Mounting ONT on a conduit back box.

[CUSTOMER49]

I'm planning to upgrade from FTTC to FTTP and one thing I detest is cables run on the surface indoors.

At present my NTE is mounted on a SINGLE ie square conduit back box with the drop wire to it running straight through an outside wall .Will the ONT fit this single box or will I need to replace it with a double ie oblong one?

All the references on the 'net seem to refer to enclosures containing the ONT and BBU; and requiring a double back box.

Is it absolutely necessary to have an FSP on the outside wall, or can the "drop wire" be connected directly to the ONT?

Thanks.

[stevebrass]

The ONT is surface mounted. No back box and no BBU.

Cable can be run externally from the CSP to a suitable entry point for the internal placement of the ONT. 

The position of the current master socket is not relevant 

[licquorice]

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/ima...

[rbz5416]

The ONT has connections for power, fibre & ethernet on the bottom so it's not feasible to do what was done with a single copper feed. Your best bet may be to fit a small cabinet containing a dual gang mains socket to house the ONT & SH2.

The external box is a CSP & I believe is mandated to splice interior grade fibre to the external.

[CUSTOMER49]

That leaflet shows an ONT casing mounted on a double back box which would suit me fine. My understanding is though that Openreach installation engineers don't carry these and they're only used on new build properties?

[yorkspark]

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@CUSTOMER49wrote:

That leaflet shows an ONT casing mounted on a double back box which would suit me fine. My understanding is though that Openreach installation engineers don't carry these and they're only used on new build properties?

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An openreach engineer/or contractor will not chop a double ko box into the wall for you,  and it would serve no purpose as you would still have a power cable run surface to a socket, and a cat5e run surface to the smart hub.

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

You are correct to assume that the ONT enclosure is for new build type scenarios, as the developer runs the Openreach provided ‘internal’ optical cable from the location of the CSP to the location of the ONT at first fix , ( so no visible cable, it’s provided before the internal walls are installed ) they leave the cable coiled in an electrical pattress box , on ‘retro’ fits , this isn’t usually an option , and installation techs that do retro installation are not the same staff that do new builds, so the chances are the retro installation people won’t have these enclosures , even if you supplied the pattress box and a way to get a cable into it without being surface mounted.
FYI , the enclosure can be fitted ( in new site situations ) onto single or double ‘back boxes’ the enclosure can be vertically mounted in a single ‘box’ or horizontally mounted on a double box.

Generally , the CSP is mounted externally, as the cable from the CBT is an external grade cable and not suitable for installation internally, although there was someone who posted on here that after the installation was completed, they complained until the installation was redone with an internal CSP

[CUSTOMER49]

Thanks for all your replies, especially that from iniltous which tells me everything I need to know. I'll try to obtain an ONT casing (they crop up on eBay now and again) and see if I can persuade the Openreach man to use it. The fact it'll fit on a single back box means I won't have  to change mine for a double one.

Where to mount the ONT isn't my only problem though. The present drop wire is fixed to the gable end, runs through the attic, down an external wall and into the back of the NTE which is in a FIRST FLOOR room. The attic is boarded and ventilated and I believe the new cable can be run through metallic conduit? If not it'll have to be routed under the eaves.

Then there's the problem of where  to put the CSP which I understand has to be accessible from ground level? What happens with first floor flats?

If I have to resite the hub remotely from the ONT is really will present a problem with a cable having to be run through several doorways.

[stevebrass]

Where would you like the ONT to be?

[CUSTOMER49]

Where my NTE is at the moment.  In a first floor room, on the inside of an external wall, just above skirting board level.