Fibre install query

I just put in order for Fibre to be installed for the first time at my house in a few weeks time.

I have been reading that the fibre modem itself needs to be near master phone socket and as a result will need power. The location of my phone socket is in a hallway and is, straight line distance, about 4 metres away from the nearest electrical socket inside the living room on the opposite side of the hallway.

My current ADSL setup has the combined modem and router in an upstairs office connected to the downstairs hallway phone socket via an extension. This arrangement will no longer work since the modem has to be downstairs. I will install the new router in place of the old one in the office and then run an ethernet cable downstairs to the fibre modem.

On the day of the fibre install, will it be sufficient for me to simply provide a double electrical socket (for modem and router) extension reel for the engineer and then worry about a more permanent solution later? Or will the engineer want to see something finalised and safer on the day before he leaves?

So you mean put the modem next to the master socket permantly but provide electricity by an extension? The OR installer should be quite happy with that.

He "may" offer alternatives which may or may not be better!

The installer should install the modem where you want it, rather than where the master socket currently is. This is one of the advantages of an engineer-install.

Yes, on the day I would want to supply the engineer with an electrical extension reel running across the hallway (and thus can be tripped over if not careful). However, afterwards I will arrange for a tidier and safer electrical supply to be available to the modem.

In fact, the phone socket itself is about 2 feet away from a small cupboard containing the gas and electrical meters plus fuse box. A few years back when I had a house alarm installed the control panel for it was placed on a wall near the cupboard. Electricity for it was supplied to it via a new cable that the installer fitted directly into the fuse box.

I plan on having the fuse box hijacked once again and have it feed to a new wall mounted electrical socket outside of the cupboard. If the OR engineer is satisfied with that idea then I will arrange for that to be done a day or so after he has installed the fibre modem + router install with the extension reel.

Batboy,

Are fibre modems like ADSL modems in that it is preferable to have the distance between it and the phone socket minimised in order to obtain higher syncs speeds?

Yes, but remember the line comes from the cab so another few metres won't matter that much.

That's a good point. I think I will go ahead with what I planned but hold off on the fuse box hijack until I move the modem upstairs and see how much the sync is/isn't affected.

Do as you suggest and see what happens. BatBoy is right about the extras few metres not contributing much to attenuation. However, a house is an electrically noisy environment - central heating, fridges, freezer, TVs and more all of which can affect the detected line noise and thus the maximum speed.

The BT Tech only requires a working 230v supply with a BS1363 compliant socket so the extension will be fine.

until I move the modem upstairs and see how much the sync is/isn't affected.

Is very different to your original plan:-

I will install the new router in place of the old one in the office and then run an ethernet cable downstairs to the fibre modem.

If you plan on having the modem upstairs you want to either have the master socket moved or have a data extension cable installed by the OR installer.

The data extension kit has to be ordered by the ISP but there is no cost. Better to do this than move it yourself.

Why? Installing a Data Extension is a simple task and the OP can route the cable as required rather than the route teh OR Tech will take. 2 pair or 4 pair Cat5e; two IDCs punch downs at the master and a suitable RJ socket at the remote end.