I am just over a week away from having my BT Fibre 900 installed by Openreach
I am losing sleep with excitement & I cannot believe how fortunate I am to be getting FTTP
My house is 8 years old and currently has my copper connection coming through he front of my house. Talking to the engineers installing the fibre cable outside me house a few weeks ago, this will also be the FTTP entry point which is fine for my ONT placement next to the master socket and power supply
My question is around my smart hub placement which is currently in a room at the back of my house on the first floor
Ideally I would like a hole drilled close to the fibre entry point, so the ethernet cable could go from the ONT, out through the front of my house, around the outside of my house , then drilled though another hole into my back room where my hub and main computer is
I only live in a town house so at most this would be about 20meters of cabling
Are Openreach able to install external ethernet cabling like this? I read they can use up to 30 meters along/ around skirting boards but I do not want cabling running around my house/ up stairs etc because it would be highly visible, outside would be much more suitable for my house
It's not a big deal if Openreach can't do it as I can order the materials and do it myself, I just would just like to have some idea of what's possible
Any views would be very much appreciated from me, thank you for taking time to read my question
No, the, ‘UP TO 30M’ of Data cabling you’ll be thinking of is what they did on FTTC Managed Installs if they needed to locate the DSL Modem they used to install closer to a Mains Electrical Power a outlet and or Providing CAT5e Data Cabling on BTTV Installs.
With FTTP the Engineer will only connect the Router to the ONT using the supplied CAT5e Cable that’s about 1/2m long. There’s no authorised TRC Banding on FTTP Installs to do any Data Cabling at all. Openreach used to have a Superfast Boost Service where the CP could pay for them to install up to 3 X 30M CAT5e Extensions but the only one whoever signed up to it was BT and they soon stopped using it when their Halo Disks came out. Openreach have now ceased the Service all together.
If you want the router installing in the back of the house you’ll have to ask the ONT is installed there, which will mean Cabling on skirting boards, over door frames, etc.
You could if you wanted ask the Engineer to install the ONT by the entry point and then move the Router yourself by getting a longer CAT5e Cable.
If the room faces an outside wall, isn't it possible that the Engineer would agree to run cable around the house and bring the ONT into that room? It's what they did for me, albeit all downstairs and only a short run.
Mentions he lives in a Town House, aka posh way of saying terraced. So unless he’s on either end then it’ll have to go internally through the house.
Hello- Thanks to all of you for taking time to comment
The reason I thought ethernet cable could be used is due to the notes below taken direct from the order notes
Rather then the ethernet extension cable going through my house I would rather it went around the outside of my house- these notes are taken direct from the BT order
'Our engineer will install fibre broadband- Getting ready for your engineers visit- Check you've got power near your phone master socket so your engineer can plug in your new Hub. If you haven't, no problem. Your engineer can run an Ethernet extension cable (up to 30 metres long) from where you can plug in your Hub back to your phone master socket. This extension can only go along walls, not under carpets or floors, so move any furniture away from walls that may need cabling'
Regarding the town house comment, I am indeed end of terrace giving me the option for a cable to go around the outside of my house- I currently have a sky TV cable going around the outside of my house
I would be happy to have the ONT installed in the back room, but assumed this could be rejected due to the amount of addition fibre cable required (which I assumed would be more expensive then ethernet cable)?
The install notes you quote refer to FTTC installs not FTTP. The giveaway is "where you can plug in your Hub back to your phone master socket. " No phone socket involved with FTTP.
Just ask the install engineer to place the ONT at the back of the house. They're a pretty helpful bunch.
As Pippin says that refers to ADSL and or a VDSL Order, not FTTP.
Are you sure you’re getting FTTP and not VDSL or G.Fast?
@pippincp Thanks for your response. It looks like all roads point to ONT install into my back room away from where the current copper line comes in
Hopefully the engineer will agree and install the ONT so I hard wire my main iMac for maximum speeds
@Starwire thanks for checking, my order if definatly for BT Fibre 900. It looks when you click the links within the order summary all links like 'view my engineer visit' point towards FTTC installs. I don't think they've been updated for FTTP yet
If not, simply run an external grade Ethernet cable yourself to connect ONT and Hub.
Well, one of them replied in this thread.
Unless there is compelling technical reason not to, the install engineers usually places the ONT where the customer wishes it.