Openreach Full Fibre Install - Modem/Router locations

I have full fibre 900/110 package being installed next week.
The cable has already been placed from manhole to my house a few weeks back.

As I understand it, the engineer next week will drill through from outside to inside and install the fibre cable to the Openreach Modem, and then an ethernet cable connects to a BT Retail HomeHub.

When my original ADSL (currently 76mb line) was installed, the engineer ran a cable from the main BT socket on the lounge wall, around a door frame and 5 metres along a wall to the other end of the lounge where he then added a Box that my current Router uses (RJ11 I think).
I am hoping that the install this time would be able to do the same thing.
Does anyone have any experience of Full Fibre Engineer visits, and know if they are able/willing to run a length of ethernet from the modem to the router a few metres away?

Am I right in thinking that the connection between the Openreach Modem & the BT Retail Homehub is ethernet?

What you call a "modem" is actually called an ONT - Optical Network Termination. It's a very small wall-mounted box.

You're correct that the connection from this to the router is ethernet.

The existing cabling you have carries the VDSL signal into the modem built-in to your router, and is not suitable for use for ethernet.

BT engineers generally don't install ethernet cabling for you. You can do it yourself, or get another installer to do it.

However, they may show some flexibility in location of the ONT. If the lounge has an external wall suitable for cable entry point, they might be able to do that; or they might be able to route an internal fibre along the path you suggested, such that the ONT is in the lounge. I suggest you ask them about these options on the day.

Unlikely they will run the fibre that far, so get the ONT located at point of entry and then run some Cat5e yourself with a wall mounted RJ45 at each end. Add two patch leads and you will be good to go

Thanks for the replies.

I have actually ordered a (Cat8) cable and some cable clips that I'm sure I can use myself if the engineer isn't up for doing it, I was just hoping I wouldn't have to.

The ONT entry point will be in the lounge, it's just at the wrong end of the lounge for me.

(I understand that Cat8 is huge overkill, but there wasn't much price difference from a Cat6).

In reply to a post by candlerb:

What you call a "modem" is actually called an ONT - Optical Network Termination. It's a very small wall-mounted box.
You're correct that the connection from this to the router is ethernet.
The existing cabling you have carries the VDSL signal into the modem built-in to your router, and is not suitable for use for ethernet.

Interesting read. I'd assumed a BT FTTP house connection would be much the same as my non BT FTTP install but evidently not.

With mine, I have a small white box (about 100mm across) mounted internally at the point of the fibre entry into the house. Out of the bottom of that I have a fibre optic cable that connects directly to the supplied router (has 4 LAN + 1 VoIP phone socket). Live and learn.

You will be in trouble! Cat8 is around 10mm and not very flexible - difficult to hide and get round corners.

Cat5e would have done the job - 5-5.5mm diameter, a lot more flexible and way easier to hide.

In reply to a post by 69bertie:

supplied router (has 4 LAN + 1 VoIP phone socket).

Your router is a combined ONT and router in one. This would not work for Openreach FTTP as each individual CP (ISP) want to provide a router, to Openreach install an ONT affixed to the wall which is where the fibre optic ends, and the ONT provides an Ethernet socket for the CP router to be connected.

The features of the router depend on the CP service is purchased from, but many will include VoIP ports and Ethernet ports as well as WiFi.

Awesome.

Well, it arrives tomorrow from Amazon, so if it looks like it won't go around the door frame (the rest of the length will be fine, hidden by sofa/furniture) then I'll send it back.

Isn't CAT5e the bare minimum though? up to gigabit?

I'd rather at least cat6 in case any future upgrades are available.

Is Cat6 much bigger than Cat5?

Thanks for the info BTW.

Cat6 is larger than Cat5e and also more rigid. Properly installed Cat5e should handle Gbit - my house is 90% Cat5e and they are all running Gbit (except one which has a broken core).

Thanks