Fibre installation connection to router

Could someone clarify please, as I'm not quite clear from the various threads I've been reading. I have an engineer booked to install a fibre connection on a line currently using ADSL.

The BT master socket in this house has an adjacent power socket, and it would be a simple installation to site the new Openreach VDSL modem next to the master socket, however this would be a poor arrangement in respect of the router, as the master socket is on a back wall in a downstairs spare room, which is normally closed and unused; it is not a good spot for a router in respect of wireless reception to the rest of the house.

To site the OR modem adjacent to a power socket in a better position, would mean the data extension lead would have to go into the next room - i.e. along the skirting and through the foot of the door frame. Unless it goes through the door frame (not possible through the wall at that point) the door could not be closed. It would then need to go up and around another door, and along a bit more skirting, I reckon around 10 metres at most by this route, from the master socket to this position.

I'm not clear whether channelling a data extension lead through the corner of a door frame is an option for the engineer, would this be up to the individual who calls or would it be ruled out as an option.

Alternatively is it a better idea to use a long CAT 5e cable between the OR modem and the router, and channel this through the door frame. If I need to restrict the size of the hole drilled to the size of the cable and not the size of the RJ45 connector, I assume I would have to buy a crimper tool to fix a connector to the cut end of the cable, as detailed here for instance. In this case if I wanted to fix a small junction box instead, on the end, with a socket for an RJ45 connection, what component part am I looking for and is it easy to do?

Install the modem at the master socket.

Install a standard electrical back box with a modular face plate and and RJ45 socket close by. Run Cat5e from there to where you want the router and install another back box and RJ45 socket there. Punch down the IDC connections - easier and cheaper than crimping. And holes drilled trough walls will only be around 6mm diameter making sure you use infrastructure cable with solid conductors.

From the installed RJ45 socket to the modem and router use a short patch cable.

Can be done in under an hour with drilling the holes and running the cable taking the longest

Thanks MHC, can you clarify re: infrastructure cable with solid conductors, this for instance:
Cat 5e Network Cable Foil-Shielded Solid 1m (priced per metre) | Maplin

That will work - although the shielding is un-neccessary for most domestic environments along with the short run and being limited to 100Mbps.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/cat-5e-utp-network-cable-s... is normally fine and you don't have to worry about te foil.

And there are place a lot cheaper than Maplin too. The one I linked to at 99p ... I normally pay around 17p/metre for that ...


How much do you actually need? And also think if you might want to run a couple of wired connections elsewhere in the house direct from te router. Even, Screwfix do a 50m roll for £21 so around 42p/metre, electrical wholesalers can be even less.

Which boxes and sockets? Again electrical wholesalers can be good value.

Also S_h has the option of using homeplug - no cabling required

You need top end ones with FTTC though, assuming a high'ish sync.

Do you mean something like the ones reviewed here: thinkbroadband :: Devolo dLAN 500 AVtriple+ Starter Kit Review
These have come down a lot in price since reviewed in April 2012.

That's the level I see generally recommended on here, and Devolo have always had a good reputation. They are what I would buy if I went for Homeplugs. There are many posters on these forums finding 200Mbps level don't cope with the full 80Mbps. As you can see from the tables in that review.

I've never noticed before that one unit there has three LAN ports. Fine if you need three at one place, but depending on what you will be doing a three or four single-port package may be more useful.

Good luck with the fibre . What estimate do you get from this checker? (Assuming you aren't on an LLU phone at the moment). Use the address option if you are, but not the pure postcode one.

Power line adapters are now becoming fast enough. These are 1000 Mbps http://www.ebuyer.com/662823-zyxel-pla5206-1000mbps-...

But I would still use CAT5 between the modem and router instead.

Edited by deleted (Mon 27-Oct-14 17:09:00)

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Power line adapters are now becoming fast enough. These are 1000 Mbps http://www.ebuyer.com/662823-zyxel-pla5206-1000mbps-...

But I would still use CAT5 between the modem and router instead.

a dedicated cable is always better, i was pointing out there was another route for S_H ..

I have heard some rumours that PLA's cause RF interference with VDSL2.

Not rumours, facts:

http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_tr/102900_102999/10...

The Cat 5 connecting my homeplug to my router ran next to the twisted pair from socket to router. Separating them increased attainable speed by 1Mbps in the upstream & 7Mbps in the downstream.....

I've not seen any problems with my Solwise AV500 one's and one is right next the master socket.

The document is dated 2010 and its now 2014, powerline tech should have incorporated and negated those issues.

Maybe TBB should do a little test to see if they do interfere with vdsl2

In reply to a post by Taras:

The document is dated 2010 and its now 2014, powerline tech should have incorporated and negated those issues.

"should have" sounds like blind faith. As far as I'm aware the AV standard in use hasn't changed since 2005.

The AV2 spec was introduced in Jan 2012 which allows for 30Mhz to 86Mhz to be used for extra bandwidth amongst other things and is compatible with Homeplug AV and Homeplug GreenPHY devices.

And Homeplug AV is still in use.

To update my OP, it turns out the supplied Plusnet router works fine so far located in the back room near to the Openreach modem and master socket, and so far there has been no need to relocate it for the purpose of good wireless reception. Given the location of computer, printer etc. It would not be easy to make an ethernet connection to the router, where it is situated, if needed for some reason, but for the moment all works fine on wireless, speeds are a vast improvement on the old ADSL Max connection.

It always stood a good chance I guess, it is the first line to be connected to the new fibre cabinet, it is a relative newbuild with underground cabling, neighbouring houses are all wired from poles at the end of a village some way from the BT exchange, several use Virgin for broadband, however Virgin would not cable this property.

Thanks to TBB for alerting me to these options as they occur. I was first looking here years ago for where to move on to from a Demon dial-up connection, and having no prior technical knowledge at all, this has always been a very good site for explanation and information on a complex topic, that has turned out to be important to everyone now.

Great .

You didn't post the estimates, but it would be interesting to see the Further diagnostics, obtained by clicking the button at the bottom of the initial results page of this tester. Ignore all the red instructions.

Just copy and paste the contents of the two results text boxes. We don't need screen grabs of the graphics.

I don't think there's any problem this end with the test results:

Estimate today from the BT availability checker (note it now says availability date: 24-Nov-14, the line was connected on 04 November when at that point it said: available. The exchange first went live for fibre in early October and the engineer told me this was the first line to be connected to this cabinet)

High Low High Low
FTTC Range A (Clean) 79.3 60 20 19.5 -- 24-Nov-14
FTTC Range B (Impacted) 70.6 44.6 20 14.1 -- 24-Nov-14

ADSL Max Up to 5 -- 3.5 to 7.5 Available
Fixed Rate 2 -- -- Available

This is on the Plusnet 40/20 package: the BT checker Further diagnostics test:

1. Best Effort Test: -provides background information.

Download Speed
38.29 Mbps

0 Mbps 77.44 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed

Download speedachieved during the test was - 38.29 Mbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 61.95 Mbps-77.44 Mbps .
Additional Information:
IP Profile for your line is - 77.44 Mbps

2. Upstream Test: -provides background information.

Upload Speed
16.85 Mbps

0 Mbps 20 Mbps
Max Achievable Speed

Upload speed achieved during the test was - 16.85Mbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 20 Mbps

Judging by TBB speed tests the line so far is pretty consistent at around 37 down, 17 up, on a wireless connection on my iMac (rounded figures). Testing the Macbook around the house half an hour ago, the 37 down is consistent in every room, the upload is slightly lower, at 12 or so, through more floors or walls. With the Macbook plugged in to the router on ethernet cable the same results using the BT test or the TBB test as with the iMac wireless connection.

Edited by s_h (Mon 10-Nov-14 11:47:52)

Perfect .

Full 80Mbps connection speed, though you are unlikely ever to need to upgrade to it.

If it's saying 24 November availability now it means the initially installed line card(s) are fully taken.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

If it's saying 24 November availability now it means the initially installed line card(s) are fully taken.

House is around 350 metres by road, from the cabinet, I saw inside it in passing in September, when the fitter had just completed it (he unlocked it to show me) and asked how many fibre lines would be available, he said 125 initially, and a further 125 could be added if needed - I'm surprised 125 are gone already, but there are a couple of primary schools who may have taken a few.

Schools generally take what ever the contract for the larger education authority has negotiated. This helps to ensure appropriate contention levels and management of content controls and secure access to things like a County wide education intranet maybe.

A number of schools have started moving away for 2 runs. First is a lot have become academies and change to the "parent companies" solution. Secondly, once FTTC becomes available they see it as a cheap alternative - and then often complain that speeds are not as good, they lose services they previously got as part of the Internet provision, etc.

Possibly. I've never heard of 125 before in this context. I believe the initial link cable between the PCP and FTTC cabinets normally caters for 100 connections, (200 pairs?), but agree with you such rapid take-up of 100 or 125 is unlikely.

It may be there is space on the DSLAM for that number of connections, but that isn't to say all card slots were occupied. My memory of our cabinet is well faded, but it had several line cards and many empty slots. It wasn't easy to work out how cards translated into connections, i.e. how many connections per card, without remembering the diagram on the inside of the door, but IIRC there was a spare on each card.

Whatever . If it has zero availability until 24 November, it is full at some part of the installation. Or someone pushed a few sparklers through the vents on Nov 5 and you're lucky yours is still working .

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Possibly. I've never heard of 125 before in this context.

Looking at the info and illustrations of types of FTTC cabinets here: ::. Kitz - FTTC Fibre Cabinets .::, somewhere around 125/250 would seem plausible? The cabinet looks from the outside like the Huawei 288 on the Kitz page.

I have no idea myself, only quoting the figures he mentioned.