What fiber cable does Openreach use? Running home network refurbishment

[wes2]

I am refurbishing my house and want to prepare a fiber connection coming in from the street to a specific room in the house (office). In this office location, I house the modem and distribute the network to every room. As I know this will be about more than 15M away from where old broadband comes out of the ground and there are no electric points near the front door, and I just do not want any visible cables in my hall, I am looking to know what cable I can run from my office to where Openreach would pop their cable out of the ground. Most straightforward in my mind is to use the same fiber cable that Openreach will use for their ultra-fast fiber so they can connect their cable with my cable. I can't contact Openreach as there line is closed, there is no mail address and their website only has a chatbot that won't answer my question XD. Does anyone know which one this is so I get the right one set in my walls and ceilings? alternative methods are also welcome.

[jac_95]

Probably better to run some conduit that they can fit a conectorised fibre cable

[pippincp]

Don't forget the drawstring. The internal fibre will be connectorised E-Z bend cable.

[wes2]

 connectorised E-Z bend cable is that universal or is there a specific one that is required?

[wes2]

Was thinking of doing this with a  conduit and string on both ends, but I am a bit worried that the route will have too many ups and downs and left and right bends (not too sharp) and at some point build up too much resistance to be pulled further.

[iniltous]

Search EZ Bend optical cable SC/APC , but obviously it’s entirely possible that anything you supply and install yourself may not be used by the Openreach installer , even if it’s a cable that OR would use themselves, plenty  find their way onto auction sites , installing it yourself you may damage it , or introduce bends that make the cable unusable ( optical cables don’t like tight bends ) , but you won’t know if it’s any good until the installation is attempted.
if you do go down this router , obviously the end with the connector is the ONT end , and leave sufficient cable at the end where the CSP will be sited , for the installer to introduce and splice .

I would post a link , but that’s not allowed, it took a few seconds to find one, prices ( and cable lengths ) vary

[wes2]

Ok I think of the next alternative way, to avoid problems with a fiber cable I can't test before openreach would connect up in 1 or 3 years.
I make a eternet wall socket close where the future fiber enters the house at (the ONT box) and a CAT cable running from there to the office terminating in another wall socket. That way I should be able to plug my modem in the office wall socket. I am able to test my CAT cables so that would give me some confidence everything should work in the future. 
Would a CAT6 be sufficient or would it be recommended to go CAT7 or even 8 for this run?
Also electrical question, the ONT requires power but I do not have sockets at the front. Is it ok to spur off lights to create a new socket?

[yorkspark]

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@wes2wrote:

Ok I think of the next alternative way, to avoid problems with a fiber cable I can't test before openreach would connect up in 1 or 3 years.
I make a eternet wall socket close where the future fiber enters the house at (the ONT box) and a CAT cable running from there to the office terminating in another wall socket. That way I should be able to plug my modem in the office wall socket. I am able to test my CAT cables so that would give me some confidence everything should work in the future. 
Would a CAT6 be sufficient or would it be recommended to go CAT7 or even 8 for this run? Nothing wrong with a cat5e, it will do 1gb for approx 90metres

Also electrical question, the ONT requires power but I do not have sockets at the front. Is it ok to spur off lights to create a new socket? Surely if your refurbing the property, a socket can be installed off the  socket circuit, assuming it has rcd/rcbo protection? If you do use the light circuit for the socket, that will also need rcd/rcbo protection.

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[pippincp]

@wes2  Running a 13 amp socket from a lighting circuit would result in your house insurance being null and void as no electrician would issue an elecrical safety certificate. The only allowable socker is a 5 amp 3 round pin one. Why not have the ONT placed where there is a socket available and run the ethernet cable from there?

As said CAT 5e is more than adequate for a 1Gb connection, use a higher spec if you wish to future proof.

[wes2]

@pippincp because there is no electric socket at the front where the internet would likely enter the house. I would rather have the ONT in the office next to the modem but that would require walls and ceiling to be reopened once Openreach comes to connect in the future or have the fiber already in place which one is very disruptive and the other is a bit of a gamble not being able to test the cable. Would the 5 amp 3 round pin support the ONT or would I need to get the fuse box opened and run another power cable (more money XD)?