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Message 1 of 12

Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

Hi folks,

We live in a detached Bungalow in a rural village which is in plan to be upgraded to FTTP.

Currently the drop wire comes in at the apex of our roof and routes into a master phone socket midway into our loft.

There are 2 additional phone points in the hallway (live but unused) & one in my office at the front left side of the bungalow, which is where the Smart Hub is currently situated.

I want  to keep the Hub in this location and have the ONT & Fibre cable routed down a stud internal wall cavity into my office near to the Smart Hub as there is a vacant power socket ready for the ONT to be plugged into.

My question is this, how feasible will it be for the incoming fibre cable to be routed down into the stud wall and fitted on the same stud wall where the current phone point & the ready to use power socket are?

I’ve been informed by former colleagues (I’m a BT pensioner) who’ve had a Full Fibre install that it can by pot luck depending on who is sent to perform the install as to how far they will go with routing the fibre into other parts of the home, especially in the case of loft installations & drop wires.

I did consider pre drilling the hole down into cavity & routing a nylon rod & guide string into the stud wall to reduce the amount of work the installer needs to do?

But would they touch it if I did?

I’d rather not have to route a CAT cable from an ONT install in the bowels of my loft down & into the Hub as during the recent heat waves, it hit pretty close to 50 degree up there which if I read correctly, exceeds the 45 degrees the ONT’s top operating temperature.

Plus being slightly OCD and a neat freak I’d really like to have the ONT where I can easily access it.

Has anyone had a similar installation requirement? 

And it is it worth me doing the preparatory drilling & nylon rod routing, or will the engineers insist on a loft installation only?

Thanks in advance!

 

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Message 2 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

Unless the loft is fully boarded, properly lit and has a staircase to it (so a proper habitable room ) then chances are the installer won’t go inside it , if it fits these criteria then they may , but the ‘normal’ overhead installation is the fibre cable hits the property where the copper service does using the existing bracket , but would run down to the ground floor where a CSP is fitted , then another optical cable ran to the  location of the ONT ,

ONT’s are preferably fitted on the inside of an external wall , if the loft were required (and can be accessed safely ) that would mean two cables on the wall , it’s possible to ask for an internal CSP but chances are the installer won’t have one with them .

You providing access holes , and a draw rope etc. to get the cable from the CSP  to where you want the ONT located may be used but it depends on the tech that visits , and if what you have provided is practical , avoiding tight bends etc … ‘negotiation’ between you and the installer  to find a mutually agreed position is what normally takes place ( bearing in mind the time and internal cabling constraints for a standard installation) , if you can’t agree , the job isn’t done , installer leaves with no work carried out.

It may be much simpler to have the ONT somewhere convenient for the installer , and run your own Ethernet cabling from that location to where you want the router sited .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJve0oIM3dY&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD

 

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Message 3 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

Thanks for clarifying. 

The loft is part boarded is high enough to stand in and has lights (but only a loft ladder, not a staircase) and on a master socket fault an Openreach engineer worked up there a few years back.

You kind of confirmed my suspicion about running the fibre from the bracket, into the loft and down a stud wall. That may be an installation step too far I suspect.

Plus the Mrs is not happy about the prospect of  cable running down the centre of the front of the bungalow from the eaves to the damp course!  She’d refuse it.

I did have another thought about how to crack this.

Would it be possible for me to pre-instal a run of fibre in my loft myself, from the point where the existing copper hits the bracket / eaves & run it internally, across the internal wall in the loft and have a decent length ready to take down the exterior wall at the side of property which is where my office (and the Smart Hub are located?)

This should work as the ONT would then be situated on an external wall and a twin power socket is already in place on that exterior wall too.

I’m ex BT (I wasn’t on the tools, but happy running cable) and if me having a length of Fibre already in situ removes the ‘I can’t work in your loft’ issue, I’m happy to do it myself.

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Message 4 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

Not a chance. The fibre is the responsibility of Openreach, they are not going to take responsibility for something they haven't provided themselves.

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Message 5 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

So basically I have to hope that the installer is ‘willing’ in order to get the installation completed in a logical and customer friendly way?

Madness.

Wish I still had contacts in Openreach. This all seems like a bit of a lottery to me.

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Message 6 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

As stated you providing a fibre cable that OR need to adopt and then be responsible for isn’t going to happen, as far as a tech entering your loft space , it’s better to assume they won’t and be pleasantly surprised if they will, rather than expecting them to , and being disappointed when they won’t , your existing setup was provided when rules were much less safety minded , on a repair , OR have to contend with what exists even if potentially it’s not currently complaint , new work has to follows the current rules .

If the prospect of any cable running down the wall is completely unacceptable, it may be something of a waste of time , both your own and Openreach’s ,ordering FTTP , obviously without knowing your exact setup but if you do order , I’d be assuming as being unavoidable, a single  cable running down down the wall to a ground floor location for the CSP ( assuming the tech hasn’t got an internal CSP or wouldn’t enter the loft anyway ) , and you being OK with the ONT fitted  somewhere on the ground floor , to a certain extent this can be where you want it , within the time / practicality restraints , and you provide your own Ethernet connection to where you want the router to be sited .

Its always possible that a tech turns up , is happy to enter your loft space and will provide exactly what you require, it’s just not guaranteed, and you would have no valid reason to complain if your request were refused , it’s a somewhat surprising comment, that you consider it a a lottery if the tech that turns up is ‘willing’ , you appreciate that’s you mean they are willing to break rules to accommodate you ,   if a tech injured themselves entering or working in the loft space that they shouldn’t be in , it could  lead to the end that of that  techs employment, ( if directly employed by Openreach )  , in those circumstances would you do it  ? 

 

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Message 7 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

The bungalow itself is a little under 25 years old, and I completely understand the safety rule changes since then  & adoption points as I am formerly a BT & Openreach employee.

At this stage it’s not an order, but a bit or preparedness for an as yet unknown build / upgrade that Openreach have contacted me about.

I might be jumping the gun somewhat, but the former manager and employee in me has gone into ‘solution mode’ in an effort to try and get to a position where we get the installation we require technically (and aesthetically) & make the job as time efficient & easy going for the installer as possible, rather than not take the product at all.

Ad you say; I think the expression ‘expect the worse, but hope for the best’ is appropriate come the day we get the install date.

That being said, thank you for your responses & replies to my query.

It’s been very useful!

 

 

 

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Message 8 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

@TerryOverall 

if the fibre cable came into loft under eves then would it be possible for you to help in that you run the guide string from inside the loft down stud partition exiting when you want and then ask openreach to fit an internal CSP and then run cable from CSP to the ONT in office.  This is my connection and you can see the small CSP and the ONT right next to it.  

 

ONT  + internal CSPONT + internal CSP



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Message 9 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

I have to say that looks very neat.

Are both the ONT and internal CSP on a stud wall you say?

If so, that’s pretty close to what I was envisioning for my office.

A few (probably)  daft questions.

Did you use a nylon rod or something similar to thread the guide string down into the stud wall cavity & did you pre-drill the hole? 

And what did you use for a guide string?

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Message 10 of 12

Re: Upcoming FTTP Drop Wire Into Loft Routing into a Downstairs Office

@TerryOverall 

I didn't have problems like you my attic is converted but obviously there is a gap between the stud wall and the eves  the installer pushed cable into eves which I then pulled through making  hole is stud wall to get cable through then connected to the cigar shaped CSP and then the ONT



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