Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

[Hevski77]

I'm a laydee. 👩🏻

[Hevski77]

[licquorice]

The checker shows fibre is available, just order it.

[Hevski77]

What does “a new Ont” mean though?

[licquorice]

It's the fibre modem that Openreach fit as part of the install. You just need to order fibre from BT

[WSH]

ONT is Optical Network Terminal.

As Liquorice said, it’s the modem for a fibre connection and your router connects to that instead of the phone socket.

An engineer will come out to fit it.  It goes on the wall where the fibre comes into the house.  That does not necessarily need to be where the current phone line comes in but the ONT does need power, so it has to be within about 1.5m of a power socket.

He will discuss where to put it on the day; however, it has to be doable in the time and money budget allocated to the job.  Fibre also can’t do very tight bends. It might be an idea to have two or three places in mind for where you want it to go in case your first choice isn’t doable.

[andydenyer]

@Hevski77

You also asked "It would have to be via pole and line though, because the phone line doesn’t go underground here, it’s off telephone poles. Would that change things?".

The answer is 'no'. I've recently upgraded to full fibre, and the engineer just replaced the copper wire from the telegraph pole with a fibre one. Inside, he fitted the ONT (which other posters have explained is the modem you need), which he was able to place where the old BT phone socket was (and use the same hole in the wall that the copper one used to come through). The Home Hub is then connected to the ONT with an ethernet cable (BT sent me one of those a few days before the installation date).

The whole job was done in just over an hour and a quarter, and cost me nothing. In fact, I'm going to be paying less as, when I ordered the upgrade, I was able to select the Fibre 500 package at the same price I was currently paying for part fibre (FTTC), but renew my phone plan at £3.50 a month less than what I had been paying!

[Hevski77]

Oh that could be a problem, as it comes in next to a window, on a very thick stone wall, the phone socket is on the wall next to the window, on a window sill. And the plug socket is not that close to it I don’t think, more than 1.5m.. That could be problematic, as I don’t think I’d want it coming in anywhere else than where it currently comes in to. I mean the Broadband Router now stretches to the plug socket, but I don’t know how long the cable is on that, it’s long anyway.

[Hevski77]

I’d want the Home Essentials package still, I’m on Disability benefit. I used to pay £50+ a month, for a rubbish 1.5Mbps service, and I paid that for years, until I discovered I could get the Home Essentials package, I’m worried they will get rid of it, as I’d struggle to pay £50 now.

[WSH]

It's quite acceptable to use an extension lead with a double socket, if you are happy with that.  If the current line comes in through a window frame, that might be a problem as current practice is not to go through window frames.*

I can see your results from the checker now.  (Images go into quarantine until a moderator releases them.  Only the mods and the community leaders can see them in the meantime).

OH means overhead, (UG is underground), so it will come from the pole.  Says no anticipated issues, meaning the survey does not expect any problems with the install.  Next to WBC FTTP it also says 1 Stage, meaning the install will be done in one stage and one visit.  (KCI 2 Assure means two stages, external work then the internal install).

*Edit:  While I think about it, it might be worth mentioning that you can have up to 100m of cat 5e ethernet cable between the ONT and the router.  That would be your responsibility, but cat 5e cable can be bought in supermarkets today and it's just a matter of plugging it in.