Can ONT go in garage?

Had fibre installed today - I did put "install in garage" down on notes but the installer said it can't go in garage as is against policy. I need the connection ASAP so agreed to have it installed elsewhere but I really would like it in garage.

Is there anything in openreach policy which states it cannot go into the garage? If there is nothing saying they can't install it in garage then they have provided incorrect information so they can move it as far as I'm concerned.

Also does the ONT have to be low level, or can it go higher up?

A quick google suggests a number of people have had the ONT installed in the garage. It may be that it is down to the installer to judge if the location is suitable and some installers may be more willing than others. I am not sure if you could make Openreach move it.

Why do you want it in the garage? Is it just the ONT you are concerned about or is it other equipment? You could have the ONT wherever it was installed and run ethernet from it to the garage for all the other equipment you may have. It is going to depend on how much of an issue it is that the ONT itself is wherever they have installed it - if you can live with that then everything else could go in the garage.

I think Ancient_Mariner (Clive) had the ONT installed in his garage without issue.

I suspect it depends on what type of garage, and what the conditions are in there.

Many garages can be mildly damp in the winter months, that would be an unsuitable location in my opinion. However, if clearly dry, maybe even heated .. then it ought to be OK.
Next you need to consider how easy a cable run it is from CSP to where the customer requests the ONT to be sited. Is there permanent available close by ?
The ‘can it be mounted up high’ question makes me wonder if you have selected some weird vaguely inaccessible spot for the ONT.

Lots of questions, but on the day, it’s down to the installer for the yay or nay.

If you really desperately need it somewhere else, you could pay to have it shifted.

Thanks for all the replies - I want it in the garage as its out of sight and I can run cable from there, hence putting "install in garage" on the notes. I'm happy to pay to have it shifted if it comes to that but in the first instance I'll try and get them to move it FoC because the communication was unreasonable. It wasn't an openreach engineer (subcontracted) and the bloke was clearly in a big rush which is where it all went downhill.

In hindsight should have sent him away which I suspect is where I'll come unstuck. The location in which it has been installed internally is "acceptable" but the way the cable has been run on the outside is not.

As part of that, the installer has drilled into new uPVC fascias and this was not communicated. If this had been made clear I would have advised a different location. Basically - lack of communication and willingness to discuss.

Again - Appreciate the replies will let you know how it goes.

Edited by Pipexer (Tue 11-Nov-25 19:55:21)

In reply to a post by Pipexer:

Thanks for all the replies - I want it in the garage as its out of sight and I can run cable from there, hence putting "install in garage" on the notes. I'm happy to pay to have it shifted if it comes to that but in the first instance I'll try and get them to move it FoC because the communication was unreasonable. It wasn't an openreach engineer (subcontracted) and the bloke was clearly in a big rush which is where it all went downhill.

In hindsight should have sent him away which I suspect is where I'll come unstuck. The location in which it has been installed internally is "acceptable" but the way the cable has been run on the outside is not.

As part of that, the installer has drilled into new uPVC fascias and this was not communicated. If this had been made clear I would have advised a different location. Basically - lack of communication and willingness to discuss.

Again - Appreciate the replies will let you know how it goes.

It is quite likely that your specific note didn’t get anywhere near the notes the installer got.

That’s the joy of having contractors do it … many seem to have little or no ethics. The ‘dangled carrot’ of price per job produces just the cack you tell of.

You have a very reasonable basis for a ‘robust’ complaint. The drilling through UPvC is a BIG NO NO. If that is still in warranty , then that has been voided.

Get the ONT moved to where required. Get the cable rerun to a quality standard.

Post deleted by Ripley

I had mine installed in the garage, my router is there too, I wanted them out of sight.
My access points are in cupboards so you can’t see them either.

No problem at all having the ONT installed in the garage. The CSP is also in the garage at about six feet up adjacent to a strong shelf which enable the joint to be made.

I had drilled a convenient hole for the fibre to go through to the CSP and then 25mm PVC conduit to the ONT.

Cheers!

It's not great to have the ONT or other IT equipment installed in a location where it might get cold enough to cause condensation. 10deg C to 35deg C, non condensing gives a reasonable margin to ONT suppliers' spec. Some Nokia ONTs have very wide temperature specifications- approaching military at the cold end, but not at the hot.

In practice, many garages will be suitable.

With rogue installers you just have to say "NO" firmly. That said, the strategy of doing some preparations to make your preferred solution their line of least resistance can be a good one. So, I have, in the past, pre-drilled the wall and put in duct at the entry point and made sure power socket placed so as to meet the ONT installation instructions. It is then less likely that the installer will say "Can't go there". My experience with Openreach installers has been generally positive. With sub-contractors, some have been excellent, too.

Quick update but Openreach haven't replied to any of my emails. Complaint is open though (unless they've just closed it without telling me).. Will pick back up next year.

Open reach have just fitted CSP and ONT in the garage of one of our properties, unfortunately the fibre to CBT has got to wait until Monday due to access and tree issues

In reply to a post by burble:

Open reach have just fitted CSP and ONT in the garage of one of our properties, unfortunately the fibre to CBT has got to wait until Monday due to access and tree issues

I don't understand why Openreach put pole by the nearer trees, pretty silly to put there. If the tree fall during stormy the pole fibre cable will get snapped off.

Edited by adslmax (Fri 19-Dec-25 13:04:16)

In reply to a post by adslmax:

In reply to a post by burble:

Open reach have just fitted CSP and ONT in the garage of one of our properties, unfortunately the fibre to CBT has got to wait until Monday due to access and tree issues

I don't understand why Openreach put pole by the nearer trees, pretty silly to put there. If the tree fall during stormy the pole fibre cable will get snapped off.

underground ducting and dig have its own set of issues.

If lightning hits the pole?

If a Paul Bunyan look-a-like comes along?

If a lorry hits the pole?

In reply to a post by adslmax:

In reply to a post by burble:

Open reach have just fitted CSP and ONT in the garage of one of our properties, unfortunately the fibre to CBT has got to wait until Monday due to access and tree issues

I don't understand why Openreach put pole by the nearer trees, pretty silly to put there. If the tree fall during stormy the pole fibre cable will get snapped off.

To be fair to Openreach, in this case when the pole was first put in there wasn't a problem with tall trees, these have grown up in the decades since.

All connected up this morning, fibre was taken along 4 poles from the CBT and into the garage, then connected to the CSP which was already on the garage wall, -14.8db at the ONT. The ISP is Vodafone, and it took a couple of hours or so to go 'live' after everything was plugged in. We now have phone in main house, and wifi at one end of main house, throughout annex and workshop, I may lay in another cable to give 100% wifi coverage in main house, but it's not needed at present.

Following up from this - OR never followed up the complaint. A couple of weeks ago a delivery lorry reversed onto my drive, into the fibre, and ripped the bracket off the uPVC fascia - yes - the fibre was hanging that low.

The fibre was still working surprisingly.

By coincidence, as this happened, an OR subcontractor was over the road installing fibre at another house who practically saw it happen. I bunged him £90 to reinstall it in the garage. He made a bit of a mess with drilling holes which were unnecessary, but it is now finally where I originally wanted it.

Because of no receipt I am £90 out of pocket now as the delivery company are refusing to pay (they obviously think I have the ability to re splice and run fibre myself, as well as climb telegraph poles and terminate new fibre etc...), 4 holes in my uPVC fascia, holes in my brickwork where it originally went which I didn't want, and more holes in my garage brick work.

Not ideal across all accounts - but it is finally now where I wanted it at least.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

It is quite likely that your specific note didn’t get anywhere near the notes the installer got.

. . .

I recall you advising me of this likelihood, Zarjaz, in your reply to my post here in January where I queried how a fibre install could be routed: link to this post

In the event with your advice, I did not add any notes, to my order, put in a month ago, and was lucky to be met by a really helpful sub-contractor (Quinns), on the day prior to the Openreach install, who agreed to install the ONT where I proposed it, making the underground route of the copper cable redundant. With the photos from my premises which he submitted to OR the same day, with this order, OR decided to run a new overhead line to the nearest line-of-sight pole - where there was none before.

As the OR guy explained this the following day, when he turned up at 8:30, as this area is designated an "overhead area", any additional work on an underground route would need to be paid for, by me - so he fast installed a new overhead line from a pole up the road to my roof and thence to the new ONT. With a neighbour's quick agreement to cross a corner of their garden.
It was all resolved quicker than I'd hoped for, and was important to be on the spot to discuss it.