CityFibre/Vodafone

Hello all

My estate in Coventry has just been completed with hollow fibre cable with new green boxes installed.

I can't anything on the forum regarding CityFibre at all.

If anyone can answer some or all of the questions below it would be appreciated.

1-what sort of cable will be used from the public footpath to my house, as my drive is block paved I envisage I'll have to install that myself (no problem)?

2-what does the indoor equipment involve and what does it look like (pictures would be good)?

3-Will I be able to use my own existing router Asus RT-AC87U which I currently use with an OR white modem, does their equipment use login PW? I will be signing up for their 200 Mbps service which is on offer at the moment for £28 pm.

4-Any other useful info?

Thanks

1- They'll install a fiber optic cable. Details can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClWAYUfG5nA

2- Light coming to https://tele-a.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/801Gv2_... which connects to the Vodafone router with an Ethernet cable.

3- You can replace Vodafone's router, but not the Calix. You can ask Vodafone your PPPoE password, enter it to you router's settings page, and set VLAN to 911.

4- You might want to disable IPv6 on your router because Vodafone's IPv6 DHCP servers are buggy/unstable.

Edited by deleted (Sat 04-Jan-20 16:01:03)

Cityfibre in Coventry is being installed using the overhead OR telegraph poles in a lot of places, so it should be delivered the same way as an OR line coming into your property.

You will be supplied with a small ONT which then would connect to the Vodafone WIFI Hub, however that shouldn't stop you from using your own equipment and a quick call to VF will get you your username and password.

The Coventry situation is different to other rollout areas in the way that its delivered using existing OR infrastructure. They suggest this is faster and more cost effective than digging a trench external to a property.

Thanks for the reply but they did dig trenches and and not use existing OR infrastructure at least on my estate.

Thanks that's really useful, I had no idea about the indoor equipment or it's name.

http://i.epvpimg.com/pqJlaab.jpg

That's what my install looks like.

Interesting, what is the white box around the corner ?

Thanks for posting.

After the fibre enters my property it goes to that white box where he splits some fibre then runs it out of the box to my modem.

This is all very interesting thanks so much.
Cityfibre are doing my street end of Jan to early Feb 2020, they started my area of Northampton as their first push into Northampton early Nov 2019, once our road is done it should be all done for this small chunk, would anyone happen to guess how long it takes to "turn the lights on" and start accepting orders, ive waited 10+ years for faster than 4Mb ADSL, ive only stopped from going mad by using a unlimited 3 sim for the last year, but its very prone to congestion in evenings. Im so going for the top package and when Openreach FTTP comes probably this year or early 2021 im going to add that as well, I intend to make up for lost time!

My road was finished at the start of may and it showed availability about a month and a half after that.

But I couldn't actually order from the website because of some error on the page and as of October I'm still unsure if that's fixed so I just went into the Vodafone store and ordered it there.

Here's what the install at my house in Aberdeen looks like https://photos.app.goo.gl/LduU4p4LoLCX2SiGA

the Kellys engineers who turned up for the install were fantastic, I have grass and slabs, they trenched through the grass and lifted the slabs - they would do the same for lockbrock without hesitation.

they lay the brown microduct first then blow/suck the fibre along to the nearest cabinet.

Inside the brown enclosure they splice the fibre from the street onto a pre-terminated patch lead which plugs into the internal ONT.

I'm suing my own MikroTik router. As stated before Vodafone will easily supply you with your PPPoE credentials, just make sure you set the PPP interface to use VLAN 911 and you'll be good.

I'm on the 500mbps package and here is a link to a WiFi test: https://www.speedtest.net/result/a/5610264495

Ah right ive seen a few similar to that but only on ground floor flats or a house mine is a white square panel instead probably because its a 3rd floor flat

But i also had kellys and they were super

i've thought about a new router is the max the vodafone supplied router only 433mbps?

well i have most things wired anyways a part from laptop and phone

tv,pc and games console are all wired.

currently on wifi i get about 300ish throughput

Edited by epyon (Mon 06-Jan-20 13:17:30)

In reply to a post by epyon:

i've thought about a new router is the max the vodafone supplied router only 433mbps?

I was able to get around upper 400's on Wifi with the Vodafone supplied router - I just wanted to move to my Mikrotik And UniFi setup as I have some VPNs running on it to some other networks i manage and it's simpler than having to establish a VPN in software every time I need to access a remote network

I'm getting over 500mbps with a UniFi AC Pro - if I move to the Gigabit tariff I may swap the AC Pro from an AC HD

may just be my laptop then as it only connects at 433 i was sure the vodafone router has wireless AC1200

EDIT:

yes my laptop only supports 433 mbps but i can replace the card thankfully.

Edited by epyon (Mon 06-Jan-20 13:42:56)

So CF/VF is now available to order at my address, the only thing stopping me is that I read alot of negative things about VF customer service.

I have read here and other sources that now that CF has/is acquiring Talktalk's fibre business that TT will also have access to City Fibre's infrastructure. Is there a timescale for when this is likely to happen ?

Thoughts and comments please.

Sometime in 2020 but likely to vary from area to area based on the exclusivity deal Vodafone has.

Too be honest you shouldn't have much problems with FTTP compared to FTTC and the like.
Once its up and running you won't really need to contact them, Well that's just my experience so far.
Plus they have stores you can walk into if you get nowhere with customer serivce.

Talktalk will probably have access and packages available by christmas this year.

Edited by epyon (Sun 08-Mar-20 12:11:38)

In reply to a post by bingobill:

So CF/VF is now available to order at my address, the only thing stopping me is that I read alot of negative things about VF customer service.

I have read here and other sources that now that CF has/is acquiring Talktalk's fibre business that TT will also have access to City Fibre's infrastructure. Is there a timescale for when this is likely to happen ?

Thoughts and comments please.

I have been a Vodafone FTTC customer as the price at the time was very reasonable. I think the only time I had to contact customer services was to get my connection userid and password so that I could use my own router. There is a customer forum.

Thanks all for the replies,

I'm going to go ahead and order and hope for the best. Perhaps by the time TT have packages in place I'll me nearing the end of my contract with VF.

If you currently with Vodafone / Openreach (BT) and mid contract there no early disconection fee if you wish to change to Vodafone / Cityfiber. You just have to agree to new contact ie minimum 18 or 24 months.

My install was completed today

It was done by Kelly's, very pleased with the installation considering I have a block paving drive.

When the ground workers were laying the microduct I asked them to put the Toby where I thought it was better for my drive and they obliged.

They were doing another 2 installs in my area today, one of them in my street eight doors down but we are on different cabs and mine is the only connection in my cab.

The Kelly guys were also very obliging and put the ONT where I wanted it upstairs in my office.

I also took this opportunity to update my own router to a new Asus RT-AX58U, Great router.

I managed to talk to VF customer service via chat to get my user name and password and also a static IP.

It was fascinating watching the install and manage to grab a few pics if anyone is interested.

https://postimg.cc/gallery/v4wjdpM

Overall over the moon










I'm the first one on my cab

Looks like you are first on the cabinet.
Interesting stuff, thanks for the pictures.
Im in Northampton just waiting for the live switch on for my cabinet, its been sat for over a month now.

A couple clues I noticed to look for before being able to order.

Cabinets being worked on in readiness for connections.

A guy walking around the estate with a compressor on a trolley opening the Tobys of every property and pressure testing the microducting.

We are just cabinets around here to the nearest BT/Openreach chambers, all cables are going down existing ducting, nothing outside each home.
Rumour has it we are going live in May. Ive got a website monitor thing for my postcode anyway, so I will be first here, guaranteed. Just like I was first and currently only one with BT FTTP when that went live this month.

That's very interesting. I'll be interested to to see and read details of your install.

It's obvious now why they dug trenches here as the original BT/OR cables to our properties are direct buried in the ground.

So I guess problems like collapsed ducts maybe a problem where existing BT/OR infrastructure is used ?

Edited by bingobill (Thu 23-Apr-20 09:33:19)

Oh yes, quite often see roadworks for clear ducts etc.
My street appears to be ok as Openreach had no problems and also my duct is obviously clear as they fed my FTTP cable to the front door, lets just hope Cityfibre dont dislodge it when pulling through their cable!

How long did it take between Cityfibre first coming into the area and getting it installed into your property? They're due to start where I am in Derby next week according to roadworks. Presume we'd be talking over a year?

Also am I right in thinking that they're using the old infrastructure from the failed H2O Networks? I've got one of their manholes right outside.

Yes, H2O Networks / Fibrecity assets were acquired by Cityfibre. I didn't know they had any build in Derby though.

It's possible they just sold off their stock of manhole covers and they were used for other purposes

Ah yes that would make sense, as I wasn't aware of them having a presence here either.

In reply to a post by hfz:

3- You can replace Vodafone's router, but not the Calix. You can ask Vodafone your PPPoE password, enter it to you router's settings page, and set VLAN to 911.

I have a Unifi UDM-Pro with an SFP+ WAN port.

Can I not use a GPON SFP+ module like the UF-Instant?

https://store.ui.com/collections/operator-ufiber/pro...

No.

Hi all,

I just had my street fitted with the new fibre lines a few weeks back and yesterday a technician was doing some sort of testing on each house. So I am hoping this will go live soon. Does anyone know how I can see if it live and where to order?

Customers should be able to order “within a few months” after they’ve been cabled up according to the CityFibre Local Delivery Manager I spoke to recently in Inverness, where’s there’s huge CityFibre activity currently. At present it’s just Vodafone who are selling CityFibre FTTP to residential customers so just keep checking Vodafone’s website regularly for availability.

Out of interest did CityFibre use existing Openreach ducting in your street (if already there ) or did they construct new ducts to lay their fibre? I’m desperately hoping I don’t get my front garden/drive dug up, despite there being existing and clear Openreach ducts in my street.

Thanks for the info and I’m not 100% but I think they dug new ducts in the street.

In Coventry they are using mixed methods to get the fibre to the house.

On my estate although there are BT chambers and ducting in the pathways but there is no ducting to the houses, original telephone cables were buried in the ground and so CF dug narrow trenches in the pathways and buried the bundled micro ducting directly in the ground terminating at each property boundary with a junction box called a Toby.

With the installation contractors had to remove some of my block paving drive to get the fibre to my house (see pictures earlier in this this thread)

Where my daughter lives in another part of Coventry they are using OR poles.

It took a couple of months or so before I could order.

Keep checking here

At the time of my order they were offering 500/500 for £30pm on an 18m contract.

Edited by bingobill (Wed 03-Jun-20 20:22:15)