FTTP install, running the cable behind a wall.

FTTP has just become available to me! Yey!

I'm about to order, although I have a feeling the new lockdown will delay the install, which is fair enough. It's listed as a 1 step install, as the chamber is almost outside my front door.

I don't have any power sockets near where my copper cable enters my home, I have an external NTE, so the first socket is down a short hall, from my front door. So for me it would involve running a cable along the skirting board to where the cable will enter my home, by my front door to where the power sockets are, which is about 3 or 4 meters.

I was thinking to cut some small hole in the wall (it's a dry lined wall so loads of space behind it) and run some string, to where the sockets are, so that the engineer could just pull the cable through the outside wall and then behind the internal wall.

I've done it loads of times before when I installed a wired network.

So I guess my question is, has anyone had any experience with this before when having FTTP installed? Do you think the engineer will be willing to feed the cable behind the wall if I do all the prep work and feed the string?

I know I'm being super fussy, I just really don't like cable being on show!

Edited by deleted (Sun 01-Nov-20 18:53:45)

In short no.

However, if you install some 20/25mm tubing in the void, with no sharp bends, and a pull cord through ... from outside to where you wish the ONT to go inside, then yes.

the guys doing my install were happy for me to run it through the per installed duct under the garden, up the outside wall in corrugated conduit, through the loft (there is probably 20m spare!) and whilst they drank the supplied coffee i pulled the fibre through the stud walls using the preinstalled rope to the cupboard where I had them install the ont

Edited by threelegs (Sun 01-Nov-20 22:42:24)

Currently they are not allowed to drink any tea or coffee supplied by the householder. That's what the engineer who came last week to fix a copper fault told me.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Currently they are not allowed to drink any tea or coffee supplied by the householder. That's what the engineer who came last week to fix a copper fault told me.

Yep. Makes sense really.

Is there a better location on the outside of the house for bringing the fibre in that could be close to power and where you could place the router? The router doesn't have to be anywhere near the old BT incoming master socket if there is somewhere better. I got them to bring mine straight through my living room wall behind the TV where there is ample power to plug it in to.

No Fig Newtons then! That doesn't sound good.

In reply to a post by ian72:

Is there a better location on the outside of the house for bringing the fibre in

I don't think so, the ExNTE is right next to my front door and I have an open porch around it so there would be no where for the wire to go, the only other room at at the front, is the kitchen, so it would not be practical to run it into there.

Other houses on the estate that don't have ExNTEs, the ducts go into the living room at the back of the house, much easier!

It's just the awkward position of the ExNTE being by my front door rather than the livingroom at the back. It also doesn't help that it's on the side of the door, that if the engineer was to drill through, it would end up in the downstairs toilet, even further away from the power sockets, so I really need the fibre to enter my property on the other side of the door.

There is space underneath the wooden doorstep and gap between doorstep and where the block paving starts, I hope they are willing to put the cable underneath that, I've already tested it I can slot a Cat6 cable through the gap with no problems and then pin it to the wall. It's big enough to fit trunking under too.

So it would just be the case of pulling the cable through the existing duct, under the doorstep and through the wall on the other side, then there is a straight run to the power sockets in the hall along the skirting board.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Currently they are not allowed to drink any tea or coffee supplied by the householder.

Totally makes sense, no way to bribe them with treats now though!

OpenReach are usually fine with running the fibre along the external wall of the property to the entry point of your choosing (within reason and at ground level).

I believe it's more the pulling fibre through the dry wall to the socket with a string that Zarjaz said would be a likely no.

It would be preferable to have conduit behind the drywall.