New BT customer

[JJ21]

We just bought a brand new house pre-wired for BT with an Openreach master box in a cupboard under the stairs and phone and ethernet extension sockets in the living room next to the TV aerial socket - where you would expect them to be.

Our BT Smart Hub 2 and TV Box arrived today.   BT confirmed they have activated the broadband and the Digital Voice phone  service so we thought we were good to go.  I didn't order the BT Digital Voice phones because we have a brand new set of phones which are simple and easy to understand.  We are pensioners after all.

Because of Digital Voice, which appeared to be obligatory - we didn't opt for it -  BT have apparently deactivated all the 'old fashioned' copper wired phone and ethernet extension sockets.  So the only place we can plug in our hub and phone base unit is the Openreach master box in the cupboard under the stairs - NOT VERY PRACTICAL!!! - especially for the phone bas unit.  

Oh, and the TV box also needs to be connected to the hub, whereas the TV Aerial point, which also has to be connected, is on the living room wall on the other side of the house where you would normally expect it to be.  We'd have cables running all over the house if we tried to do this.  We've asked BT to reactivate the extension sockets and we waiting on a call to confirm this.  They have a also offered to send a Digital Voice adapter and some mini connectors.  

BUT my question is - did BT actually tell Barretts who built the house (i) that the BT Openreach box should be located near the TV aerial point because everything had to be connected directly into that box and (ii) that phone and ethernet extension sockets would not be required?  

We can't use the TV service yet because we need a TV aerial - booked to be installed next week.  But we also find that there is no code for our 'Eternity' brand TV - only a few years old -  so we'll be using two different remotes for the TV and the BT TV box going forward - maybe not BT's fault but b***** annoying all the same.

Yes, I know we might not have gone with BT - our first choice was Virgin Media.  However Kelly Communications, who do their installation service, identified a problem with the ducting in the street 100m from our house in mid February and STILL haven't fixed it 2 MONTHS LATER.   So at the moment BT and Digital Voice are our only option.

[imjolly]

It is no longer BT Openreach and now just openreach.  BT have no say in where or how you home is wired for services that would be the developer and openreach.  you do not need to use BT as your provider and you can choose any ISP that uses the openreach network and will supply to your home

once you have DV there is no way back to old copper phone line.  you should be able to get adapter from BT which will allow your existing handset to work and powerline adapters to help with your tv connections

have you connected the hub to the openreach ONT on the wall with ethernet cable and other end of cable to the WAN post on the BT Hub?  If so you then need to connect the hub by ethernet to the patch panel in cupboard which will give you internet at the outlets in your various rooms

[JJ21]

Thanks @imjolly for your suggestion

Have not kept up to speed with the BT/Openreach corporate structure as have been Virgin customers at our previous address for many years.

We were on the phone to BT for ages and they didn't suggest this.  We have connected the hub to the ONT with an ethernet cable.  However I am not sure what you mean by a 'patch panel'?  We have the Openreach box with one ethernet socket only. There is also a small panel underneath, looks a bit like an ethernet extension socket, with what looks like two more ethernet sockets - is this the patch panel? 

[imjolly]

there should be a panel in the wall near the location of ONT and hub where you conenct an ethernet cable from hub to one of sockets on panel and that will provide internet to the room at other end   you can do that using the 3 LAN sockets on the hub and connect to 3 sockets on patch panel

[JJ21]

Thanks again @imjolly 

Probably a stupid question?  Does each of the 3 sockets on the patch panel relate to a different extension ethernet socket ?   In which case it is trial and error until you find the one near the TV Aerial or so they all connect to all the ethernet sockets and there are 3 because you might need to connect other equipment ?

[JJ21]

Actually we only have 2 sockets in what might be the patch panel. I'm not at all convinced we have the installation you are describing.

[imjolly]

Each connection on the patch panel connects to a specific outlet  and only by connecting will you find which is which

If you need more ethernet connections at a specific outlet then you can get a switch with 4 or more outlets for about £10

[JJ21]

Update.   We have tried connecting the hub to the 'patch panel' (if that is what those two ethernet connections are) as you suggested but that did not work to make the ethernet sockets live.  

Anything else you can suggest?

[licquorice]

Just to clarify, that you have connected the white ONT box to the Hub WAN (red) port with an Ethernet lead and then connected the 2 Ethernet patch panel sockets to 2 of the Hub LAN (yellow) ports with Ethernet leads.

Are the sockets actually cabled? If not, you need to get on to the developer to find out why not.

[JJ21]

No we don't have that many spare ethernet cables. We've just seen @imjolly's reply that each 'patch panel' socket relates to a specific outlet - it would be helpful if they'd been labelled as such! We only seem to have two ethernet outlets in the house - one in the living room and one by the front door - lord knows what that one's for.

Why does this have to be so difficult! I'm not a stupid person - I have degrees and professional qualifications up to my eyeballs but this is bonkers. How are the intellectually challenged supposed to manage this?