Self-install with Zen, any recommended prep?

So my cabinet is now FTTC ready and I have ordered "Unlimited Fibre 2" with Zen. BT broadband availability checker states;

High Low High Low
FTTC Range A (Clean) 80 68 20 20 -- Available
FTTC Range B (Impacted) 80 61.3 20 19 -- Available

I've read a few bits and bobs and am starting to worry about the extension wiring in my house. What I am presuming is the master socket by my front door looks like this;
http://1drv.ms/1D6fkSE
There are three further extension points dotted around the house. I am currently running my ADSL2+ modem / router connection from one of the extension points in my "home office" as there is no power near the master socket (and the extension point is near my PCs for ethernet from router to one of them). I use an ASUS DSL-N55U (recommended on here I think!) for this and although I don't really use the features it has been stable with a good wireless signal throughout the house, so am happy with it. The ADSL2+ line stats are as follows;

Modulation : ADSL2+
Annex Mode : Annex A/L
SNR Up : 9.5
SNR Down : 6.0
Line Attenuation Up : 7.1
Line Attenuation Down : 18.0
Data Rate Up : 1020
Data Rate Down : 20005

I read that FTTC might be a bit more finnicky with extensions and suchlike, but am reassuring myself that the ADSL2+ stats seem decent enough so that might mean it is a good starting point at least?
Zen are supplying the Technicolor TG589vn for me to use and I suppose my ASUS become redundant.

Anything worth doing before end of next week when I go live, or just try it temporarily in the master and on an extension to see if there is much difference? I remember something about removing the faceplate to get to the test socket but I haven't gone that far yet (and it looks kind of old!).

Depends on how the extensions are wired, if star wired even though you have good ADSL2+ stats the very different frequencies can result in a significant impact. i.e. around the 60 Meg mark than 76 Meg mark.

Cannot recall as its end of the day, but if Zen is still an engineer install they should convert that master socket to a NTE5A and leave a VDSL2 faceplate e.g. http://www.coolwebhome.co.uk/faceplate/

Your master socket looks too old to have a test socket.

It's marked as a self install, there didn't seem to be any option during ordering for an engineer visit. To be honest I could probably live with a 15meg hit on the downstream. I'm more worried about it being really variable or dropping etc.

That master socket is dated, you really should have one of these fitted
Genuine BT NTE5
And then you could fit one of these
VDSL MK3 Interstitial Faceplate

Which most likely what a BT engineer would fit if a managed install
Those two items and a data extension kit had you requested one at time of order , (managed install)So you could site the modem upto iirc 30mtrs away from the master socket ,

Phone Zen first thing tomorrow and tell them about the old wiring.

Engineer installs are available.

Well if your internal wiring is not up to the job ie star wired ect, then you could see a more severe impact if it causes a lot of errors /disconnects as DLM with cripple it, , throughput & latency could also be affected
I would ask Zen for an engineer install and a data extension kit ,if power outlets are an issue,

Edited by tommy45 (Tue 28-Jul-15 19:52:42)

Seems like an engineer install is probably a better option. However, even with a data extension I don't see a nice clean / tidy route to any power sockets.

In reply to a post by Deft:

Seems like an engineer install is probably a better option. However, even with a data extension I don't see a nice clean / tidy route to any power sockets.

The only other option would be to request the engineer also relocate the master socket, running the cable outside the building but this would be chargeable on top of FTTC install ,where as the Data extension kit is Fee

Unless you opted to install an additional power outlet nearer to the master socket, but would be a lot more work

Edited by tommy45 (Tue 28-Jul-15 20:54:23)

The data extension can be run externally, at the engineer's discretion, using van stock suitable cable. No extra charge except the cost of the tea/coffee and biscuits.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

The data extension can be run externally, at the engineer's discretion, using van stock suitable cable. No extra charge except the cost of the tea/coffee and biscuits.

But not something that the OP should rely up on, As some engineers just don't have the time to be faffing around doing any more than basic install tasks, and then you have those kelly's and quinns engineers, would you really want them installing your VDSL service let alone modifying wiring ,?

So I rang Zen, and although a bit more painful than I expected, my old order is cancelled and a new one with engineer install should happen. It took some convincing initially that an engineer visit would be in everyone's interest and I almost had to use the line "people on the internet told me!". Sales to Technical, back to Sales, then to Billing.
I feel like something is going to go horribly wrong.....lets wait and see.

Was the Data Extension/Home Wiring Solution ordered? It's free, but vital! If it isn't ordered the engineer doesn't have it on his worksheet, (and may even have less time allocation - my supposition).

The current order details visible to me are a bit opaque. I will follow up to check. I feel like I covered that ground during the discussion but not quite sure how that might have translated to the order (other than this guy is a pain).

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Was the Data Extension/Home Wiring Solution ordered? It's free, but vital! If it isn't ordered the engineer doesn't have it on his worksheet, (and may even have less time allocation - my supposition).

Zen assure me it is included / part of the order. We will find out in a weeks time hopefully. The wife has also agreed a route for the data extension from the current master socket that she can live with, so although not aesthetically perfect should make getting to a sensible power outlet point ok now.

So I had my install today. We ended up effectively making my existing extension point the master socket and all other extensions are now disconnected - so no data extension used. New master socket with interstitial faceplate fitted. I guess he was happy with the few extra metres of internal wiring, seemed to do quite a bit of testing to make sure it was OK. Getting about 50/10 which I said was under the impacted estimate and he stayed on to do some further checks. He couldn't see any problems and said the line was performing at maximum and no errors etc. I'll wait a couple of weeks and see what Zen say. Not motivated enough to go poking around the Openreach modem.
He said there are only 3 other people on my cab currently. Does the BT line estimate get refined as more people join the cabinet and it sees what real world stats they get?

Going by BT estimates mine is similar to yours and i have been able to get the max sync rates of 80/20 so far , do you know how far you are from the cab, ? my line is about 300-350mtrs from the cab to the master socket

Edited by tommy45 (Fri 14-Aug-15 17:32:35)

The current estimates don't take into account your distance from the DP i.e. usually last telephone pole or pavement chamber, so 20m long drive can have an impact. That should change during the autumn.

There is some feedback into the checker systems i.e. its not perfect but pretty good for the way its done for now

Was the engineer Openreach, or someone like Kelly's/Quinn's?

As crow flies around 300m, by walking on roads perhaps nearer 400m. The whole area served by the cab is all underground cabling. He did check whether there was anything more he could do the other side of the master socket outside to get the speed up but I guess was restricted somewhat.

Openreach, extremely polite and helpful. Seemed like he had been doing the job a while. We chatted over some broadband trivia and even my mysterious cease and reprovide that happened a couple of years back. He made the astute point that the myriad of communications providers are not very good at communicating with one another.

It all sounds very odd. I think you ought to ask Zen why it is so low. Though I would be checking the home wiring as much as possible before contacting them.

Has he fitted the interstitial filter plate?

I get far better connection speeds than you and am ~600m from the cabinet.

I usually sync at 48Mbps down and I am 800m from the cabinet...

Yep interstitial faceplate fitted. As I said, presume extension wiring is not causing issues as he seemed to compare performance just at junction box during the process of disconnecting all the other extensions and then making the one in my home office effectively the only one active.
Zen portal shows sync of 52853/10413, which has happened a few times on the install day and once yesterday but nothing since (and always the same rate).
The Zen supplied router was so flakey for wifi I got myself an Asus replacement which has been great.
The Openreach modem is ECI if that makes any odds. I don't notice any problems with the connection in a general sense. I guess if this is as good as it gets I should consider dropping to the 40/10 product.

Edited by Deft (Sun 16-Aug-15 08:03:02)

You should be asking Zen what is wrong! There almost certainly is, somewhere.

In reply to a post by Deft:

The Openreach modem is ECI if that makes any odds. I don't notice any problems with the connection in a general sense. I guess if this is as good as it gets I should consider dropping to the 40/10 product.

Do you know which flavour the cabinet is? If it's Huawei you might find that an unlocked HG612 with latest fw would enable G.INP and speed things up for you.

Yes self install you get the free router - if you need a master plate fitting they call out an engineer and then you get nothing but a ECI/HG612 Modem as I found out when I had to buy my own kit.

And still get stiffed on a 12 month contract.

I hadn't yet got around to querying it with Zen, but for fun re ran the BT phone number checker. My estimates have been updated in line with my current performance. Previously the clean estimate was 80-68 down and now it says 49-34. I guess that underground cabling is not great or something! That's a pretty significant revision.