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Message 1 of 8

FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

Hi all

Apologies for long-ish post, I’d like to share my experience this week with my Fibre 900 install, in the hope that BT and fellow customers might learn from some of the issues I encountered.

I originally ordered the Fibre 900 service back in early February to replace our existing BT Broadband, and was given an install and activation date of 15 April.

Within a few days of the original order Openreach appeared outside our house and ran the fibre from the pole to the side of the house, where it was left in a coil. I was told that the installing engineer would discuss the best way of locating the SmartHub inside the house to maximise the wi-fi coverage, as this had been a problem with our previous service.

I was given an engineer’s appointment time with the usual 5 hour window (1pm-6pm) on the install/activation date of 15 April.

I had received the new SmartHub 2 a couple of days prior as promised, but there were no extending discs which I had been told would come with that. I have had to ask for those to be sent separately.

I received a text at 10am on the 15th telling me the engineer was close, and that I would be contacted when he was on his way. I was given his mobile number. 4:30pm came and no further word, so I called the BT Fibre service number to enquire if the install was still going ahead, and asking if they knew where the engineer was. After a 30 minute hold, I was told that as the engineer was working for a contractor, BT were not able to provide information about his location or schedule.

At 5pm I received a text from the engineer apologising that he had been behind all day but he would be with me by 5:30pm.

At 5:45pm he arrived. A lovely chap, but frantic as he still had another job after ours. He couldn’t understand why the grey connecting box that the fibre cable from the pole needs to connect to hadn’t already been installed on the outside of the house. To be fair though, this was probably because the Openreach team that ran the cable from the pole didn’t know where the internal modem was going to be located.

There was no time to work on looking at various locations. The existing telephone connection has no bearing on the fibre install, they are completely separate. Due to the lateness of the hour, and the engineer’s unrealistic work schedule, we chose the garage for the easiest place to locate the modem. This is where we had a previous install but was unsatisfactory due to bad wi-fi reception elsewhere in the house.

After the install we tested the speed. By connecting a PC directly to the ethernet port in the back of the SmartHub, we were pleased to find that we get the full 900mbs down.  Wi-Fi speed is not as good. Although we had previously been lucky to get 15mbs down and 1 up the new speed of 65 down and 47 up is a lot faster than we had before, but not as fast as I’d hoped. I’m not sure what the expected wi-fi speed is with a fibre install. All BT promises relating to speed are based on the ethernet connection.

A few points I’d like to make in summary :-

  • Have a clear view on where the router needs to be placed in the house, preferably near an outside wall, so the modem and external connection are as close to each other as possible.
  • Try and get a morning appointment so the installing engineer is hopefully able to take his or her time and not have to rush
  • I’ve found the BT Broadband Extenders using power sockets are totally ineffective, and really choke the speed. I’m not sure if BT, Netgear or TP-Link have updated technology that can handle fibre speeds.
  • if you're just looking at improving wi-fi to 300mbs+ speeds, be prepared for disappointment (depending of course on the size/layout of your house/flat)

All the BT staff I spoke to were really helpful, but just overworked and under-resourced. Such a shame because everything else about the service is good. A useful metaphor is running fibre to the home and then using standard copper cable to the hub. It was the last link in the chain that let BT down in this case. 

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Message 2 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

"A useful metaphor is running fibre to the home and then using standard copper cable to the hub. It was the last link in the chain that let BT down in this case."

Are you referring to the 1Gb capable (up to 100 mtrs) ethernet connection from ONT to hub?

No ISP will guarantee wireless speeds, there are too many variables not least is the wireless device capable of a 900Mb connection.

Guaranteed speed is to the hub not the device used.

You are the one who agreed to the easy option for the installer, late or not he should have installed the ONT elsewhere for you.

You have the option to pay for the ONT to be placed elsewhere or move the hub and use a longer ethernet cable.

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Message 3 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

Glad you had your fibre installed despite a few small issues...  I would agree that the folk doing the installs are very stretched.

I've been waiting to get my fibre sorted since last November and I've had nothing by trouble - I finally got an install date of Friday and the Kelly guy who came out was super friendly but he was unable to run the fibre from the drain in the road to my house due to a blocked by the footpath.

Not his fault as he tried to do it, although he then just abandoned the whole thing - I was hoping he could have at least installed the kit internally so that all that was left to do was the external work, but no.

They said the fibre install would have no impact on my existing service.. sadly that did not prove to be true and BT subsequently ceased all of my services at the end of day Friday.

You couldn't make this stuff up.

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Message 4 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

True - I agreed, but it's not like he could have returned the following day to spend more time, I would have gone back in the queue and waited another 3 months.

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Message 5 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

Return the next day 😆😆😆😆😆😆

Kellys Hero’s are on price work, no job complete, no getting paid so you’ve more chance of the CEO of Openreach himself come back the next day to try and rod and rope the duct again.

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Message 6 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

When my fibre was installed, I asked for my FTTC to be ceased but they also ceased my landline.

Took them like 3 days to get my landline back on.
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Message 7 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

Appears BT are not going to re-instate my previous broadband but rather stick with the approach to get Fibre working.  I've been given a 12 week estimate for completion which I assume is worst case (dig roads up type stuff) and they are sending me out another mini hub to use in the meantime.  

They changed my phone from Digital Voice back to PSTN just have to find an old phone to plug in, BT TV I'll just do without.

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Message 8 of 8

Re: FTTH installation - what to expect and what to watch out for

Yes it was Kellys. The engineer had only been with them a month but seemed to know his stuff. I'm not overly impressed though with the external wiring arrangement after he'd finished (when it was nearly dark). Looks a little like a back alley somewhere in East Asia

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