Is FTTC engineer install only?

My exchange goes FTTC at the end of December, not in a particular hurry to upgrade unless the ISP package is right. But I keep reading about engineer installs for the VDSL modem, the last time I had an engineer install was for my 512kbps connection in the late 90's!

My only worry is that I've moved my master socket to the loft (30% speed increase on ADSL1) and I've no desire to move it back to the hallway (no electricity sockets) to get the BT engineer to set it up...

Regards,
TH.

Engineer install is currently the only option

yep as above its engineer install only.

and most guys are more then happy to play ball ie dont care if you have moved the nte or not.

just make sure its near your loft hatch or your loft is boarded out and has lights.

In reply to a post by btbert:

yep as above its engineer install only.

and most guys are more then happy to play ball ie dont care if you have moved the nte or not.

just make sure its near your loft hatch or your loft is boarded out and has lights.

That's reassuring to hear, it's screwed to a beam in a boarded and lit part of the loft so it's not difficult to get to. What do they actually need to fit? I already installed a NTE5 socket and ditched all my extensions (major speed improvements), is there now a newer bigger, better socket for FTTC?

Thanks,
Jason.

TH,

Are you honestly saying that you yourself moved your master socket to your loft? If so, then were you aware that doing that yourself is prohibited? The master socket, of whatever guise, is BT's property, not yours, and you're not meant to meddle with it (except for the slave connections that attach to it), modify it, or re-site it. That instead has to be left to a BT engineer. If BT were to discover that you'd unofficially 'modified' the original master socket, they could terminate their contract with you, disconnect you, and refuse to have anything further to do with you.

In reply to a post by meditator:

TH,

Are you honestly saying that you yourself moved your master socket to your loft? If so, then were you aware that doing that yourself is prohibited? The master socket, of whatever guise, is BT's property, not yours, and you're not meant to meddle with it (except for the slave connections that attach to it), modify it, or re-site it. That instead has to be left to a BT engineer. If BT were to discover that you'd unofficially 'modified' the original master socket, they could terminate their contract with you, disconnect you, and refuse to have anything further to do with you.

http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/fibre/t/3948436-is-...

Hi,

When BT fit a second line, they will put the master socket where you like( subject to H&S)..so it could be in theory the master line could be in the loft & fitted by BT

just do what everyone else says

oh that was up their when I moved in. so you need to talk to the previous occupiers.

if they ask to see proof say you where renting it out but thery never dug before

As if they will even question it, plenty of houses have an even worse setup.

These engineers have seen it all including,

multiple masters in one house, all wired together
star wiring from DIY projects
a socket in every room
taped phone cables
dangling masters from the ceiling
The line being split to the neighbours
Ringing farm bells installed before the master
Alarms not filtered

The list is endless...

They're used to it by now - nothing surprises a BT engineer. Just say this is the phone socket - if they say it's in a silly place just say it's always been there.

What I don't understand is why there's a 30% speed increase having it in the loft. That surely indicates a problem with the setup. Having a cable from the loft to the lounge should only shave off about 5 - 10 kbps out of 8128 kbps.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Fri 24-Dec-10 08:18:35)

Yes, at worst, TH may simply get the odd tut-tut from the engineer or a good telling off, but the point I was trying to make was the principle of the thing - that that master socket is the demarkation point of BT's territory and the subscriber's. You're not supposed to alter the master socket. If an alteration is needed, it has to be done by a BT engineer. The master socket is part of their equipment, not yours. The fact that some people do doesn't make it right. If everyone did it, we'd end up with all sorts of lash-ups and malfunctioning lines.

I don't want to make a big deal of this but just want to make TH and maybe others aware, in case they aren't already. Enough has already been written about this in other topics and forums on thinkbroadband.

Of course, it'd help if BT's charge for installing/moving/updating a master socket wasn't so extortionate, as that encourages subscribers to do DIY jobs on the master socket. In a great many cases, those subscribers won't have a clue as to what they're really doing, technically. I myself have a pre-1980 pluggable master socket and would like to have an up-to-date NTE5. But the cost by BT puts me off. However, I do play by the rules and have no plans for a DIY job on mine, even though I know it'd involve only a two-minute refit.

Edited by deleted (Fri 24-Dec-10 13:18:18)

In reply to a post by meditator:

If everyone did it, we'd end up with all sorts of lash-ups and malfunctioning lines.

Thank goodness we don't

is there now a newer bigger, better socket for FTTC?

just a modification to the NTE5 faceplate.

That.s not really the problem....hmmmm. When you get converted, 2 power sockets are needed...1 for the home hub ( fibre ) and 1 for the huwaei modem. However the modem MUST be sited within 1.5 metres of the NTE5. It is not permissible for the adsl lead that connects it to the NTE to be longer than that. Then there is an ethernet lead that connects the modem to the router, approx 2 to 2.5 metres.... So IF I was doing your conversion , one of 3 things would happen. 1. everything would be fitted in the loft ! or 2. the nte would be shifted to a more suitable place. the 3rd option would be that an agreement was not reached and I would leave the premises. .....and another cup of coffee would not sort that one out !

However the modem MUST be sited within 1.5 metres of the NTE5

what about the data extension kit option ? Seems to feature in the Wholesale FTTC manual...

"The data extension kit provides a maximum additional 30
Metres distance from the NTE5 and can be routed internally or
externally to an additional data extension point where the
active NTE can then be connected...."

In reply to a post by yarwell:

However the modem MUST be sited within 1.5 metres of the NTE5

what about the data extension kit option ? Seems to feature in the Wholesale FTTC manual...

"The data extension kit provides a maximum additional 30
Metres distance from the NTE5 and can be routed internally or
externally to an additional data extension point where the
active NTE can then be connected...."

And surely the ethernet cable between the modem and the router can be much longer anyway than the length stated?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

]And surely the ethernet cable between the modem and the router can be much longer anyway than the length stated?

Indeed! It can be up to 100m in length, but the End-User would have to supply and install any non-standard cabling.

The longer the cable ...the greater the loss ! your choice.

In reply to a post by wichitalineman:

The longer the cable ...the greater the loss ! your choice.

On 12 metres of 100Mbps ethernet ?

Hmmmm.

I think not.

Or are there hundreds of thousands of us who would get greater throughput on our broadband by putting all wired computers less than 3 metres from the (ADSL) routers we have?

Stupidest thing I've seen suggested.

In reply to a post by wichitalineman:

That.s not really the problem....hmmmm. When you get converted, 2 power sockets are needed...1 for the home hub ( fibre ) and 1 for the huwaei modem. However the modem MUST be sited within 1.5 metres of the NTE5. It is not permissible for the adsl lead that connects it to the NTE to be longer than that. Then there is an ethernet lead that connects the modem to the router, approx 2 to 2.5 metres.... So IF I was doing your conversion , one of 3 things would happen. 1. everything would be fitted in the loft ! or 2. the nte would be shifted to a more suitable place. the 3rd option would be that an agreement was not reached and I would leave the premises. .....and another cup of coffee would not sort that one out !

Not a problem then, I have a UPS in the loft which has plenty of spare sockets and the firewall is about 50cm from the master socket.

Regards,
TH.