Data extension installation question

Openreach engineer coming tomorrow. Currently have master from very early days ADSL engineer install with faceplate in bedroom/study, which was itself move of master from ISDN installed in box room upstairs.

Currently run a gigabit network downstairs and use wireless and homeplugs elsewhere. I know that my 200 Mbps homeplugs won't deliver the full speed of the BT infinity connection I am predicted, as the house is large and Victorian and the wiring is old.

The required new location of the router is right at the front of the house. It seems daft to run the extension back through the house when it might be easier to convert the current master to an extension and install a new master downstairs, splitting where the line enters the house. Possible?

My other question is if they decide to run a data extension. Will it be limited to 100Mbps? I don't want to be limited or require new writing and 160Mbps is already around and my router is gigabit on all ports.

From the box room and a single computer to throughout the house and centred on the living room seems to be the story of broadband. Any advice welcome.

160 Mbps is the full fibre product - i.e. true fibre optic cable into the home.

The 80 Mbps service is FTTC and re-uses the copper phone wiring. The data extension simply adds a few more metres of copper. Suspect you are confusing ethernet specifications with VDSL.

Relocating the master socket is not a normal part of the FTTC install, but running a data extension is. As the FTTC install comprises two boxes, consider having the Openreach modem next to the master socket, and then Ethernet cabling (which can run at up to Gigabit) to link it to the router (HomeHub 3 if its Infinity).

Are you saying you would like the master close to where the line enters the house? Or have I got confused?

If I have, then the answer is that the engineer will not split (star) the incoming connection before the master - wherever that ends up being sited.

The data extension kit is normally from master to modem and allows you to put the modem where you want it - up to 30m from the master. It runs at VDSL speed.

the modem has to go on te master and extensions before that are not permissible.

My suggestion would be to have the master installed at the point as near as possible to where the line enters the house. You can then do one of two things:

1. Have a 30m Data Extension installed running to where you want the modem. OR

2. Install the modem adjacent to the master and run an Ethernet connection to your router/switch.


Option1 could result in greater noise pickup and a reduced speed - given your description of the house - quite possible!

With Option2 the Modem to Router link will run at 100Mbps but that will not slow down your Gigabit network.

I have a rather tricky route from my master socket to an upstairs home office but I have both an RJ45 and gigabit ethernet running that route. Will the BT engineer be happy to use either cable?

It can be upto the Tech if he uses your cable.

When you say RJ45 - what do you mean? RJ45 is just a connector type. What is the cable? If it is Cat5e then put the modem at the master and use that to link to the router.

Neither RJ45 nor gigbit ethernet is a cable. (Though one can draw conclusions from gig ethernet ). What are the cables? Cat5 or 6 is usually acceptable.

That is a lot of good information and advice from all of you. Thank you very much. I'll talk to the Openreach engineer tomorrow. I'm quite happy for there just to be a single master without data extension located downstairs on the ground floor closest to where the line enters the house. If he won't do that, then he can have the wretched job of running what will probably be very close to a 30m data extension from the current master which will be a lot more work. Frankly, with DECT phones and mobiles, I don't really care where the phone socket is - and the only person who uses the landline is calls from/to grandparents by children.

The reason I was asking the questions was that I want to get the installation right first time, future proof the install as much as possible, maximise speed and minimize hassle for Openreach installer.

I'm using a Western Digital My Net N750 router, which is gigabit on all ports, has two USB and cost less than £60 on Amazon. So far I am very impressed. I'll provide more feedback after I've used it for a couple of weeks. I also managed to sell the Simpler Networks boxes BT kindly supplied for more than the router cost, so very happy with that.

Youview - I really don't think I'd ever pay anything like two or three hundred pounds for that user experience and content. With US Netflix and a Plex server we don't record stuff any longer - and that is the way the world is moving. Can't see YouView working, but I suppose if BT and Talk Talk install thousands and thousands of boxes it might. I am surprised how clunky it is - and not being able to suppress the Sky content is a real pain. What is YouView about if not the user interface? An Xbox for £99 from Asda is a much better investment. I nearly sold the YouView box too, but bottled at the contractual requirement to have it connected for 12 months though I doubt very much they will enforce it. The boxes are selling for just over £200 on Ebay.

So, if you sell all the stuff BT supplies you with - YouView box, SImpler Networks adapters and HH3, you'll make about £290, which reduces the price of the broadband subscription by about sixteen pounds per month over the course of the eighteen month contract. Which takes me back to a tenner a month, which is where I started a long time ago with Demon Internet in North Finchley.

I'm leaving Sky, which has been great, but I don't want to unbundle my phone too for FTTC.

Thanks once again for all the advice.

Edited by musical_uk (Mon 07-Jan-13 13:17:53)

One is Cat5e and the other is a 'telephone' cable with (just realised I got it wrong initially) RJ11 plugs on each end.

I have successfully used the RJ11 cable for several years now but that was from the master socket to a combined modem/router

In reply to a post by MHC:

It can be upto the Tech if he uses your cable.

When you say RJ45 - what do you mean? RJ45 is just a connector type. What is the cable? If it is Cat5e then put the modem at the master and use that to link to the router.

Agreed.