Do the BTO engineers always carry the data extension kit?

As per title of post. Do they or do you have to request from ISP? Getting Sky Fibre in later this week and was just wondering if you need to make a special request for the data extension. I assume its just an Ethernet cable?

The ones I have seen are a 68mm box with an RJ14 socket to which 30 metres of 2 pair Cat5e are attached. The socket is installed at the remote location and the cable fed back to the master where the blue & blue/white are connected to the two IDC terminals.

RJ14 is a 6 pin 4 contact registered jack. IT is the same size as an RJ11 which is only 6P2C.


They may always carry them but to use one there needs to be a request from the ISP.

Edited by MHC (Mon 07-Jan-13 12:57:46)

In reply to a post by Rygar1:

As per title of post. Do they or do you have to request from ISP? Getting Sky Fibre in later this week and was just wondering if you need to make a special request for the data extension. I assume its just an Ethernet cable?

Yes and no. It appears now officially to be called a Home Wiring Solution, not a data extension kit. Possibly since the mod to the interstitial filter that now has A/B connectors to run it from, instead of plug-in. So no specific "kit" needed.

The Home Wiring Solution is free to the ISP and therefore one would hope to you, but the ISP has to order it from Openreach. I assume this is so his allocated/expected job-time can be increased. So you need to ensure Sky order it for you.

I think all the necessary parts are carried as standard, at least by true Openreach engineers. I don't know about contractors such as Kellys and Quinns.

The reason I think this is that if you order the HWS the engineer can install it inside the premises or run it externally, depending on your wishes and his/her assessment of feasibility, and one of them has posted on these forums that the external grade cable is standard van stock. So I assume the internal also is.

It isn't "standard" ethernet cable as there are many qualities of that. I expect it is decent quality Cat5 or CAT6, but that's a guess.

Think it will be a Cat5e i.e. tour twisted pairs, but Cat6 implies a central plastic core, which makes corners and termination a bit harder

I didn't know that about Cat6, thanks .

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 07-Jan-13 13:42:02)

Have just been to look at my neighbours - installed by a real OR tech. It is 2 pair Cat5e and is fitted with a box with an RJ14 socket with te printed computer icon above. the box was prefitted.

Yes, that is what the kit was, when the interstitial filter did not have A/B connectors. Note not only that it now does, but it isn't called a data extension kit any more by Openreach. How recently was theirs fitted?
_{Edit - typo.}

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 07-Jan-13 18:50:14)

About 2 to 3 months back ...

Maybe they've handed them out to the contractors as they aren't safe to make up wired-in ones .

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I didn't know that about Cat6, thanks .

We have Cat6 in our data centres, and its a right pain to route into the racks.

I was told Cat5 = upto 100megabit, Cat5e is gigabit for general use, and Cat6 is gigabit for longer runs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat6