FTTP: anything to be aware of?

I changed jobs last year and am expected to work from home if I can't get in due to the weather.

My ADSL is usually reliable but when I was facing the prospect of possibly having to work from home on Monday it decides to become unstable which I suspect is due to noise (line is 3 km as calculated by Openreach when they last came)

Luckily I was able to get in on Monday but have bitten the bullet and ordered FTTP through Zen today.

I've been advised about the two stage process but was wondering if there's anything I need to be aware of during or following the install?

Not really, think where you are going to request the ONT to go (wall mounted, power supply close by)
This should be within 25/30 meters of the CSP the first guys fit. .....

Zen seem clued up, should be easy enough.

Chhers Zarjaz

Always found them to be excellent so was only one choice.

Get the router set up when delivered, so you should be able to plug it in a confirm service straight away.

Zen don�t pay for a �managed install� , so once the ONT is up and running, that�s that.

Whereabouts in the country are you ?

Milton Keynes

Good to know.

I'm going to be at work when the install is done and one of my parents is going to be here so will make sure the router is in situ with an ethernet cable (cat 6) popped through the hole in the side of the cupboard where it lives so it's a plug and play job.

I think you should take the day off and be there

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

I think you should take the day off and be there

Agreed, if I left it for my parents to handle all the install, who knows where it would of been put.

From the first engineer visit (external work) I was able to choose where the External CSP was to be installed.
And when the second engineer visit (internal work) I again was able to choose where the ONT + BBU was to be installed.

But when choosing these locations you really need to be realistic.

Paul

Edited by PaulKirby (Wed 13-Dec-17 20:54:54)

Zen will provide a Fritzbox router, but this will need configuration, it�s not difficult ... but in the couple I�ve seen the punter didn�t already have a connection with Zen ... so may muddy the waters.

Milton Keynes, ah, so it won�t be me then.

I kinda agree ....

but an X marks the spot for the ONT, and a parent proficient at making tea should do the trick.

Day is booked off.

No problem with configuring routers, just wondered if TR-069 is used to push the details.

Router is here and I'm going to connect it tomorrow in ADSL mode to test the wireless strength, if it's not as good as my D6400 I'll switch back to that as it has a gig WAN port so should be fine.

And I know to ply them with Tea/Coffee and biscuits.

Do OR engineers have any preference biscuit wise?

Some are partial to a Fig Newton

Edited by Zarjaz (Sat 16-Dec-17 05:58:58)

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

So are partial to a Fig Newton

LOL

Paul

In reply to a post by techguy:

And I know to ply them with Tea/Coffee and biscuits.

Do OR engineers have any preference biscuit wise?

Well it was offered but declined, they external work was done very quick even though they had a trainee with them, basically 3 or so vans turned up LOL.

And the next day or two the internal work was done, also very quick, drink etc was also declined.

Paul

Maybe there are subtle signs at your place Paul, �don�t accept the tea�

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Maybe there are subtle signs at your place Paul, �don�t accept the tea�

LOL

Maybe it was the screaming in the basement that made them rush LOL.

I know it was bucketing down when they did the external work, so it was understandable they wanted to do it quick as possible, but the internal work, no excuse

When we had other engineers sent when we were on ADSL2+ and had faults they all had cups of Tea / Coffee or a cold soft drink.

So the fibre installers are snobs I tell you snobs LOL

Paul

..... and what does that make those who are multi skilled I wonder ?

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

..... and what does that make those who are multi skilled I wonder ?

They would be like me LOL

Jokes aside, those fibre engineers were very nice, very chatty and funny, not all engineers are, I have had some engineers in the past (might of been from Kellys) that wasn't talkative at all.

Paul

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

When we had other engineers sent when we were on ADSL2+ and had faults they all had cups of Tea / Coffee or a cold soft drink.

So the fibre installers are snobs I tell you snobs LOL

Or they read the local notes (not the Openreach system) that the ADSL guys left about the effects of the tea and the weevils in the biscuits.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

..... and what does that make those who are multi skilled I wonder ?

Too expensive.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

When we had other engineers sent when we were on ADSL2+ and had faults they all had cups of Tea / Coffee or a cold soft drink.

So the fibre installers are snobs I tell you snobs LOL

Or they read the local notes (not the Openreach system) that the ADSL guys left about the effects of the tea and the weevils in the biscuits.

LOL

Paul

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

..... and what does that make those who are multi skilled I wonder ?

Too expensive.

Haha

Paul

Cheers for all the helpful and amusing posts.

E-mail I received from Zen seems to indicate BT will be doing a survey and status shows they are waiting for KCI-2.

Is the explanation found here https://kb.elite.net.uk/pages/viewpage.action?pageId... still correct?

In reply to a post by techguy:

Cheers for all the helpful and amusing posts.

E-mail I received from Zen seems to indicate BT will be doing a survey and status shows they are waiting for KCI-2.

Is the explanation found here https://kb.elite.net.uk/pages/viewpage.action?pageId... still correct?

Sorry I am unsure, all I know with our install was it was all installed and completed back in 2011 as part of the original 66% Commercial rollout, sadly we was only able to order FTTP last November.

Paul

My install was completed today and I'm very pleased.

The engineer that came was a really good guy and did a really great job on the install.

Pleased to hear it .... and working from the get go ?

Apart from a RADIUS issue that Zen needed to correct, yes thanks.

I kept getting directed to the BT Wholesale page about the ISP not accepting the connection.

I rebooted my router a couple of times, checked I'd put in the username and password correctly and set it to PPPoE.

I then switched over to the router they had sent me, rang them and went through configuring it except I'd put rhe ethernet cable in the wrong port so said I'd ring back (I have the router, a MyCloud and Hive Zigbee hub connected to the router) and I need to sort out the cabling in the desk cupboard where it lives as some of the cabling is too long.

Anyway I connected it and the router returned the message it couldn't log in so called back, they found the problem and sorted it.

The Fritzbox takes a lot of space so I've just switched back to my Netgear D6400 which connected right away this time.

It;s very nice to have the sort of speed I have at work at home now.