Hi,

Most of the FTTP installs we're doing now are 2 step installs with the engineers coming on 2 different days to each part of the installation.

The first day they will run the fibre from the street to your property, in Bradwell Abbey this is blown down the ducting (in the other 2 exchanges some properties are now overhead fed). This is the most time consuming and troublesome part. Openreach have pre-run the fibre out to the streets but there could be several hundred metres between your property and where they've run it to.

The second date they will come and do the internal work, they'll run the fibre through your wall and to where you want the ONT located (think ahead where will be convenient and has power), make the internal fibre as neat as they can and set up the ONT. You'll then need to set up your router and PC and connect.

On average the outside work takes about 5-7 hours and the internal work about 2 hours and so long as there are no problems you should be able to connect as soon as they're finished (assuming your ISP have everything ready their side).

Our customers tend to see speeds of ~80Mbps, some get a bit more, although peak times people see it slow a little. We have seen some get lower speeds but I think almost of all of them have been down to something within the customers' control. For example, wireless G speeds will max out around 20Mbps while draftN/N lite maxes at around 67Mbps. Full N 2x2 router and wireless adapters are needed to get the best wireless speed. We've seen other problems with older PCs and some AV/firewall software.

In reply to a post by Gleichfalls:

Hi again,
The metal plate is your cavity wall box. You have one of the larger types so I would assume the junction box I am talking about is inside. Most people have smaller cavity wall boxes which would not give enough room to install the junction point in.
The cable will come from the junction point and go directly into the ONT.
Hoping that all is successful it should only (fingers crossed) take 10 minutes after the serial number has been sent, to give you service.

Enjoy

Thanks Gleichfalls - been wondering what that box was since we moved in (couldn't get in it to look - thought it was water main inlet or something haha!)

thanks Dave - really useful info.
They turned up about 13:30 the other day (unannounced, much to the surprise of my partner who probably tuned out when I was telling her about the fttp installtion) - 3 van loads of them, but had gone my the time I got home (about 18:30). Assuming they got everything done they needed to - but it's not very far to the bunch of cabinets at the entry to the estate, which I guess they'd have (at least) taken it to.

Hopefully router shouldn't be too much of an issue - I supplied my own, and I got one with simultaneous dual-band wireless N & gigabit lan ports

Congrats on your FTTP, very jelous

Someone by the nickname KMpuggy has posted about his FTTP on the overclockers forum.

Search for his posts starting on page 2 of this thread. There is a speedtest a pic of the cabinet inside his house where the kit is. I can make out the OR modem, which differs slightly from the FTTC one, I think the ONT that Dave speaks about and the actual fibre cable.

The fibre does not actually go to the cabinet as they are used for copper pstn lines only. All the fibre junction points etc are underground.
The fact that you had 3 vans may have indicated a problem but its hard to say.

Not long now till d-day for you.

The modem in that setup is actually one of the older ones. The modem that aldredd will get will look different.
The newer modems look a lot more stream lined and much more appealing in my mind.

You can see some of the equipment (ont,csp) used in this link here:

Plusnet FTTP Forum

Edited by deleted (Wed 22-Jun-11 09:00:27)

Thanks Gleichfalls & Croftie for the useful links & info

Hopefully there wasn't a problem - it was the first time they've been, so unless they they knew they were going to have a problem, they must have just felt like having a group day out )
And that there is a load of house insulation on the floor by the panel means they must have done something.

One question, if anyone knows - how will they get the fibre from that panel, to where I want it to emerge (ie pretty much next to the existing master socket?)

Will they route it around the outside of the house? Or will they (if possible) route it the same way the existing cable goes (not sure if this is through the walls or trunked under the house, as it's the other side, and there are no incoming wires on the outside wall where the socket is)

They would have made contact with you if there had been a major problem. They may have had some minor issues getting the tubing and fibre in, but with the help of some extra people they sorted it out. I wouldnt worry about it.

If you want the ONT next to where the exsisting master socket is, it should be fairly easy to install.
There should be some small conduit within the cavity wall box that feeds the cable to your master socket. Assuming the builders installed the conduit nicely, the engineer may be able to use this and pull the fibre through the conduit from the master socket to the cavity wall box.
This will mean that you will hardly see any cable at all.
If the conduit has not been installed nicely or it is blocked etc, then they may need to run the cable via a different route.
But it should be ok.

Hmm it's 13:17 on D-Day, and no sign yet (

(yes, I'm inpatient!)

Heres a speedtest from plusnet FTTP

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1151528802.png