable and I wouldn't be happy at the risk (would BT pay for damage?).

Next remote option is leading the fibre up and in via an upstairs bedroom, if engineers climb walls to drill, that is.

Hence I'd really like the ONT where the old socket is. Being a newish house, I assume a duct was laid in the concrete. Would he try to pull fibre through it?

If he couldn't/wouldn't install around these issues/risks, and abandoned the install, where would it leave me? No internet, or back with part fibre/part copper? I only want/need a low BB speed, so can live with that as long as it's still available.

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 17:06:53 GMT

If your house is detached or semi detached then a cable can be ran around the property on the exterior wall and enter at a suitable location ( within limits , as stated , the tech cannot afford to spend too long one any one installation ) , the cable doesn’t have to immediately enter the property as soon as it appears from underground, terraced property doesn’t have the same option as there isn’t a ‘side’ of the property only front and back .

In all cases , detached, semi , terraced housing there can be an ‘ internal’ cable run from the access ‘hole’ to the location of the ONT , but the cable has to be surface wired (so on skirting and around door frames ) and care has to be taken to ensure the cable isn’t ’bent’ through too tight an angle (so no 90 degree bends ) and you can’t expect the tech to devote hours running through multiple rooms to get the ONT a significant distance from the ingress ‘hole’, but reasonable requests are fine .

If you know where the duct comes up against the house wall and your master socket is not really close to that point , the builder probably installed the cable to the master socket themselves at first fix (so it’s behind the finished internal wall surface) and obviously that can’t be done with a retro fitted FTTP cable , my property is a similar age to yours , the master socket is opposite the place where the duct comes up , however there are ‘extension’ sockets in 3 of the bedrooms all the wiring is hidden, installed by the builder , it’s possible the socket you are using wasn’t the master socket originally.

As stated , if for example the ONT was fitted at the front of the property, near a power outlet , but you wanted the router at the rear , you can always run your own Ethernet cable between the two locations.

TBH , you are probably over analysing, if you can’t agree a location, the installer leaves and the order is cancelled , you are not forced into something you don’t want , however , unreasonable or unrealistic requests don’t have to be agreed to .

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 17:15:17 GMT

Running a cable above ground internally, whether fibre or ethernet, really isn't going to work here. I don't know where the internal duct from front entry to rear room is, but as it's hidden completely, my guess is the cable from the street is continuous from outside ducting to rear living room.

My question is, will the engineer try pulling through the cable to rear room?

If not, and he aborts the install, how long can I remain on part fibre? I never wanted full fibre anyway, not wanting the higher speed/cost and knowing the install would pose issues. But my renewal of 24 month contract forced me to set a date for it.

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 18:15:25 GMT

If the duct from the footpath ‘hits’ the house wall at the front and there is a socket in a room at the rear , there won’t be an ‘internal’ duct in the concrete floor for the wiring .

If the duct from the footpath hits the house wall at the front , and a cable can be ran externally on the house wall , front to rear (so down one side if the property) then it clearly can enter at the rear of the property …if you don’t want a cable ran on the external wall , then expecting an internal cable ran through the property front to back , even if you were agreeable, chances are the tech would refuse (too much work and time needed )

If you can’t see a practical way to do the job in a way that you could accept, you should cancel the migration to FTTP , as it will waste both your time and the installers

If the conversion to FTTP is an add on , and the main driver is the migration to DV , it’s possible to cancel the FTTP part and then simply migrate to DV , staying on FTTC for the time being , as far as for how long , impossible to say , but chances are it will quite a few years before there are any ultimatums along the lines of convert or be cut off ….

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 19:53:56 GMT

If the duct from the footpath ‘hits’ the house wall at the front and there is a socket in a room at the rear , there won’t be an ‘internal’ duct in the concrete floor for the wiring

How are you thinking the copper wire runs internally? Laid through intenal stud walls? I hope not...

There's no route around the side of the house, semi to one side, garage to the other.

I honestly thought I could postpone the Full Fibre for years, not be obliged to set a date in order to renew my contract. There's a £5 monthly fine for going out of contract, so didn't want to delay

Do you think I can cancel the Full Fibre install but still keep the package? Speed is unchanged, so don't need it as stated.

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

imjolly — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 21:01:22 GMT

If you are now in a fibre priority area then renewing/upgrading will necessitate moving to FTTP if your contract period has ended then you can continue out of contract but you will lose any discounts you received at last renewal. There is no fine for being out of contract

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 21:40:38 GMT

There can be ‘legitimate’ reasons why conversion to FTTP can’t be considered when offered, a renter who’s landlord won’t allow any alteration to the property , or an address where Openreach will levy an excess construction charge to provide FTTP ( that’s not to say your reason for not wanting FTTP is illegitimate ) , and as I understand it , the offer of FTTP at the same time as migration to DV (which presumably is what you have been offered ) has an option to cancel the Openreach visit , migration to DV doesn’t involve Openreach , but changing to FTTP does.

As stated , once FTTP is available, moving provider or taking a new ‘deal’ with the existing ISP normally requires taking FTTP if it’s available , Openreach obviously want customers on the new network once it’s available, but there is no compulsion yet , although it could mean remaining with the current ISP and potentially moving onto an uncompetitive out of contract price once the minimum term expires

….if you are happier to remain on FTTC paying a little more than necessary , cancel the Openreach visit, in the medium term remaining on FTTC won’t be problematic, however in the longer term it will be , personally I’d bite the bullet sooner rather than later (as it’s inevitable anyway ) but you may think differently.

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

36ULW — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 11:46:25 GMT

Openreach offer two types of FTTP Install;

Standard, which entitles you up to 10m of Internally run cable. That includes up and over door frames, not as the crow fly’s. Will the Engineer do 15m, 20m, etc of cable? Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Depends on Engineer, who they work for, what kind of mood they’re in, how big a job it’d be, how quickly they want to get home and if they like you or not.

Premium, entitles you to 50m of internal cable. In all the years I was a CST I only ever once had a premium job and that was at a Business and even then it wasn’t needed as they wanted the ONT in their Comms Cabinet, which was literally 1m from the Internal Duct.

As for the existing copper cable in your house that runs from the BT101a and or BT66. I seriously doubt it’s in any kind of conduit. In fact I’d bet my prize Limited Edition Scale Model Openreach Corgi Van that the cable is just run behind the wall cavity like all the Electrical Cable will be. So if you did want the ONT by the existing NTE and the Engineer is willing to exceed the 10m rule then it’d mean him/her running the cable up and over skirting boards and potentially drilling through internal walls, unless it can go along an outside wall?

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:49:49 GMT

An internal cable run to the rear living room would be horribly convoluted, I would be in no rush for that option.

I had another look this morning at the areas, plus with a metal detector. I can confirm the existing copper wire somewhere behind the downstairs loo wall, goes straight up and into the ceiling. So I think you're right, no ducting and a pull-through rather iffy.

My hope of going straight up the outside wall and in through the front bedroom is obstructed by a canopy roof. Meaning a long detour around. I'm not sure they'd try by ladder.

I am wondering (after reading somewhere) about running the fibre which leaves the first junction box around the front of the house at low level, then into the adjoining garage? They'd have to drill through a lengthways brick, with 100mm of width where they drill between adjacent wall and wooden doorframe. This would put the router in the garage, maybe better for outside WiFi cameras, but a cavity wall away from the main house re reception. Easier to arrange extra sockets on a brick garage wall.

What do you think of that option?

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 18:07:30 GMT

If you want your ONT and router in the garage , provided that power is available, that’s entirely your choice , obviously should you subsequently find coverage in some places is less than ideal , that would be your problem to overcome, you couldn’t expect to relocate the ONT after it’s fitted without you having to pay to get that done , basically you can’t treat it as a trial run .

There are several options you could use if some rooms have poor WiFi coverage , or even relocate the router leaving the ONT in the garage , personally it’s not a solution I’d go for , obviously any ‘issues’ you would have to go into the garage to check the status of the ONT and router ,but there is no inherent problem with putting the router in a garage if that’s what you want .

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 19:16:22 GMT

Thanks, that's useful. Are you of the opinion the engineer would try to pull (maybe 10m of) fibre internally, using the old copper wire run which goes across a ceiling? That would be the dream answer, reconnecting the new ONT at the old phone socket. Otherwise, if considering entry via a first floor bedroom wall, does H&S permit that these days?

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 20:24:34 GMT

No , it’s almost certain that they won’t even attempt to use the existing internal copper cable that is installed behind finished wall and ceiling surfaces, to try to pull in the optical cable using a hidden cable is a pointless time wasting exercise , it simply won’t work , no time will be spent proving this to you when it’s clearly not ‘doable’ .

If you want the ONT near the location of the telephone socket that the router is currently connected to , the cable from the CSP is either surface wired internally or ran externally to a point where the ingress hole can be made near that location , both these options seem to be impractical in your case , so the ONT in a different location to the current telephone socket seems the most likely outcome.

As already stated if you wanted to provide your own Ethernet connection from the ONT location , (probably at the front of the property) , to the current router location at the rear , thats up to you, you can provide this yourself at your leisure after the install is complete or employ someone to do it .

If you wanted the cable from the CSP (ground level) to go up the house wall to a first floor room and site the ONT on the first floor , that’s probably going to be OK , (within the limitations of the Tetra ladder safety system) , but the final arbiter of what can and cannot be done is the installer, anything posted on here is just an opinion , but are to large extent fairly accurate .

FWIW , if the cable is taken into the first floor , it’s unreasonable to expect much ‘internal’ cabling to be done , the ONT fitted pretty much immediately where the cable comes in from outside , you need to appreciate that the tech will have an hour or two for the entire installation, something to have in mind when considering what is likely to be acceptable .

As stated previously, you don’t have to proceed with this change to FTTP , what’s more if it’s likely that you won’t accept what invariably will be offered as far as where the ONT will be fitted , rather than waste Openreach’s and your own time , just cancel the FTTP installation

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

Roy12345 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 05:47:14 GMT

I would dearly love to cancel the FF install, which carries no benefit to me and could be a headache to the Openreach engineer. But with my current part fibre contract almost expired, the only way to prevent the monthly charge from increasing £5 a month was renewal.

But BT renewal page says my part fibre contract 'cannot be renewed' so I selected the equivalent Full Fibre, same price/speed as old contract. This signup process forces me to set a date for Full Fibre installation; not optional.

If I cancel the FF install, surely I will revert to the lapsed part fibre contract, and be charged £5 a month 'out of contract' surcharge for gaining nothing? Fair?

Re: Full Fibre installation with socket in a rear room

iniltous — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 07:42:11 GMT

I’d said in an earlier post , cancel if the status quo was worth the small additional expense, and it’s actually a removal of a discount that occurs at the end of a minimum term , the price the ‘contract’ reverts to is known at the start , albeit there are also annual increases that change both the discount price and normal price , if you (understandably) would prefer not to pay more than necessary , then the ‘acceptance’ on your part is that there are limits to what will be offered as far as the FTTP installation is concerned.

You have already indicated two possibilities, the ONT/router inside the garage , or in an upstairs room (bedroom presumably) there may well be other options as well , but it seems on the information you have provided that installation of the ONT near the existing socket , when that socket is at the rear of the property and the duct is at the front of the property , with no clear or obvious ‘path’ between the two is not going to be available.

You may well prefer to simply have the choice to renew and get a new discount but remain as you are , but given the pressure from Government both national and local , industry, the media etc for OR to roll out FTTP and the billions they have spent , it’s not unreasonable (in my opinion) for those with FTTP available to be incentivised to take it , you do have a choice though , seemingly it’s £5 a month more to stay as you are .

FWIW , it’s sometimes the case , customers post on here their annoyance at having something they don’t necessarily want ‘forced’ upon them , I dare say that afterwards if they were honest the majority would say they were making a mountain out of a molehill