FTTC Plusnet Install - PN router and OR modem info

Hello all,

I have finally made the jump over to PN. and have an install date coming up in the next week or so.
I do however have a couple of questios that either the TBB community or PN support reps could help me with.

1) just to confirm, with a new FTTC installs there is a modem which is provided to customers by BT Openreach
and then there is a Second router which is provided by Plusnet? - Correct?

- I know the router from PN is the Technicolor TG582n

- What I would like to know more about is the BT Openreach Modem? (Make/Model/Chipset/Ports/dimensions/power-consumption/etc.)

2) The actual Installation/Setup.
I know there is plenty of information on the PN community portal/PN forum on this side of things but I have a couple of questions I would like to get a handle on before the install date arrives.

- I have asked (during the PN sign-up stage) for the "Fibre Extension kit" which, I believe is up to 30m in length? I think I also read somewhere that the engineer can go through a wall if necessary to customize the locations and ways in which I can have my modem/router installed

- Am I correct in this so far?

3) What common pitfalls have others had to deal with during the install of their Fibre service regarding the locations of their devices/power outlets?

- What I mean by this is my Main PC Server is in the back office downstairs but the master phone socket is in the living room (in the room next door) which is partially obscured/covered by a rather large (and heavy) Leather sofa.

- Will the engineer help me to plan what goes where?
- Can the PN Router support media streaming to my IPTV via Ethernet cable?
- Can I have an external HDD storage device plugged directly into the PN Routers USB2 port?


I am thinking of putting the BT Openreach Modem in the living room (possibly wall-mounted) and then having an extension run through into the next room where my office is located and placing the Plusnet router somewhere in there?

4) How long do the engineers have to install/setup/test for each of their appointment slots on average (approx)
- Do they help to move furniture, if I specifically ask fr the modem to be located in a certain spot and also to run the extension kit?

5) Failing any issues regarding the location of the modem/router can the engineer move my Master Socket instead?
- This would be by far the simplest of ways to overcome most of my concerns and just have the Master Socket moved into my back office which, is not even 10m away from the current location of the master Socket.

If this is possible and the engineer is willing to move the master phone socket will I have to ask for prior consent off either Openreach/Plusnet (or both) in advance of the engineers visit?

Sorry for such a large post but these are all valid concerns and question which I have to ask and sort our asap.

Cheer's

Edited by majika2007 (Thu 09-May-13 18:03:17)

Hi. From my recent install experience:

1) - Sorry I'm not sure of the Openreach Modem specs

2) - There is no guarantee the engineer will drill though a wall. It's just the luck of the draw how helpful the Openreach engineer or their subcontractors are. PN sales told me they would, but the PN FAQs state this isn't guaranteed. I ended up drilling my own holes just to be on the safe side, but the engineer said he could have done it.

3) - My master socket is by the front door, but I needed the router to be located behind the TV in the lounge. I didn't ask for any advice as to where to locate them, I just told him where I wanted him to install it.

The router is connected to the modem via an Ethernet cable which isn't very long. The extension cable that's installed can't be used between the router and modem. As far as I know they have to installed both at the same location.

4) - I moved everything myself. The engineer I had was very late i.e. he came outside of the time slot. But they say they will stay until the job is complete

5) - Actually that is what my engineer did when I explained how I wanted the equipment installed. He has left the original master socket as it is. But ran the extension cable from the old socket and where it terminates behind the TV has installed what looks to be a new master socket. The Openreach modem is plugged direct into that, and then the red Ethernet cable goes from the modem into port 1 of the router. I then have the TV, Blu-Ray and PVR plugged into the router via Ethernet cables and the computer via wi-fi.

In reply to a post by dwr:

The router is connected to the modem via an Ethernet cable which isn't very long. The extension cable that's installed can't be used between the router and modem. As far as I know they have to installed both at the same location.

The Ethernet cable between the router and the modem can be as long as you like, up to 100m, without degrading the service, so they certainly don't have to be together.

Answers the questions , with one small but important mistake.

The modem does need to be near the relevant phone socket as you say, however and wherever that socket is sited. But the connection between the modem and router is standard internet cable.

The fact that the supplied cable is quite short is just the way things are. Anything up to 100 metres of (decent quality) ethernet cable can be used instead.

I got interrupted whilst drafting .

Post deleted by RobertoS

The Ethernet cable between the router and the modem can be as long as you like, up to 100m, without degrading the service, so they certainly don't have to be together. .

I was just about to say that..

So, what type of cable is the "fibre extension kit" then: regular BT phone cable (twisted pair) or does the extension kit refer to an Ethernet extension of up to 30m

In reply to a post by majika2007:

- What I would like to know more about is the BT Openreach Modem? (Make/Model/Chipset/Ports/dimensions/power-consumption/etc.)

AIUI the modem you get depends on the kit used in the cab, mine is ECI and has two ports but one is blanked off.

HUAWEI HG612 and ECI V-2FUb/I Rev.B superseeded by ECI /r version according to "the internet"

The cable is a twisted pair cable, and think its higher twist rate than usual CW1308 extension wiring

The BT modem remains their property - so it is in effect on loan to you as part of the FTTC service.
It has one inactive port Lan2 and one active port Lan1 for connecting to the WAN port on the plusnet supplied router

It will either be a Huawei HG612 Model 3B (3B being the latest revision)
or a ECI B-FOCuS V-2FUb/r Rev.B (/r being the latest version and /i being the earlier version).

Both models as supplied by BT are locked down against the user and no stats are available to the user.
If this is an issue for you I suggest you do a search on google you will find considerable details on various attempts and successes at unlocking these modems to access the connection data.

The Huawei is a Broadcom chipset, the ECI a Lantiq.